Sunset and Rainbow

A smile tugged at Xia Le's lips as he silently checked the level of his Conqueror's Haki.

Once he maxed it out, he could naturally focus on putting points into another skill.

Conqueror's Haki would become his greatest trump card, as well as his most powerful attack.

Bending his knees slightly, Xia Le leaped high into the air. His body hung briefly above the pirate ship before he clenched his right fist, fine strands of black-red lightning coiling around it.

Suddenly, he punched downward.

"Fist Bone: Heavy Strike!"

Black-red lightning shot out like countless slender snakes, slamming into the center of the pirate ship.

Crack!

With a splintering crash, the massive pirate ship split down the middle. The fractures raced through the entire vessel, reducing it to debris.

Not far away, Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Bogard all looked up at the young man suspended in the air, his fist still clenched. Shock filled their eyes.

"This guy!!"

Sakazuki clenched his fists.

"That's Xia Le for you. Has he already pulled this far ahead of us?"

Kuzan grinned.

Bogard's eyes flickered as he cut down the pirate before him, his thoughts unreadable.

At the same time, Garp burst into laughter as he stood at the warship's bow in the pouring rain.

"This brat's already got a bit of my style!"

Another officer behind him watched Xia Le kick off the air and swiftly land on another warship, then spoke in amazement.

"He's practically a younger version of you!"

Garp laughed. "No, you're wrong!"

"I wasn't this strong at his age!"

The officer froze, then his expression turned to shock.

He watched that figure dart through the storm, taking down pirate after pirate, those two fists striking with tremendous, terrifying power.

Would he become another Garp someday?

At that moment, Xia Le was in the thick of battle.

Death made him stronger. He could no longer measure the power in his fists, but he estimated that his Doriki should be no lower than that of CP9's top few members.

"Tempest Kick!"

His right leg slashed downward, its immense force carving a huge gash through the pirate ship as pirates screamed all around him.

A pirate charged at him with a long blade, roaring.

But in the next instant, Xia Le jabbed at him with blinding speed.

"Shigan!"

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The pirate's body shuddered repeatedly in an instant. By the time Xia Le moved on, dozens of bloody holes riddled him. Terror still on his face, he collapsed to the deck with a thump.

Minutes later, black-red lightning erupted from the pirate ship. With an explosive crash, it shattered and sank.

The more Xia Le fought, the stronger he became, growing and improving rapidly through combat.

When he returned to the warship and stood before Garp again,

his Conqueror's Haki had reached level 99, the highest level the system allowed.

He had maxed out his Conqueror's Haki!

At the same time, Garp offered his assessment of Xia Le's strength.

"Brat, you really are a monster. Just one battle, and your Doriki has probably already passed 4,000!"

"Keep fighting!"

"Life and death will make you stronger!"

Xia Le froze at those words.

4,000 Doriki?

P.S. Please send some recommendation votes, and please keep reading! The stats during a new book's launch are so important!!!

Sunset and rainbow

As one of the Navy's strongest fighters, Garp could roughly gauge someone's Doriki.

His estimate might not be precise and could have a margin of error, but it still served as a reference.

What surprised Xia Le was that his current Doriki value was already approaching 4,000. If his memory served, that put him on par with Rob Lucci, hailed as the strongest member of the World Government's CP9 in 800 years.

A question rose in his mind: just how high was Garp's Doriki at this point?

At the same time, he could not help marveling.

Death made him stronger than before, and the speed of that growth was staggering.

I just don't know whether this rate of growth will level off once I reach a certain point!

Otherwise, if I can keep growing without limit...

Then it probably would not take long for him to surpass this world's limits and reach the level of shattering planets with a single punch, like in Dragon Ball.

"Nice work, Xia Le!"

"You really are a monster!"

Kuzan gave him a thumbs-up and smiled, brimming with bright, youthful enthusiasm.

Sakazuki returned with a cold expression and stared fixedly at Xia Le's face, his thoughts unreadable. Without a doubt, though, he had acknowledged Xia Le's strength deep down.

Bogard simply nodded at him, looking as cool as ever.

"Hahahaha! Let's keep moving!"

"Otherwise, Roger and his crew will get clean away!"

