"Hahahahaha! In that case, let's use our swords to prove whether your words are true."
"Bloodlust: Abyss Three Swords!"
Li Yuan's bloodlust sword intent suddenly erupted, and the shadow behind him, resembling a hellish killing fiend, instantly merged with the sword.
Five blood-green slashes, each five hundred meters long, swirled around like a chaotic killing demon, surrounding Shiki the Golden Lion.
"Wave Slash!!"
Shiki combined his Cherry Blossom Ten and Wooden Withering with the ability of the Float-Float Fruit, unleashing two powerful five-hundred-meter slashes that shattered two of Li Yuan's attacks.
The remaining three slashes were avoided as Shiki flew into the air, utilizing the flexibility of the Float-Float Fruit.
However, just like when Red Count first encountered such techniques, Shiki ultimately found himself wounded by the returning three slashes.
"Gahahaha! So this is the attack that changes direction, which you comprehended after becoming a great swordsman? Quite impressive!"
Even though he had been injured, Shiki couldn't help but praise Li Yuan's technique, one that he couldn't replicate and didn't understand the principles behind.
"Shiki, while your strikes have become stronger, your swordsmanship hasn't improved at all in the past six months!"
"Moonlit Slash!!"
Li Yuan took to the skies using his Moonwalk, engaging in battle with Shiki above.
Even knowing that the sky was Shiki's domain, he felt no fear. His Moonwalk and stamina were no longer the same as when he could hardly sustain himself in long battles.
"Hmph, I am not merely a swordsman!"
Shiki unreservedly combined his fruit abilities with swordsmanship, launching an intense battle against Li Yuan.
For Shiki, any means to enhance his strength was fair game.
Swordsmanship was just one of his preferred methods of attack.
"Hahaha, come at me!"
Li Yuan didn't respond but instead fully immersed himself in the battle with Shiki.
Ever since obtaining the Float-Float Fruit, Shiki's swordsmanship had undergone tremendous changes.
It became intricate, sharp beyond compare, and extraordinarily agile, completely different from the swordsmanship of Li Yuan and Red Count.
When he was in the realm of swordsmen, Shiki hadn't fought Li Yuan with his full strength.
But now, facing another great swordsman, Shiki had to go all out.
Both of them intentionally avoided fighting to the death, engaging instead in a sparring match to exchange techniques and improve their skills.
Although Li Yuan's Haki was at a lower level than Shiki's and the sky was Shiki's domain, Li Yuan had the Sword God Body Refinement Technique backing him up, allowing him to recover quickly even when injured.
Moreover, since Shiki had only recently acquired the Float-Float Fruit, Li Yuan's aerial combat abilities were not to be underestimated.
Shiki couldn't defeat Li Yuan in the air, leading to a stalemate.
Despite this, the battle remained fierce, lasting for three days and three nights before finally coming to an end.
If they continued, it would likely escalate into a life-and-death struggle!
"Gahahaha! Li Yuan, you truly have comprehended three types of sword intent. But aren't you worried that trying to master all three will hinder your progress?"
Shiki admired yet doubted Li Yuan's ambitious endeavor to grasp three sword intents simultaneously.
He understood that sword intent valued depth over breadth.
Instead of trying to understand three sword intents, it would be better to focus on mastering one to its peak. That was Shiki's perspective.
"Hahahaha! Shiki, I aim to become the world's number one great swordsman! Since I dare to take this path, I naturally have the confidence to succeed and reach the pinnacle, forging a path of swordsmanship that reaches the heavens!"
Li Yuan replied with extraordinary confidence.
"Shiki, this battle ends here; I'm leaving!"
After the fight, both were covered in cuts and bruises.
But given their physical resilience, these injuries were mere trifles. They looked quite ragged, and Li Yuan felt it was time to clean up.
Following his battle with Shiki, Li Yuan took three days to digest the results of their encounter.
Three days later, he challenged Wang Zhi, another great swordsman within the Rocks Pirates.
As a fellow great swordsman, Wang Zhi had no reason to refuse another great swordsman's challenge.
For him, battling another great swordsman was a stroke of luck and an opportunity to elevate his swordsmanship.
