Chapter 117: Vanished Without a Trace

Unlike most people, Chu Yi’s trump cards were easy to obtain; he simply needed to collect the materials for his awakenings. This was why, in his successive clashes with Kizaru and Zephyr, Chu Yi’s repertoire seemed to be an inexhaustible stream of surprises.

Having previously utilized the Susanoo material for his seventh awakening and the Phoenix fruit ability for his eighth, Chu Yi now faced the threat of Zephyr’s iron fist, which carried the power of nothingness. He reached into his inventory, grasped the Diamond fruit material, and silently communicated with the system.

Eighth awakening... Complete!

The fruit ability of Jozu the Diamond, Third Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates from the original world of One Piece, successfully sprouted within Chu Yi’s body. To Chu Yi’s surprise, the compatibility between the Diamond fruit and his Shura Asura form was remarkably high.

Almost the moment the eighth awakening was finalized, the Diamond fruit integrated into Chu Yi’s core essence. As its power manifested, a brilliant diamond armor first encased the sturdy ribcage of his Shura Susanoo. Then, the two merged, causing the skeletal structure of the Shura Susanoo’s first form to transform entirely into diamond.

"Crack!"

Instantly, Zephyr’s punch was halted. With the combined durability of the diamond and the Shura Susanoo, the diamond-reinforced ribs now blocking Chu Yi’s front ceased to shatter under Zephyr’s iron fist.

Of course, that was not the most important part. After all, the true terror of Zephyr’s punch lay in the power of nothingness—a horrifying force capable of consuming anything. Yet, as the diamond ribs withstood the momentum of the strike, Chu Yi felt a wave of relief; the power of nothingness, which had previously caused him such headaches, no longer seemed so daunting.

Why? Because when the diamond ribs of the Shura Susanoo managed to resist the punch, the power of nothingness accompanying Zephyr’s blow was blocked by the diamond armor covering the exterior. This allowed the Resurrection Blue Flames Chu Yi had released to circulate between the exterior diamond armor and the internal diamond ribs, repairing them constantly. No matter how powerful the force of nothingness was, it could not consume his Resurrection Blue Flames through a layer of diamond armor. The excellent self-healing capabilities of the flames repaired the cracks in both the armor and the ribs, forming a virtuous cycle that rendered Zephyr’s punch completely harmless.

Though the threat was neutralized, a strange phenomenon occurred. Chu Yi, now capable of withstanding the blow, had no need to remain on the defensive. Yet, after his eighth awakening, he showed no intention of counterattacking. He simply stood there, enduring the iron fist as if he were completely indifferent to the consumption of his energy.

Zephyr, on the other hand, felt a sense of foreboding the moment the brilliant diamond armor coated Chu Yi’s Shura Susanoo. Seeing Chu Yi blocking his punch with such a leisurely and relaxed attitude, Zephyr frowned, thinking to himself, "Strange. What exactly is that brat planning? Could it be... is he really trying to drain me?"

He glanced at his right arm, specifically at the bruise blooming there, and a faint, cold smile curled his lips. "Even if I encountered a masochist before coming to support Borsalino, and my internal injuries haven't fully healed, you’ve miscalculated, brat! If you want to compete in stamina, you are the one who will lose!"

With that thought, Zephyr exerted more force. "Crack!" The ground of the island began to fissure, threatening to split in two. Simultaneously, that same crisp sound echoed from the diamond armor of Chu Yi’s Shura Susanoo. The armor, which Chu Yi had been continuously repairing with his flames, had shattered once more.

What Zephyr could never have imagined was that this was exactly the effect Chu Yi desired. He wanted the armor to shatter. This insight came from his observations of Jozu the Diamond; every time Jozu’s armor shattered and re-formed, it grew significantly stronger. Breaking only to build anew—that was the path of cultivation for the Diamond fruit. Only by enduring terrifying attacks could the armor forged by the fruit become tougher and more resilient with every destruction.

Chu Yi was sharpening his blade. He was using Zephyr’s iron fist to shatter his armor repeatedly, forcing his Diamond fruit ability to evolve. As the cycle of destruction and healing continued, Chu Yi could clearly feel his power growing. The exterior armor and the internal diamond skeleton of his Shura Susanoo were becoming increasingly indestructible. If Zephyr could hold out a little longer...

Heh! Chu Yi could guarantee that Zephyr’s fist, capable of shattering all things, would eventually be unable to break through his defenses.

But just as Chu Yi was silently hoping for Zephyr to persist so he could further plumb the depths of the Diamond fruit’s potential, Zephyr slowly withdrew his fist and let out a deep sigh.

"What?" Chu Yi asked calmly, staring at the man who had pulled back. "Have you reached your limit?"

"No, it is not my limit." Zephyr shook his head with rare gravity. He turned to Kizaru and said, "Borsalino, notify Kuzan and Sakazuki to evacuate this island immediately. Otherwise... I cannot use my full strength, for I fear my power will harm you all."

"Teacher... are you going to..."

"That’s right!" Before Kizaru could finish, Zephyr shifted his gaze to Chu Yi and said coldly, "I believe Sengoku and Garp would understand. After all, once the bloodline power of the 'Chris' family awakens, no one is easy to deal with. Therefore, I must use that move. It is a decision made out of absolute necessity."

He turned back to Chu Yi. "I must offer you an apology, Shura. Please, take your sinful bloodline and vanish completely!"

Before Kizaru even had time to flee, before he could even begin to follow his mentor’s orders to warn the others, Zephyr spoke.

"Roar!"

Dark clouds gathered, and lightning filled the sky. As Zephyr slowly raised his fist, an anomaly appeared in the heavens. A phantom of a Qilin, woven from thunder, manifested behind the dark clouds.

The next second, with the Qilin’s roar, "BOOM!"

Zephyr’s fist struck, landing squarely on the diamond armor of Chu Yi’s Shura Susanoo, sending a pillar of light soaring into the sky. When Kizaru, who had barely managed to use his Glint-Glint fruit ability to escape the shockwave, looked back, he found that the island where Chu Yi and Zephyr had been fighting had completely vanished.