Chapter Forty-Four: Only Three Seconds

“Then get out of my way!”

A resounding thud followed. The moment Chu Yi’s words fell, the mole Vice Admiral, equally adept with Observation Haki, sensed a chill in his heart. As his arm was frozen, he instinctively made the best possible evasive move.

Yet Chu Yi’s strike was even faster, and the move he used was simply not something the mole Vice Admiral could dodge.

He spread his palm—Almighty Push!

With a thunderous crash, the Vice Admiral, who was attempting to escape, was struck by the repulsive force of the “Almighty Push.” He felt an overwhelming surge of power slam into him, and in the blink of an eye, the scenery blurred past. The only person on this ship capable of posing any challenge to Chu Yi was sent hurtling far into the sea by Chu Yi’s merciless blow.

As the Vice Admiral’s body plunged into the vast ocean, sending waves crashing around him...

“Gravity Domain!”

Chu Yi pressed his palms together and instantly unleashed the “Gravity Domain.”

Under the onslaught of this terrifying hundredfold gravity, not even the Marine elites with strength rivaling Rob Lucci could resist. In mere moments, the battle was over; there was no doubt that Chu Yi had won!

The mole Vice Admiral sank beneath the waves, his fate uncertain.

On the ship, the remaining Marines and the Celestial Dragon’s servants could only struggle in vain against Chu Yi’s “Gravity Domain,” forced to watch helplessly as Chu Yi strode toward the man they were meant to protect—Saint Borilia, the Celestial Dragon.

“What... what are you going to do?”

“I am a Celestial Dragon, you... you cannot kill me! You lowly human!”

The only person on the ship unaffected by the “Gravity Domain” was, naturally, Saint Borilia—the very Celestial Dragon Chu Yi intended to kill.

As Chu Yi drew closer, the emaciated Saint Borilia stumbled backward in panic. Tripping over something, he collapsed to the deck with a muted thud.

Chu Yi’s steps brought him ever nearer. Seeing Borilia’s panic-stricken state, Chu Yi couldn’t help but pause in front of him, a slight smile playing on his lips like a cat toying with a mouse before the kill.

“Yes, you are a Celestial Dragon. I know. But your title inspires no fear in me. So tell me...”

“Is there anything you possess that could buy back your life?”

“Yes! Yes! I’ll give you everything I have!”

Catching a glimpse of hope in his despair, Saint Borilia clung to it desperately. Swallowing hard, he hurriedly stammered, “My treasures are hidden in the hold of this ship, you can have them all if you want! If that’s not enough, I’ll take you back to Holy Land Mary Geoise; all the wealth, slaves, even rare Devil Fruits I’ve collected over the years—they’re yours! Just please... just please...”

He hadn’t finished speaking when, before his terrified eyes, Chu Yi’s form blurred. In a flash, Chu Yi’s hand gripped his neck with savage force.

“I’m sorry, but none of that entices me. After all, once you’re dead...”

“Your wealth becomes my wealth, doesn’t it?”

With those final words, and under the despairing gaze of Saint Borilia, surrounded by the horror-stricken faces of the Marines and servants, Chu Yi snapped his neck with a single twist.

Killing a Celestial Dragon was as easy as slaughtering livestock; none of the Marines or servants had ever witnessed anything as terrifying as Chu Yi.

Yet for Chu Yi, killing a Celestial Dragon held no particular significance.

He unleashed “Frozen Moment,” instantly enveloping the entire ship. Soon, everyone except Chu Yi was transformed into a frozen statue, immortalized in ice. A gleam of excitement sparked in Chu Yi’s eyes. Rubbing his hands together, he plunged into the Celestial Dragon’s ship without hesitation, eager to claim his spoils.

“Heh, the wealth of a Celestial Dragon must be enough to trade for some useful materials in the system shop!”

Rummaging through the ship, Chu Yi quickly uncovered Saint Borilia’s hidden fortune.

What a staggering sight it was!

Gold, jewels, and every manner of luxury were piled in the hold like mountains—this was only the visible, tangible wealth! Priceless paintings, famous watches, rare antiques—these treasures were scattered in every corner, and according to the system’s valuation, even the least valuable piece was worth tens of millions of Berries.

Chu Yi had expected the Celestial Dragons to be wealthy, but never imagined that even the casual hoard stashed aboard this vessel would total up to five billion Berries!

If only he could loot Saint Borilia’s main residence...

Chu Yi could scarcely imagine just how much he might acquire.

He tossed everything useful from the hold straight into the system shop—evidently too lazy to carry the treasure himself—and became rich overnight. After completing the exchange, he prepared to return to where Tiger, Hancock, and the others were waiting.

But just as Chu Yi was about to leave...

The sudden sound of a Den Den Mushi echoed through the ship, making Chu Yi pause as a thought struck him.

Walking to Saint Borilia’s corpse, he hurriedly scrawled a message on the deck with the man’s blood. With a fresh smile on his face, Chu Yi unfurled his Asura’s wings and, before long, returned to Tiger, Hancock, and their companions.

“Chu Yi, you’re finally back! You’re not hurt, are you?” Hancock asked with concern as soon as Chu Yi appeared.

“Injured? How could I be?” Chu Yi laughed, clapping his hands. He ruffled Hancock’s hair with a grin. “Dealing with some pests, that’s all. How could I possibly get hurt? But Rob Lucci over there...”

“What’s that look in your eyes?”

Hearing Chu Yi’s words, Tiger and Hancock, who had been so worried, finally glanced at Rob Lucci—only to find him staring at Chu Yi, eyes wide with disbelief, stammering, “How... how is this possible? You actually came back! Wasn’t that the mole Vice Admiral on the ship? Or was it someone else?”

“The mole? Yes, it was him,” Chu Yi replied, instantly dispelling Lucci’s doubts. Reading Lucci’s thoughts at a glance, Chu Yi gazed at him with a hint of amusement and said calmly, “Actually, as soon as I left, I heard the Den Den Mushi for Marine communications start to ring. So I knew, Lucci, that the Marines must have been prepared, probably to stop me from massacring more Celestial Dragons, right?”

“If the mole Vice Admiral could have delayed me a little longer, Marine reinforcements would’ve arrived, wouldn’t they?”

At this, Tiger nodded silently in agreement. It was exactly what he’d feared: that Chu Yi would be tied up in a prolonged fight with the mole Vice Admiral, giving reinforcements time to arrive.

And Lucci?

Hearing Chu Yi’s even, untroubled words, he was left speechless. Especially when Chu Yi, after a brief pause, added something that made Lucci feel that even if the Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself came, he wouldn’t be able to uphold “justice” before Chu Yi.

“It’s a pity, Lucci. Trying to stall me with a mole Vice Admiral is simply impossible.”

“If I want to deal with him...”

“Three seconds is more than enough!”