Likewise, Wang Zhi wanted to see how Li Yuan, who had broken the world record for great swordsmen, wielded his sword.
The location of their duel was the same place where Li Yuan had fought Shiki.
"Rapid Slice!"
Wang Zhi wasted no words. Holding his great sword, he launched a full-force attack, slashing with his sword to unleash a five-hundred-meter long cut that rushed toward Li Yuan.
The speed of the slash was astonishing, fast enough that Li Yuan's eyes could hardly follow; he could only barely catch the trajectory using his Observation Haki.
"Clang!!!"
Li Yuan raised the Seven Star Sword to block in front of him, and Wang Zhi's ferocious slash pushed him back over a hundred meters before finally diminishing, allowing Li Yuan to break it.
At that moment, Wang Zhi quickly closed the distance, launching a furious and rapid assault with his great sword.
Facing Wang Zhi's onslaught, Li Yuan met his attacks head-on with the Seven Star Sword.
Wang Zhi's speed was incredibly fast, almost unbelievable. If it weren't for his advanced Observation Haki, Li Yuan might have been overwhelmed by Wang Zhi's ferocious and rapid strikes.
Though Wang Zhi's speed was tremendous, Li Yuan's Observation Haki always managed to react in time.
In fact, during their battle, he was able to use his mind-reading ability to access Wang Zhi's combat memories, allowing him to clearly see the trajectory of Wang Zhi's next attack.
After fighting Red Count, he had also integrated the essence of Red Count's swordsmanship into his own style.
Thus, Li Yuan's every strike was aimed strategically at Wang Zhi's weaknesses, allowing him to counter the attacks with minimal force.
"Indeed, as Shiki said, you've consumed the Paramecia Speed-Speed Fruit!"
Li Yuan confirmed that Wang Zhi had indeed eaten a Devil Fruit; otherwise, his speed would not be so astounding.
"Correct, I have consumed a Devil Fruit. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to develop its abilities; otherwise, my speed would not be so slow."
Wang Zhi spoke while continuing his relentless assault.
Neither of them were chatterboxes; they had no need for further conversation, only fierce determination.
Wang Zhi's swordsmanship was originally brutal, but since obtaining the Speed-Speed Fruit, he had infused it with extraordinary speed.
Li Yuan's swordsmanship, on the other hand, was diverse and ever-changing, a blend of Bloodlust Swordsmanship, Infinite Swordsmanship, and Abyss Swordsmanship.
It gave an impression of being both fragmented and unified, uneven yet balanced, mixed yet harmonious.
However, this variable style made it exceedingly difficult for Wang Zhi to predict. He never knew how Li Yuan would strike next; every attack seemed unpredictable, making it impossible to defend against, even with Observation Haki.
Similarly, Li Yuan and Wang Zhi battled for three days and three nights, ultimately ending in a draw as neither intended to fight to the death.
"Your swordsmanship is formidable; I hope we can battle again next time!"
As a great swordsman, Wang Zhi was eager to face another swordsman of equal caliber.
"Sure, let's battle again next time!"
Li Yuan nodded in agreement.
Though they stood on opposite sides, it would not affect their mutual exchange of swordsmanship.
After concluding the fight with Wang Zhi, Li Yuan rested for another three days before challenging Silver Axe.
To Li Yuan's surprise during their fight, Silver Axe was also a great swordsman.
However, due to his innate strength and immense power, he couldn't fully utilize his swordsmanship, so he resorted to using a heavy axe as if it were a sword.
Thus, Silver Axe followed a path of swordsmanship characterized by boldness and power, and combined with the Superhuman Strength-Strength Fruit he had consumed, he had surpassed Whitebeard in sheer strength!
Without any surprise, after three days and three nights of battle, Li Yuan and Silver Axe also ended in a draw, with neither intending to fight to the death.
In this manner, Li Yuan continued to challenge John, Charlotte Linlin, and Whitebeard.
Each time, the battles lasted for three days and three nights, concluding with no clear victor.
During this month, Li Yuan had challenged all the officers of the Rocks Pirates, greatly enhancing his combat experience.
It also significantly improved his swordsmanship and strength.
This could be considered a benefit of being part of the Rocks Pirates.
