Chapter 24: Oh No, Blackbread !
Ling Wenhe first carefully picked up Ling Yue, and only after feeling the cold air around his daughter dissipate did his suspended heart finally settle back into his chest.
Wei Tianyi walked quickly to the door, called for a dojo attendant, and gave repeated instructions: "Take Little Yue to the room next door and guard the entrance."
"No one is allowed near. If there is even the slightest movement, report it immediately!"
Watching the attendant carry Ling Yue safely away, Ling Wenhe turned back to the room. The urgency on his face faded, replaced by an unconcealable shock.
Wei Tianyi also withdrew his gaze from the door and strode quickly toward Chen Yu.
His hands clenched unconsciously, and his voice carried a tremor. "Kid... that aura just now... what exactly was that?"
"I felt it vaguely back in the Chen family hall, but this time, you forcibly suppressed an SSS-rank Ability Riot!"
"An SSS-rank riot! Even the top powerhouses of the Alliance are often helpless against them, yet you suppressed it with just that aura!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became. His eyes shone frighteningly bright, and he dropped his usual "this old man" persona.
Ever since being critically injured by a Tier-7 Vicious Beast, his 'Sword Heart' had been damaged, and his cultivation had been stuck at a bottleneck for years.
But witnessing that kingly pressure from Chen Yu taming the chaotic energy riot felt like a lightning bolt striking his soul.
He was absolutely certain—this was his opportunity to break through!
His mind was now filled with nothing but the "hope of breakthrough," and his shock raised his voice several octaves.
Ling Wenhe stepped forward as well, bowing deeply to Chen Yu, his tone solemn.
"Chen Yu, the Ling family will forever remember your life-saving grace today."
"An SSS-rank energy riot... if we had been a step later, Yue'er would likely..."
He didn't finish the sentence, remembering the ice shards falling from his daughter's lips. Cold sweat broke out on his back.
He looked at Chen Yu with a mix of lingering fear and awe. "What kind of ability is that? In my early years, I saw someone release a similar
'pressure'."
"But that could only scare off low-tier beasts. How could it suppress an SSS-rank riot? It's incredible!"
Chen Yu supported himself against the wall to catch his breath. Seeing their shocked expressions, he decided not to hide it.
Although in the late stages of One Piece, people with "Kingly Qualities" were everywhere, that was the final circle. You didn't dare sit at the table without Conqueror's Haki.
(Excluding Buggy and the Runaway King, of course.)
But this was the real world. Forget about the rarity of awakening Conqueror's Haki—in the early stages, its ability to knock out minions was considered useless chicken ribs. Without a god's-eye view, no one would bother deeply developing this ability.
Even if they did, they might not reach the peak.
Chen Yu was different.
He not only had the god's-eye view but also the Roger Character Template.
So, there was no need to hoard this information like a dragon. He believed he wouldn't be weaker than anyone.
Chen Yu's voice was hoarse as he slowly spoke. "This is called Conqueror's Haki."
"It's an ability from my F-rank character template. It's a bit like the pressure of a high-tier beast—it can intimidate everything."
Wei Tianyi slapped his thigh, his eyes widening further. "Conqueror's Haki?"
"Can this Haki be cultivated? If I could learn it, maybe I really could break through my bottleneck!"
Ling Wenhe nodded along, a look of disbelief still on his face. "There are similar talents in the Alliance."
"But against high-tier beasts, they are practically useless. Compared to your Conqueror's Haki, the difference is heaven and earth..."
"Is your ability really F-rank?"
Chen Yu shook his head. "This ability leans more toward being innate. My template only said the unlock condition was to be a 'Natural Born King'."
"As for the cultivation method, I haven't figured it out yet. However, I feel this is the threshold to becoming a top-tier powerhouse."
Chen Yu didn't speak in absolutes. After all, his three types of Haki were only Lv1.
He couldn't pull off Ryuo (Emission), Conqueror's Coating, Future Sight, or any of those earth-shattering moves yet.
If he said it, they wouldn't believe it anyway.
Before that, he had to honestly train his swordsmanship and physical skills.
"Natural Born King..."
Hearing this, the two men looked Chen Yu up and down, nodding in deep agreement.
It made sense!
The phrases "Natural Born King" and "Threshold of a Top-Tier Powerhouse" set off a massive wave in Wei Tianyi's heart.
It was as if his meridians had suddenly been cleared.
His tightly knitted brows relaxed, and a clear light burst from his clouded eyes.
He subconsciously placed a hand over his chest.
The Sword Heart that had been silent for years was slightly hot.
It was a palpitation he hadn't felt since his injury—like a dusty sword finally finding its edge again.
"So that's it... so that's it..." Wei Tianyi recalled his defeat by the Tier-7 beast.
