Chapter 44 Kindred

This is getting interesting!

Had it not been for the abilities accompanying his ninth awakening, which granted Chu Yi a slight comprehension of the mysteries of space, he would certainly not have been confident in stopping the two men in black robes once they suddenly used their Devil Fruit abilities for spatial teleportation.

But now...

Hmph!

The look of astonishment vanished completely from his eyes, a cold sneer slowly curving the corners of his mouth as the Shura Eye at the center of his brow suddenly snapped open!

"Hum!"

In an instant!

Following the opening of Chu Yi's Shura Eye, an invisible ripple spread outward, and then, with a crisp "crack," the two men in black robes, who had already vanished from right in front of him, reappeared looking somewhat disheveled!

"What was that?"

Narrowing his eyes and watching the battle unfold between Chu Yi and the two black-robed men, Mihawk, who lacked an understanding of spatial mysteries, furrowed his brows deeply. He had no clue what method Chu Yi had used to force the two men, who had vanished into thin air, back into reality.

In truth, what Chu Yi had done just moments before was ridiculously simple!

When the faint aura of Devil Fruit usage simultaneously manifested around the two men, Chu Yi correctly recognized it as a manipulation of spatial mysteries. By opening his Shura Eye, Chu Yi released his own spatial understanding at that exact moment, which directly interfered with the spatial technique the two men were attempting to execute.

And the consequences of having the execution of spatial mysteries abruptly disrupted were severe indeed!

From the moment his ninth awakening ability first manifested, Chu Yi had understood one absolute rule: the mysteries of space must never be used in the presence of someone who has also mastered them!

Just like right now...

Chu Yi's spatial mastery had interfered with the two men's spatial technique, heavily disrupting their transition into an alternate dimension.

Instantly, spatial fluctuations erupted!

The resulting spacetime storm enshrouded the two men in the blink of an eye.

Had these two not possessed some means of self-preservation, they would not have merely appeared slightly disheveled under the ravages of the spacetime storm; they would have faced certain, desperate death.

Even so, though the two men only looked somewhat battered, Chu Yi was certain that their failed attempt to wield spatial mysteries must have dealt them severe backlash.

Of course.

If anyone were to ask Chu Yi how he could be so certain that failing to execute spatial mysteries would bring about heavy backlash...

Chu Yi's reply would simply be: *I successfully cast spatial mysteries and the consumption was already massive, let alone the two of you failing to pull it off!*

Harming the enemy a thousand while injuring oneself eight hundred.

Such was the nature of spatial mysteries, and precisely why it was a trump card Chu Yi was loath to use unless absolutely necessary!

Yet, the sheer audacity of those two black-robed men genuinely won a shred of Chu Yi's admiration.

Clearly, their first attempt at spatial mysteries had been blocked by Chu Yi's counter-application of the same art, but this setback did not shatter their confidence. Almost the moment they reappeared before Chu Yi in their disheveled state...

"Ha!"

With a low roar, they invoked spatial mysteries once more!

Only this time, the two black-robed men did not both attempt to slip into space directly!

During this second attempt, only one of them vanished into that mysterious dimension, while the other remained behind in the physical realm to sustain the spatial barrier and prevent Chu Yi from interfering again!

Yet, could a mere single person...

Hope to stop me?

The cold sneer at the corner of Chu Yi's mouth deepened. The Shura Eye, which had been slowly closing, snapped open once again. It was clear he intended to use spatial mysteries to disrupt the black-robed men a second time.

However, anyone capable of appearing within this island, let alone snatching the fourteenth poneglyph right from under the noses of Chu Yi and Mihawk, could hardly be a nameless nobody!

Therefore, just as the Shura Eye between Chu Yi's brows was about to open once more...

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, darkness fell over Chu Yi's vision. When he regained his sight a moment later, he had already been dragged along with one of the black-robed men into an alternate space!

"So the purpose was to split the battlefield!"

Stepping into this bizarre dimension, Chu Yi felt an aura remarkably similar to that of the void fissures, except that this place lacked the terrifying property of the void fissures that could "freeze" a person's thoughts; the environments were merely somewhat alike.

As for why the two black-robed men had dragged him here, it wasn't hard to guess.

They wanted to divide and conquer: one would stay outside to battle Mihawk to a standstill, while the other would stall Chu Yi's progress within this isolated dimension.

Evidently, they had judged Chu Yi to be the harder opponent and Mihawk the easier one, prompting them to drag Chu Yi into this space to buy time.

Unfortunately, the two black-robed men had guessed wrong.

While the Shura, capable of slaying the heavens, was undeniably formidable, was the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye, supposed to be a pushover?

Knowing full well that Mihawk could handle one of the black-robed men, Chu Yi harbored not a shred of worry for him. The moment he entered this dimension, his sole focus was to dispatch the black-robed man standing before him.

Yet, just as Chu Yi locked his gaze onto his opponent once more...

"Swish!" "Swish!" "Swish!"

Much like outside, the black-robed man suddenly multiplied into countless afterimages and illusions, making it impossible even for Chu Yi's Observation Haki to discern which of the phantoms was the real body.

Furthermore, just as the black-robed man used his Devil Fruit ability to constrain Chu Yi's movements and restrict his offensive momentum...

Abruptly!

"Swish!" "Swish!" "Swish!"

Following every single afterimage of the black-robed man, a countless swarm of densely packed steel needles came flying in from all directions, completely sealing off any possible path of evasion for Chu Yi!

And yet, as the sky-darkening rain of steel needles descended upon him, Chu Yi did not feel the slightest hint of tension.

So what if they were steel needles?

A single Shinra Tensei would wipe them all out!

Thus, what might have been a critical life-or-death crisis for anyone else was nothing more than a light drizzle to Chu Yi.

Even so, as the barrage of needles closed in, the expression in Chu Yi's eyes shifted just a fraction. And the reason for that subtle change was this:

As the black-robed man generated the overwhelming storm of steel needles targeting him, Chu Yi distinctly perceived the aura of a *second* Devil Fruit ability emanating from his body!

He... actually mastered a second Devil Fruit ability?

Could he be of the same ilk as Blackbeard from the original pirate chronicles?!