One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 317 The Giant Ship of Starlight

to be frank.

In Loki's view, the sudden appearance of the Star Lord and the blow he delivered to Wu Ma were nothing special.

It wasn't even an attack—the slow, deliberate slapping motion showed no trace of Haki, and Loki didn't detect any power attached to it.

But
"No!"

At that moment, however, he saw Teach let out a voice filled with unprecedented fear.

He retreated in a panic, seemingly trying to use Wu Ma's abilities to dodge.

However, just as mentioned before, he had no chance.

Without the Fruit Encyclopedia, Wu Ma's body was almost no different from that of an ordinary person to Teach.

Thus, the Star Lord's hand easily touched 'Wu Ma's' body.

The change begins in the next moment.

"Buzz!"

An invisible force began to spread from the spot where the Star Lord's hand touched.

That is the power of the 'Sliced ​​Fruit'.

[Slice-Slice Fruit LV5 - The user can refresh the state of the slice by touching it, keeping its state completely consistent with the original body's current state]

Roy has used this ability countless times over the long years.

Therefore, he even has a considerable understanding of the fundamental principles behind this ability.

The 'status refresh' of sliced ​​fruit is somewhat similar to the 'initialization' effect.

Whether it's the cooldown of the Egg-Egg Fruit's awakening or the lifespan consumption of the Nika Fruit's awakening—any consumption and damage that occurs on the sliced ​​clone can be restored by refreshing its status, allowing it to return to the original's 'perfect state'.

So, in fact, after discovering that Teach was lurking in Elbaf and knowing that his Devil Fruit was the 'Parasitic Fruit',

Roy had already rushed to Elbaf by swapping positions with his other clones.

And everything before his eyes proved that his judgment was correct.

In his desperate gamble, Teach indeed chose to use 'Eternal Parasite,' sending his soul into Wu Ma's body.

As Teach said, if the Twelve Constellations were a real organization and Wu Ma were a real, powerful individual, then he would be unable to resist the powerful parasitic effect of the Parasitic Fruit, which could only be used once.

But the truth is that the so-called 'Wu Ma' was never a real person from the beginning.

His body contained only Roy's consciousness, not a truly independent soul.

Therefore, as soon as Teach's soul entered Wu Ma's body, Roy's soul had already gracefully withdrawn, communicating with Teach only through the connection between the main body and the sliced ​​clone, creating the illusion that Wu Ma's soul was still inside the body.

And its purpose is precisely for this moment.

"Farewell, Teach."

Accompanied by Roy's words.

The changes in Wu Ma became increasingly drastic.

The dark soul belonging to Teach was dissipating at a visible rate—the soul that Roy's true self possessed naturally did not include Teach, this 'anomaly'.

Therefore, he is being eliminated by the power of the fruit.

"No, don't let me go, Star Lord! You are my father's ally, you can't!"

"I think that, based on what I know of Lockes' character, he would approve of what I did after learning about your situation."

Upon hearing this, Roy calmly spoke up.

And as he said.

Based on what he knows about Rocks' character and spirit from his current investigation, he was undoubtedly a true hero of the sea.

A person like that would definitely not be happy if he knew his son was a guy like Teach.

"No, no! Ahhhhh!"

And after the Star Lord finished speaking.

Accompanied by screams of terror and pain, Teach's soul vanished completely.

Blackbeard, who should have been a famous figure in the original work, ultimately failed to leave his mark on the seas.

at the same time
"Buzz!"

Beneath the mask of the horse, the gaze that belonged to Luo Yi returned.

"leader."

Wu Ma bowed deeply to the Star Lord and said slowly, "Thank you."

The Star Lord did not reply, but simply nodded.

Then, he turned his gaze to Loki beside him.

"Star Lord."

At that moment, Loki was also looking at the Star Lord, his eyes flashing with complex emotions.

Before heading to Mary Geoise to die, Lox's last stop was Elbaf.

On that very day, he officially agreed to become the last member of the Rocks Pirates and issued his final captain's order, instructing him to deliver a certain message to the Star Lord.

