"My name is Master Kaido, teaching online."
"Let me give your other grandson a few swings too. Maybe he'll become as strong as Straw Hat Kid."
Su Lin's trash talk was going wild right now. It was just a joke—after all, he wasn't using his own face.
Luffy scratched his head and gave it some serious thought. "That does seem to be the case."
Ace was somewhat tempted by those words.
Ace: "Can it really work that fast?"
Garp: "Really?"
'Kaido': "..."
Sengoku: "..."
Like family, like family.
The Navy's two Legends were on the verge of clashing with Kaido, one of the Yonko.
Meanwhile, Whitebeard's side had not suffered much loss among its main combat forces.
"Didn't take the bait?"
As Akainu wondered, Onigumo charged out from the side and slashed at him with his blade.
"Akainu, you bastard!"
"You actually dared to deceive me!"
Akainu showed no displeasure even as he saw his plan exposed. "You don't believe what I said?"
"Thanks to Brother Jinbe, I didn't fall for your scheme to drive a wedge between us!"
"Jinbe?!"
Akainu did not understand. How had Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, found out?
If he had not interfered, Whitebeard would already have been wounded by now.
"Tch."
"Great Eruption!"
A magma fist even larger than a giant burst forth in an instant.
Fish-Man Karate
Seizing the opportunity beneath the ice, Jinbe used Fish-Man Karate to trigger a massive waterspout, offsetting Akainu's attack.
Thick steam spread across the battlefield.
At the same time, Marineford's situation was being relayed across the world by overworked seagulls and the Den Den Mushi of major news agencies.
500, 700, 1100, 1900, 3003!
The surge eventually stopped at the 5,000 mark before continuing to rise slowly.
"Hahahaha!"
'Kaido' threw back his head and laughed.
Whatever. Today's entire bill is on Young Master Su!
After obtaining this system, Su Lin had thought about many things and made many plans.
But even the cleverest housewife could not cook without rice.
Did anyone know how badly he had craved the things in the store, just staring at them helplessly?
He even dreamed about them every night.
He had originally been prepared to try becoming an internet celebrity, perhaps revive the Smart subculture dynasty, and see if he could earn some points.
He would start by exchanging for basic martial arts, then take things step by step toward Immortal Cultivation.
Who would have thought that coming to the world of One Piece would let him earn so much besides gaining powers?
Although Straw Hat Luffy had put him through quite a lot, as the saying went—
After the storm came the rainbow.
With 5,000 points, he could do plenty in the system store that had everything.
He could visit the Immortal Cultivation section and purchase beginner-level Undying Stellar Art, Taiyi Yellow Mystery Scripture, or Eternal Undying Art. Learn them the instant he bought them, with starter spiritual power and Adeptal Power included.
Or he could directly buy cultivation methods that relied on comprehension and talent. He could buy quite a few complete ones, but at 5,000 points, their quality was limited, and he would have to learn them himself. If he failed to learn them, that was his own problem.
Su Lin's original goal had always been simple.
Longevity, power, pleasure.
Once this was over, he would return to Blue Star, his ordinary world, and take it easy.
As for whether the system or the Chat Group had some conspiracy behind them or anything like that—
Why bother worrying about so much?
He had once been an ordinary person. Now that he had obtained these opportunities, he was already outrageously lucky. Why think so much? Why overthink? If something was placed right in front of him, was he going to take it or not?
He would return to the city with his powers and longevity. Heh heh heh—wouldn't he crush everyone in an ordinary world?
Of course, he had no interest in taking the route of some urban-return harem story.
Right now, he was the ancestral human.
Once he gained enough power in the future, he could trigger another Spiritual Qi Revival. He could wear a disguise and farm points from behind the scenes while continuing to grow stronger.
After all, his own world was his true base.
Su Lin saw that it was about time.
Other than the Haki covering his body for defense, he wrapped the maximum amount of Conqueror's Haki he could wield around his spiked club.
Garp's heart grew uneasy at the sight, and he worried for Luffy's safety.
Garp coated his fists with Armament Haki and was about to attack Kaido alongside Sengoku.
Aokiji and Kizaru were likewise preparing to seize this chance to capture Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat Kid.
"Take it, Luffy! This is my final Thunder Bagua!"
"The final lesson of your graduation!"
Black lightning formed by Haki coiled around the spiked club. However, this attack was not swung at Luffy.
Sengoku and Garp were experienced veterans after all, and neither had relaxed their vigilance for even a moment.
Though surprised by 'Kaido's' sudden change of target, they had been prepared.
Even so, this strike successfully held them back.
"Hahaha, Kaido, you've learned such underhanded tricks too." Garp laughed heartily, in an excellent mood.
He had not expected Kaido to help his grandson. Instead, Garp felt relieved.
At the same time, a new question surfaced in Garp's mind.
Had Luffy really become Kaido's student? Had Kaido taught Luffy to this level in just a few days? Had Kaido even come to the Summit War to fight for him?
Impossible. It made no sense. It should not be possible.
Garp's brain felt slightly overloaded. Something was off. His Haki was stronger than before, but that martial skill really was Kaido's.
Could Kaido have gotten drunk, fallen into the sea, and been kicked in the head by a Sea King?
Though he could not make sense of it, Garp actually felt much more relaxed now.
He only needed to beat up Kaido. He no longer had to struggle between family affection and the Navy's Justice, nor would anyone accuse him of going easy.
To thank Kaido, he would take out his full strength and give him a long-overdue beating.
Sengoku had an even bigger headache. He had not expected Kaido to truly be here to help Straw Hat Kid.
This was troublesome.
The situation was now unpredictable.
And the Beasts Pirates might arrive too. They might have already arrived. Now they also had to guard against attacks from outside.
They had to deal with Kaido quickly.
Just as Sengoku was preparing to go all out, and Garp was preparing to beat Kaido up while exchanging a few more moves to stall for time—
Inside the Chat Group.
Su Lin: "Activate Nika!"
Thump—
Thump—
Massive drumbeats rang out across the battlefield.
"Farewell~." Su Lin waved to the stunned Garp and Sengoku.
The next moment—
Before everyone's astonished eyes, 'Kaido' transformed into a young man, left a spiked club behind on the shattered ground, then turned into light and flew into the sky, vanishing from sight.
"Fake?!"
"Oh no, we were fooled!"
Sengoku reacted and immediately turned his gaze toward Straw Hat Kid's side.
Only to see—
"Gear Fifth!"
On a stretch of sea somewhere in the latter half of the New World.
"Ah... so sudden, yet so nostalgic."
"After eight hundred years, I hear it again!"
"I hear the Drums of Liberation! Though the time and place differ from the prophecy."
"That sound... he is over there."
"Joy Boy has returned."
An indescribably colossal figure looked toward Marineford.
In this world's distant past, Zunesha, who had committed an unforgivable crime, had been ordered to keep walking and never stop.
(End of chapter)