010 The Other Side of Fear

“What do you think you are?” With a torn, furious roar, Tea Pig seized his weapon, channeling all his strength, determined to strike down Xuan Ye.

“Don’t…” Peach Rabbit tried to stop him, but it was already too late.

Nearby, Red Dog also considered intervening, but after a moment’s thought about the future, he decided to wait and watch a little longer. If things truly got out of hand, he could always step in at the critical moment to stop them both.

“Oh… how terrifying,” Yellow Monkey, on the other side, patted his chest, feigning fear.

Rage—real anger flashed in Xuan Ye’s eyes. For the third time, the other party had tried to kill him. Since arriving in this world, he had never provoked anyone, but now, his patience was exhausted.

Whirling around, Xuan Ye’s face twisted with murderous intent. “Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll grant your wish.”

A boundless aura of hostility erupted. Xuan Ye vanished from sight, then seized the spear mid-air, stirring up a storm of sand and wind as he appeared before Tea Pig, eyes bloodthirsty. He raised the cold spear high, driving it straight at Tea Pig’s heart.

It was a fight to the death—no retreat. The scene unfolded so quickly that by the time the others realized, it was too late to stop them.

In this crucial moment, Tea Pig could only rely on himself.

One had to admit—Tea Pig deserved to be a future Admiral candidate. At the final moment, fear twisting his features, he dodged just enough to avoid a fatal blow to his heart, letting Xuan Ye’s spear pierce his shoulder instead.

A thunderous explosion—the storm of sand, the earth trembling—Tea Pig was sent flying by the force of the spear. But Xuan Ye clearly had no intention of letting Tea Pig escape. He chased after him at high speed, flames blazing in his hand, the heat and destructive force threatening to obliterate Tea Pig completely.

“This is bad… Xuan Ye wants to kill Tea Pig!” Fire Hill and the others paled with horror. Xuan Ye, at this moment, was terrifying—his face twisted with malice, sending chills through everyone.

“What a dreadful lunatic. If we don’t stop him, we’ll be caught up in this mess—I’m not getting scolded by Zephyr for this,” Yellow Monkey muttered, his body dissolving into light. In a flash, he appeared before Xuan Ye.

“Xuan Ye, have you ever been kicked by light?” With a sly grin and a brash voice, his golden-lit right foot suddenly appeared above Xuan Ye’s head.

“Yellow Monkey, are you looking for death?” Xuan Ye snapped, utterly berserk. His right hand transformed entirely into fire. In the haze, a pair of flaming wings unfurled, burning with terrifying heat as he lunged at Yellow Monkey.

A deafening crash—golden light burst, flames roared, the ground beneath Xuan Ye shattered, sending a shockwave rippling outward.

“Endless Arrows.” Xuan Ye spread his arms wide, engulfed in fire. Above his back, in the sky, more than twenty swords, spears, and halberds of flame manifested, each wreathed in golden-red fire, mysterious runes flickering along their surfaces.

With a piercing shriek, the weapons tore through the air, their force alone making Yellow Monkey’s expression change dramatically.

“Fang Lotus.” Scalding magma erupted, taking the shape of a vicious hound.

“Red Dog,” Xuan Ye growled, his tone icy. “If you think you can stop me, then try—see if you can keep me from killing him.”

“All that’s happened today, I’ll return tenfold in the future,” Xuan Ye roared, flames raging around him. In the heart of the fire, something strange and indistinct was spreading its wings.

The air roiled with violence and fury, the wild flames and unrestrained hostility showing just how furious Xuan Ye truly was.

Yellow Monkey and Red Dog, hearing Xuan Ye’s cold voice, both paled, realizing this madman had set his sights on them.

“What bad luck.” Yellow Monkey reappeared in the sky—he had no intention of provoking Xuan Ye further. “You two carry on. I was just stretching my legs.”

Choosing between risk and reward, Yellow Monkey wisely stepped back. Sometimes, retreat was better than advance.

Provoking a dangerous enemy for no reason didn’t fit Yellow Monkey’s way of life. He was an easygoing person, always looking to save effort and live comfortably. In the entire series, he was among those who had it easiest.

With Yellow Monkey’s retreat, Red Dog was left fully exposed to Xuan Ye’s wrath. Red Dog couldn’t help but roar, cursing Yellow Monkey inwardly.

“Fire God Spear.” Xuan Ye’s face was fierce. He clasped his hands, and golden-red flames filled the sky. Before everyone’s eyes, countless flames wove together, burning so intensely they turned white, forming a massive spear over ten meters long that tore through the air, plummeting straight at Red Dog.

Explosions roared, heat waves rolled, everyone retreated. The earth turned to magma. In the endless sea of fire, Red Dog’s body reformed from molten elements, his face pale as he realized his elemental form could not fully withstand Xuan Ye’s attacks—something he could hardly believe.

Even standing in the magma, he felt the floating flames gnawing at him constantly—subtle but undeniably real.

Xuan Ye gasped for breath, clearly struggling after such intense exertion. His stamina was nearly spent.

Taking a deep breath, Xuan Ye’s gaze sharpened. He raised his right hand, gathering countless flames, compressing them further and further. The original golden-red blaze grew white, then stabilized at the size of a basketball, still drawing in more fire, the heat so intense it melted the ground beneath.