Garp knocked his fists together with a dull thud and shouted through his laughter.

The warship pushed aside the wreckage on the sea and sailed at nearly full speed. The storm still showed no sign of letting up.

Xia Le went over to Saron to check on his condition. The good-natured giant shook his bandaged hands, then tried moving his legs. Pain immediately crossed his face.

"Sorry, Xia Le. I think it'll be a while before I can help you all."

Xia Le patted his shoulder and reassured him. "Just focus on recovering!"

Afterward, he exchanged nods of greeting with Simboo and the other officers.

The storm's scale and duration were almost beyond description. Dark clouds blanketed the entire sea, and thunder boomed deafeningly overhead.

Those aboard could hardly even tell day from night.

Yet Xia Le noticed that neither Garp nor Kuzan, Sakazuki, or the others looked the least bit worried.

Bogard steered in the direction Garp indicated without the slightest hesitation.

"This is the way!"

"I've got a feeling Roger's up ahead!"

Garp laughed.

Along the way, they encountered more wreckage and corpses floating on the surface, only for a single wave to swallow them out of sight.

The Flying Pirates' skull flags were an especially common sight, drifting with the seawater.

On the second day, the storm continued, though it had weakened considerably compared to the day before.

"What awful weather!"

"The climate in the Second Half is like a two- or three-year-old kid, crying one minute and laughing the next. You can never figure it out."

Kuzan stripped off his shirt, exposing a sturdy torso with clearly defined abdominal muscles, then wrung the garment out. Water poured from it.

"If I stay soaked any longer, I'm going to start smelling sour!"

He turned toward the black-haired young man beside him.

"You're way too calm!"

Xia Le had long since stripped to the waist as well. His equally muscular build resembled a hunting leopard, radiating power and explosive force. He wore shorts below.

They could not rest in this storm anyway. Bailing out the ship and keeping watch on their surroundings were both crucial tasks.

"Worrying and getting impatient won't help."

His reply was calm.

"Who knows when this rain will stop!"

Kuzan sighed.

Beside them, Sakazuki frowned, also bare-chested. Having drenched clothes clinging to his body was hardly comfortable. Besides, for some reason, he had an instinctive loathing for this weather.

That evening, the rain stopped with startling abruptness.

The dark clouds parted, and light shone through them with a warm orange-yellow glow. A seven-colored rainbow appeared before everyone, like a wondrous bridge of light.

Bathed in the glow from behind, it looked sacred and surreal.

Xia Le leaned on the ship's rail, looking down at the water ahead.

The dark clouds dispersed rapidly, leaving the sky clear and pristine. Reflected in the water, another rainbow appeared, its beauty dreamlike.

"It's gorgeous!"

Kuzan exclaimed, hurriedly tugging at Xia Le.

"There's a school of fish over there! Wow, they're golden!"

Xia Le felt helpless in the face of his pheasant buddy's enthusiasm, but he could accept it.

He was just as awestruck, immersed in the beauty that emerged after the storm.

In the distance, a third of the orange-red setting sun had already sunk beneath the sea, staining a stretch of rippling water red.

"Hahahaha, Sengoku, I can't worry about all that!"

"I'm the only one who can deal with Roger!"

"You mean Xia Le and those other two brats? Relax, I'll take good care of them!"

Garp's laughing voice carried over from a distance.

Xia Le could also faintly hear Sengoku's furious scolding.

"You bastard! Get back here right now!"

"Nothing can happen to those boys! They're the future of the Navy!"

Their bickering brought a slight smile to his lips. Then he slowly closed his eyes, feeling the gentle evening sea breeze.

Little by little, he seemed to be finding some of the beauty in this world.

Meanwhile.

Sengoku frowned at the pile of documents before him.

Fleet Admiral Kong was responsible for guarding headquarters, so work in the Second Half of the Grand Line naturally fell to him.

Reports were streaming in on the situation across the various sectors of the Edd War Waters. The sudden storm had not only disrupted Golden Lion's plans, but also forced the Navy units stationed there into fierce combat with the Flying Pirates.

Fortunately, their losses had been light, while they had wiped out a great many enemies.

"Damn you, Garp!"

Suddenly remembering his old friend, Sengoku slammed his fist onto the desk again.