"I finally managed to part ways with Shanks. All we did this whole time was drink. While the booze wasn't bad, I couldn't handle drinking all day, every day. Let's see the map... what's the closest place? Hmm, Orange Town. Why does that sound so familiar? Let me think... ah, that's right! Isn't that Nami's hometown? I'll head over and take a look."
According to the sea chart, an ordinary ship would have taken several days to reach Orange Town even at full speed. But Qiuxia simply stowed his boat away and transformed into starlight. In less time than it takes for a cup of tea to cool, he crossed thousands of nautical miles and arrived at Orange Town.
"Huh? Where is everyone?"
Upon reaching Orange Town, Qiuxia knocked on a few doors but found no one. He quickly spread his Divine Sense and spotted a gathering in a remote corner of the town. The residents were surrounded by a group of Fish-men.
Seeing this, Qiuxia rushed over. In that very spot, Nami's adoptive mother had just handed over her last bit of money to cover the fees for her two daughters, calmly facing her own death. Just as Belle-mere was about to be struck, a beam of starlight appeared before her, blocking the weapon aimed at her.
"A bunch of stinking fish and shrimp crawling out of the sewers dare to lay hands on humans? You must be tired of living!"
Qiuxia's eyes turned cold. The blade that had been aimed at Belle-mere was instantly refined by his power, breaking free from the Fish-man's hand and transforming into a streak of flowing light. It flickered through the airshuck, shuck, shuckand after several flashes of light, every Fish-man's head rolled onto the ground, save for Hatchan.
After killing the other Fish-men, Qiuxia turned a freezing gaze toward Hatchan. "Get back to the bottom of the sea. If you come up again, I'll turn you into takoyaki!"
Seeing his kin die in such a bizarre and terrifying fashion, Hatchan abandoned any thought of revenge and dove into the ocean to escape.
Once Hatchan was gone, Qiuxia walked up to Belle-mere and tapped the foreheads of Nami and Nojiko. Then, just as he had arrived, he turned back into a beam of starlight and vanished.
"Nami! Nojiko! What's wrong?!" Belle-mere cried out, her face full of panic as she saw the children suddenly collapse.
"Don't be nervous, Belle-mere. Just take them to a doctor!" a voice echoed through the air.
"Right... I'll take them to a doctor immediately."
What had Qiuxia done to Nami and Nojiko? He had given the two girls a small boon. While wiping out Arlong's crew, he had used his Divine Sense to scan their bodies. He found that both possessed Spirit Roots. Nami possessed a Wind Spirit Root of the highest quality, while Nojiko possessed a Wood Spirit Root of moderate grade.
After checking their potential, Qiuxia transmitted cultivation manuals for their respective elements to them. Much like what he had done in the Naruto World, these were simplified versions of the arts.
Though they lacked methods to progress beyond the rank of Celestial Master, they were still incredible treasures for the girls. As for the fact that they had never cultivated before and had no one to guide them, Qiuxia had included mental imagery within the knowledge transfer to guide their practice.
After resolving the crisis in Orange Town, Qiuxia moved on to the Marine 16th Branch. Unlike his direct slaughter of the Fish-men, he opened his Dharma Eyes this time to observe the weight of sin upon every Marine, beginning a systematic execution of those burdened by heavy crimes.
Once he finished with the 16th Branch, Qiuxia moved on to the others. In a single day, the phone lines at Marine Headquarters were nearly blown apart by reports from the East Blue. Across the thirty branches of the East Blue, massive piles of bodies were being found. The deaths were uncanny; a flash of light would pass, and they would drop dead instantly.
In just one day, the death toll across the East Blue branches reached ten thousand. Such a staggering number infuriated Marine Headquarters, especially since many of the deceased were high-ranking officerseven the Grand Governor of the East Blue had been slain. Hearing about the chaos in his homeland, Garp carried his ship back to the East Blue overnight.
Even though the Marine hero Garp had returned to investigate, Sengoku still dispatched Kizaru. Why? Because in just one day, the culprit had purged the entire East Blue Marine presence. With that kind of speed, who else could hope to stop them but Kizaru?
Kizaru might not be the absolute strongest, but no one could catch him if he tried to run. By having Kizaru keep watch, even if Garp let the culprit slip away in a moment of inattention, Kizaru would still be able to give chase.
After finishing his purge of the East Blue branches, Qiuxia was in a foul mood. Although he had gained a massive amount of Origin Power throughout the day, along with treasures and Devil Fruits, his spirit remained heavy. The total number of Marines in the East Blue was roughly one hundred and ten thousand,
yet over ten thousand of them were scoundrels. That was one-tenth of the force. Qiuxia had already tried to spare those with minor sins; had he included them as well, barely ten thousand out of the whole lot would have survived. Given that, how could he be in a good mood?
"This world really has rotted to the core. Even the self-proclaimed protectors of the sea have turned into this. And this is just the East Blue... the other seas are likely even worse. Forget it, I'll stop worrying about that and focus on what's in front of me."
To soothe his emotions, Qiuxia began to recite Taoist Scriptures he hadn't read in a long time, calming the killing intent within him.
By the time he had steadied his aura, it was the night before his return. He took some fruit out of his Small World and enjoyed the starry sky, intending to drift into sleep naturally.
Just as he was getting into the spirit of stargazing, the sound of footsteps interrupted his thoughts. Looking toward the noise, he saw an eleven or twelve-year-old girl walking toward him, her eyes brimming with tears.
Seeing someone lying there, the girl quickly wiped her face. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
"Is this place your home?" Qiuxia asked plainly.
"No!"
"Then why can't I stay here? Besides, you looked like you were crying quite hard just now. Did someone bully you?"
"No way! I wasn't bullied! I'm just troubled by some things. Forget it, you wouldn't understand. Since you want to be here, just stay quiet and don't disturb me, or I'll show you what's what." The girl glared at him, then pulled out a wooden sword and began swinging it at a nearby post.
"You're a swordsman? It's the first time I've seen a female swordsman."
The girl's hand stopped. She looked at him with a cold gaze. "So you also think girls can't be swordsmen?!"
"I only said it's the first time I've seen one. I never said a girl can't be a swordsman. There's nothing wrong with a woman practicing the Way of the Sword. I haven't seen a Female Sword Immortal myself, but my master saw plenty."
"Female Sword Immortal? What's that? Is it a title for a female Great Swordsman?" the girl asked excitedly.
Qiuxia thought for a moment. According to the standard of the Zombie World, a woman could only be called a Sword Immortal once she attained immortality. However, in this Age of Dharma Decline, one didn't need to be a true Immortal; reaching the rank of Earth Master was enough to earn the title.
Judging by the destructive power in the Zombie World, a Female Sword Immortal wouldn't be inferior to a swordsman of this world. In fact, if a Female Sword Immortal came here, their magic and the power of their techniques would only grow stronger. To put it simply, they were equal to a Great Swordsman.
"You can think of it as a title for a female Great Swordsman," he replied.
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