"Celestial Dragons, huh?" Qingheng muttered, his expression darkening as he recalled how ridiculous the Celestial Dragons were in the original story. "You're too late. I've got another patient waiting for me."
"In that case," the masked man spoke up, "we're willing to compromise. If Doctor Qingheng hands over the formula for eternal youth, that would be acceptable too. That way, we can answer to our superior. And your bounty will be annulled as well."
"Formula for eternal youth?" Qingheng laughed. "I didn't expect so many people to believe I developed such a thing. It's cruel, but let me be clear: there is no such drug in this world."
The masked man replied, "Doctor Qingheng, you must be joking. If that were true, how do you explain the fact that you're fifty-nine years old but still look like you're in your twenties?"
"I ate the Paramecia-type Life Fruit, which turned me into an immortal. The reason I still look young is due to the fruit's power."
"Oh? Is that so?" the masked man replied in a flat tone. "But based on our investigation, the Devil Fruit you consumed was the Chain Fruit, also a Paramecia. Care to explain that?"
"Hado #4: Byakurai (White Lightning)."
A calm voice rang out. The next moment, with a crackle, a bolt of lightning blasted into a patch of grass nearby.
"Lightning? That's impossible!" came a shocked voice from one of the masks.
Qingheng replied coolly, "Nothing is impossible. I simply gave life to the lightning elements in the air and made them obey me. It's the same principle I use for the Chain Fruit's power."
"Hmph." The masked man dropped his previously polite tone and said coldly, "If that's the case, we'll have to ask you to come with us to the Holy Land."
Qingheng looked at him. "Did you forget what I said? I have a patient waiting."
"That's no longer up to you to decide." As he spoke, the masked man instantly appeared in front of Qingheng, reaching out to grab him. But at the same moment, a flash of a blade gleamed—and the man was forced to retreat a few steps back.
Whoosh.
Another masked man quickly leapt backward, watching warily as a figure appeared before Qingheng—Kozuki Oden.
"The patient Doctor Qingheng is trying to save is my benefactor. If you want to take him away, you'll have to ask this Moonblade of mine for permission first," Oden said coldly, glaring at the two.
"So you're going against the World Government, swordsman Oden?" the masked man asked.
"You got it right," Oden answered, then charged at them. His blade gleamed silver as it sliced toward the two men.
"One-Sword Style: Crescent Moon Slash!"
Swish! Swish!
Splat! Splat!
In the blink of an eye, although the masked men dodged quickly, their clothes were still torn in multiple places.
"Such fast swordsmanship," one of the masked men muttered in awe before lunging at Oden. He shouted to his companion, "I'll hold him off. Grab Doctor Aocheng and get out of here!"
"Got it," the other man said calmly, then ran around the fighting duo and charged at Qingheng.
"Getsuga Tensho!" A loud roar erupted as a massive sky-blue crescent-shaped slash hurtled toward the CP0 agent.
"Nani!?" Seeing the attack coming, the masked man's expression changed drastically. "Tekkai (Iron Body)!"
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed.
"What the hell?" The two who had been fighting turned their heads toward the source of the noise.
Huff, huff... Qingheng stared at the smoke-covered area. This was his first true battle against an enemy, and he had been on maximum alert. Even the attack he launched just now was the strongest he could unleash outside of his Shikai, excluding Kido spells. Yesterday's fight against the Donquixote Pirates had just been a warm-up.
"Holy crap..."
A breeze blew through, and to Qingheng's shock, the CP0 agent emerged—his clothes were in tatters, but he himself was completely unharmed.
"I almost forgot you're not just a harmless doctor. I had hoped to bring you in unharmed, but since you're resisting, I'll have to get rough."
"Hado #4: Byakurai!" Without wasting words, Qingheng attacked again.
"Soru!"
Boom!
"Where are you aiming?" came a voice behind Qingheng as the CP0 agent's hand shot toward his neck.
"Are you talking about yourself?" Qingheng replied.
"Shit!" The man's face twisted. "Tekkai!"
"Getsuga Tensho!"
BOOOM!
"CP0 doesn't seem so tough after all," Qingheng commented, looking at the bloodied agent. His mask had been shattered by Qingheng's slash—revealing a very ordinary-looking face.
"His attack power increases the closer he is?" CP0 muttered, examining the wounds on his body. His eyes turned serious—he had clearly underestimated Qingheng's strength and speed.
"You'll see if I'm 'not so tough' soon enough," CP0 said, then muttered, "Armament Haki: Hardening."
"Haki, huh?" Qingheng looked at the CP0 agent, whose entire body had turned black with Armament Haki. "So that's why he felt so weak earlier—he wasn't even fighting seriously."
"Soru!"
"So fast." Qingheng's expression changed slightly as he instantly used Shunpo. A second later, BOOM—the spot where he had just been was stomped into a crater.
"Tear him apart—North Wind!"
Woooosh...
The moment Qingheng finished speaking, over a dozen bluish wind blades shot toward the enemy.
"Rankyaku: Chaos Blades!"
Shing, shing...
"Impossible!" CP0's eyes widened as he watched the wind blades slice through his own slashes and continue toward him.
Splat, splat... While he stood in shock, dozens of thin, bleeding cuts appeared on his body. The injuries were shallow, but this was after using Armament Haki! His defense should've been far stronger than Tekkai—yet it had been pierced?
"Hado #73: Twin Lotus Blue Fire Crash Down!"
But just because CP0 froze up didn't mean Qingheng did. With a loud WHOOM, a fire pillar struck his chest and exploded violently.
"You bastard! I'll kill you! Rankyaku: Wind Severing Strike!"
Blood spurting from his mouth, CP0 roared. A massive slash, howling through the air, flew toward Qingheng.
"Howl—North Wind!"
Screeech!
A giant green-blue slash from Qingheng met the incoming attack, split it in half, and continued toward CP0.
BOOOOMMMM!
When the roar of the explosion finally faded, CP0 stared in cold sweat at the deep trench behind him. He turned back to Qingheng in disbelief.
"This... this can't be real! This guy's really a doctor? This level of swordsmanship—only top-tier swordmasters could possibly unleash it!"