Everyone stared at the fireball in Xuan Ye’s hand, instinctively tense—their instincts warned them that if that fireball exploded, they would be gravely injured, if not killed outright.

“Xuan Ye, stop! You’ll destroy everything here!” A chill surrounded Green Pheasant as he tried to intervene, though he wasn’t sure he’d escape unscathed himself.

A thunderous voice echoed from afar: “Hey, boy—what do you think you’re doing?” Garp shot forward like a cannonball, a blur in the air.

“Ye, calm down.” Zephyr followed close behind.

“Enough! All of you, stop it!” An even more commanding voice rang out as Kong, face dark, strode swiftly through the air.

But Xuan Ye ignored them all, not hesitating as he hurled the blazing sphere toward Red Dog.

“High Energy Explosion.”

“Xuan Ye Tang!” Red Dog’s face twisted in shock—he hadn’t expected Xuan Ye to ignore even Kong’s order and attack him.

“Hellfire!”

At that moment, three figures rushed into the inferno without hesitation.

Explosions thundered endlessly. All of Marineford seemed to shake as waves of fire swept across the ground.

“Ice Wall!” Green Pheasant spread his hands, erecting a wall two meters thick to shield everyone.

Gales and firestorms battered the arena. When the flames finally faded, a massive crater was all that remained.

In the center, Zephyr, burned black, cradled a half-dead Tea Pig. As for Red Dog, he stood behind Kong and Garp, doubled over and coughing blood.

Seeing Garp and his companions unharmed—only slightly out of breath—Xuan Ye narrowed his eyes. He hadn’t expected his attack to leave them untouched.

Red Dog, on the other hand, had underestimated things. He assumed his element-based powers were invincible, not realizing that even among Logia users, some abilities countered others. In truth, Red Dog was far weaker now than he would be decades later; they were all still young.

With the battle interrupted, everyone breathed a sigh of relief—Xuan Ye, when enraged, was truly terrifying.

“Young man, I told you to stop. Why didn’t you? Do you intend to kill your own comrades?” Kong’s face was grim.

“I do intend to kill them,” Xuan Ye replied, standing straight, voice firm. Though his strength was all but spent, he could feel it returning, little by little.

“You…” Kong’s fury was palpable. Previously, he had given Xuan Ye a chance to explain himself, moved by his remarkable talent. He hadn’t expected such a response.

Seeing Kong’s anger, Zephyr, knowing Xuan Ye’s character, understood that he would not have started trouble without cause. There must be more to the story.

“Someone explain what’s happened here,” Zephyr demanded, glancing sternly at the others.

“Teacher Zephyr, Fleet Admiral Kong, it’s all my fault…” Peach Rabbit, filled with guilt, began to explain.

After a moment, as Peach Rabbit finished recounting the events, Kong and the others wore dark expressions.

Zephyr, especially, dropped Tea Pig with a dissatisfied grunt. In truth, Xuan Ye was not at fault. He had spared Tea Pig again and again. It was Tea Pig’s own recklessness that led to this—if it had been Kong or anyone else similarly provoked, a fight would have erupted immediately. Everyone had their limits.

“Haha… not bad, not bad. Only a few days have passed, and you’re already this strong.” A palm the size of a fan slapped Xuan Ye’s shoulder, nearly making him spit blood. He might have looked fine, but he was injured, too.

“Since it’s over, let’s put an end to this matter here,” Kong said after a moment’s thought, intending to smooth things over. But someone was not satisfied.

“Fleet Admiral Kong, I never provoke others, but if someone tries to kill me, they must be prepared to die themselves.” Xuan Ye’s gaze was sharp as he looked at the unconscious Tea Pig and the sullen Red Dog, his tone as cold as ever.

“You’re not willing to let go of Tea Pig and Red Dog? That’s not a good attitude,” Garp frowned slightly.

“I never start trouble, but that doesn’t mean I’m an easy target. Not seeking trouble doesn’t mean I fear it. That has always been my principle,” Xuan Ye replied, meeting Garp’s eyes with unyielding resolve.

“Enough! Do you think I’m afraid of you?” Red Dog’s body steamed with magma, pride burning in his eyes. Humiliated like this, how could he endure it?

“If you want to die, I’ll oblige you,” Xuan Ye threatened, murder in his gaze. In his previous life, watching the anime, he hadn’t felt it, but living through it now, he found Red Dog utterly detestable.

Flames blazed, the temperature soared, and it seemed Xuan Ye would attack Red Dog at any moment.

“Enough…” A terrifying pressure swept over them, stunning Xuan Ye and briefly freezing the flames around him.

“This ends here. As long as no one dies in Marineford, you may do as you wish. If anyone dies here, don’t blame me for intervening,” Kong warned, his presence oppressive. But Xuan Ye straightened, meeting Kong’s gaze calmly.

“Take Peach Rabbit and Red Dog for treatment. The rest of you are dismissed.”

Hearing Kong’s words, Xuan Ye gave a twisted smile. He understood: as long as no one died in Marineford, it didn’t matter what happened elsewhere. Injuries, as long as not fatal, were another matter…

“Hmph… the days are long. We have plenty of time to play.” Watching Tea Pig and Red Dog being carried away, Xuan Ye’s lips curled with a trace of malice.

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