Chapter 78: The Pressure Li Yuan Puts on John

After Shiki the Golden Lion was promoted to Great Swordsman, his strength skyrocketed. Previously overshadowed by Whitebeard, he now sought to reclaim his standing.

Unfortunately, even with his newfound power, the Golden Lion still couldn't defeat Whitebeard.

After all, Whitebeard's strength was also steadily improving; he wasn't just sitting idly by, waiting for the Golden Lion to catch up.

"What is this?" 

"Hahaha! That guy Li Yuan has such a powerful talent for swordsmanship! I can't believe he's already become a Great Swordsman after being gone for just a short time."

"When he comes back, I must experience his sword intent for myself."

Upon seeing the news about Li Yuan, the Golden Lion burst into laughter.

"I told you, how about my previous suggestion?"

"You, me, and Li Yuan joining forces to challenge Rocks—what do you think?"

With his rapidly growing strength, the Golden Lion's ambitions grew even larger. He no longer wanted to remain under Rocks' command; he wanted to form his own pirate crew and be the captain.

However, he couldn't defeat Rocks, so he thought to team up with Whitebeard and Li Yuan to take on Rocks.

On one hand, he wanted to see firsthand the gap in strength between himself and Rocks. On the other hand, if they succeeded in their challenge or if Rocks couldn't crush them, they could leave the Rocks Pirates.

After all, they were all monsters in their own right and believed that they would not be weaker than Rocks in the future.

They just needed time; once they fully matured, they could reach Rocks' level of strength.

"Let's discuss it again when Li Yuan returns; our strength isn't sufficient yet!" 

Whitebeard didn't reject the Golden Lion's proposal, as he too didn't want to continue staying in the Rocks Pirates.

However, the strength of Rocks was evident; even Whitebeard didn't feel confident about surviving under Rocks' command.

"Hahaha! Then it's settled. When our strength increases further in the future, we'll take Li Yuan and give it a shot."

The Golden Lion felt reassured hearing Whitebeard's words.

He didn't believe they couldn't win a three-on-one fight if they couldn't beat him individually.

"I say, John, now that Li Yuan has become a Great Swordsman, he might surpass you soon."

John, who hadn't even sipped his wine, pulled out the newspaper featuring Li Yuan and handed it to Wang Zhi.

"What do you mean by that?" 

Wang Zhi asked, his gaze fixed on John.

"What he means is that the three of us are getting old, and soon we'll be surpassed by newcomers." 

Silver Axe chimed in.

"Our current strength will reach its peak in a few more years. Continuing to progress in this manner is nearly impossible." 

John continued.

"Are you suggesting that we enhance our strength through Devil Fruits?" 

Wang Zhi finally understood John's intent.

None of them were Devil Fruit users, and their physical abilities and Haki were difficult to improve. Only by consuming Devil Fruits could they quickly elevate their strength.

In the past, they would have been reluctant to eat them because they could still feel their abilities improving.

But as they aged, their growth became very slow, if not nearly stagnant.

With the rise of newcomers like Li Yuan, their previous hesitance about consuming Devil Fruits had faded.

In the New World, strength was everything; falling behind in strength meant meeting one's end.

Now, after John's suggestion, they were all considering the idea of eating Devil Fruits to enhance their power.

"While Devil Fruits can boost our strength, do you have a suitable one in mind?" 

Silver Axe asked.

Finding a powerful Devil Fruit that suited them was incredibly challenging. Silver Axe hadn't encountered any suitable ones in all his years.

"Of course! Since I brought it up, I have a way to obtain them."

"I've seen Captain Rocks' collection, and there are Devil Fruits that would suit us perfectly. If we go to Captain Rocks and offer some price, he should be willing to part with them."

John said with a smile.

In truth, this information had originally been passed from Rocks to John, who then conveyed it to Silver Axe and Wang Zhi.

Rocks was intentionally creating a sense of discord among his crew members.

He aimed to keep them in a state of rivalry to maintain balance, which helped him control the pirate crew.

However, with the rise of Li Yuan, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Charlotte Linlin, John, Silver Axe, and Wang Zhi were gradually being overshadowed.

Therefore, Rocks had to think of ways to bolster John and the others' strength to restore the balance.

"What kind of Devil Fruits are we talking about?" 

Wang Zhi asked curiously.

"The Superhuman-type Speed-Speed Fruit and the Superhuman-type Strength-Strength Fruit!!" 

John replied with a mysterious smile.

"Two top-tier Superhuman Devil Fruits?!" 

Wang Zhi and Silver Axe said with intense desire upon hearing about the two Devil Fruits.

The Speed-Speed Fruit could enhance the user's movement speed, reaction speed, and striking speed, making it perfect for a reckless swordsman like Wang Zhi.

The Strength-Strength Fruit could enhance the user's physical strength and resistance, which suited Silver Axe's innate power.

There was another Devil Fruit that John didn't mention, as it was the one he desired most.

The Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan type, Demon form!!

This was the Devil Fruit he wanted, promised to him by Rocks.

As the dominant force in the New World, the Rocks Pirates found it much easier to collect Devil Fruits than before.

Especially in those ancient kingdoms, there were always some precious Devil Fruits hidden away, which were then plundered by Rocks.

This was what had caused Rocks' treasure trove to increase dramatically in a short time.

---

Having been injured by Steel Bone and asleep for a whole day and night, Li Yuan finally woke up.

When he opened his eyes, he found Yadina carefully attending to him, gently wiping his body.

"Ah, you're awake!"

When Yadina saw Li Yuan open his eyes and look at her, her face flushed, and she became flustered.

At this moment, Yadina was wearing super short shorts and white stockings.

On her upper body, she wore the black leather bodysuit that she had bought with Xiaqi, and atop her head was a pair of black bunny ears.

This sight was quite a feast for Li Yuan's eyes as soon as he woke up.

"Of course, I'm awake. You've worked hard taking care of me, so now it's my turn to take care of you."

Saying this, Li Yuan disregarded the bandages on his body and tore them all off, revealing his robust muscles.

His injuries had completely healed during his sleep.

---

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