Although he never dared to admit it, the truth was right there.
He, Wei Tianyi, had been afraid.
"It turns out I've been stuck for so long because I lost that Sword Heart!" Wei Tianyi slapped his thigh again, his voice trembling with the excitement of enlightenment.
Before Chen Yu could react, the old man bowed straight down at the waist, hands clasped in front of him, performing a standard disciple's salute to Chen Yu.
"Holy crap, Elder Wei, what are you doing?" Chen Yu rushed forward to support him. "Since when does the boss kneel to the employee?"
"Kid, today you didn't just save Little Yue, you woke up this confused old man."
"You deserve this bow! If not for you, I might never have touched the door to a breakthrough in this lifetime!"
Chen Yu jumped in fright. "Elder Wei, what is this? I just said it casually, I can't accept such a gesture!"
"Why can't you?" Wei Tianyi stubbornly refused to rise, his expression solemn. "Everyone knows how private an Awakener's talent abilities are."
"Let alone an ability like Conqueror's Haki that can suppress SSS-rank riots—even with ordinary talents, no one easily reveals the details to outsiders."
"But you hid nothing. That kind of magnanimity is worthy of my bow!"
Ling Wenhe nodded repeatedly from the side, deeply empathetic. "Elder Wei is right."
"It's not that no one in the Alliance has awakened similar abilities. If it were anyone else who knew its uses, they'd hide it away like a treasure."
"But you spoke of it openly. In terms of character alone, you far surpass your peers."
Chen Yu pursed his lips. This praise is making me blush.
He hadn't even mentioned Bone Balloon, Divine Departure, Future Sight, Fruit Awakening, or Mythical Zoan types yet.
Ling Wenhe thought Chen Yu was just being shy, so he paused and changed the subject.
Thinking of Ling Yue, his tone softened. "By the way, the attendant said Yue'er is awake. She's just a bit weak and resting."
He looked at Chen Yu with gratitude. "You might not know, but Yue'er is a 'Heavenly Awakener'."
"She was born with talent abilities. specifically, the SSS-rank Paw-Paw Fruit ability and a Time-Time Fruit ability with unknown effects."
"Logically speaking, two fruit abilities shouldn't exist within one body."
"But Yue'er is special. Since childhood, she's been prone to ability riots."
"The Time ability is fine; she can't use it yet."
"The Paw-Paw Fruit is hard to control. In the past, when she had riots, she would mostly just fly away uncontrollably. That's why we made a Vivre Card to find her anytime."
"But this time was different. She awakened a third ability—the SSS-rank Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit. Three abilities colliding... if not for you... I dare not think of the consequences."
"???"
Oh no! She's the real Chosen One!
Chen Yu's pupils quaked. Three Devil Fruit abilities?!
Does she have a black beard growing? Is she the Blackbeard of this other world?!
Time-Time Fruit? Paw-Paw Fruit? Did Oda's two forcefully removed BUG abilities just get patched onto her?!
(Side note: Kuma is a real man!)
#Respectforkuma
So the weakest one she has is the Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit?!
No wonder the Ice-Ice Fruit was throwing a tantrum. As a Logia, it's probably never suffered such humiliation.
Chen Yu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Who exactly decides these fruit ability rankings?"
Ling Wenhe paused, surprised by the question.
"Currently, most are decided by the Awakener's Association, using past experience and the three systems (Logia, Paramecia, Zoan) as a basis for judging potential."
"Oh, right." Ling Wenhe thought Chen Yu felt the Paw-Paw Fruit was rated too high, so he explained:
"The Paw-Paw Fruit was originally classified as A-rank as a Paramecia type. But due to Ling Yue's performance, it was upgraded to SSS-rank."
"Uh..."
Chen Yu actually wanted to say that for Paramecia types, as long as the user knew what they were doing, they were essentially conceptual weapons.
Just look at 'Big News' Morgans, or 'Emperor' Buggy.
While he was inwardly complaining, Ling Wenhe pulled a card shimmering with silver light from his pocket and handed it to Chen Yu.
"This is a Zero Heavy Industries Maximum Authority Card. Use the resources inside as you wish. The Ling family will foot the bill for whatever you need."
Chen Yu looked at the card, then at Wei Tianyi, who had a stubborn "I won't get up unless you take it" look on his face.
He smiled helplessly. "Elder Ling, Elder Wei, there's really no need to be this polite..."
"We must be!" The two interrupted in unison. Wei Tianyi laughed and patted his shoulder. "Just take it! In the future, if you need anything at the dojo, just ask."
"Use my personal training room. I'll be your sparring partner myself."
With the knot in his heart untied, Wei Tianyi spoke open-mindedly. "With your talent, maybe in a while, you'll be the one giving this old man a few pointers!"
(To be Continued)