Author: Xiao Yifeng
Translator: PapaSmurf0700
"Ah? Bai Ye, you hungry?" Luffy asked, misinterpreting his new friend's words. With a wide grin, he snatched a banana from a nearby crate and offered it.
Bai Ye took a respectful step back, declining the offer. "I've had my fill, Captain." He needed to focus. "This isn't the best time to explain, but there's something I need to resolve within myself, and I must do it now. I plan to meditate for a short while. It is critical that no one disturbs me. Captain, can you ensure no one touches me while I do this?"
He needed to practice, to unlock the power sleeping within him, but explaining the intricacies of his art would take too long. A simple request was better.
"Sure thing!" Luffy's agreement was immediate and enthusiastic. He took his duties as captain seriously, especially when it came to his crew. "I'll stand guard. Nobody's getting past me!"
With that assurance, Bai Ye sat, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes. His consciousness sank into the inner world of the Taomen Jilu, the sacred text that was the source of his power. He could feel a surge of anticipation; he was about to unlock his "novice gift package," a catalyst that promised to awaken his true abilities.
As he sank deeper into his meditation, ancient verses began to flow into his mind, unlocking one technique after another.
"Heaven and Earth are the mystic origin, the root of ten thousand qi..."
"Through the practice of a billion sutras, I shall prove my divine power..."
"Within and without the Three Realms, only the Dao is supreme..."
Meanwhile, back in the storeroom, Luffy, Koby, and the other pirates watched Bai Ye with curiosity. They respected his request and kept their distance. The quiet, however, was soon shattered by the sound of approaching footsteps and angry voices.
"I swear it, Lady Alvida! I saw that little Koby sneak an outsider onto the ship! And that same outsider knocked me cold!"
"He's right, Lady Alvida! There are two of them, and they're stronger than they look! They must be bounty hunters Koby hired!"
The storeroom door burst open. The group of pirates Luffy and Bai Ye had dispatched earlier stood there, led by the one with the turban, his face alight with vindictive glee. Behind them loomed their captain, "Iron Mace" Alvida, a woman with a five-million-Beri bounty and a temper as formidable as her immense, ball-like frame.
Her eyes swept the room, taking in Luffy and Koby, and finally settling on the meditating Bai Ye. She noted they weren't the three-sword-style bounty hunter she'd heard rumors about. Her gaze lingered on Bai Ye's handsome, serene face, and an unfamiliar flutter stirred within her. Now there is a man, she thought, worthy of standing beside the most beautiful woman on the sea.
"L-Lady... Alvida..." Koby stammered, his body shaking with fear.
Alvida savored his terror. Suddenly, Luffy, with the guileless curiosity of a child, tilted his head and asked, "Who's this fat lady?"
It wasn't a deliberate provocation. It was a genuine question. The room fell into a stunned silence. Koby and the other pirates stared, horrified. No one had ever dared to speak to Alvida like that.
"Brat..." she hissed, her teeth clenched, her knuckles white around the handle of her massive iron mace.
Before she could act, Luffy moved. He grabbed Koby and the still-meditating Bai Ye, pulling them out of the cramped storeroom and onto the open deck.
On the deck, invigorated by Luffy's courage, Koby finally found his own. He pointed a trembling finger at Alvida and screamed, "You're not the most beautiful woman on the sea! You're just an ugly, fat old hag!"
Luffy watched, a wide grin spreading across his face. This was getting fun.
Alvida's face purpled with rage. "You all have a death wish, don't you?" she roared. She charged, her iron mace swinging down toward Luffy with enough force to splinter the ship's mast.
At that exact moment, a dazzling golden light erupted from Bai Ye's body. A distant, ethereal voice echoed from him, chanting the final verse of the mantra.
"...Guardians of the Three Realms, welcome the Five Emperors. All gods, pay tribute and harness the power of thunder. Specters and demons, tremble and perish. Within and without the Three Realms, only the Dao is supreme..."
The light exploded outward, momentarily blinding everyone on deck. When their vision cleared, they saw that Bai Ye, his eyes still closed, had somehow positioned himself between Alvida and Luffy.
Her mace had not reached its target. The technique Bai Ye had been trying to unlock was still incomplete, yet it had responded to the imminent threat. Before Alvida could comprehend what had happened, her weapon slammed into the shimmering golden barrier now surrounding Bai Ye.
BOOM!