Three Logia Fruits

Xia Le shook his head.

"Haha, the Celestial Dragons have always been like that."

Simboo laughed.

"Let's go!"

Xia Le nodded.

The group headed off the island, but soon heard a commotion behind them, followed by shrill whistles. Marines were pouring toward District 24 from every direction.

The sight left them all taken aback.

"Looks like something happened."

"Should we take a look too?"

Xia Le asked.

Saron scratched the back of his head. No one else objected.

A short while later, they arrived at District 24 and spotted the frazzled, middle-aged vice admiral standing there.

"It's Vice Admiral Laku!"

Saron recognized him.

Xia Le nodded and approached. His expression grew grave as he glanced at the blood on the ground.

"Vice Admiral Laku!"

"I'm Xia Le, serving under Vice Admiral Garp. I was just promoted to rear admiral."

"May I ask..."

"What happened?"

Vice Admiral Laku glanced at him after hearing his introduction.

"You're that disciple of Garp's, aren't you?"

"There's nothing you can help with."

"You should head back to headquarters for your commissioning ceremony."

He paused, then added with a troubled look.

"I don't have time to deal with you right now."

Three Logia fruits

Naturally, he had heard about this young Marine at headquarters lately.

Garp's last and foremost disciple—that alone was enough to draw the attention of veteran officers like him, never mind the rumors that the boy's strength had already surpassed that of the young Three Monsters.

The boy's future was dazzling. Becoming an admiral was practically a foregone conclusion.

Under normal circumstances, he would have taken the time to get to know him.

But now...

He simply wasn't in the mood. A Celestial Dragon had been shot in the head. He could already imagine the repercussions—the entire world would be shaken.

In all these years, nothing like this had ever happened!

"Then I'll visit you another time, Vice Admiral Laku."

Xia Le saluted politely, then turned to leave.

"Go on."

Laku waved him away.

On the way back, Saron and the others were clearly shocked by the incident, but also felt an inexplicable flicker of excitement.

"Who could it have been?"

"Someone who dared attack a Celestial Dragon, did it without anyone noticing, and actually succeeded? They must be incredibly strong!"

"Straight through the head. That's brutal!"

The heated discussion behind him reached Xia Le's ears, but his face remained calm.

Celestial Dragons?

Strip away that lofty status and break the bubbles over their heads, and they're just as fragile as ants.

At that moment, countless emotions stirred in Xia Le's heart.

Now that he had strength, the Celestial Dragons he once couldn't even approach within ten meters had heads as flimsy as paper.

When they returned to the warship, Garp was fast asleep in his dog-head hat.

Bogard glanced at Xia Le and nodded in greeting.

Soon afterward, the warship left the harbor.

Leaning against the ship's railing, Xia Le gazed at the slowly receding Sabaody Archipelago, an indescribable feeling filling his heart.

He suddenly felt as though he had been reborn. From this moment on, Sabaody and everything in his past would fall away, and a whole new life would begin.

Just then, Kuzan and Sakazuki came over.

"Haha, Xia Le, have you heard?"

"When we get back to headquarters, the Marine higher-ups might reward the outstanding fighters of our generation with Devil Fruits!"

Kuzan said with a laugh.

"Really? Congratulations, then."

Xia Le smiled.

"You should congratulate yourself too! With your strength, you're bound to get a powerful fruit."

Kuzan slung an arm around Xia Le's neck and laughed.

"I'm not really interested in Devil Fruits."

Xia Le shook his head.

He hadn't even maxed out the Six Powers yet, and had yet to see any sign of Armament Haki or Observation Haki. He also knew perfectly well that Devil Fruit powers might offer improvements and help in certain areas, but at the highest level, combat still came down to a contest of Haki.

"Come on! Devil Fruits can give your fighting strength a huge boost!"

Kuzan said with a grin.

Sakazuki also looked eager. If he could obtain a powerful fruit, perhaps the man before him would no longer be a match for him.

Looking at their expressions, Xia Le understood exactly what they were thinking.

In the original story, veterans like Zephyr and Garp had all offered the same assessment of the future Three Admirals: they shouldn't rely too heavily on their Devil Fruit powers.

