For the next year and a half, Luo Chen remained in seclusion.
During this period, several emergencies occurred.
On one occasion, Luffy was attacked by the Dark God and Imu and nearly lost his life. It was only when Joy Boy erupted with all his remaining power that Luffy managed to escape. Joy Boy threw the unconscious Luffy into the sea of Totto Land.
Upon learning of this, Dragon asked Luo Chen for instructions on whether Luffy could stay there. The safest place in the world was undoubtedly Totto Land.
Luffy subsequently remained in Totto Land to continue his training, receiving instruction from Rayleigh, Shanks, and Roger in succession. Since that incident, Imu and the Dark God never made another move against Luffy. The two seemed to have gone back into hiding, vanishing without a trace.
In the Four Seas, the Jinghai Army was invincible. Within a single year, they swept away all pirates and bandits across the Four Seas. The Marine bases in the Four Seas were taken over by the Jinghai Army, and the soldiers of the original Four Seas branches were incorporated into the Jinghai Army to maintain order.
Many kingdoms still existed, though many tyrannical royal families were reported by their subjects. The Jinghai Army dispatched powerhouses to eliminate these royals and select new kings who would treat the people with kindness. It could be said that within the scope of the Four Seas, the Jinghai Army had completely replaced the Marines as the new guardian force of justice.
Within the Jinghai Army, an inspection unit was also established for internal supervision. The head of this unit was Luo Chen, while the deputy was Fujitora Issho. The members of the inspection unit were strictly screened, and their moral character had to be upright. If a report from the public against the Jinghai Army was received, an investigation was immediately launched, and judgments were made according to military law.
The system of the Jinghai Army gradually became sound. A year later, they began to advance toward the Grand Line. The phased goal of clearing the pirates of the Four Seas was complete; the first half of the Grand Line was the next target, followed finally by the New World.
The pirates of the Grand Line were stronger and more numerous than those of the Four Seas, yet they remained like a mantis trying to stop a carriage before the Jinghai Army. Everything went smoothly regarding the pirate suppression.
However, the army discovered shocking tragedies on some islands. At least fifty islands had become "dead islands." Not a single inhabitant was left alive, and women, children, and the elderly were no exception. Many corpses had already begun to rot. Before these islands were slaughtered, no one had managed to send out a distress signal. Until they were discovered by those landing on the islands, no one even knew.
The tragic situation immediately caught the attention of Robin and the others at the Zhenhai Star Hub. A similar incident had happened in Alabasta; it was the work of Imu and the Dark God. The massacre of so many islands was very likely an atrocity committed by the Dark God to restore his power.
Upon learning of this, Luo Chen dispatched a Wood Clone to the Holy Land, Mary Geoise. However, the place was already deserted. Imu and the Dark God were gone. Mary Geoise held only a small number of Army soldiers, World Government CP agents, and staff members. Luo Chen had no choice but to return empty-handed.
In the six months since the Jinghai Army entered the Grand Line, island-wide massacres were frequently discovered. Unfortunately, the islands of the Grand Line were numerous and scattered, and the harsh climate also caused poor communication between islands. It was impossible to track the traces of Imu and the Dark God or determine their next target.
All Luo Chen could do was increase his strength through seclusion. The stronger he became, the wider the coverage of his Observation Haki would be. Once he left seclusion, he would be able to search for the traces of Imu and the Dark God on a global scale.
In this way, another half-year passed, and the system's Cultivation Points were exhausted. A year and a half had passed in the outside world, but three years had passed within the Rainbow Mist space.
The figure of Luo Chen, sitting cross-legged within the black sphere of the Truth-Seeking Balls, opened his eyes. The system panel surfaced on his retina.
