Chapter 91: Fist Like a Meteor Collapsing into the Sea!
'Vile Tongue' Sora, a top-ten contender on the rankings, was considered the ace of the Holy Land Patrol in this competition.
'Marine Supernova' Roy, already highly scrutinized, was the rising star due to his performance in the first two rounds.
Most people expected their fight to be an exciting spectacle.
But it wasn't.
"..."
"..."
The outside audience watched the broadcast with wide eyes.
On the battlefield, 'White Wing Knight' Hasmod, a witness on the scene, was speechless.
The spot where Sora had been standing was now just a massive ravine.
The ravine stretched into the distance, with the forest behind it cleanly pierced.
Trees, tree trunks, and rocks on the ground—everything in the path of the strike was easily pulverized.
VMMM!
The swampy ground that had bound Hasmod began to revert to its original state—indicating Sora's Reverse-Reverse Fruit had been neutralized.
"Wh... what power!?"
"Just one punch took out Sora..."
Hasmod swallowed. "And at such close range, I wasn't harmed... What precise strength control?"
He looked at the young figure in the distance, feeling the light filter down and make Roy seem incredibly tall.
"A little off, but... I've touched the rhythm."
Roy gripped his fist, his Human-Human Fruit-enhanced brain quickly evaluating the strike.
He didn't dwell on it, instead looking toward Hasmod.
As he said before—his reason for striking Sora, besides the guy being disgusting, was...
"Hasmod."
He walked up to the still-stunned Hasmod and snapped his fingers with a smile. "You heard what I said, right?"
"Hah... hah... You saved me. I will repay you—ask your question."
Hasmod nodded, breathing heavily.
He did hear Roy say he had a question for him.
"I'm curious about the 'Sky Guard Attack' incident you mentioned earlier."
Roy didn't hide his interest.
"Can you tell me the appearance and ability of the attacker?"
"..."
Hearing this, Hasmod instinctively gritted his teeth. That day had become his nightmare for three years.
He remembered the man clearly.
"He had very long earlobes, was shirtless, and had four drums on his back."
"He must be a Sky Islander, because he called the four seas the 'Blue Sea' and claimed to be from the 'White-White Sea'."
Hasmod said deeply. "That's a unique term Sky Islanders use for the ground world."
"And his ability was a Logia Devil Fruit... he could control lightning!"
Roy was certain now.
"No doubt, it's Enel."
He mentally whispered the name.
Enel—the self-proclaimed God of Skypiea, the cruel man who destroyed his own home island, Birka.
But that wasn't the point. The key was that the Golden City of Shandora was on Skypiea.
For Roy, the significance of the Golden City was immense.
But Roy had avoided going to Skypiea.
The reason was Enel's power.
He was the user of the top-tier Logia Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit), capable of manipulating and transforming into lightning.
Crucially, he could use and maintain a massive, specialized Observation Haki called 'Mantra' (Mind Network), which covered the entire island.
Anyone landing would be instantly located.
With this, he could strike from beyond visual range, capable of destroying the entire island with his max power, and teleporting anywhere.
This meant Roy couldn't sneak onto the island. Any attempt to reach Shandora would be met with lightning from afar.
For a long time, despite his greed for the gold, Roy hadn't attempted to go.
The situation only changed a few months ago after he got the Slice-Slice Fruit.
The creation of Yuji, Ryuji, Inoshishi, and Nezumi, and their subsequent upgrades, made him confident he could defeat Enel.
So, he had already begun planning for Skypiea.
But due to Enel's character—he loved gold—Roy had to ensure a one-hit kill. Otherwise, Enel might destroy the entire island, including Shandora, rather than let anyone else have it.
Even Roy would struggle to stop that.
But now, he discovered...
"Enel attacked the Sky Guard three years ago, was captured, and then taken away by the World Government!?"
Roy frowned.
Since coming to this world, this was the first time the plot had deviated so drastically from his knowledge.
Three years ago was when Enel should have destroyed Birka and gone to Skypiea.
But now, he hadn't reached Skypiea, and his whereabouts were unknown.
Why the change?
Roy didn't know.
But he was very interested.
He asked Hasmod several more questions and learned something even stranger.
"That guy was carrying a very ancient box with strange carvings. When he arrived, he demanded all our gold and materials. He said he would use the things in the box to build his 'Ark'."
Hasmod's face darkened—that ridiculous demand was why the Sky Guard fought him.
Roy frowned even deeper.
"Gold... that's irrelevant."
Enel was obsessed with gold.
The real key was...
"Ark."
The word reminded Roy of the other thing Enel possessed in the original story.
The Ark Maxim.
A unique ship powered by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. It was the only ship that could fly freely in the world, capable of generating thunderclouds and lightning. It could even fly to the moon.
Furthermore, similar specialized ships appeared in ancient murals on the moon and in Giant records.
