One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

"Kid! Stay here!"

In the distance, a loud roar came from the white-bearded man.

Luo Xia stood on the warship and looked back at the shockwaves rushing towards him like a torrent. Suddenly, he raised his hand and pulled towards the sky.

"Whitebeard! You're too old! You can't keep me here! I'll leave you here!"

As he pulled, the clouds above the deserted island parted, and a huge ball of lightning, a kilometer in diameter, broke through the thick clouds and fell straight down to the deserted island below, like a meteorite falling from the sky.

"This is a parting gift, Whitebeard! See you on the battlefield next time!"

On the deserted island, Whitebeard looked up at the sky-covering ball of lightning, clenched his teeth involuntarily, and then grinned.

"Gurarararar, you interesting brat, let's meet on the battlefield, gurarararar!"

Chapter 607 The Dark-Dark Fruit!

Rorschach left.

The kilometer-long lightning ball he left behind before leaving was, unsurprisingly, shattered from a distance by Whitebeard's air blast.

But the hundreds and thousands of streaks of lightning that scattered still plowed up the entire desolate island below.

The forests, beaches, and grasslands were all riddled with holes and left in ruins.

Teach stood in front of a huge crater, motionless for a long time.

His eyes darted around as he surveyed the ravaged terrain.

"The Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit is the top-tier Logia-type ability. Its attack power is comparable to the Magma-Magma Fruit, and its speed is comparable to the Glint-Glint Fruit."

"A Zoan-type Mythical Zoan-type Horse-Horse Fruit in Kirin form, a top-tier Mythical Zoan-type fruit that can control wind and thunder, no weaker than the Azure Dragon Fruit that can control wind and fire."

He took a deep breath, looked up at the distant beach where the Whitebeard Pirates were having a barbecue, and slowly clenched his fists.

"My choice won't be wrong. As long as I get that fruit, whether it's the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the Kirin Fruit, the Azure Dragon Fruit, or the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, they will all be mine!"

"Only by staying on my father's ship will I have the best chance of getting that fruit."

"Just bear with it a little longer, Teach..."

Teach's gaze passed over Marco, who was healing the wounded pirates, over Jozu, who was sitting on the ground looking rather withdrawn and sullen, and over Ace, who was also suffering a blow but was frantically throwing fire punches at the sea, before landing on the most striking and imposing figure in the crowd.

"Dad..."

He looked at Whitebeard's back, thinking about the care he had received from Whitebeard over the years, and the easy times he had spent with Marco, Vista, Jozu, Thatch, and others. Suddenly, he let out a long sigh.

"Dad, if... if what I've been pursuing all my life never comes true, then I'll just stay your son forever. I'll completely integrate into the Whitebeard Pirates family and never think about those unattainable dreams again."

As Teach's thoughts drifted, Marco's shouts echoed from afar.

"Teach! What are you still doing there? Come and eat! Your favorite cherry pie is ready!"

"Hey! They're here!"

Marco's voice startled Teach from his reverie, and a憨厚 smile appeared on his face as he ran towards the beach.

on the beach.

After unleashing dozens of fiery punches towards the sea, Ace finally collapsed from exhaustion, sprawling onto the beach, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath.

Whitebeard, wearing a large captain's coat, sat on the sand nearby, took the roasted meat from Marco, and handed it to Ace.

Ace was hungry and smelled the aroma of roasted meat, causing his mouth to water.

Without even catching his breath, he sat up abruptly, took the roasted meat from the white-bearded man, and began tearing it apart in large bites.

Upon seeing this, the white-bearded man couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

"Gurgle, gurgle, even though you're so discouraged, you still eat without holding back at all, Ace."

Ace quickly finished the grilled meat in his hand, then ran over to Izou who was grilling, and happily took a few large skewers of meat before running back.

"Man is made of iron, food is made of steel; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal. Even if you're feeling down, you still need to have energy, Dad. Come on, I'll treat you to some barbecue."

He chuckled and handed the roasted meat he was holding to the white-bearded man.

Whitebeard smiled as he took the piece, popped it into his mouth, and looked down at Ace, who was sitting cross-legged in front of him.

"Ace, what are your thoughts after today's battle?"

Ace paused in his act of tearing into the grilled meat, a wry smile appearing on his face.

He looked up at the white-bearded man, troubled, and said, "Father, to be honest, I've always been a very competitive person. When I lived with my two younger brothers, I always had to be the strongest. It was the same after we went to sea; I never thought I was much worse than anyone else. But today..."

He shoved a large piece of meat into his mouth and chewed it vigorously, saying sullenly, "I can accept that Rorschach is stronger than me, because he was stronger than me when we first met in Mogu Town. But why is Enel stronger than me now? A year ago when we fought in Totto Land, he was not as good as me, and I even overpowered him!"

"Why is this happening? Dad, is the Flame-Flame Fruit really that weak? Or... am I just too useless?"

After finishing the grilled meat in his hand, Ace looked somewhat dejected.

"Ace! You bastard!"

Artmus, whose body was wrapped in many bandages, came over with a group of captains, carrying various foods and drinks.

Atmos patted Ace on the shoulder angrily and said, "Ace, if even you are trash, then what am I? Not even as good as trash?"

“Huh? Artmos, I…I didn’t mean that.”

Ace quickly waved his hand to explain.

Joz and Vista also came over.

