Chapter Eight: Has the Aura of Dominance Awakened Already?

Early the next morning.

The awakening of his Devil Fruit power brought Chu Yi many benefits. Not only did his physical abilities double when he transformed into his Asura form, but the newly acquired Asura Wings also made his combat methods far more versatile.

From the original pirate tales, apart from a few Navy officers skilled in Moonwalk, only a handful of other Devil Fruit users could fight in the air. With the Asura Wings, Chu Yi now commanded the skies. If he ever encountered an opponent he couldn’t defeat, even if he couldn’t win, he could at least escape with ease.

Moreover, though the Asura Wings appeared as blood-red flames, their defensive strength far surpassed Chu Yi's own Asura-form body—practically a perfect shield. Yet, Chu Yi had the vague sense that the true terror of the wings' potential was far greater than these two aspects alone.

Unfortunately, he was simply too exhausted to delve further into their mysteries. He hadn’t even exchanged the treasure Tiger had brought back for system shop currency; instead, he and Hancock had fallen asleep together on the deck, leaning against each other, drifting off in no time.

When Chu Yi awoke, he’d expected to open his eyes to Hancock’s beautiful face. Instead, as soon as he opened them, he saw Tiger, fangs bared, panting and kneeling before him.

“T-Tiger, good morning!”

A little disappointed, Chu Yi searched around for Hancock, only to find her steering the ship. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “She can sail a ship?!”

“Yes…” Tiger wiped sweat from his brow, black lines creasing his face. “I just found out myself.”

“You didn’t push the ship all night, did you?”

“Idiot. If you have the energy to mock me, save it for later—otherwise you won’t even have the strength to crawl soon!”

Annoyed, Tiger clenched his fist and bonked Chu Yi on the head, making him stagger. Then, after steadying his breath, Tiger became serious. “Kid, I told you before: everyone has their secrets, so I don’t want to know yours. But if you want to help that girl save her sisters, you must do exactly as I say. No matter how hard or exhausting it is, you can’t complain. Understand?”

“I understand!”

Ever since Tiger hinted at training him yesterday, Chu Yi had steeled himself for hellish, life-or-death training. Now that Tiger had openly declared he would be strict, Chu Yi felt nothing but excitement—he didn’t care how tough it would be.

Of course, if not for the looming threat of the Celestial Dragons, the former Chu Yi—who couldn’t even manage a three-kilometer jog—would never have chosen such self-torment to become stronger.

With the system in hand, wouldn’t it be easier to slowly rely on Devil Fruit awakening to grow in power? Why suffer through such grueling training?

But as mentioned, time was running out for Chu Yi and his companions. He had to seize every moment to become stronger.

Just as Chu Yi resolved to begin special training, and Tiger was preparing to mold him into a capable ally, Hancock, who was steering the ship, suddenly cried out in alarm, “Pirates! Pirates ahead!”

Pirates? How wonderful!

Far from surprised, Tiger looked eagerly at the pirate ship approaching in the distance, as if he wished he could thank them personally.

Why? Because Chu Yi’s Devil Fruit ability was absurdly powerful! Tiger knew all too well what Chu Yi had been like before—a weakling who couldn’t even harm a chicken. Yet, when using his Devil Fruit to become Asura, even Tiger shivered at the murderous intent Chu Yi sometimes couldn’t control. Tiger feared that Chu Yi would come to rely solely on his Devil Fruit, forgetting that true strength comes from within.

He’d been struggling to find a way to show Chu Yi that without his powers, he was just weak. Now, the arrival of these pirates was the perfect opportunity for Tiger to teach him that lesson.

A faint smile on his lips, Tiger watched as the pirate ship drew closer. When the pirates finally boarded and began to swarm towards them, Tiger turned to Chu Yi. “Kid, do you see those pirates?”

“I see them.”

Chu Yi’s fists clenched tightly as he watched the pirates close in on Hancock. His eyes grew cold. “Do you need me to deal with them, Tiger?”

“Yes, but you’re not allowed to use your Devil Fruit ability!”

What? How could he fight without his powers?

Chu Yi’s eye twitched—he wanted to open Tiger’s skull and see what he was thinking. But with the leading pirates almost upon Hancock, Chu Yi didn’t have time to argue. With a terse “Alright,” he charged toward the pirates surrounding her.

In that instant, Chu Yi froze in shock, and Tiger behind him was equally stunned.

Why? Because Chu Yi had underestimated the boost granted by his first Devil Fruit awakening!

Did it only strengthen his powers? Of course not! In the process of awakening, Chu Yi had been thoroughly transformed, refined inside and out.

Even without using his Devil Fruit, Chu Yi’s sprint was blindingly fast; the Asura’s combat instincts had become second nature, running through his blood. With a single acceleration, he was suddenly among the pirates. One punch felled an enemy instantly, then with a nimble leap and a spinning kick, he scattered all the pirates around Hancock.

“Damn brat, you dare fight back?”

“Brothers! Shoot those two brats first, then deal with the filthy fish-man!”

At the captain’s shout, the pirates in the rear drew their guns, making Chu Yi nearly resort to his Devil Fruit powers.

How could he block bullets with just his body?

But Chu Yi forgot one thing: transforming into Asura always took several seconds. The pirates, trained and ruthless, had readied and fired their guns faster than Chu Yi could react.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Smoke filled the air. As the bullets flew, every hair on Chu Yi’s body stood on end; he could feel his life in danger.

Though he knew Tiger would protect him and Hancock, the intense crisis ignited a terror between life and death within him. As the burning bullets drew closer, and Tiger didn’t move, Chu Yi’s Asura instincts surged forth. Suddenly, his eyes turned into bottomless, pitiless black holes.

With a soft sound, blood-red light gathered across his back.

Without even transforming, Chu Yi broke through the barrier of his Devil Fruit power and, in his normal state, unfurled the Asura Wings!

With a whoosh, the wings spread wide, shielding both Chu Yi and Hancock—the mortal threat was gone.

Just as Chu Yi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he hadn’t disappointed Tiger, something unexpected happened. Hancock, who had moments ago faced death by his side, now trembled violently. In that moment, a fierce aura erupted from her body.

“That… that’s Conqueror’s Haki?!”