Chapter Eighty: Undercurrents Stir

Mending the sky? Indeed, it was an apt description.

At a depth of ten thousand meters beneath the sea, Fishman Island had no sky. The bubble that enveloped and protected it was its sky. Now, with one earth-shattering strike, Mihawk had shattered that protective bubble—a sword that had split the very heavens of Fishman Island. At this moment, what Chu Yi faced was nothing less than the task of mending the sky itself.

He had to seal the fissure in the bubble that shielded Fishman Island from the outside world.

Yet, though it sounded simple, the act of repairing the sky was anything but. In the world of pirates, aside from a handful of gifted ability-users, very few possessed the power to "mend the sky." Even titans like Garp, who commanded no devil fruit abilities, or natural logia users like Kizaru and Akainu whose powers were ill-suited for the task, would not dare speak of such a feat before Jinbe.

Thus, when Chu Yi declared his intention to mend the sky, Jinbe could only gaze at his slowly ascending figure with deep skepticism.

It was true—this youth, with powers akin to the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, had managed to protect Fishman Island for the moment, forcing back the sea that threatened to flood through the breach.

But did he think himself Whitebeard? Did he truly believe he could, by relying on a power reminiscent of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, hold back the sea until the bubble healed itself?

Even the legendary Whitebeard, famed across the seas, would find it difficult to sustain such a feat for long.

At this thought, Jinbe nearly allowed himself a derisive smile. Yet, the hopes of all Fishman Island, and the tens of thousands who called it home, rested on Chu Yi’s shoulders. So, though his heart wavered with doubt, Jinbe still prayed, silently, that Chu Yi would succeed in this impossible task.

As for Chu Yi’s companions, aside from Smoker and Lucci—who watched him with mild interest—Mihawk, ever irresponsible, remained lost in his own swordsmanship, paying Chu Yi not the slightest attention.

In truth, even as Smoker and Lucci kept their eyes fixed on Chu Yi’s rising form, their gaze was different from Jinbe’s. There was no anxiety or surprise—only calm observance.

For Chu Yi had wrought so many miracles before their eyes that they had lost count.

Who, on their first voyage to the Sabaody Archipelago, had single-handedly destroyed the Navy’s infallible Buster Call?

It was the Asura.

Who had faced tens of thousands of elite marines alone, leveling a swath of the Holy Land, Mariejois?

Again, the Asura.

There was no need even to recall Chu Yi’s audacious murder of a Celestial Dragon; these two world-shaking deeds alone were enough for Smoker and Lucci to believe that their adversary was entirely capable of mending the sky above Fishman Island.

With both friends and foes placing their faith in him, how could Chu Yi dare let them down?

He could not.

Thus, as Chu Yi’s form drifted skyward, closing the distance to the shattered bubble a thousand meters overhead—

A thunderous roar split the air.

Transformed into the Asura, a blood-red phantom suddenly materialized behind him—the Asura Demon Statue.

With the Asura Demon Statue at his back, the power of Chu Yi’s Fruit of Perception surged—not only did his defenses increase, but all his abilities received a twenty percent boost.

It would be folly to underestimate such an augmentation. For a power measured at ten, a twenty percent increase was merely two points. But for a power at one hundred? At ten thousand? That boost would mean an increase of twenty, or even two thousand points.

It was precisely with this enhancement that Chu Yi’s triple-awakened fruit abilities erupted in strength as the Asura Demon Statue appeared behind him.

In an instant, Chu Yi extended both hands toward the fractured sky above Fishman Island, unleashing his Divine Repulsion!

But rather than releasing all its force in a single burst, Chu Yi held the repulsive energy in place, sustaining it against the breach.

“Hmph. Had this happened before my journey to Fishman Island, this task might have been nearly impossible,” he mused.

“But now…”

“It’s a breeze!”

Clearly, the training undertaken on his journey to Fishman Island had paid off handsomely. Not only had it honed his mastery of his triple-awakened powers, but it had also taught him how to sustain the Divine Repulsion, and how to minimize his own energy consumption in the process.

After all, had he failed to maintain the Divine Repulsion properly on his way to Fishman Island, he, Tiger, Mihawk, and the others would have perished in the abyss.

Now, with the repulsive force held steady, the sea that sought to surge in through the fissure was halted in its tracks.

Seeing Chu Yi withstand the onslaught of seawater, Jinbe’s once-anxious eyes relaxed at last. And yet, as before, he could not believe that Chu Yi could maintain this power until the bubble had fully healed.

“By my estimation, the bubble will need at least three days to heal and withstand the pressure once more,” Jinbe murmured. “Kid, though you may find this easy now, as time passes, the strain will only…”

“Become greater and greater!”

Indeed, as Jinbe predicted, though Chu Yi found it simple to maintain the Divine Repulsion at first, it would only become more difficult with time.

The ocean’s relentless pressure would not tire.

Chu Yi, on the other hand, would.

Even with the Asura transformation and the sixfold strengthening from his awakenings, granting him nearly limitless stamina, Chu Yi had underestimated the ferocity of the deep-sea pressure, and the terrifying might of the ocean seeking to invade Fishman Island.

If, on the surface, maintaining the Divine Repulsion while traveling with Tiger and Mihawk expended a single point of stamina per second, then now—

To hold back the sea, Chu Yi had to expend a thousand times as much—one thousand points of stamina every second!

Under such crushing force, sweat beaded on his brow within minutes. To protect Fishman Island for several days, until the bubble healed itself, was a task impossible even for someone with his monstrous endurance.

Fortunately, even as fatigue began to creep in, Chu Yi had prepared a second plan.

So, as he realized his first attempt might not suffice—

A cold, crystalline chill swept from the Asura Demon Statue on his back, racing toward the fissure in the bubble.

That was the power of the Freeze-Freeze Fruit.

It was Chu Yi’s Ice Age!

With a mere fraction of his strength, Chu Yi unleashed the Ice Age, instantly freezing over the damaged area of Fishman Island’s protective bubble.

Though the ocean still pressed against the frozen fissure, threatening to pour through, whenever a new breach appeared under pressure, Chu Yi could patch it immediately with his sustained Ice Age.

And the energy it cost him was negligible.

In this way, Chu Yi’s attempt to mend the sky over Fishman Island was a resounding success.

Yet, just as the corners of Chu Yi’s mouth lifted in a smile—

Deep within the island’s dense jungle, a towering figure gazed up at the icy sky, his expression darkening.

“So Kuzan is here as well?”

“It seems I must move faster!”

With these thoughts, his eyes shifted to a blood-soaked figure sprawled ahead.

That bloodied figure—

Was none other than Chu Yi’s companion,

Fisher Tiger.