Is There a Mythical Zoan? / Life Return and Armament Haki

And now, he had the right to choose one of them before anyone else!

PS: Thanks to Sword Soul 15990 and Book Fan 160629095651233 for the monthly votes!!

Any Mythical Zoans?

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 produce magma, among other things.

The Glint-Glint Fruit turned its user's body into light, granting the speed of light and the ability to fire tremendously destructive laser beams.

Without question, the three Logia Devil Fruits laid out before Xia Le were all incredibly powerful.

Eating any Logia would transform his constitution and grant him passive elementalization. From then on, he would no longer have to fear physical attacks or ambushes.

In a sense, a Logia user's body was already a mass of the energy embodied by the fruit they had eaten.

Which one should I choose?

Hesitation flickered in Xia Le's eyes.

But a moment later, he came to his senses.

Logias were certainly powerful, possessing terrifying area-of-effect attacks. But elementalization, so useful to others, would be a fatal drawback for him.

He would become immune to attacks that had once been powerful enough to kill him, interfering with his ability to earn system points.

In a sense, the elementalization unique to Logias would only weaken him.

Sitting nearby, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr watched him with interest.

"Which one will the kid pick?"

"The Navy went to great lengths to obtain these three powerful Logia fruits. Whichever he chooses, with his potential and strength, he'll grow into an admiral someday."

"Heh. Devil Fruits only compromise a fighter's mindset and hold back their growth."

"They might have their advantages, but in the long run, Devil Fruit users lose plenty, too."

The three spoke in low voices.

"A person only has so much energy. Once you choose one path, the other disappears from view."

"Which one will you choose?"

Garp narrowed his eyes slightly.

As a teacher, he cared deeply about his student's development.

For someone with enormous talent and potential, a Devil Fruit offered no particularly significant boost. But for someone whose talent was merely average, it could make a tremendous difference.

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

Just then, standing before the three Logia fruits, Xia Le lost the hesitation in his eyes. Resolve took its place.

Sakazuki, with the Magma-Magma Fruit, got beaten to a pulp by an old, wounded Whitebeard.

Borsalino, with the Glint-Glint Fruit, raised both hands in surrender when Red-Haired, one of the Four Emperors, pointed a sword at his nose.

Kuzan, with the Ice-Ice Fruit, got taken down by an old Garp's Undersea Drop.

It's not the fruit that makes you strong. It's you!

His lips curved as he looked up at Kong.

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

After glancing over his stats panel again, Xia Le had begun to form a plan for the path he would take.

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

Of course, the main reason was that a Logia simply wasn't the best fit for him.

"Do you have any Paramecias or Mythical Zoans?"

Pressing his lips together, Xia Le asked the question.

Kong laughed at that, looking at the marine before him, who was still so very young by his standards.

"Kid, what do you think these are?"

"Ordinary fruit you can buy on any street for pocket change?"

As he spoke, he waved a hand. The cases were closed and carried away.

"Powerful Paramecias and Mythical Zoan Fruits are extremely rare."

"Even with the resources of the World Government and the Navy, obtaining them is no easy task."

Kong spoke with a smile.

"Since you aren't satisfied with these three Logias, we'll notify you if headquarters acquires something suitable in the future."

"Or you can rely on your own abilities to obtain a fruit you like."

Xia Le paused, then smiled and nodded.

After another brief hesitation, he spoke again.

"Could you have a weapon made for me?"

Kong smiled, intrigued. "A weapon? Tell me what you need!"

"Gauntlets or knuckle dusters, made of seastone."

Xia Le grinned.

He would inevitably encounter Devil Fruit users in battle. Since he had yet to master Armament Haki, seastone would solve that problem.

Besides, seastone suppressed Devil Fruit users even more effectively than Armament Haki. A single touch could instantly rob them of the ability to resist. It was practically their natural nemesis.

"This kid's clever!"

"Devil Fruit users may be powerful, but there are plenty of ways to counter them. Seawater, seastone, elements that counter one another, and so on."

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

Zephyr smiled, admiration showing in his eyes.