Jozu shoved a large handful of roasted meat into Ace's hand and slapped him on the shoulder, nearly knocking Ace to the ground.

Joz said in a muffled voice, "Ace, it's not that you're useless, it's that the opponent is too strong. Even I coughed up blood, didn't you see? That Lieutenant General Bluescale is really a monster."

“Joz is right. That guy is incredibly powerful, has an inhuman physique, and exudes a domineering aura. He has exactly the qualities that Dad has always said a true strongman should possess. Unlike us, almost everyone has their own weaknesses.”

Bista echoed this sentiment.

He pointed to each of the team captains present and said:

"Compared to top-tier powerhouses like Father, Kaido, and Vice Admiral Bluescale, Marco's speed and recovery are barely enough, but his weaknesses are Haki and physique."

"Jozu has enough speed and defense, and his strength is also good, but he lacks Haki."

“Ace…”

When Ace heard Vista mention him, he blushed and shouted, "Vista! Don't flatter me. I was completely crushed by two opponents today."

Vista chuckled dryly, touched the twin swords at his waist, and said with a wry smile, "I think I was completely outmatched too. My twin sword strikes couldn't even cut through that guy's domineering armor. That's enough, I'm starting to doubt my swordsmanship."

After he finished speaking, everyone looked at Whitebeard.

Ace spoke up again, asking, "Dad! Tell us how to quickly improve our strength? Ideally, like Rorschach."

"Yeah, yeah, why has Lieutenant General Lan Lin's strength increased so rapidly? I heard he's only sixteen, right? He's not even seventeen yet, and he's already on par with the four generals and emperors. That's just too outrageous!"

Joz echoed.

"Want to rapidly increase your strength? Gurararara, it's very simple."

Whitebeard couldn't help but grin as he listened to the cacophony of questions from the crowd.

"Really?" Ace's eyes lit up.

Whitebeard picked up the flask, took a big gulp, and looked at Marco, saying, "Marco, you explain to them why Rorschach's strength has improved so quickly."

"Okay."

Upon hearing this, Marco nodded readily, drawing everyone's attention.

"As the saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.' Lieutenant General Luo Xia of Lanlin is arguably the most dazzling figure of this era. Many forces have conducted detailed analyses of his past and his rise to power, and we are no exception."

"He comes from the North Blue, the hometown of the Talkative King, the Kingdom of Lubnilu. When he was twelve years old, his hometown was massacred by pirates, and his family was burned to death by the pirates. He met Akainu who was returning to the North Blue and joined the Navy."

"He has a special physique. According to information leaked by the Don Quixote family, Rorschach is suspected of having a unique physique of steel bones. The characteristic is bone density, and the hardness of his bones is far beyond that of ordinary people, similar to Big Mom's steel balloon."

"Oh, by the way, his efficiency in absorbing food far surpasses that of ordinary people. According to the Navy's internal description, he has a natural high-level life return physique. It is said that he can eat more than a dozen Sea Kings in one meal."

With each word Marco spoke, the eyes of the surrounding pirates widened one more.

"Another inhuman constitution? Just like you, Teach." Ace looked at Teach, who was inconspicuous in the crowd.

Teach chuckled and scratched his head, waving his hands repeatedly: "Captain Ace is joking. How can I be compared to a monster like Lieutenant General Bluescale?"

"Is this extraordinary, monstrous physical talent the reason why Lieutenant General Bluescale is so powerful?" Vista asked.

"That's exactly what I'm going to talk about next."

Marco nodded, signaling everyone to remain calm.

"Physical constitution is just the foundation; the key is the subsequent cultivation method."

"Since entering the Navy Headquarters, Rorschach's outstanding talent has made him a top priority for training. While other recruits were undergoing traditional physical training, he was fighting against the Navy Headquarters officers every day."

"Zeff, who taught him the longest, is the instructor in the headquarters who is most skilled in teaching physical skills and Haki."

"Secondly, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Marine Hero Garp, Marine Admirals Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru, and many Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals take turns fighting him every day."

"After setting sail, there were intense life-or-death battles. Chinjao, Gulliver, Crocodile, Gecko Moria, Shiki, Katakuri, Big Mom, Doflamingo, and Kaido. He narrowly escaped death several times, crossed the line between life and death several times, and his strength continued to evolve and grow."

Marco took a deep breath and said solemnly, "I think this is why Lieutenant General Bluescale is so powerful. Ace, Jozu, Dad is right. Becoming stronger quickly can be difficult or easy. Only by constantly experiencing life-and-death battles like Rorschach and constantly unleashing your ultimate potential can you take your time to reach new heights."

Then, he lowered his voice and muttered something under his breath.

"We've been too well protected by our father, and we haven't experienced enough life-and-death battles, so it's only natural that our strength hasn't improved quickly."

The team captains looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"There's nothing we can do. Dad's strength is just too great. Sometimes when we encounter a powerful enemy, we don't even have a chance to make a move, hahaha."

"Exactly! As long as Daddy's around, neither Kaido nor Shanks can stand aside. What does it matter how strong we are? Didn't you see Vice Admiral Bluescale running away in terror because of Daddy?"

"Whoosh! Cheers to Whitebeard! Long live Whitebeard! Long live the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Everyone clinked their glasses.

Whitebeard also laughed heartily.

But deep in his eyes, there was a hidden sadness.

Marco is actually right.

Perhaps it was because he was too strong and valued his family too much that Ace and the others grew up so slowly?