Pirates: I Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki First Because I Can't Die

And right now, he had first pick of the three!

P.S. Thanks to Sword Soul 15990 and reader 160629095651233 for the monthly tickets!!

Did They Have a Mythical Zoan?

The Ice-Ice Fruit could turn its user's body into ice, generate cold air, and freeze anything.

The Magma-Magma Fruit could turn its user's body into magma and create more of it.

The Glint-Glint Fruit could turn its user's body into light, grant the speed of light, and fire devastating Laser Beams.

The three Logia Devil Fruits before Xia Le were undoubtedly powerful.

Eating any one of them would change his body and grant him passive elemental transformation. From then on, he would no longer fear physical attacks or ambushes.

In a sense, a Logia Devil Fruit User's body became the very element of the fruit he had eaten.

"Which one should I choose?"

Hesitation flickered in Xia Le's eyes.

But he quickly came to his senses.

Logia powers were formidable, with terrifying wide-area attacks. Yet the elemental transformation so useful to others would be a fatal drawback for him.

Attacks that could once kill him would become ineffective, cutting off a source of system points.

In that sense, the transformation unique to Logia powers would only weaken him.

Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr watched him with interest from their seats nearby.

"Which one will the kid choose?"

"The navy worked hard to obtain these three powerful Logia Devil Fruits. Whichever he picks, combined with his potential and strength, he'll grow into an Admiral."

"Heh. Devil Fruits only change a strong fighter's mindset and hold back his growth."

"They may have advantages, but in the long run, Devil Fruit Users lose a great deal too."

The three spoke quietly among themselves.

"A person only has so much time and energy. Choose one path, and another disappears from sight."

"Which will you choose?"

Garp narrowed his eyes.

As Xia Le's teacher, he cared deeply about his student's growth.

For someone with immense talent and potential, a Devil Fruit offered little additional strength. For someone with more limited talent, though, it could make a tremendous difference.

In some ways, a Devil Fruit was a double-edged sword.

Before the three Logia Devil Fruits, the hesitation in Xia Le's eyes faded into resolve.

Sakazuki had the Magma-Magma Fruit and still got beaten down by an old, injured Whitebeard.

Borsalino had the Glint-Glint Fruit and still raised both hands in surrender when Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, pointed a blade at his nose.

Kuzan had the Ice-Ice Fruit and still fell to one Undersea Drop from an old Garp.

The fruit isn't what makes someone strong. I do!

His lips curved into a smile as he looked up at Kong.

"I don't want any of these three!"

After another glance at his status panel, Xia Le had a clearer idea of the path he wanted to take.

He was still far from maxing out every attribute and becoming an all-around fighter. Even if he ate a powerful fruit, he had no idea whether its ability would remain with him after he died.

More importantly, a Logia ability wasn't the best fit for him.

"Do you have a powerful Paramecia or a Mythical Zoan?"

Xia Le pressed his lips together as he asked.

Kong laughed and looked at the young marine before him.

"Kid, what do you think these are?"

"Ordinary fruit you can buy for a few coins on the street?"

With a wave of his hand, he had the case closed and carried away.

"Powerful Paramecia and Mythical Zoan Fruits are extraordinarily rare."

"Even the World Government and the navy have trouble obtaining them."

Kong smiled.

"If these three Logia Devil Fruits don't suit you, headquarters will let you know if we acquire one that does."

"Or you can use your own abilities to get a fruit you like."

Xia Le paused, then smiled and nodded.

After a moment's hesitation, he spoke again.

"Could you have a weapon made for me?"

Kong smiled with interest. "A weapon? Tell me what you need."

"A pair of gloves or knuckle-dusters made of Seastone."

Xia Le grinned.

He was bound to face Devil Fruit Users in battle, and he had yet to master Armament Haki. Seastone would solve that problem.

In fact, Seastone countered Devil Fruit Users even more effectively than Armament Haki. Contact with it could instantly leave them unable to resist. It was their natural enemy.

"This kid is clever!"