For Loki

Over the years, he had actually harbored doubts.

He idolized Lox, regarding him as the only man on the high seas.

He naturally couldn't fully accept the 'future' that Rocks had chosen by risking his life.

Is there really anyone in this world who is better than Rocks, someone worth risking everything for?
Before today, Loki had been thinking that when he saw the Star Lord, he would personally assess whether the other party's power and spirit were truly worthy of Rocks's actions.

Well, he thought that even if Rocks knew his thoughts, he wouldn't stop him—after all, there were plenty of guys like him in the Rocks Pirates.

Only today does Loki seem to finally get a glimpse of the power possessed by the Star Lord and the twelve constellations.

Wu Ma freed him from Teach's parasitism and even cured his mother, who had been seriously ill for many years—and this was only the power of one of the twelve constellations.

Loki silently abandoned his original plan because of this power.

"Lord Star, it's me."

He looked at the Star Lord, intending to recount everything that Lockes had instructed him to convey.

But
"Boom!"

At that very moment, a violent tremor suddenly erupted.

From the sky, a colossal petrified tree trunk, far larger than any of the previous branches, fell like a mountain.

"Primordial World - Blaze!"

Amidst the powerful earthquake, Loki raised his Iron Might, and flames erupted from its blade, instantly incinerating the petrified tree trunk to ashes.

At the same time, his dragon-like eyes looked at the scattered ashes with surprise and solemnity.

"Is it the trunk of the 'World Tree' that's growing so fast?"

He had already recognized him, of course.

The section of tree trunk that just fell was part of the main trunk of the World Tree—its ancient petrification features and exaggerated size are enough to prove this.

This is enough to show that the collapse of the World Tree was much faster than he had anticipated.

Adam the Tree—the giant tree that sustained Elbaf—is not far from sinking into the sea.

"In this short time, the evacuation from the mortal realm should not be complete yet."

Loki's expression suddenly darkened—he had tried his best to use the power of 'Heavenly King' to ensure the stability of the natural disasters around Elbaf, but he did not expect that they would still fall into this situation.

"Star Lord, Wu Ma, I must return to the mortal realm immediately to help with matters concerning Lox."

Loki made a decision immediately.

but.
"and many more."

At this moment, the Star Lord shook his head: "Even with your abilities, you cannot lead all the giants to evacuate in a short time."

He calmly pointed this out. Loki's ability to fly, combined with his size and ability to manipulate the heavens, certainly allowed him to carry a large number of giants on high-speed journeys.

However, judging from the current situation, the Adam Tree may collapse and sink into the sea at any time—even with Loki's abilities, it is impossible to ensure that all the giants in the mortal realm are transferred.

"Do you have a solution?"

Loki naturally knew that the Star Lord was right.

At the same time, he also deduced from the Star Lord's attitude that the other party seemed to have a solution.

Upon hearing Loki's question, the Star Lord nodded.

"Wu Ma will help you."

"But I need something from you."

Elbaf, Yangjie, West Village.

"Boom!"

Even the sturdy buildings prepared specifically for the warriors were as fragile as sand under the tremors and collapse of the entire Treasure Tree Adam.

Deep, bottomless ravines, accompanied by massive cracks, spread and expanded throughout Xicun.

"Where are the children from the Walrus School!?"

"They've been rescued, but the disaster is spreading too fast; there's no time to move them to higher ground!"

"The roads to the east and north have completely collapsed! Take the injured to higher ground to the south. That's the most stable place nearby."

"The Owl Library to the west has also collapsed, and Dean Biblo has only preserved a number of precious books—while the birds he knows are doing their best to save people."

"Regent Haldin, you should retreat first!"

"Bullshit! I am the Regent, but I am also a warrior—if we are to retreat, I should be the last one!"

Soldiers in Nishimura are working hard on the rescue.

Even Haildin had already left the castle and arrived in the West Village—this young giant was now using brute force, along with the other giants, to grab giant logs and build a temporary 'bridge' in front of them.

On the bridge, walking, were a group of giant children.

That's right.

