Chapter Thirty-One: The Fruit of Face Makes Its Debut

Thoughts frozen, Chu Yi’s mind was in disarray.

So when his Shura Golem unleashed the “Tiger Shock” of the Mad Tiger Emperor, heavily wounding Aokiji in a single blow, Chu Yi could almost see his Shura Golem rampaging across the continent of Arad. Of course, while the technique used by the Shura Golem was uncannily similar to the Mad Tiger Emperor’s “Tiger Shock”, there were some fundamental differences in their execution. Chu Yi understood this thanks to the feedback from his Shura Golem.

With that single “Tiger Shock,” Aokiji was slammed ruthlessly into the ground, then exploded violently, leaving him gravely injured. As Chu Yi’s thoughts began to flow again, he found himself able to see clearly the changes occurring in the Shura Eye. The Shura Eye, which had gained a purple streak after the third awakening, now bore yet another streak after the Shura Golem used “Tiger Shock” to devastate Aokiji.

“If I manage to collect six streaks, my Shura Eye will be no different from the Eye of Reincarnation…”

Silently mocking the transformation of his Shura Eye, Chu Yi gave a dry laugh, only for his smile to freeze on his face. With the appearance of the second streak, and the change in his Shura Eye, the method by which the Shura Golem had used “Tiger Shock” crystallized into a memory, echoing in Chu Yi’s mind.

It was the transformation after awakening the leopard form of the Cat-Cat Fruit!

Or rather...

It was the ultimate use of the Cat-Cat Fruit’s leopard form ability!

Treating the “Leopard Shadow” as his weapon, converting it into a powerful technique and launching it directly—just like the Shura Golem’s “Tiger Shock”—even the elementalization of Logia-type Devil Fruit users could not withstand it!

Studying that insight carefully, Chu Yi could only lament that during his battle with Aokiji after his fourth awakening, he had squandered the potential of his newly attained power. Fortunately…

The Shura Golem had promptly shown Chu Yi how to use his abilities after the fourth awakening.

Yet, that mysterious memory only pointed Chu Yi in the right direction for using his power after the fourth awakening. Whether he could truly master “Tiger Shock” depended on his talent and whether he could, through that memory, grasp the technique’s essence.

This battle with Aokiji not only marked his fourth awakening, but also gave him insight into the wonders of the Conception Fruit’s ability and the training method for the Shura Golem’s “Tiger Shock,” as well as a platinum awakening material. Chu Yi had profited greatly, and a measure of pride was only natural.

However, his pride was fleeting before Chu Yi realized he had to escape.

His Conception Fruit ability had been activated unconsciously, and now, after the Shura Golem used “Tiger Shock” once, the phantom solidified behind him was visibly fading. It would not last much longer before disappearing altogether.

And although Aokiji was severely wounded, did that make him easy to deal with? What a joke! Think of Luffy in the original pirate tale—when did he not defeat his strongest foes while gravely injured?

So, even under the Shura Golem’s protection and with his terrifying recovery ability restored to his peak, facing a future Marine Admiral was still too much. Chu Yi decided to retreat while Aokiji was wounded and the Shura Golem had not yet faded.

He had not expected that even his retreat was a moment too late!

For the instant Chu Yi turned to flee, the battered Aokiji slowly climbed up from the ground.

“It looks like your trump card won’t last much longer, eh? Cough…”

Blood stained his lips, and Aokiji was in poor condition, but keeping Chu Yi here was not a problem. What troubled Chu Yi even more was that the time spent tangling with Aokiji had dragged on too long. While this might be good news for Tiger, for Chu Yi it was entirely bad.

The Navy’s power in the Sabaody Archipelago was far more than just Aokiji!

With Aokiji’s words, Chu Yi’s pupils narrowed as he heard countless footsteps approaching. Nearly a hundred elite marines emerged from all directions, and to his despair, Smoker, the “Smoke Man” from the original pirate tale, used his fruit power to cut off any possibility of Chu Yi escaping through the air.

The only relatively weak point in the Navy’s encirclement…

Was guarded by Tashigi, the Bars-Bars Fruit user!

This… this was truly a situation of being surrounded on all sides!

The only thing worth rejoicing over was that Aokiji was gravely injured while Chu Yi had recovered his peak strength—there might still be a chance to break through against Smoker and Tashigi, the “Flower of the Navy.”

Clenching his fists, Chu Yi, transformed into the Shura, steeled himself for battle, ready for a fight to the death.

But just as Chu Yi prepared to burst forth, and Aokiji, Smoker, and Tashigi were all poised to capture him, suddenly crazed laughter echoed through the battlefield, so thick it seemed to freeze the air. All eyes, including Chu Yi’s, were drawn to two men approaching slowly.

It was…

It was them!

Chu Yi stared, stunned, at the two imposing figures. As a fan of pirates, how could he not know who they were?

The man with the straw hat and long red hair—there was no mistaking him: it was “Red-Haired” Shanks, one of the future Four Emperors!

And the white-haired man beside him with glasses… Could it be the Dark King, Rayleigh?!

Why had they come here?

Chu Yi stared intently at Shanks and Rayleigh as they walked forward. Having once been a devoted pirate fan, Chu Yi was faintly excited. He never expected that in such a desperate moment, the future Four Emperors and the legendary Dark King would appear!

“To see ‘Red-Haired’ and the legendary ‘Dark King’—even if I die in battle here, it will have been worth it!”

His excitement became a driving force, and Chu Yi’s fighting spirit surged, ready for a life-or-death struggle against the Navy.

But unexpectedly, upon seeing Shanks and Rayleigh approaching, Aokiji’s tightly clenched fists began to relax. Especially as Shanks and Rayleigh’s forms flickered and suddenly appeared at Chu Yi’s side, Aokiji, guessing their intentions, furrowed his brow, pondering just how much chance the Navy had if war broke out.

“Ah, if only Borsalino weren’t so slow. If he were here, our odds in a fight would be even.”

“Too bad… He seems to have gotten lost again!”

Aokiji sighed deeply, feeling that his side now had no hope of victory. He looked at Rayleigh, still unwilling to let Chu Yi go so easily. Relaxing his brow, Aokiji pressed Rayleigh, “Hey, Rayleigh, what brings you here? But I advise you not to get involved. You must know what a huge problem it is to kill two Celestial Dragons of distinguished status!”

“Of course I know it’s a big problem, but I’m not here today to get involved in trouble,” Rayleigh replied, smiling at Chu Yi and ignoring Aokiji’s pressure. “Kuzan, I and this little fellow from our ship are just passing through. But if fighting nearby sweeps us in, we won’t hesitate to retaliate. So… would you grant me this favor?”

“I don’t want to see a large-scale battle break out on the Sabaody Archipelago. Otherwise, this little fellow on our ship will get angry!”

With that, Rayleigh patted Shanks on the shoulder, and Chu Yi saw Shanks step forward, his presence radiating an aura akin to Hancock’s.

That was…

Conqueror’s Haki!