---
[Host: Luo Chen]
[Taijutsu: Lv15 (Mid-God Tier ≈ ??? Billion-level Bounty Pirate)]
[Skills: Overlord's Seal, Observation Killing, Divine Departure, Conqueror's Haki (Enchanted4), Sword Art (Bladeless Realm), Observation Haki (Enchanted1), Armament Haki (Enchanted*1), Marine Six Powers: Soru, Marine Six Powers: Geppo]
[Ninjutsu: Tenseigan, Amenotejikara, Bansho Ten'in, Chibaku Tensei, Impure World Reincarnation, Kamui, Shinra Tensei, Tengai Shinsei, Susanoo, Sage Mode, Flying Thunder God Technique, Wood Style Ninjutsu Collection]
[Cultivation Points: 2,250,000]
[Next Stage Cumulative Recharge Reward Standard: 5 Trillion Berries]
---
Of the over 300 million Cultivation Points, only a little over two million remained. His Taijutsu had reached Lv15. In terms of pure physical prowess, Luo Chen now possessed Mid-God Tier strength. Even without using any power other than his physical body, he could fight Imu. If he used all his means, Luo Chen estimated he could blow up the moon with ease.
Two-thirds of the Cultivation Points were invested in Taijutsu cultivation. The remaining third—less than 100 million points—was used by Luo Chen to enchant his Conqueror's Haki.
[Conqueror's Haki (Enchanted*4)]
Enchanted Passive: Conqueror's Haki effect enhanced by 200%.
Enchantment 1 — Soul's Sorrow: Conqueror's Haki can damage the soul.
Enchantment 2 — Overlord's Domain: Within the domain, those with weak Haki cannot activate Devil Fruit abilities.
Enchantment 3 — Overlord's Supremacy: Within the domain, those with weak Haki cannot use any abilities beyond their physical body.
Enchantment 4 — Overlord's Fate: Attacks infused with Conqueror's Haki are guaranteed to hit and cannot be dodged.
The third and fourth enchantments cost 8 million and 80 million Cultivation Points, respectively. Enchantment 3 was a further enhancement of Enchantment 2. On the basis of restricting Devil Fruit abilities, it also suppressed the enemy's Three-Color Haki. As long as their Conqueror's Haki was not as strong as Luo Chen's, the only combat techniques an enemy could use were Taijutsu or sword arts. Enchantment 3 also increased the intensity of Conqueror's Haki by 40%.
Enchantment 4 cost ten times more than Enchantment 3 and was the final enchantment for Conqueror's Haki. It increased the intensity of Luo Chen's Conqueror's Haki by 130%.
The four enchantments had increased Luo Chen's Conqueror's Haki by twofold. His Conqueror's Haki now absolutely surpassed that of Joy Boy. Previously, when the enchantment passive gave a 70% boost, Luo Chen felt his Haki was no weaker than Imu's. Now, with a full 200% amplification, a single thought could bring Imu to his knees. The most powerful aspect of Enchantment 4 was the "Guaranteed Hit" trait. From now on, an enemy facing his attacks only had two options: defend or counter-attack. Evading or dodging was impossible.
Within the pitch-black spherical space formed by the Truth-Seeking Balls, Luo Chen slowly stood up. With a wave of his arm, the Truth-Seeking Balls dissipated. He extended a palm that was not infused with Haki or Tenseigan energy.
A turbulent flow of dark gray spatial energy crashed against his palm, producing a muffled, heavy thud. A white mark appeared on Luo Chen's palm, but his skin suffered no damage.
"Without relying on any external means, my physical body is enough to resist the tearing force of space."
"It is time to settle things with Imu and the Dark God."
Luo Chen opened a spatial portal and stepped through.
The sky was clear, and the sun hung high. Below, the sea was blue and the waves were surging. Several hundred meters away, Ruluka Island stood quietly, and the sounds of laughter and joy could be heard. At the highest point of the island's lighthouse, a deep blue flag was planted, bearing the character for "Jing."
"A year and a half has passed in the real world, and the footsteps of the Jinghai Army have already appeared here," Luo Chen remarked with emotion.
This seclusion had been his longest yet. He had been in this world for over two years now. It was time to reach a conclusion with the final boss.
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