The entire fortress had already been assimilated by General Blackrock.
It was now his body.
A massive stone hand rose from the ground and swatted toward Chu Qiye like crushing a fly.
"Vajra Guardian Talisman!"
Once formed, a spherical golden barrier enveloped Chu Qiye.
The colossal stone palm slammed into it—
Without causing the slightest ripple.
Like the Golden Armor Talisman, Vajra Guardian was a defensive sigil.
The difference?
One reinforced the body externally.
The other created an internal protective barrier.
Seeing his strike fail, Blackrock shifted tactics.
The surrounding stone walls began closing in, attempting to crush Chu Qiye.
"Not good… I'm not the type to just stand here and take hits."
"Five Thunder Talisman — Fourth Layer!"
He raised the talisman.
It split into four overlapping layers.
"Break!"
A roaring "thunder dragon" burst forth, blasting upward and tearing straight through the fortress roof.
Chu Qiye seized the opening and leapt out.
Only now did he see Blackrock's full form—
A fifty-meter-tall stone giant.
To defeat him, Chu Qiye knew he had to locate the real body hidden inside.
If Edward or Golden Lion were here, they'd end this in minutes.
But Chu Qiye lacked wide-area destructive power.
"Damn it… Devil Fruit users really can do whatever they want."
While he muttered, the stone giant's fist smashed down.
Chu Qiye leapt skyward, coating his arm in Armament Haki, and shattered the giant's hand with a single punch.
Useless.
The stone reformed instantly.
"What a headache!"
Several exchanges later, neither side could decisively harm the other.
Stalemate.
"If this drags on till sunset, Edward will laugh me to death."
Chu Qiye gritted his teeth.
"Fine. Let's go all in! If one talisman won't blow you up—then a hundred will! A thousand!"
Dodging relentless stone attacks, he began drawing talismans at breakneck speed.
They fluttered through the air like willow leaves, sticking across the giant's massive frame.
Half an hour later—
Over a thousand talismans covered the stone giant.
Chu Qiye himself was nearly exhausted.
They were low-tier Blazing Fire Talismans.
Individually, each exploded with the force of a bomb.
Together—
He struck a dramatic pose and shouted,
"Explosion is art!"
The talismans glowed blue—
Then detonated simultaneously.
The explosion roared into the sky, deafening and earth-shaking.
The ground trembled.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The stone giant was obliterated.
Blackrock's true body was finally exposed.
"Swift Step Talisman!"
Chu Qiye accelerated without resting, charging forward in a blur.
Fueled by frustration, he drove a vicious punch into Blackrock's face, sending him crashing down.
"Damn you…"
Blackrock staggered up, rage burning in his eyes.
"Don't get cocky, pirate! I'll show you my true strength!"
He activated his ability again—
But this time, instead of forming a giant, he reshaped the stone into heavy armor around his body.
Armament Haki coated the armor as well.
Chu Qiye smiled.
"Close combat? You picked the wrong opponent."
He didn't even bother with Golden Armor Talisman.
Armament Haki surged over his fists as he charged.
"Die!"
Their fists collided.
A sharp crack echoed.
A fracture appeared in Blackrock's stone armor.
It spread rapidly—
Until the armor shattered completely.
"What?!" Blackrock's face twisted in disbelief.
"Sorry. We stand on opposite sides."
Chu Qiye's second punch followed—
Striking directly over the heart.
Blackrock collapsed.
Dead.
Looking at the corpse, Chu Qiye sighed.
Used properly, the Stone-Stone Fruit could be extremely powerful.
But Blackrock's personal strength was lacking.
His Armament Haki was too weak.
The fruit had been wasted on him.
Afterward, Chu Qiye found Edward.
He was lounging atop a mound of Marine corpses, drinking leisurely.
"Qiye, why did that take so long? Was the ability user troublesome?" Edward teased.
"I finished him instantly. Just got lost for a bit," Chu Qiye shot back stubbornly.
"Gurararara… If you say so."
"…"
After laughing, Edward gazed into the distance.
"People on these small islands live too comfortably. Comfort makes them weak."
Chu Qiye nodded.
"Agreed. Their Haki and Devil Fruit usage were both a mess."
Edward exhaled slowly.
"A life that peaceful… I probably won't ever have it."
"Enough with the sentiment. Finish up the rest. Rocks is probably getting impatient."
"Let me finish this drink first."
"…"
Edward suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, I ran into Kaido earlier. He headed toward the residential district. You might want to check."
Edward and Chu Qiye shared similar principles.
They showed no mercy in battle—
But they had lines they would not cross.
They did not harm civilians.
And they despised pirates who did.
Chu Qiye frowned.
Clearly, Kaido had ignored his earlier order.
"Seems he's itching for a lesson."
In the residential district—
Just as expected—
Kaido was wreaking havoc.
Not for strategy.
Not for necessity.
Simply because he enjoyed it.
Each swing of his spiked club flattened a house.
Many civilians, unable to escape in time, were crushed beneath the rubble.
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