Amid the billowing smoke, that streak of orange-red flame bloomed like a crimson lotus, dyeing half the sky in dazzling scarlet.
Shelby floated in midair, his lower body fully elementalized into blazing fire.
Even his famed blade, Moonlit Beauty, was now coated in scorching heat, the silver-white sword glowing translucent red, as if freshly drawn from a forge.
"Phew."
Shelby exhaled a puff of smoke, naturally leaking from the excess fire energy within him.
He clenched his fist, feeling that terrifying power, capable of burning everything in existence.
The Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit… a top-tier ability renowned across the seas, was now part of his body.
"So this is… the power of a Logia?"
Looking at the churning lava below, a surge of pride rose within him.
The humiliation of being crushed by Aramaki earlier… seemed completely burned away by these flames.
"If I meet that guy again now…"
His gaze sharpened. He almost declared, "I can fight him now!"
But the part of his mind not yet burned away by arrogance poured cold water over that thought.
He recalled Aramaki's towering trees, the terrifying life-draining ability, and that overwhelming Haki.
"No… not yet."
The heat in his eyes cooled, replaced by clarity, and lingering fear.
"I may have a top-tier Devil Fruit now, but my Haki… isn't enough."
"Against true monsters, relying only on a Devil Fruit will just get me beaten even worse. That guy's Haki is definitely high-level. If I rush him now, I'll just become a burning torch, not even good enough to light his cigarette."
Shelby landed, the flames around him gradually subsiding.
Unlike a typical power-drunk fool, he remained clear-headed.
"I want to be the protagonist."
He pulled out his unburned mirror and looked at himself, still handsome even covered in ash.
His eyes became resolute.
"What makes a protagonist? Not just insane luck (like finding a Devil Fruit), not just unmatched looks (like me), but also… effort worthy of it!"
"If fate is feeding me, I have to swallow it, and digest it!"
"From today on, I'll train my Haki twice as hard! I'll create my own 'Flame Swordsmanship'! I'll become the most handsome and strongest 'Flame Emperor' under Lord Renzo!"
"Only then… will I deserve this face!"
He dramatically flicked his tattered cape and struck a stylish pose, flashing a dazzling smile at the invisible cameras.
…
G-5 Broadcast Plaza, VIP Viewing Hall.
"KYAAAAAA!!!"
The screams nearly blew the roof off.
Noblewomen clutched their chests, faces flushed.
"So handsome! Rear Admiral Shelby! Even after battle, still so elegant!"
"This is rebirth through fire! He's my flame prince!"
"Even his self-reflection was charming! Such humility, I'm in love!"
"Donate! Donate! I'll buy him a hundred new outfits!"
Meanwhile, in the regular audience section, the tone was completely different.
"Tch! What's he showing off for?!"
"Damn it! His luck is insane! He just walks and finds a Logia fruit?!"
"Yeah! Pretty-boy face, just lucky! If I had that fruit, I'd be the same!"
"Why do people with looks AND luck exist?!"
"Life's unfair! I want to replace him!"
Jealousy, envy, and resentment spread like wildfire.
If looks could kill, Shelby would already be dead a thousand times over.
…
At the commentary stage, Rehn grinned at the skyrocketing donations.
"Nice, nice. The kid knows when to act cool. This wave of traffic is perfect."
After a sip of tea, he pointed to another screen.
"Alright, folks! After the 'Flame Prince's' lucky journey, let's shift to the opposite extreme!"
"No lava, no luck, only absolute zero… and absolute strength!"
"Switch to Zone Nine, 'Frozen Wasteland'!"
…
Zone Nine, Icefield Island.
A forbidden land of life.
At -40°C, boiling water freezes instantly midair. Blade-like snow whipped through endless white plains.
Yet in this frozen hell, a battle was underway.
"Huff… huff…"
A group of fur-clad pirates formed a circle, panting.
Fear was written across their faces as they stared at the man in the center.
Their leader, the one-eyed pirate "Skullcrusher" Buck, had a bounty of 180 million Berries.
Yet now, they looked like they'd seen a ghost.
Because at the center stood a man, barefoot.
Wearing only a thin black training outfit.
About twenty-five years old.
Lean, steel-forged muscles. Black hair. Eyes cold as glaciers, but burning with ambition.
His name was Blake.
A G-5 recruit.
But those who knew him called him, "Ghost Sword."
Unlike Shelby, the lucky, privileged chosen one,
Blake's life was pure suffering.
An orphan.
Raised in garbage heaps.
Fighting stray dogs for moldy bread.
Sleeping in corpses' clothes to survive winter.
In this world, weakness was a sin.
But he didn't die. He endured.
Forged instincts like a beast. A will like steel.
He craved strength.
Because only strength meant survival.
No mentor. No Devil Fruit.
Just a blade he picked up by the sea, and a basic Haki manual.
Day after day. Year after year.
100,000 swings daily.
Relentless.
At age ten, he killed bandits.
Twenty years of self-training.
No one knew how he reached this level.
A year ago, he joined G-5 by chance, as a recruit.
Even then, he never relaxed.
Training every night.
Born in darkness, but not consumed by it.
He would rise.
To the very top.
"I heard…"
Blake raised his head slightly, his blade, Black Fang, a normal blade turned black through Haki, pointing downward.
"If I make top five… I get promoted to Rear Admiral?"
"So what?!" Buck roared.
"There are twenty of us! And I'm worth 180 million! Hand over that Gold Token!!"
Indeed, Blake held a glowing [Renzo Gold Token].
"Rear Admiral…"
A flicker of ambition crossed his eyes.
"That position… is mine."
"With it, I get better food… my own training room… and I can get closer to Renzo, to see the true peak."
"Bastard! Don't ignore me!!" Buck roared.
"Kill him!!"
"RAAAH!!"
Twenty pirates charged.
Blake didn't retreat.
Instead, a faint, bloodthirsty smile appeared.
"Perfect… to test the level I reached yesterday."
Buzz
Jet-black Armament Haki covered his arms, spreading to his blade.
Observation Haki activated,
In his vision, everything slowed.
Breathing. Muscle movement. Attack trajectories, all visible.
"Ghost Sword Style: Asura Dance."
SWOOSH!!!
He moved. Like a shadow.
No flashy moves, just speed and precision.
Shng Shng Shng
Blood bloomed on white snow.
A pirate collapsed, his throat cut before his blade even fell.
"What… what?!"
Buck watched in horror.
This wasn't a fight.
It was a harvest.
"Your turn."
Blake appeared before him.
Eyes inches away.
"D-don't!"
"Too slow."
A single slash.
"Ghost Cut: Decapitation."
CLANG!
Buck's axe, and his Haki-covered neck, split like butter.
Thud.
Head fell, 180 million bounty, instant defeat.
Ten seconds.
Silence returned.
Bodies littered the snow.
Blake alone stood.
He flicked blood off his blade and sheathed it.
Not a drop stained his clothes.
He picked up the fallen token, and walked into the storm.
…
G-5 Broadcast Plaza.
"W-what the hell?!!"
"Who is that guy?!"
"He one-shot Buck?!"
"That Haki, top-tier! And Observation too!"
"A RECRUIT?! You're joking!!"
The crowd went wild.
They thought it was just pirates fighting,
but instead, a deep-sea monster had surfaced.
On the commentary stage, Rehn stared at Blake's file, confused.
"Blake… enlisted one year ago… logistics unit… quiet… trains and eats…"
He scratched his head.
"This… this guy works for me?"
"How the hell did I recruit a monster like this?!"
....
30 Chapter, [email protected]/DaoistJinzu