While Teach and Wu Ma were fighting, Hajrudin had already received news of the changes in the Underworld and had made preparations in advance.

He dispatched Aruru with a large number of giants to the Underworld, originally to ascertain what was happening there.

In the subsequent collapse of the Tree of Treasures Adam, these giants heading to the Underworld were actually safe—the Underworld is the lowest level of Elbaf, and can be easily reached by using the Sunstone to reach the surface of the sea.

But soon, Haildin discovered the problem.

Those were the giant children from the Walrus School.

They were not sent to the underworld by Hajrudin, but remained in the world of the living.

Hajrudin then decisively led several giants back to the mortal realm, where they joined the teachers at the Walrus School to rescue the children.

But clearly, the situation is worse than he anticipated.

The collapse of the Treasure Tree Adam was far faster than Halding had originally anticipated, so much so that even with all their efforts in rescue, the passage from West Village to the outside world was still blocked.

They could only try to escape to higher and more stable places—because they had children with them, they didn't even have the courage to fight to the death.

"My brother and that 'Horse of the Twelve Zodiacs' will definitely arrive soon, everyone hold on!"

Haildin roared.

"Regent Haldin is right!"

"That guy named Teach could never possibly defeat Prince Loki and Lord Wu Ma!"

"With their abilities, they could easily save everyone!"

Meanwhile, Dorry and Brogy, who had already returned from the underworld, were each wielding their giant axes and swords to clear the way, while Saul and Aruru provided support from behind, as they made their difficult journey toward the 'Giant Tree Highlands' in the south.

Ida walked at the very back, loudly reassuring the panicked children and maintaining order in the group.

It was at this moment that a sudden change occurred.

"Crack!"

On the ground of the highlands, cries of agony, unable to bear the weight of the burden, echoed.

The entire ground collapsed downwards instantly!

"Giant Tree Highlands"

Haildin's eyes widened instantly.

Because at that moment, Dorry and Brogy, who were leading the way at the front of the group, almost immediately fell into the bottomless abyss below.

As a result, the children who should have been the first to enter the 'safe zone' also fell downwards.

"Catch them!"

Halding's eyes widened in horror. Ignoring the falling Dorry and Broki below, his massive body lunged forward, and with a swift movement, he grabbed the arms of the two falling children!

In an instant, almost half of his body was dragged off the cliff, and he barely managed to stay upright by digging his other hand into the rock.

"Rescue!"

"Dongli and Brogy."

"They're all very strong! They won't die! Trust them!"

Several other giant warriors reacted quickly and rushed forward, each grabbing a falling child.

Saul shouted this from the side, but tears were already welling up in his eyes—he knew very well that if they fell into the underworld below under these circumstances, even Dorry and Brogy would have no chance of survival.

Even if they are lucky enough not to die from the fall, they will definitely be seriously injured and will eventually be dragged into the sea along with Elbaf.

But clearly, he can't care about that now.

"Save the children!"

Sauro shouted this.

"Boom!"

There was no hope to be ignited.

Because just moments later, the collapse erupted again without warning!

And this time, it was the ground beneath their feet that cracked!

"!!!"

Before the wide-eyed eyes of Haildin, Sauro, Ida, and the others, the ground beneath their feet instantly collapsed and crumbled.

Even resolute warriors like Saul and Haildin couldn't help but show despair in their eyes at this moment.

Then they started to fall!
A sudden, intense feeling of weightlessness washed over me, and the surrounding light began to turn pitch black.

They didn't have time to do anything else; all they could do was pull the children they were holding upwards as hard as they could, trying to protect them in their arms—so that at least their bodies could act as a final buffer.

But it was precisely at this moment that...
"Buzz!"

They saw the light.

It was a vast, gentle, and boundless expanse of starlight.

The light did not come from the collapsed and crumbling ceiling above, but from the deeper underworld below!

That is…

Their eyes widened.

Because at this moment, they are falling continuously.

The starlight continued to expand and condense, until finally...
They saw the true outline formed by the starlight.

That was not scattered light.

Instead, it was an unimaginably large, star-studded ship.

(End of this chapter)