Chapter 33: An Unreasonable Request and Two Devil Fruits!
"Hiss..." Chen Yu leaned back tactically. "Elder Wei, Uncle Ling, if you have something to say, just say it.
There's no need to make the atmosphere so serious, right?"
The first one who couldn't hold back was Zhou Mingxuan. He rushed forward a half-step, nearly tripping over a chair.
Face flushed, he blurted out, "Brother! Young Master Chen! Brother Yu! Godfather!"
"That move, 'Divine Departure,' was way too cool! Please, I beg you, teach me! I'm willing to be your beast of burden, serve you tea, pour your water—I'm at your beck and call!"
Chen Yu glanced at him sideways, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Divine Departure isn't something you can just learn casually. It depends on talent. You..."
He looked Zhou Mingxuan up and down, deliberately pausing. "You don't look like you have the aptitude for it."
Zhou Mingxuan's face turned even redder. Just as he was about to argue, Wei Tianyi coughed lightly and took a step forward.
His face felt slightly hot, but his gaze was earnest. "Chen Yu, this old man must also brazenly ask something."
"Earlier, when you fought Chen Chen, that power surrounding you—the one that suppressed your opponent's aura and even affected their Dao Heart—that must be the 'Haki' you mentioned before, correct?"
Chen Yu nodded. "Correct. That is the application of Conqueror's Haki in combat."
Seeing Chen Yu nod, the light in Wei Tianyi's eyes intensified. He stroked his beard and said, "Ever since learning of the existence of Haki, this old man has been pondering it for days, yet I have been unable to touch even the threshold of the 'Haki' you possess."
"Could you perhaps..." Wei Tianyi bowed deeply.
"Offer this old man some pointers on the cultivation method of Haki? I am willing to pay any price."
Chen Yu quickly helped Wei Tianyi up. "Elder Wei, look at what you're saying. You took me in; I haven't even had time to thank you properly yet."
"Haki is actually... well, it's simple to explain..."
Before he could finish, Ling Wenhe pulled Ling Yue forward, his expression solemn mixed with a hint of helplessness. "Chen Yu, to tell you the truth, I also crave your body."
???
Chen Yu's eyes widened like copper bells. 'What kind of wild misunderstanding is this?'
"Cough, cough." Ling Wenhe coughed a few times to clear the air. "You saw Ling Yue's ability riot last time. Her condition is unstable."
"At best, she goes missing; at worst, she hurts herself. We've tried many methods recently, but nothing can suppress it."
He paused, his tone becoming even more sincere.
"But last time at the Sword Dojo, your Conqueror's Haki suppressed her ability riot. For the past week since then, her condition has been very stable."
"So, I want to beg you: before I research a permanent solution, please let Ling Yue stay by your side temporarily. I need to trouble you to help suppress her ability."
After speaking, Ling Wenhe waved to the bodyguards behind him. One bodyguard immediately walked over carrying two exquisite wooden boxes.
Ling Wenhe opened the boxes. Inside lay two strangely shaped fruits—unmistakably, Devil Fruits.
"These two Ability Fruits are a token of my appreciation, and a sign of the Ling family's sincerity."
"As long as you agree to help, you may choose one. No matter which one you choose, the Ling family will fully support you."
Looking at the two bizarre fruits in the wooden boxes, Chen Yu was completely stunned.
'Ability Fruits?'
'Aren't these Devil Fruits? And these two look familiar.'
He never expected that Devil Fruits existed in this world. 'Isn't everyone supposed to gain abilities through the Awakening Ceremony?'
Zhou Mingxuan was dumbfounded. "Th... These are Ability Fruits?!".
"You just brought them out so casually?!"
In Zhou Mingxuan's worldview, eating an Ability Fruit granted a corresponding power, exactly like awakening a fruit ability during the ceremony.
As a top-tier strategic resource for the entire Alliance, every single Ability Fruit was incredibly precious.
Because they were extremely rare!
To put it in perspective: even the most common Zoan-type Ability Fruit could sell for a sky-high price of tens of billions. A Logia-type was a treasure of humanity; its value couldn't be measured in money.
"The Ling family really is wealthy," Wei Tianyi tutted, shaking his head. "Ability Fruits have a price but no market. The number of families in the entire Alliance who can take out two at once can probably be counted on one hand."
Seeing their shocked expressions, a smile appeared on Ling Wenhe's face, as if he had anticipated this reaction.
"Don't be too surprised. These two fruits are what the Ling family has accumulated over the years."
Ling Wenhe explained, "Actually, outside the territories ruled by the Alliance, there are many areas humanity has yet to explore. We call them 'Secret Realms'."
"Most of these Secret Realms are incredibly dangerous, filled with powerful exotic beasts and unknown hazards."
"But they also hide many precious treasures—like that rusted blade in your hand, and like these Ability Fruits."
Chen Yu carefully examined the two fruits. One was pink and shaped somewhat like a peach (or a butt), with smooth skin.
'Isn't that the Slip-Slip Fruit? Known in the streets as the Photoshop Fruit.'
The other fruit had an appearance like overlapping scales, with two stems resembling dragon horns.
