Chapter Thirty-Seven: Rayleigh's Guidance

In the original pirate tale, the protagonist Luffy’s first bounty was thirty million Berries. Not long after defeating Crocodile, his bounty soared to one hundred million—a truly astonishing rise. Yet, would such a trivial sum as one hundred million satisfy Chu Yi? Certainly not!

Just look at Chu Yi’s feats. On the Sabaody Archipelago, he slew two of the world’s noble Celestial Dragons, destroyed the Navy’s fearsome weapon—the Buster Call—and with a single “Planetary Devastation,” obliterated nearly ten thousand elite marines in an instant. With achievements so terrifying, Chu Yi felt the Navy labeling him as the “most vicious criminal in the world” was merely an understatement. If his bounty wasn’t even in the billions, then the reward was surely watered down.

So, when his eyes fell on the wanted poster beside Hancock earlier, his only confusion was how many billions his bounty would be—not whether it had surpassed a mere hundred million.

He glanced at the photograph on the poster... Ah, very nice! Most of the time, the Navy’s photographers were quite skilled; Sanji’s infamous snapshot in the original story was merely an exception. As for Chu Yi’s poster, it perfectly captured him floating mid-air, just about to unleash “Planetary Devastation.” Though his clothing was tattered, his body, transformed into the Asura form, was in superb shape—his streamlined, explosive muscles combined with the vertical purple eye at his brow lent him an eerie, demonic beauty.

He checked the title... “Asura Chu Yi.” Quite satisfying! Yet Chu Yi found it odd—the Navy knew his name was Chu Yi, but hadn’t included his surname or the mark of the “Will of D.” Something was amiss! He recalled Tiger’s strange expression when mentioning his surname, and how the Celestial Dragons sought to capture him alive, even though during his time as a slave, he’d never been branded. Chu Yi sensed that the surname he gained after crossing over must conceal secrets unknown to others.

Then, his gaze dropped, finally settling on the bounty he’d been expecting. His mouth opened wide in shock, doubting whether the amount had been printed wrong!

“What?! Twenty million Berries? Not even as much as Luffy’s first bounty!”

“Sengoku, what on earth is going on inside your head? Just for killing two Celestial Dragons, the bounty should start at a billion, right? This twenty million reward makes me feel...”

“It makes those Navy warships and nearly ten thousand elite marines seem utterly worthless!”

Staring at the bounty with exasperation, Chu Yi couldn’t believe his reward was so paltry. His lips twitched furiously as he prepared to tear up the poster.

Just then...

The door creaked open. Chu Yi, in the midst of his frustration and about to rip up the poster, looked up quickly and made a silencing gesture.

“Hush! Hancock is sleeping. Let’s talk outside!”

“Alright...” Shanks smiled, glanced at Hancock, and whispered, “I’ll wait for you outside.”

“Mhm.” Gently, Chu Yi tucked the blanket around Hancock, who lay sleeping aboard the ship, pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, and feeling much better, casually crumpled his wanted poster and tossed it to the floor. Just as he stepped out the door, Shanks, ever the sociable fellow, threw an arm around his shoulders.

“Hey, Little Brother Chu Yi, who would’ve thought you’d be so considerate?”

Child... Age really is a cruel disadvantage. With a helpless sigh, Chu Yi fell silent for a moment before asking, “Shanks, where are you holding Lucci?”

“Lucci?” Shanks paused, suddenly recalling who Lucci was, and burst out laughing. “Ha ha ha, you mean that Navy guy you brought with you? He’s quite the character!”

“When you fainted that day, Tiger and Captain Rayleigh rushed in and saved you from Kizaru and Aokiji’s hands. That guy actually tried to escape!”

“Do you know what happened then?”

The result... He must have been caught by you!

Not giving Shanks a chance to boast, Chu Yi gave him a thumbs-up and said, “Shanks, you’re amazing. If he’d gotten away, it would’ve been a real headache. Anyway, I need to speak with him. Can you take me over?”

“Sure!” Shanks replied readily, but then abruptly changed the subject, saying, “But you have to beat me first!”

Bang!

Almost before the words had finished, Shanks threw a punch without warning, catching Chu Yi off guard. Moreover, Shanks’s punch was incredibly swift—even though it seemed unremarkable to the naked eye, Chu Yi felt as though there was no way to dodge it. The use of Armament Haki was masterful; Shanks had truly reached an extraordinary level.

Despite relying on the “Paper Art” technique honed against Aokiji, instinctively activating the Asura’s Eye, and countering with a small-scale “Almighty Push,” the collision between Chu Yi’s “Almighty Push” and Shanks’s fist failed to deflect the blow, proving that “Red-Haired” Shanks was worthy of the Emperor’s title!

Shanks’s use of Armament Haki to withstand Chu Yi’s “Almighty Push” genuinely surprised him.

What was going on? At his third awakening, his strength already rivaled that of an ordinary Rear Admiral!

After using the Leopard form from the Cat-Cat Fruit for his fourth awakening, he possessed at least Vice Admiral-level power. Did he really need to transform into Asura just to withstand an ordinary punch from Shanks?

Impossible!

At that moment, the Asura wings unfurled.

Using fiery wings and the rebound force from the previous “Almighty Push,” Chu Yi, feet firmly planted, managed to catch Shanks’s punch, feeling a wave of relief.

But then, Shanks unleashed another punch!

This time, his Armament Haki was even stronger. As the wind from his fist approached, the hair on Chu Yi’s back stood on end.

Such a powerful punch could not be blocked with the normal Asura Eye form.

Thus...

He transformed fully into Asura!

In a flash, Chu Yi appeared before Shanks in his Asura form, confident that his demonic physique could withstand Shanks’s punch. He stretched out his palm, fingers wrapping around Shanks’s fist.

But—

Boom!

The moment Chu Yi grasped Shanks’s fist, he felt an irresistible force surge through him, sending him flying like a cannonball.

During his flight, Chu Yi realized someone had caught him.

“Uncle Rayleigh, is that you?”

Suddenly seeing Rayleigh appear and catch him, Chu Yi, who failed to withstand even two punches from Shanks, felt his sense of defeat intensify.

Failing to block Shanks’s punches could be excused as not giving his all, but failing to notice Rayleigh waiting nearby was simply inexcusable.

In that instant, Chu Yi felt his record of slaying Celestial Dragons and destroying the Buster Call was now utterly insignificant.

Shanks, meanwhile, having defeated Chu Yi with two punches, showed no pride—only a faint, meaningful smile on his face.

As for “Dark King” Rayleigh, who had caught Chu Yi from behind, he spoke calmly as he saw the disappointment in Chu Yi’s eyes: “Little brother Chu Yi, now you can truly understand your own weaknesses, can’t you?”