Chapter 108: Walking with the Wind
“Hiss!”
A crack appeared in the sky.
A sword cleaved the heavens!
This...
This was the unmistakable sign of a great swordsman!
Of course, the manifestation of the Heaven-Cleaving Sword by the Fallen Shura Blade was a testament to Chu Yi’s swordsmanship, which even left Kizaru momentarily taken aback. Yet Chu Yi himself remained composed, clearly aware of his current level of mastery.
In truth, Chu Yi was still half a step away from reaching the rank of Great Swordsman.
At this moment, to cleave the heavens with a single strike—without relying on peak physical conditioning—would at most be able to part the seas with a single slash. Cleaving the heavens outright was simply impossible.
Remaining at the threshold of a Great Swordsman, once Chu Yi could wield the Fallen Shura Blade without depending on peak physical prowess, that would be the moment he truly cleaved the heavens with one strike...
And in the territories of the Naming Sea, there would be one more Great Swordsman!
That would be Shura Chu Yi!
However, now, relying solely on peak physical conditioning to faintly enter the Great Swordsman’s realm was not the true progress Chu Yi achieved through awakening the Shura instinct and training under Kizaru.
His real advancement lay in his Observation Haki.
Now, just a tiny step away, Chu Yi’s Observation Haki was about to ascend to the third level, making him one of the few masters in the sea to wield such a refined Observation Haki!
Such progress was thanks to Chu Yi’s Shura instinct, and of course, the rigorous training under Kizaru.
To truly hone Observation Haki, one should seek out Kizaru—this was Chu Yi’s direct insight after two leaps in his Observation Haki.
Kizaru’s speed was unmatched, empowered by the Light-Light Fruit, making him the fastest man in the pirate world.
When someone awakens Observation Haki and can barely dodge Kizaru’s casual attacks, their Observation Haki has entered the dojo. When they can evade Kizaru’s attacks even when he puts in some effort, their Haki has reached the second stage.
When they can avoid every attack from Kizaru at his full two-hundred-percent burst...
Their Observation Haki will once again leap in quality!
But, as Chu Yi had said before, it was truly a pity...
Such a perfect opportunity to enhance Observation Haki was lost because Kizaru, drained of stamina, had to cease the triple-speed “Yasakani no Magatama” light attack that was so valuable for training.
Just two minutes...
No! At most one minute!
Chu Yi felt he could shatter the barrier ahead and smoothly elevate his Observation Haki, instead of being stuck so close yet so far.
Despite the regret, Chu Yi was deeply satisfied with his progress.
Besides...
Two even more important gains accompanied the rise in Observation Haki.
Time Reversal.
While dodging Kizaru’s triple-speed “Yasakani no Magatama” and training with the Shura instinct, as he grew accustomed to the extraordinary speed and began to foresee Kizaru’s attacks through Observation Haki, just a step from the third stage...
“Boom!”
Suddenly, something burst inside Chu Yi’s mind as if exploding!
Then a wave of cool clarity spread throughout his brain, allowing him not only to see Kizaru’s triple-speed attacks more clearly but to perceive the world around him with newfound sharpness!
“That is...”
“Wind?”
Dodging Kizaru’s rapid assault, Chu Yi observed the world more distinctly.
In an instant, he was shocked to realize he could discern the flow of the wind itself—sense it moving through the world!
When he had first comprehended sword intent, he could only barely control the surrounding wind for his use.
Now, with the stronger Observation Haki, the invisible wind—undetectable to the naked eye—appeared clearly before him, causing a glimmer to ignite in his eyes!
“For ordinary swordsmen, improving sword intent relies on fate and training. But Mihawk once said that when he was cultivating Haki, he nearly neglected his swordsmanship. Could it be that Mihawk used Observation Haki to perceive... no, to feel some hidden path that could strengthen his sword intent, which led him to neglect traditional sword training?”
“If my guess is right...”
“Then perhaps Mihawk, back then, was using Observation Haki to sense some force flowing through the world that greatly enhanced his sword intent.”
“Just as I can now see the wind flowing through the world’s edges. Before, my sword intent only allowed me rudimentary control of the wind, but never full mastery of this invisible force.”
“Now that I can see it, fully controlling the wind...”
“Is no longer a dream!”
Chu Yi thought silently.
The sudden halt of Kizaru’s “Yasakani no Magatama” was regrettable, prompting Chu Yi to mutter “what a pity” several times.
As Chu Yi used Observation Haki to sense, he clearly felt Kizaru’s distraction.
How could he not guess Kizaru’s thoughts—rushing to aid Akainu and Aokiji to try and defeat Whitebeard?
If that was the case...
“Hmph!”
A faint smile curled at the corner of Chu Yi’s mouth, his sharp eyes suddenly locking onto Kizaru.
The next moment!
“Swish!”
The Fallen Shura Blade descended!
Relying on peak physical conditioning and Observation Haki’s perception of the wind!
In that instant, Chu Yi fused his swordsmanship and sword intent completely.
As the Fallen Shura Blade fell like a fierce gale, all the surrounding wind obeyed his command, first attaching to the sword energy unleashed by his blade, then merging with it, erupting into a razor-sharp sword aura!
Where the sword aura struck, all things shattered!
This was Chu Yi’s Heaven-Cleaving Strike!
A counterattack that even Kizaru felt threatened by!
Yet...
Although the combination of sword path and sword intent made Chu Yi’s heaven-cleaving strike dazzling, one crucial element was still missing to truly wound Kizaru.
That was Armament Haki.
As a Logia-type user of the Light-Light Fruit, Kizaru could evade physical attacks from those without Armament Haki by “elementalizing” himself.
Therefore, when Chu Yi’s Heaven-Cleaving Strike struck, Kizaru was indeed a little surprised at the gleaming sword aura, but his eyes showed no panic.
He simply transformed into golden light, using the Light-Light Fruit’s elementalization to effortlessly dodge Chu Yi’s slash.
At the same time, as Kizaru evaded Chu Yi’s strike...
“Hm?”
Squinting slightly, Kizaru noticed a faint exhaustion in Chu Yi’s expression after unleashing the Heaven-Cleaving Strike.
Such an opportunity—how could Kizaru miss it?
Thus...
“Yasakani Mirror!”
Whoosh!
Utilizing the reflected light from the Yasakani Mirror, Kizaru surged forward at light speed, clearly intending to capitalize on Chu Yi’s weakness and prevent him from pursuing.
But just as Kizaru abruptly accelerated, closing in on Chu Yi’s front, ready to attack...
Suddenly!
“Whoosh!”
A fierce wind whipped up!
Chu Yi, who was already right before Kizaru, vanished without a trace, moving with the wind.
In the blink of an eye...
He reappeared behind Kizaru!
“Kizaru, my speed...”
“Is not slow, right?”