"Red-Haired Shanks!"
"The World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk!"
"A man from the World Government called Saint Saturn, suspected to be one of the Five Elders!"
"The mysterious Holy Knights, who we'd only ever heard of in rumors!"
Exclamations of astonishment spilled from the pirates' mouths.
"What overwhelming pressure!"
"If we were standing out there, these powerhouses would probably crush every bone in our bodies!"
"Even the sky has gone still!"
"The sea around us has fallen silent!"
Their voices trembled as they spoke.
The atmosphere on Onigashima abruptly changed.
Surrounded by the world, Xia Le faced pressure that no one else had ever imagined, or even dared to imagine.
This was unprecedented!
Whoooooosh!
The wind picked up, sending dust drifting through the air.
Suddenly.
"Hahahahaha!"
Laughter burst from Xia Le's mouth, growing louder and louder as his face became increasingly savage and distorted.
As he laughed, his still somewhat human face rapidly transformed into a pitch-black, flat surface that looked cast from steel, with only a pair of eyes and tiny nostrils.
Thin black lines began snaking across the skin of his entire body. They raced over him, turning his skin pitch-black in an instant.
The wings on his back grew larger, yet became more streamlined and aerodynamic.
Xia Le had fully entered his all-out combat state!
Beastly Awakening!
This was his most complete, most powerful combat form.
Standing 10.88 meters tall, his speed, strength, and defense had all reached their peak!
After eating the Kunpeng Fruit, Xia Le had quietly spent his spare time studying its awakened transformation.
After weighing various factors, he had finally developed this first-stage awakening.
Between his human and beast forms, he had found the golden ratio—the most perfect transformation.
The ribbons circling his neck and limbs gradually dispersed, replaced by violently flickering blue arcs