Chapter Eighty-Two: Diamond Joz

"Charge!"

No sooner had Jozu shouted than, with a furious roar, the future Third Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates barreled toward Chu Yi like a raging bull, leaving Chu Yi momentarily stunned.

But since his opponent had made the first move, would Chu Yi simply back down?

On the contrary...

The Devil Fruit powers of "Phoenix" Marco and "Diamond" Jozu were precisely what Chu Yi coveted.

Almost immediately upon Marco and Jozu's appearance before him, the system had issued a mission to gather awakening materials.

Thus, to Chu Yi, Jozu's charging figure was no different from a rare, high-grade awakening material delivering itself to his doorstep.

Given that, what reason was there to hesitate?

With a flicker in his eyes, Chu Yi called forth a blood-red apparition—

The Asura Golem!

"Diamond" Jozu, after all, was the future Third Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, a powerful fighter who would one day stand toe-to-toe with Admiral Aokiji during the Paramount War without yielding an inch.

Although neither Jozu nor Marco at present likely possessed the full strength they would later display in the original tale, Chu Yi couldn't afford to take them lightly.

His aura locked onto Jozu.

Before their fists had even met, the clash of their spirits sent gusts of wind whipping through the air, causing the onlookers—Smoker, Lucci, and the others—to narrow their eyes.

As Jozu drew ever closer, charging like a wild beast, about to smash into the Asura Golem's defense before Chu Yi—

Suddenly!

With a thunderous crash, a burly figure leapt in front of Chu Yi, intercepting Jozu's charge.

It was Jinbe.

"Jinbe, what do you think you’re doing?"

Jozu glared daggers at Jinbe, who had stopped him with both hands. Struggling to suppress his anger, he demanded, "Fish-Man Island is Whitebeard's territory—it's our father's domain! When something happens here, you, as a member of Neptune's army, don’t even step up to help, and now you're standing in my way? What exactly do you mean by this?"

"Jozu, calm down and listen to me," Jinbe replied, taking a deep breath and shaking out his tingling hands. "The crisis Fish-Man Island just faced wasn't caused by that kid behind me. In fact, if not for him, it wouldn't have been just the two of us in danger—Fish-Man Island itself might have been doomed. Jozu, this kid is our savior; you can't just treat him like an enemy!"

"What's more... what's more..." Jinbe shot Chu Yi a complicated look and sighed. "He's a friend of Boss Tiger. Jozu, I can't let anything happen to him on Tiger's turf!"

Like hell! Tiger would probably be glad to see me get into trouble!

Chu Yi was not afraid of the Whitebeard Pirates—his reluctance to provoke them was not born of fear.

After all, what could possibly frighten someone who had dared to slay a Celestial Dragon the moment he made his name?

No, the real reason Chu Yi didn't want to antagonize the Whitebeard Pirates was because he genuinely admired them. In the original story, aside from the traitorous Blackbeard, every member of the crew cared for one another like family, creating an atmosphere of harmony.

Moreover, the Whitebeard Pirates were portrayed in an overwhelmingly positive light.

For these reasons, when the system first gave him the awakening materials mission, Chu Yi had hesitated for a few seconds.

But now...

It was Jozu who had made the first move, wasn't it?

His reckless aggression toward Chu Yi provided a perfect justification for Chu Yi to engage him and Marco and complete the system's mission.

And now, Jinbe’s intervention was a problem.

If Jozu backed down, what would happen to Chu Yi’s task?

So, as soon as Jinbe finished speaking, Chu Yi glanced imploringly at "Diamond" Jozu, silently hoping he wouldn’t give in for Jinbe’s sake.

And sure enough—

Jozu was Jozu, and he did not disappoint!

Hearing Jinbe out, Jozu sneered coldly, clenching his fists as if preparing to deal with both Jinbe and Chu Yi.

At this point, Marco intervened. As the future First Division Commander—Whitebeard’s right hand—Marco had to keep his composure, even if Jozu could afford to be impulsive.

"Wait, Jozu. Let me speak with Jinbe first."

Marco stopped Jozu, smiled at Jinbe, and said, "You make a good point, Jinbe. I owe you that much. As for what happened on Fish-Man Island, the Whitebeard Pirates will let it go. However, Jinbe, that kid's companion openly provoked our crew—surely that's beyond your jurisdiction?"

"But this is still Fish-Man Island, and I respect you. So, here's what we'll do: I’ll stay out of it. Jozu can have a one-on-one with the kid. Is that acceptable?"

Jinbe hesitated only briefly before nodding silently. Fish-Man Island still depended on the Whitebeard Pirates, and as one of its own, Jinbe had to put the island’s interests first.

He had already done all he could for Chu Yi.

So, with a sigh, Jinbe stepped aside and cleared the path for Jozu.

Jozu grinned, unclenched his fists, and shot Chu Yi a cocky look, eager to teach the upstart a lesson.

But no one expected what happened next.

Chu Yi, who had so far remained silent, let his aura surge to new heights. In a flash, he summoned the Asura Blade and brought it down upon Jozu!

"Swift Wind Style—Crest-Breaking Wave!"

Chu Yi’s blade descended in a blur, stunning Jozu, Marco, and Jinbe alike.

To them, it had seemed that as long as Jozu left Chu Yi alone, there would be no trouble. Who knew it was Chu Yi himself who had been waiting for an excuse to challenge Jozu all along?

Yet, as Chu Yi’s blade struck, Marco only hesitated for a moment. As Jozu’s comrade, Marco knew well that with Chu Yi’s current swordsmanship, there was no chance of breaking through the natural, fearsome defense Jozu’s Devil Fruit granted him.

There was no need to worry—he simply crossed his arms, waiting to see Jozu teach Chu Yi a lesson.

But then—

As the Asura Blade came crashing down, slamming onto Jozu’s diamond-hardened shoulder—

A sharp, cracking sound rang out.

Crystalline diamond armor on Jozu’s shoulder fractured, forming a web of cracks!