128 Fleeting in an instant, a brand-new Xuanye

On this day, the entire island was subjected to total devastation. In order to better understand the weaknesses of his techniques and improve them, Xuanye disregarded his stamina consumption, letting go completely and unleashing all his power in a barrage of destructive attacks.

On the ship, Lucci, covered in bandages, wore a dark expression, looking as if someone owed him millions. His demeanor left Kalifa feeling exceptionally speechless.

"Damn it, how can that guy be so strong?" The more he thought about it, the less he understood, and the more unwilling he felt. Thinking back, he had trained with his life on the line, so why did he still suffer such an easy defeat? Was it a lack of effort? No. Was it a lack of talent? That wasn't it either. Yet, why was the gap so vast? He could not figure it out; it was truly incomprehensible. With a face full of resentment, Lucci gritted his teeth. Feeling the pain radiating through his body, he felt inexplicably frustrated and enraged.

"According to the database, Vice Admiral Tianniao was once the top performer in the Navy's grand competition. Furthermore, even the current Navy Admirals at headquarters do not treat him as an ordinary Vice Admiral. Data shows that although Lord Tianniao is only a Vice Admiral, he possesses the strength of an Admiral within the Navy Headquarters." Tilting her elegant face, her long hair flowing, Kalifa spoke as she recalled the file on Tianniao from the database.

"Are the Navy Headquarters Admirals really that formidable?" Lucci asked with a gloomy face.

"Of course. Admirals are the highest combat power of the Navy. In other words, Lucci-sama, you have been fighting against a Navy Admiral," Kalifa said, brushing her hair and stating it with certainty.

"Damn it, am I really inferior to others?" Lucci gnashed his teeth.

"Perhaps we should consume Devil Fruits," Kalifa said with a smile, her beautiful eyes shimmering with an intoxicating, sharp light.

Lucci’s eyes brightened. He finally remembered the Devil Fruit that "that guy" had told him to look out for over a year ago. It was true—the Navy Admirals were all Devil Fruit users, and he had yet to consume one. At this thought, Lucci became interested in the Door-Door Fruit that Xuanye had mentioned. Perhaps, as Kalifa said, it was time for him to taste the power of a Devil Fruit.

"When we return, I will submit an application to the superiors. I think, given our status, it shouldn't be too difficult," Lucci said, frowning in contemplation.

Kalifa remained silent, but the expression on her face fully betrayed her thoughts. To be fair, Kalifa had her own pride. Setting aside her charming appearance, her figure alone was enough to make others' minds wander. When performing missions, compared to the other members of CP9, Kalifa was even more dangerous. One must remember that Kalifa was a woman, and no woman falls into such a dark life from the start unless forced by necessity.

Therefore, Kalifa also hoped to become stronger. Working in their line of work, they deeply understood the darkness of the government and the bloodshed of the world. Without strength, they would sooner or later be discarded.

For a moment, both were lost in thought. Just then, the entire island turned a golden-red hue as the smoke rising into the sky instantly blanketed the heavens. Witnessing that world-destroying power, both became even more determined to obtain Devil Fruits. No intelligent being is willing to remain at the bottom; water flows downward, but people strive to rise—this is one of the immutable laws of the jungle. Therefore, to become someone superior to others, one must strive for it at any cost.

Time passed leisurely, disappearing as quickly as ever. In the blink of an eye, a month and a half had gone by. During this period, the island had known no peace. Compared to before, the creatures on the island now loathed those three humans with a passion. If given a blade, they would have cut them down without hesitation and shouted, "Get lost!"

In the heart of the island, a giant peak soared into the clouds, piercing the sky. Wisps of white mist lingered, making it feel like an ethereal fairyland. On a large, looming boulder, a figure sat cross-legged, breathing steadily, his body wreathed in a thin layer of golden-white flames that maintained a normal temperature.

His cold, stern face bore two golden-white streaks trailing down his cheeks like burn marks. On his forehead, a golden crow with wings spread appeared as vivid as reality, roaring at the heavens. Across his exposed, scarred upper body, threads of flame wound and coiled like spirit snakes. His arms and legs were now covered in real, golden-white feathers, radiating a violent aura.

"Deification." This was an ability Xuanye had developed, the second stage of his Full Beast Form. It was a powerful state, but the stamina consumption was equally terrifying. Before coming to this island, he could only maintain this state for three to four hours, but now, it had increased to half a day. This alone showed how much stronger Xuanye had become in the past month and a half. During this time, he had pushed himself repeatedly; as long as he had a shred of stamina, he would maintain this state. Despite the immense pressure, he held on through gritted teeth.

At the same time, he constantly trained his body—push-ups, frog leaps... he performed tens of thousands of these exercises every day. It is no exaggeration to say that if the sweat he shed during this period were collected in a vat, it would fill seven or eight large basins.

Simultaneously, Xuanye had developed his Full Beast Form significantly; his physical strength, power, and recovery rate were beyond anything he had previously known. Most importantly, Xuanye had completely integrated his human form with his beast form. Previously, there had been a "half-beast" stage because he had to adapt; any power has an adjustment phase, and this particular Devil Fruit was extremely bizarre. Xuanye had needed to reconcile them, but now, those were no longer issues.

In other words, Xuanye now possessed four states: the first was his normal state; the second was the Full Beast Form, where man and beast were one; the third was Deification; and the fourth was the advanced stage of Deification—Demonization—which required the consumption of something to maintain.

Some might ask, is there a difference between human and beast forms? Can't one just switch at will? Wrong, completely wrong. There are obstacles in between. For example, if you are accustomed to using your hands, but one day they turn into wings, how are you supposed to adapt? Therefore, every state requires adaptation before it can be mastered, as only then can the power unleashed be fully utilized without waste.

Of course, beyond physical training, Xuanye had also added to his repertoire of trump cards. First, he strengthened his previous techniques, ensuring they were no longer just flashy but lacked substance. Instead, he concentrated his power, elevating his speed and destructive capability to a new level. His true trump cards were the life-saving techniques he had developed by racking his brain and combining the unreliable knowledge from his past life—techniques that nearly left him crippled in the process.

Finally, there was the Haki, indispensable in this world. First, Armament Haki: Xuanye delved deep into its development, strengthening it significantly. Most importantly, he discovered that Haki could be used as a "fuel." Although this accelerated the depletion of his stamina, the power gained in return was not to be underestimated. Next was Observation Haki: while it didn't possess the heaven-defying ability to "hear all things," his Mythical Zoan fruit, combined with the enhancement of his five senses and his own training, allowed him to evade sneak attacks far more effectively in battle. Lastly, there was Conqueror's Haki. To speak of it, he owed a debt to the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger; had it not been for the pressure Roger exerted back then, Xuanye would never have awakened this ability. Most importantly, as he developed his Devil Fruit powers, his Conqueror's Haki seemed to have gained something extra.

A month and a half had allowed Xuanye to touch the threshold of his current training, and the time that followed would be for refining, strengthening, and mastering these skills. Xuanye’s time was very tight.

Although the period had been bitter and exhausting, there were times when even Lucci and Kalifa felt a sense of dread toward Xuanye’s training regimen. He treated himself not like a living person, but someone driven toward death. However, Lucci and Kalifa did not know that every time he was about to give up, Xuanye would look at the two carefully preserved photographs. One was of Makino, whom he missed day and night, and the other was the photo Vegapunk had given him. Every time he looked at these two photos, he found the strength to endure any pain, for they were his only reasons for living.