"No," Cheng Xiaoyu said coldly, glancing indifferently at the attribute panel prompt that appeared before him.
He showed no joy at merely a 6-level increase; he didn't even bother to look closely.
"Basic ability improvement is just a quantitative change; it's still far from a qualitative change, so boring…" he muttered.
The reason he chose to ambush Dorry and Brogy without leaving a trace, and even wiped out everyone from Baroque Works in Small Garden, was not just for experience.
A more important reason was his apprehension towards one person: Red-Haired Shanks.
Red Hair had a deep friendship with these two simple-minded giants, and if he found out that Cheng Xiaoyu had killed his friends, future encounters might be dangerous.
Although Cheng Xiaoyu wasn't afraid of Red Hair, it was better to avoid trouble if possible.
He just wanted to accumulate wealth quietly, develop discreetly, and then, when he was powerful enough, emerge to shock the world.
"White Ghost, Red Ghost, those will be your names from now on," Cheng Xiaoyu mused, looking at the two massive figures in his shadow space.
"And that candle man, I'll call you Xiao San."
He was too lazy to remember those complicated names; he'd just use whatever sounded natural.
"Obtained Giant's Shadow White Ghost, combat power rating A-rank."
"Obtained Giant's Shadow Red Ghost, combat power rating A-rank."
"Obtained Xiao San, combat power rating A-rank."
Although these two giant shadows were a bit clumsy, their immense size and astonishing strength made them perfect for charging into battle.
Xiao San's Candle Fruit ability could also serve as a suitable control.
Cheng Xiaoyu's Shadow Legion finally had some presence.
Although it was still far from the massive forces of the Four Emperors, initial results were already showing.
"When the Host levels up to 48, you will gain Devil Fruit Awakening ability."
The system's prompt sounded again, and this time the information made Cheng Xiaoyu's heart stir.
"Fruit awakening? I can get it just by leveling up?" He found it hard to believe.
Devil Fruit awakening was a qualitative leap in strength, an awakening ability that countless people dreamed of, and now he could get it just by leveling up?
This system was quite interesting!
Top-tier Devil Fruit abilities, combined with top-tier Haoshoku, Armament Haki, and Observation Haki, that was true invincibility!
The experience needed for two levels was not much, and with his current strength, he should be able to reach it very soon.
After leaving Small Garden, Cheng Xiaoyu did not rush to Alabasta, but instead chose a secluded small island, preparing to thoroughly study these two newly acquired shadows.
"Come out, White Ghost, Red Ghost," Cheng Xiaoyu commanded softly, standing in an open clearing.
Two enormous dark figures slowly rose from his shadow, precisely the shadows of White Ghost and Red Ghost.
They resembled two ancient demon gods, exuding a suffocating oppressive aura.
"Let's test your strength."
Cheng Xiaoyu stood in the center of the clearing, his gaze cold as he watched the two massive dark figures before him—White Ghost and Red Ghost.
Although the movements of these two shadows were somewhat sluggish, their power and oppressive aura far surpassed what they had in life.
Moreover, they had gained basic Armament Haki, meaning their strength could only be higher, not lower!
Cheng Xiaoyu frowned. Although he had absorbed their shadows and transformed them into members of the Shadow Legion, he knew that these two giants might still, to some extent, not be truly submissive to him. Their current obedience was merely due to the compulsory suppression of his ability.
Cheng Xiaoyu sneered, a hint of mockery in his voice: "Killed by me, do you submit?"
White Ghost's shadow rumbled in reply, with a hint of displeasure: "No! Ambushed with a gun, of course not! We of the Giant Race have always been open and honest!"
Red Ghost's shadow echoed, waving its thick shadow arm as if to tear Cheng Xiaoyu apart: "Exactly! If you've got the guts, let's have a real fight!"
"Alright! Then today I'll give you a chance. Both of you come at me, don't hold back."
Cheng Xiaoyu sneered. As his words fell, his entire Haoshoku Haki instantly burst forth, sweeping across the field like a cold wind!
White Ghost and Red Ghost exchanged glances, seemingly not fully comprehending Cheng Xiaoyu's provocation.
Their innate combat instincts made them clench their fists and stomp heavily on the ground, causing it to shake violently and even the air to subtly warp.
The two, holding their weapons, came from left and right, launching a powerful dual strike directly at Cheng Xiaoyu!
Everyone present could feel the terrifying power contained in this strike. The attack stirred up flying sand and stones, sweeping overwhelmingly towards Cheng Xiaoyu.
However, no one worried about Cheng Xiaoyu in the slightest, because their Captain's strength at this moment was no longer that of the one who was almost instantly killed by Garp just a few days ago.
Cheng Xiaoyu's figure eerily vanished the instant the two attacks were about to intersect, as if he had merged into the surrounding darkness.
Even the two giants who launched the attack were momentarily stunned, unable to pinpoint their target.