'Zoan. Mythical Type. Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon!'
'Just from this one fruit, what can you get?'
'Terrifying physique and defense!'
'The ability to control lightning! Basically a mini-Rumble-Rumble Fruit.'
'The authority to summon gales! A wind capability that makes Dragon (the revolutionary) look like nothing!'
'The ability to fly by riding clouds, and Flame Clouds strong enough to lift the entire Onigashima. Teacher Kaido definitely stole that tech from Shiki the Golden Lion back in the day.'
'As for the Blast Breath, no need to explain. It's basically the Flame-Flame Fruit. Accept it!'
'In the current version of the world where Haki exists, the elemental intangibility of a Logia is just a nice bonus anyway. You could say the only downside of the Azure Dragon fruit is that you can't become a distinct elemental shape-shifter like with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.'
Seeing it, Chen Yu's eyes went straight.
Ling Wenhe's mouth curved into a smile. "If possible, I also hope you can teach Ling Yue how to cultivate Haki."
"How about it?"
Chen Yu didn't hide his desire for the Devil Fruit.
"Uncle Ling, this is actually a bit too valuable."
Chen Yu organized his words carefully. "My intuition tells me these two fruits have immense value."
"They could even cultivate someone to stand at the pinnacle of the Alliance."
"I really want one, but just suppressing Ling Yue's ability riot or teaching her Haki... frankly, it isn't enough to justify taking one of these fruits as payment."
Hearing this, the air in the room froze for a moment.
Shortly after.
Wei Tianyi was the first to clap his hands and laugh softly, his eyes full of approval.
"Kid, that transparency and sincerity of yours are even rarer than the ability itself."
Zhou Mingxuan nodded along. "Brother Yu is just reliable! If it were anyone else, they'd have hugged the fruit and never let go."
The smile on Ling Wenhe's face deepened.
He felt safe entrusting Ling Yue to Chen Yu not only because Chen Yu's Conqueror's Haki could suppress the riot, but because he valued Chen Yu's character and potential. Chen Yu's answer only solidified his conviction.
Ling Wenhe waved his hand. "You don't need to feel burdened."
"While these fruits are precious, in my opinion, no matter how powerful an ability is, it ultimately depends on the person wielding it."
"The one who is powerful is always the person."
He paused, his gaze landing on Chen Yu with a grave tone.
"Both Elder Wei and I have seen it."
"You have such temperament and strength at a young age, and even rarer is your sense of propriety."
"The Ling family bringing out these fruits... think of it less as payment and more as an investment."
"We believe that giving them to you ensures this opportunity won't be wasted."
"When the time comes, just remember this favor from the Ling family."
Chen Yu looked at Ling Wenhe's sincere eyes, then glanced at the dragon-horned fruit in the box.
He was never a pretentious person. Suppressing an ability riot was just a matter of convenience. As for teaching Haki? Teaching Elder Wei was teaching; adding Ling Yue was just one more student.
He looked up and smiled. "Since Uncle Ling puts it that way, I won't be pretentious."
Saying this, he reached out and picked up the scale-patterned Fish-Fish Fruit. When his fingertips touched the stem, he felt a silent resonance.
'It resonated... I choose this one.'
"As for Ling Yue's ability riot, leave it to me!"
"And the Haki training—we can do it together with Elder Wei when the time comes."
Seeing this, Ling Wenhe visibly sighed in relief and patted Chen Yu's shoulder. "Good! Straightforward!"
"The Ling family never mistreats those worth entrusting. If you have any needs in the future, just ask."
...
Eastern Awakener's Association, Lanjiang Branch.
In a spacious office, Shi Meng was reporting to Feng Kai about the betting match at the Sword Dojo today.
"So, in the end, Chen Chen lost?" Feng Kai asked, puzzled.
"Yes, without any room for resistance," Shi Meng said awkwardly. "Can this Chen Chen really represent our Eastern Region?"
Hearing this, Feng Kai chuckled as if he expected it. "Captain Shi, you haven't seen clearly."
Feng Kai pulled up an intelligence file. "According to what I know, the relationship between the Ling family and Chen Yu is not shallow."
"With the Ling family's power, that rusted sword in Chen Yu's hand is definitely not an ordinary item."
"To be able to unleash a slash like that, presumably that rusted sword is like the Seven Star Sword—capable of amplifying the user's strength."
Feng Kai encouraged him, "You did well this time. Our future face of the region cannot have these dark histories."
Shi Meng frowned. "But..."
"Rest assured, that Chen Yu is just an F-rank. The grading of these talent abilities is determined by my Association; we haven't made a mistake in all these years."
"Just look at the speed of their breakthrough. Chen Yu is currently at the Mid-stage of the Beginner , while Chen Chen is already at the High-stage. One step slow, every step slow."
"Chen Chen is the one everyone expects great things from. Chen Yu is just a clown jumping on the beams."
Seeing him say this, Shi Meng could only nod and walk out of the office.
The moment the door closed, Zhang Li's figure appeared in the office.
"Feng Kai, I don't care what method you use. Chen Yu must die!"
(To be Continued)