"Now that I think about it, that ship was illogical—even the Rumble-Rumble Fruit shouldn't be able to create something like that alone."
Combining this with Hasmod's words, Roy had a theory.
The box Enel carried when he attacked the High West might contain the true core of the Ark Maxim—the key that made the ship unique and capable of space travel.
Of course, Roy didn't care about the Ark Maxim's core. He cared about...
"Why didn't Enel stay on Skypiea? What happened to the Golden City, Shandora?"
That was his biggest concern.
"I need to send my clones to check immediately and confirm Shandora's status..."
Just as Roy was thinking...
SLICE!
A massive slash erupted from the forest.
The giant trees were cleaved instantly, the cuts smooth as glass.
Roy: "?"
He stopped thinking. Golden fluctuations erupted. He crossed his arms and blasted the slash away!
Hasmod wasn't so lucky—he was about to ask Roy a question but was blasted away by the shockwave, disappearing.
Roy ignored the 'White Wing Knight' and looked toward the source of the slash.
"My apologies."
An elegant figure in a pink Marine coat walked out of the forest.
The Meito 'Konpira', coated in Haki, was in her hand. It was Vice Admiral 'Momousagi' Gion.
Her appearance confirmed her nickname.
FWOOSH!
Black Haki swirled around her slender body. Two long rabbit ears stood up, fine fur covered her body, and her legs were bent backward like a rabbit's.
It was clearly...
[Rabbit-Rabbit Fruit, Model: Snow Hare · Fruit Awakening]
"Zoan Fruit Awakening..."
Roy was surprised. "As expected of an Admiral Candidate."
As he pondered...
"I was chasing the participant named Guernica. He seemed to deliberately lead me here... My slash wasn't aimed at you. My apologies."
Gion explained to Roy.
"I see..."
Roy nodded, thinking 'No wonder.'
Zephyr had mentioned Gion's character—she wasn't the type to attack from behind.
"However..."
Gion raised her Konpira, the blade shimmering. "That Guernica is strong, but he keeps running and avoiding a fight."
"I joined this Demonstration to find strong opponents to hone my swordsmanship. Roy, you are very strong."
She smiled brightly, her eyes burning with battle spirit.
"Shall we have a match?"
Roy: "..."
Right. Teacher Zephyr also said she was a sword-crazed lunatic despite her elegant demeanor.
"Guernica..."
Roy gritted his teeth. "That bastard is truly despicable."
Just as Roy was muttering...
On the top of a giant tree in the forest.
"Did I successfully draw her attention?"
Guernica, in his white suit and top hat, crossed his arms.
His mask-like face remained expressionless.
Drawing Gion to fight Roy to shake off the dangerous Admiral Candidate—this was a cheap tactic for someone of his status.
But Guernica didn't care.
He was a CP0 agent; he only followed orders.
His mission was to rank as high as possible and "preserve the Government's face."
"These two should be the strongest in the competition. After they settle their score, I should be able to... Hm?"
Guernica felt something and snapped his head toward an area outside the island.
His white, mask-like face showed surprise for the first time.
And he wasn't alone.
"..." (x2)
Below him, Gion paused, looking in the same direction.
Roy, with his enhanced senses, did the same.
They all felt a massive pressure and crisis sweeping across the entire forest.
Most alarmingly, Roy's eyes were wide with disbelief.
Because the aura and pressure felt... strangely familiar.
At the same time.
On the edge of the island, aboard the warship marked 'SSG' (Special Science Group) that Roy had noticed.
A tall figure walked out of the cabin.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Even the steel deck of the warship dented with his steps.
"Be careful, Crusher—this is just the first test. Don't go overboard."
"Yes, you need to adapt first. And your body is still..."
Two scientists in white coats bickered nervously around him.
"Quiet, both of you!"
The man in the center growled.
"I know my own body!"
He looked up at the countdown. "Roy, that kid, must be getting impatient."
Roy would recognize the voice immediately.
Purple hair, strong body, dark skin. It was 'Black Arm' Zephyr.
But there was a difference.
Where Zephyr's right arm was once severed...
A massive, intimidating metal arm had been attached.
It was the Seastone Arm specially built for him by the SSG, named 'Crusher'.
Clench!
Zephyr flexed his mechanical arm. "It's been a long time since I felt this. In that case..."
His grin turned savage.
"Just like you said—a test run! One strike!"
He leaped up.
BOOM!
His tall, strong body soared above Duel Island, spinning as he descended.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The massive mechanical right arm was raised, terrifying Ryou instantly coating it.
He roared, his voice and fist resonating over the forest!
"Black Body Style Secret Technique: Meteor Collapse!"
The punch flew.
The next moment...
BOOM!
It was as if a Meteor had Collapsed into the Sea!
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you