To the powerhouses of the older generation, Devil Fruit users were all too easy to deal with. They had even considered it a misguided path at one point.

"Of course he is! Just look at whose student he is!"

Garp burst out laughing.

Beside him, Sengoku shook his head. He was the only one of the three who had eaten a fruit, and it had proved immensely useful. But that was also because his talent for combat wasn't particularly outstanding. He relied more on his brains.

His fruit did indeed enhance his abilities and make up for his shortcomings.

"You rely purely on hand-to-hand combat, like Garp, correct?"

Kong asked.

Xia Le nodded.

"Understood. I'll arrange for the craftsmen to make a weapon suited to you."

Kong nodded as he spoke.

Then Xia Le turned, saluted Garp, Zephyr, and Sengoku, and left without delay.

The men remaining in the room weren't particularly concerned about the choice between the three Logia fruits.

What weighed far more heavily on these senior Navy officers now was something else.

"The Celestial Dragons' Bloody Incident."

"Who could have committed such an outrageous act?"

"The World Government has gone completely mad. As far as they're concerned, this is an incident of the gravest nature."

"But even after investigating all the traces at the scene, it's difficult to identify the culprit."

"What a headache!"

"Hahahaha! I'll leave you to worry about those scumbags. It's got nothing to do with me anyway."

Holding a cup of hot tea, Garp looked at their grave faces with undisguised amusement.

After leaving the Headquarters Building, Xia Le headed straight for the Marine Academy.

A marine had notified him yesterday that he could begin his classes today.

Turning down the three Logias hadn't stirred much emotion in him. His immortality and ability to allocate points were his greatest assets.

As he grew stronger, earning points had already become somewhat difficult.

Logias really are powerful.

But if I were going to choose one, it'd obviously be the Rumble-Rumble Fruit! And I'd have to wait until I couldn't improve any further and had reached my limits in every aspect before eating it.

Xia Le thought to himself.

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was reputed to have the greatest offensive power among Logias. Its overall capabilities were nearly perfect, and it even came with electromagnetic power.

Of course, the best fit for me would still be a Paramecia or a Mythical Zoan.

Logias are almost always the ones getting beaten up.

Those could strengthen him without interfering with his frequent deaths.

A short while later, Xia Le entered the Marine Academy.

The rear admiral insignia on his shoulders made him the center of attention the moment he stepped onto the sunny campus, so full of youthful energy.

Almost every student's gaze swung toward him at once.

Life Return and Armament Haki

"A rear admiral?!"

"Such a young flag officer!"

"I heard another monster's emerged in the Navy recently, someone even stronger than those three. Is that him?"

"The man who fought Dark King Rayleigh?"

"So cool!"

At that moment, the eyes of both male and female cadets shone as they looked at Xia Le.

In this world, respecting, revering, and idolizing the strong had always been the rule.

Though this was Xia Le's first visit to the Navy Academy, stories about him had long since spread throughout headquarters, especially among the cadets who were still studying and rarely ventured outside.

When he took a seat in the back row of the classroom beside a female cadet wearing glasses, she began trembling all over. Her cheeks visibly flushed pink.

Xia Le didn't greet the students around him. He seemed withdrawn and unapproachable. Intimidated by the rank on his shoulders, the others felt too much pressure to disturb him.

A little later, the instructor entered.

When he saw Xia Le, he too froze briefly, a trace of reverence appearing in his eyes.

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

Xia Le nodded without saying much.

This lesson taught naval officers how to prepare thoroughly for operations at sea, or how to coordinate pincer formations when working with their colleagues, allowing them to complete missions faster and more safely.

Of course, Xia Le soon realized that when their side had a sufficiently powerful leader, all of it became unnecessary.

In other words, the rule was still that the strong reigned supreme.

On reflection, lessons like these really weren't of much use to him.

After attending classes for three straight days, Xia Le had a rough understanding of what the Navy Academy taught.

Basic combat formations, the finer points of leading troops, some fighting methods, and moral education on the Navy's ideals of justice.

His memory was excellent, and he quickly mastered the contents of the textbooks.