Then, a voice—deep and with a mocking laugh—rang out from White Ghost's left side: "Here."
Before the words finished, Cheng Xiaoyu's legs pushed off the ground, and he shot out like a sharp blade towards the giant shadow's head, kicking White Ghost directly on the crown of its head!
He sent its massive body stumbling back several steps, collapsing with a thunderous crash like an uncontrolled mountain.
Red Ghost roared in anger at the sight, swinging its giant fist at Cheng Xiaoyu.
Its fist did not lose any speed due to its immense power, and the air pressure scraped against Cheng Xiaoyu's cheek like a blade.
But Cheng Xiaoyu's lips curled into a slight smile: "Too slow."
He deftly dodged Red Ghost's fist, then suddenly put force into his foot, spinning on the spot. His move was as swift as lightning, and his fist struck Red Ghost's abdomen directly.
Though the punch seemed insignificant in comparison to the giant's size, it was like a thousand-pound hammer, directly indenting Red Ghost's abdomen. The massive shadow body was sent flying two or three meters through the air before crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Is that all you've got?"
This sentence ignited the shadow giants' violent rage like a fuse!
White Ghost roared first, swinging its massive fist in a powerful, heavy strike that descended like a meteor towards Cheng Xiaoyu.
Meanwhile, Red Ghost snarled and lunged from the other side, its giant claws tearing through the air with intense killing intent.
Cheng Xiaoyu did not use his shadow to block; he merely lifted his left foot and retreated one step with lightning speed.
Ghost Step!
His figure weaved swiftly between the two giants, every movement precise to the extreme, perfectly avoiding the force of their punches and their afterimages!
"Hey, what kind of fighting is this, just dodging and weaving?!"
In the very next second, Cheng Xiaoyu abruptly stopped dodging, meeting White Ghost's mountain-like fist head-on!
His fist, enveloped in Armament Haki, became extremely lethal. Shedding his previous calm defensive posture, this moment was filled with savage killing intent!
"Boom!"
The two fists collided head-on, tearing the air apart and sending sand and stones flying!
The loud roar reverberated through the surroundings, and the ground, bearing the impact, suddenly collapsed into a massive crater. The aftershock even forced Red Ghost to temporarily step back.
As for White Ghost, it was staggered backward by its own force in the clash of power!
Cheng Xiaoyu gained the upper hand with one strike but did not become complacent. He pressed the attack, directly targeting White Ghost's lower body.
His knee strike was silent, but its force precisely hit White Ghost's joint, causing its entire massive body to crash to the ground.
White Ghost tried to struggle to its feet, but found that Cheng Xiaoyu had already ghosted over to it, mercilessly delivering a powerful elbow strike to its chest.
"White Ghost is down. You should at least show some capability," Cheng Xiaoyu murmured, slowly turning his head to look at Red Ghost.
As soon as the words fell, Red Ghost let out a low growl, finally completely enraged.
It spread its arms and lunged forward, attempting to completely envelop Cheng Xiaoyu.
"Finally getting serious, are we!" Cheng Xiaoyu flashed and leaped, moving at extreme speed, his feet subtly shifting to evade Red Ghost's heavy, follow-up strike like a shadow.
"Still too slow," Cheng Xiaoyu chuckled softly.
The next second, his figure suddenly appeared on Red Ghost's shoulder.
A suffocating force erupted from Cheng Xiaoyu's feet. He actually used the giant's shoulder as a springboard, delivering a high-speed downward kick directly to Red Ghost's head!
"Dong—!" The immense impact slammed Red Ghost entirely into the ground, its shadow body trembling and shattering into pieces.
White Ghost, lying in the debris not far away, barely managed to prop itself up, wanting to forcefully swing its fist, but it was firmly locked by Cheng Xiaoyu's gaze.
Cheng Xiaoyu elegantly crouched down, grabbing White Ghost's incoming fist with one hand. With a slight twist, he dissipated most of the giant shadow's immense power.
The immense power made White Ghost let out a painful roar. He exerted a slight force, and White Ghost's massive body involuntarily tilted towards him.
"Boom!"
White Ghost's massive body crashed down like a meteor, the ground trembling violently, kicking up a cloud of dust.
When the dust settled, the shadow bodies of White Ghost and Red Ghost were battered and broken, almost unable to maintain their forms.
"Do you submit?" Cheng Xiaoyu's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
"Yes, yes, yes!!!" the two shadow giants shouted in unison.
Cheng Xiaoyu nodded in satisfaction, and the ability of the Shadow Fruit was activated again.
The two giant shadow giants, as if swallowed by a black hole, merged into Cheng Xiaoyu's shadow.
This battle also made all the other shadows realize how terrifying Cheng Xiaoyu's rate of strength improvement was!
"Alabasta, I will complete the Devil Fruit awakening there."