Xia Le understood that both Haki and Devil Fruits were merely tools at his disposal. He himself was what mattered most; a fruit could only play a supporting role.

Besides, a person's energy was limited. Developing Devil Fruit powers and Haki required choices.

That evening, the warship arrived at Marineford.

Seeing the world's largest Marine fortress with his own eyes left Xia Le deeply awed.

There was the enormous Gate of Justice, the shimmering Inner Bay, the black gun emplacements built around it, and the plaza and successive gates leading to the Headquarters Building.

This fortress undoubtedly boasted some of the finest firepower and defenses in the world.

Its terrain was easy to defend and difficult to attack, all but ensuring that any enemy who entered would find no escape from death.

After passing through the headquarters plaza and entering the residential area, Xia Le gained an even greater appreciation for the fortress's sheer size.

It contained all kinds of recreational facilities, towns, and shopping centers.

"Your commissioning ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow morning."

"Get some good rest tonight!"

Walking ahead of him, Garp showed Xia Le around the fortress as he spoke with a smile.

"Right!"

Xia Le nodded.

Marineford's terrain resembled a gently sloping hill. From the residential area, one could look down and clearly see the Inner Bay and the Gate of Justice.

As an outstanding talent among the younger Marines, a monster-level fighter, and someone capable of battling Rayleigh, Xia Le received excellent accommodations: a small, detached villa.

Kuzan, Sakazuki, and the others lived in the officers' quarters not far away. Their accommodations were quite good too.

The place was essentially an officers' town, with training grounds and every facility they could need.

While strolling along the street, Xia Le saw many retired, white-haired veterans sitting in wheelchairs, pushed along by their young sons and daughters. The atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious.

The night passed uneventfully, and soon the next day arrived.

Senior vice admirals and high-ranking officers could authorize promotions to field-officer ranks themselves, but promotions to flag rank had to be conferred personally by the fleet admiral.

Five others were being promoted to rear admiral alongside Xia Le. All were older than him, with even the youngest already in their thirties. There were two women and three men.

Under the eyes of Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr, and the others, Xia Le stood ramrod straight.

A burly, imposing man approached him, his white hair and beard shaped like the character for "mountain." As he drew closer, an iron-willed, powerful presence washed over Xia Le.

He was the current fleet admiral, Kong.

"You have all distinguished yourselves as Marine officers recently."

"Therefore, after consulting with the other flag officers, I have decided to confer upon you the rank of rear admiral."

"I also hope that, in your future duties, you will remain true to yourselves and fight for justice."

Kong was a stern man, seldom given to smiles.

He took the ceremony seriously as well, personally attaching Xia Le's rear admiral insignia and smoothing the creases in his uniform.

"Young man, the uniform you wear is like your life. Don't let any part of it fall out of order."

Xia Le froze for a moment, then solemnly returned his salute.

The ceremony soon ended. Kong assigned posts to the other five before turning to Xia Le.

"I know you haven't been in the Marines long. Although you performed admirably in the battle against the Roger Pirates and possess considerable strength, your grounding in Marine fundamentals is still somewhat lacking."

"So you'll need to undergo a period of training at the Marine Academy."

"Of course, an outstanding talent like you won't be subject to the same strict restrictions as the other cadets."

"During your studies, you'll be free to come and go, but you must master every required course."

A faint smile appeared on Kong's face as he spoke gently.

Xia Le nodded.

He had heard Kuzan and Sakazuki mention these courses. They weren't particularly difficult, and they were useful too. Even now, the Three Monsters still attended lessons from time to time.

"Furthermore, for outstanding young talents like yourselves..."

"Headquarters will also provide appropriate rewards to help you grow stronger."

Kong smiled again.

By now, the other five rear admirals had left, leaving only Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, and the others.

Xia Le looked curious.

Kong clapped his hands, and three Marines immediately entered carrying boxes.

"These are three Logia Devil Fruits!"

"You may choose whichever one you want!"

"However, you must understand that once you eat a Devil Fruit, you will lose the ability to swim forever and be rejected by the sea."

The three boxes were opened one by one. Xia Le stared at the three fruits, each gleaming with a different light.

There was no doubt about it. These were the three Logia Devil Fruits that the future Three Admirals would eat.