"Kaido… Kizaru…"
Ye Chen sat on the palace balcony, muttering those names to himself, a glint of intrigue flashing in his eyes.
His recent trip to Sabaody Archipelago had served two purposes: one was to fence the stolen loot, and the other—to test his own strength. The appearance of those small fry and even Kizaru had been within his expectations. However, Kaido's sudden arrival had caught him completely off guard.
Just thinking about Kaido's terrifying physique made Ye Chen shudder. He had taken a Thunder Summon Orb attack directly and come out completely unscathed. That was… monstrous.
If it had been Kizaru instead, even if he hadn't died, he would've been seriously injured.
Still, Ye Chen had gained a lot from this battle. At the very least, he now had a clearer understanding of top-tier power. He could hold his own against a Marine Admiral and even retreat safely. But Kizaru's Logia fluidity ability was indeed a headache.
Though the Ultimate Inner Ghost Sword Technique was the pinnacle of swordsmanship from the Dungeon world, and while Sword Qi in this world had similar principles, it remained a physical form of attack. Against a Logia-type who could become intangible, it simply wasn't enough.
And that was frustrating.
"It seems Host is troubled by Logia-type abilities."
A cold voice suddenly echoed in Ye Chen's mind.
"I am, a little," Ye Chen replied. But the moment the system started talking to him, he immediately sensed something was up. His system never initiated conversation unless it had a purpose—just like last time when it offered him information about Little Sky's powers in exchange for two Devil Fruits.
"This is simple. If Host acquires Armament Haki, that problem will be resolved," the system said.
"I knew that's what you were going to say. Cut the preamble—how many Devil Fruits for Armament Haki?" Ye Chen asked bluntly. He knew how the system worked. Training Armament Haki took a lot of time. If he could trade for it, it was worth considering.
"Two Devil Fruits." The system's voice was as cold and emotionless as ever.
"That's kinda steep…" Ye Chen muttered. He only had two Devil Fruits left. He had originally planned to do another random exchange.
"All depends on Host's will," the system replied indifferently.
Translation: Take it or leave it.
"…Fine. I can always get more Devil Fruits."
Ye Chen thought it over. Trading two fruits for Armament Haki wasn't a bad deal. With it, he could go toe-to-toe with Kizaru without feeling so helpless. All things considered, it was a fair exchange.
"I'll trade."
"Initiate Equivalent Exchange?"
"Do it."
Exchange successful. Acquired: Armament Haki.
As soon as the system finished speaking, Ye Chen felt a warm current surge into his body. Along with it came a flood of knowledge that filled his mind. He closed his eyes and quietly absorbed it all.
Roughly five minutes passed before Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes.
"So this is Armament Haki…"
He concentrated, and his right arm was instantly covered in a layer of obsidian black. Under the moonlight, it shimmered with a metallic gleam.
Feeling the power and density in his arm, Ye Chen smirked. "Not bad at all."
"Let's try coating Sword Qi with it."
With a thought, Ye Chen drew his katana and enveloped the blade in Armament Haki. Then, with a swing, he sent a slash soaring into the sky.
A moment later, a black-and-white Sword Qi burst forth like lightning and cleaved the clouds clean in two.
From the ground, the split in the sky was clearly visible—precise, symmetrical, and utterly devastating.
"Very nice." Ye Chen was extremely satisfied. Two Devil Fruits for Armament Haki? Definitely worth it—maybe even a bargain.
He sheathed his blade after a few more practice swings.
"System, how many Devil Fruits would it take to acquire Observation Haki and Conqueror's Haki?"
"Observation Haki: Two Devil Fruits.
Conqueror's Haki: Five Devil Fruits."
"Five? That's robbery…" Ye Chen frowned slightly. In some ways, Conqueror's Haki wasn't even as practical as the other two.
"It's worth the price," the system replied, still as cold as ever.
Seeing how unyielding the system was, Ye Chen didn't argue. Deep down, he knew the system wasn't wrong. Conqueror's Haki really was worth that much.
Equivalent exchange—value for value.
But now that his Devil Fruits were gone, his plans were thrown into disarray. He had originally intended to use them for a few more random exchanges, just to test his luck.
Plus, the Devil Fruits Granny Zha was helping him purchase wouldn't arrive for some time.
"Looks like I'll have to find another way to get my hands on some Devil Fruits…" Ye Chen muttered, rubbing his chin in thought.
Robbing ships? That was no longer a viable option. Not every vessel was as rich as Celestial Gold, and after what he pulled last time, they'd learned their lesson. They were keeping their movements secret now—terrified he might come back for round two.
Then suddenly, an idea struck him.
"I've got it."
His eyes lit up with a gleam of mischief.
"Let's kidnap a Celestial Dragon."
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。