Chapter 187: 187: Level 101
Bullet responded with a cold expression.
"Hmph, I don't need those things. I came here this time to challenge Roger and destroy the so-called Aether Pirates."
"…"
Bullet's reaction gave Rayleigh a massive headache. Not only was Roger not on the island, but even if he were, Rayleigh was not confident he could bring this fight to a quick end. A prolonged battle would likely result in the destruction of Dinghai Island, which would be extremely troublesome.
"Bullet, Roger isn't on the island right now. Why don't you stay and enjoy yourself for a few days while waiting for him to return?"
"Hmph, I don't believe Roger isn't here. If he's not, I'll destroy the Pirate Crew."
He was still the same problem child as before. In the entire Pirate Crew, no one besides Roger could truly handle him. Even Rayleigh, who was confident he could suppress Douglas Bullet, knew the man would never accept being restrained.
Douglas Bullet had no intention of continuing the conversation. He immediately coated his body in Armament Haki, turning his entire form pitch black, resembling a black-gold monster.
Seeing that Douglas Bullet still intended to fight, Rayleigh could only sigh and draw his long sword. Fortunately, that Golden Lion who had been complaining about Roger breaking their promise would be back soon, otherwise this would have been very troublesome.
Rayleigh raised his blade, now coated in dark red Haki, and pointed it at Douglas Bullet.
"Then this old man will be your opponent."
The edge of the blade, wrapped in Advanced Conqueror's Haki, caused Douglas Bullet's eyes to flicker slightly. Advanced Conqueror's Haki was still a mystery to him. Back when he first joined the ship and fought Rayleigh to a draw, it had been because Rayleigh had not yet used Advanced Conqueror's Haki.
Even though he also possessed Conqueror's Haki and had reached Admiral level strength, for some reason his Haki always felt like it was one step short. He had still not managed to grasp Advanced Conqueror's Haki.
"Hmph, Rayleigh, try to stop me then."
The clash between the two erupted with a terrifying shockwave, drawing the attention of every powerhouse staying on Dinghai Island.
Meanwhile, in the Calm Belt of the New World, a sky-piercing giant nearly 5,000 meters tall plunged his arm into the sea, crushing a thousand-meter Sea King with brute force. He then sliced off the most valuable portion of its body with a hand blade and stored it away, tossing the rest back into the sea as food for the smaller creatures.
The giant was none other than Aether, who had been traveling and training. After more than ten days of practice, his Houttuynia ability had become far more refined. His stamina consumption had decreased by roughly one-tenth, and the size of his Houttuynia avatar had increased by nearly 1,000 meters, reaching the current limit of his strength.
Aside from training, he and Robin had narrowly avoided the World Government's search operations. Robin's improved disguise skills also allowed them to visit several famous tourist islands without detection.
During this time, through Aether's relentless efforts, Robin had once again been pulled into his bed. The fully matured beauty carried a different kind of charm compared to before.
Their journey felt like a prolonged honeymoon, lasting until they passed Fish-Man Island and entered the New World without the Marines ever detecting their trail.
Although the journey had been smooth, Aether felt a faint sense of unease regarding the two women currently aboard his ship.
When they passed through Fish-Man Island, Shyarly, who had recently regained the ability to walk, insisted on seeing the New World. Faced with her pitiful act, Aether had no real reason to refuse.
The two women, only a year apart in age, quickly became close. Although a harmonious arrangement was something Aether did not dislike, it also meant he had fewer private distractions during the night.
He had to reluctantly part ways with Robin's Thousand-Hand and Shyarly's Taste of the Sea. A regrettable trade-off.
However, the only thing that comforted him was the experience gained over the past fifteen days.
[SSS-rank character Shirahoshi (Poseidon) has developed positive emotions toward the Host, reaching high-level friendliness. Reward: 800,000 experience points.]
After staying at Fish-Man Island for two days, he had successfully increased Shirahoshi's favorability to a high level. The innocent girl even became more determined to become a pirate in the future. Poseidon becoming a pirate, innocence truly made people easy to influence.
Aside from emotional experience gains from Fish-Man Island, the rewards from his speeches at the Bridge Kingdom and Loguetown had also settled.
[SS-rank character has developed ordinary positive emotions toward the Host, high-level surprise. Reward: 750,000 experience points.]
[S-class figures and A-rank figure have developed ordinary positive emotions toward the Host, high-level surprise. Reward: 4.98 million experience points.]
[B, C, and D-rank figures have developed ordinary positive emotions toward the Host, high-level surprise. Reward: 10.13 million experience points.]
[Total experience points: 16 million]
[Level Up: Level 101 (4.79 million / 9 million)]
He had not expected to rise two levels in just over ten days. It seemed the minor shock he created had a far greater impact than anticipated.
System Panel
[Host: Augustus D. Aether]
[Age: 26 years old]
[Level: 101 (4.79 million / 9 million)]
[Strength: Peak (King-class) - Equipment buffs active]
[Constitution: Peak (King-class) - Equipment buffs active]
[Agility: Peak (King-class)]
[Fruit: None]
[Technique: Peak]
[Armament Haki: Peak]
[Observation Haki: Peak (Voice of All Things)]
[Conqueror's Haki: Sublimated (Observation Kill)]
[Weapon: supreme grade blade Ace, Chain of Heaven (Space)]
[Equipment: Ancient Red Dragon Tunic, Ancient Red Dragon Leather Pants, Ancient Red Dragon Belt, Ancient Red Dragon Gloves, Ancient Red Dragon Helmet]
[Points: 158,034]
The Level 101 panel showed significant changes. All three main attributes had fully reached King-class, with strength being the most dominant. Although the buff from the Ancient Red Dragon set had weakened to a 35 percent increase, the overall combination remained overwhelmingly powerful.
According to Aether's estimation, even Kaido's hybrid form would not surpass him. The title of Strongest Creature could already be considered up for contention.
More importantly, the evolution of his Conqueror's Haki had surprised him even further. It had reached the Sublimated stage, not a qualitative breakthrough compared to the peak level, but a deeper and more continuous form of growth.
It was like droplets gathering into a river, and a river forming an ocean, endless in potential. Each day it grew slightly, not through leveling, but through his body's natural development.
At this growth rate, within a few decades, Aether might be able to suppress the entire world using Conqueror's Haki alone. Knocking out an Emperor using pure Haki would no longer be a fantasy.
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