Otherwise, where else would he find so many powerful opponents to challenge?
However, this opportunity to challenge all the officers would only come once.
Since Li Yuan was relatively new to the Rocks Pirates, the other officers wouldn't refuse a challenge under the pretext of solidifying his position within the crew, but it would only apply to this first time.
If he wished to use other officers as practice dummies again, he might not even know how he would meet his end.
Kaido had experienced something similar; after joining the Rocks Pirates, he kept challenging others, hoping to use them as sharpening stones to rapidly increase his strength.
In the end, he nearly got himself killed, and it was only thanks to Charlotte Linlin's intervention that he was saved.
One day, Rocks called both Shiki and Li Yuan over.
"Shiki, you and Li Yuan will go invite the Roger Pirates to join us!"
Rocks said, handing Li Yuan and Shiki the bounty notice for the Roger Pirates.
Currently, the way Rocks Pirates were increasing their strength was not limited to recruitment meetings but also by inviting many affiliated pirate crews to join.
Many pirate crews would willingly ally with the Rocks Pirates upon receiving their invitation.
However, there were exceptions, such as the Roger Pirates.
In such cases, they would typically send officers to extend an invitation as a show of sincerity from the Rocks Pirates.
There was another implication: should the invitation fail, annihilation would follow. The New World would not tolerate pirates that did not submit to the Rocks Pirates, reflecting Rocks' current intentions.
Clearly, Rocks was unaware of the overall strength of the Roger Pirates; otherwise, he wouldn't have only sent Li Yuan and Shiki to invite them.
"Gahahaha! Captain, don't worry; we'll definitely bring the Roger Pirates back!"
Shiki confidently declared.
"Captain, I believe that besides the Roger Pirates, Bondi Wald is also worth inviting. He's been labeled a world destroyer by the Navy."
"His Momo Fruit is incredibly powerful, capable of amplifying the power of anything it touches or any slashes by up to a hundred times. This would be a tremendous asset to the Rocks Pirates."
At that moment, Li Yuan pulled out Bondi Wald's bounty notice from the stack on Rocks' desk.
Though Bondi Wald's current bounty was only thirty-three million, Li Yuan was aware of how terrifying his fruit abilities could be.
In the original story, Bondi Wald had been captured by the Navy at a young age. Now, if he were to join the Rocks Pirates, Li Yuan was curious to see how far he could grow.
After all, someone like Bondi Wald, who solely enjoyed destruction, could significantly trouble the World Government and the Navy, causing substantial damage.
Both Li Yuan and Rocks, like Shiki, harbored ambitions to dominate the world.
However, Li Yuan's vision was more far-reaching. He was eager to weaken the Navy and the World Government without compromising his own interests.
"Oh? The Momo Fruit? If what you say is true, that fruit's ability is indeed formidable."
"Alright, I understand. I'll have the other officers try to invite him."
"If you discover any other powerful pirates, feel free to let me know so I can send someone to invite them, or you can go invite them yourselves."
Upon hearing Li Yuan's words, Rocks' eyes lit up.
Just hearing about the Momo Fruit's capabilities made him begin to envision how to utilize that power.
Li Yuan stood aboard Shiki's flying ship as they set off to invite the Roger Pirates.
"Li Yuan, is the Momo Fruit really that powerful?"
Shiki asked, intrigued by Li Yuan's description of Bondi Wald's abilities, wondering if they were perhaps a bit exaggerated.
"Indeed, it is that strong. If we equipped him with an ultra-spec cannon and let him amplify its power by a hundred times with his fruit, he might just sink a small island with a single shot."
"However, the more powerful the amplification of such an ultra-spec fruit ability, the more stamina it consumes. So, it's a trade-off."
Li Yuan reflected.
The Momo Fruit was indeed an ultra-spec fruit. If such a fruit were given to someone with a solid physical foundation, like Steel Bone Kong, he could potentially go toe-to-toe with Rocks and perhaps even overwhelm him in a short time.
"Gahahaha! I can't wait! Once Newgate brings him back to the Rocks Pirates, I want to see if it's true."
Shiki was extremely interested in Bondi Wald's Momo Fruit abilities.
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