"Devil Fruit Users may be powerful, but there are plenty of ways to counter them: seawater, Seastone, even opposing elements."

"As long as you're strong enough, you can handle any enemy!"

Appreciation shone in Zephyr's eyes as he spoke.

To fighters of the older generation, Devil Fruit Users were easy to deal with. Some had even come to regard Devil Fruits as a misguided path.

"Of course he is! Look whose student he is!"

Garp burst out laughing.

Sengoku shook his head. He was the only one of the three who had eaten a Devil Fruit, and it had helped him greatly. On the other hand, he wasn't especially gifted in combat; he relied more on his wits.

The fruit had strengthened him where he needed it.

"You fight purely with martial arts, like Garp?" Kong asked.

Xia Le nodded.

"Understood. I'll have a craftsman make a weapon suited to you," Kong said with a nod.

Xia Le then saluted Garp, Zephyr, and Sengoku before turning and leaving without fuss.

The people in the room gave little more thought to his rejection of the three Logia Devil Fruits.

Something else weighed far more heavily on these senior marines.

"The Celestial Dragons' Bloody Incident."

"Who would dare do such a thing?"

"The World Government has gone completely mad over it. To them, this is an exceptionally serious incident."

"But even after examining every trace at the scene, we still can't identify the culprit."

"What a headache!"

"Hahahaha! You can worry about those scum. It's got nothing to do with me."

Garp held a cup of hot tea and looked almost gleeful at the others' grim faces.

After leaving headquarters, Xia Le headed straight for the Navy Academy.

He had been notified the day before that his classes could begin today.

He felt no particular regret about rejecting the three Logia Devil Fruits. His immortality and ability to increase his attributes were what he truly relied on.

As his strength had grown, though, earning points had become harder.

Logia powers really are strong.

But if I ever choose one, it'll have to be the Rumble-Rumble Fruit! And only when I can't improve any further and have reached my limits in every area.

That was Xia Le's view.

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was said to have the greatest offensive power among Logia fruits. It was almost perfectly versatile and even came with electromagnetism.

Of course, a Paramecia or Mythical Zoan would suit me best.

Logia users are almost always the ones getting beaten.

He wanted an ability that would make him stronger without interfering with his frequent deaths.

Before long, Xia Le entered the Navy Academy.

The Rear Admiral insignia on his shoulders made him the center of attention the moment he stepped onto the bright campus, bustling with young cadets.

Nearly every student turned to look at him.

Life Return and Armament Haki

"A Rear Admiral?!"

"Such a young flag officer!"

"I heard another monster has appeared in the navy, even stronger than those three. Is that him?"

"The man who fought Dark King Rayleigh?"

"That's so cool!"

Male and female cadets alike looked at Xia Le with shining eyes.

In this world, the strong had always commanded respect, fear, and admiration.

Though this was Xia Le's first day at the Navy Academy, stories about him had already spread throughout headquarters, especially among the cadets, who were still studying and rarely went out.

When he sat in the back row beside a bespectacled female cadet, she began trembling. Her cheeks turned pink before his eyes.

Xia Le didn't greet his classmates. He seemed aloof and hard to approach, while the insignia on his shoulders left the others too intimidated to bother him.

The instructor entered shortly afterward.

He, too, paused at the sight of Xia Le, a trace of awe in his eyes.

"Rear Admiral Xia Le, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Xia Le nodded but said nothing more.

The lesson taught naval officers how to prepare thoroughly for combat at sea and how to form a pincer formation with fellow marines to complete missions faster and more safely.

Xia Le soon realized, however, that all those measures became unnecessary when one side had an overwhelmingly strong leader.

Once again, strength was what mattered most.

On reflection, he found little use for lessons like this.

After three days of classes, Xia Le had a general idea of what the Navy Academy taught.

There were basic battle formations, the finer points of commanding troops, combat methods, and lessons on justice and the principles expected of marines.

He had an excellent memory and quickly absorbed what was in the textbooks.