Xivi was dead.
Wayne stood before Xivi's grave, silent for a moment. He had been a swordsman worthy of respect. Wayne didn't know everything Xivi had endured in life, but in that final moment, he had seen the peace in Xivi's eyes.
He buried Xivi outside the auction house, in a field of flowers and grass.
"This really leaves a bad taste in my mouth," Wayne said through gritted teeth as he stood before the grave.
All he wanted now was to send Slaive straight to hell. Everything about this island the suffering of the common folk, the ugly arrogance of the nobility, and even the regretful death of the swordsman Xivi filled Wayne with deep frustration.
He sheathed Rasetsu at his waist, then activated his Observation Haki. The moment he locked onto Slaive's presence, he launched into the air and flew toward it at high speed.
"Slaive... you won't get the luxury of an easy death."
At that moment, Slaive was surrounded by his underlings, smiling deferentially at a particularly unwelcome guest.
"Lord Saint Charlos, there's been a little... hiccup at the auction house. The slaves you ordered aren't ready yet, but it won't be long. Just give me a little more time..." Slaive said, bowing respectfully.
In front of him stood a man dressed in a peculiar white robe, his head encased in a fishbowl, a long string of snot dangling from his nose. He looked vacant, almost foolish.
"The air in the lower world is so hard to breathe. Slaive, you'd better get me my slaves quickly, or I'll make you my slave instead."
This was none other than Saint Charlos, one of the World Nobles known as the Celestial Dragons among the most despicable and feared people on the planet.
Slaive kept his ingratiating smile. "Please rest assured, Lord Charlos. I'll have this little problem taken care of very soon."
"Although... this problem is a bit tricky. It's Wayne of the Seven Warlords."
A nearby World Government official paled. "Wayne? The Warlord? Good heavens... Slaive, how could you have gotten involved with someone like that?"
Slaive's expression twisted into a sinister grin. "It wasn't me who went looking for trouble. He came to me. So, if we want to resolve this issue... I'll need to rely on you all."
He was clearly trying to use the Celestial Dragons' power as a shield. Slaive wasn't confident his forces could defeat Wayne, so he intended to borrow their strength instead.
Saint Charlos blinked slowly, then said with idiotic delight, "Wayne... that name sounds familiar... Isn't he the one Father and Sister wanted as a slave? Incredible! I found him first! I'm going to make him mine!"
The steward behind Charlos wiped cold sweat from his forehead. "My Lord... perhaps it would be wiser not to provoke someone like Wayne."
Bang!
A gunshot echoed through the air. Charlos blew the smoke from his pistol. "Huh? There's nothing a Celestial Dragon can't have. Servants like you deserve to die."
The steward collapsed with a look of terror still frozen on his face.
The World Government official wiped the sweat from his own brow. He'd been about to say something himself. Thankfully, he hadn't spoken in time otherwise, he would have been the one lying dead.
He could only pray now that Wayne had the good sense to stay far away from Charlos.
But fate was not so kind.
A flash of light streaked through the sky and stopped directly in front of the gathered party, resolving into a single figure.
It was Wayne.
He fixed his eyes on Slaive, who stood at the front of the group, and sneered.
"You've been awfully hard to find, Slaive."
Wayne raised his left hand. A bolt of purple lightning surged toward Slaive.
"Thirty million volts: Lightning Spear!"
Just as the lightning was about to strike, a towering figure stepped forward and intercepted the blow.
Boom!
The lightning struck him dead-on. A blinding flash lit up the scene, and the man staggered back two steps before coming to a halt.
Wayne immediately recognized him it was the man Slaive had referred to as Hardy, his bodyguard.
Now Hardy was covered in Armament Haki, shielding him from the full force of the lightning.
Such mastery of Haki was rare in the Paradise half of the Grand Line. Not someone to be taken lightly.
Wayne's mind flashed with a memory. Three years ago, a Marine Vice Admiral named Hardy had resigned and vanished without a trace.
This man looked exactly like that former officer.
"A former Vice Admiral? I didn't think the Navy's upper ranks had such vile lapdogs," Wayne muttered.
Hardy leapt into the air and positioned himself in front of Slaive once more. With a sweep of his left leg, he sent a crescent-shaped shockwave toward Wayne.
"Tempest Kick: Crescent Slash!"
Wayne shifted into his elemental lightning form, evading the unenhanced attack easily. His eyes narrowed.
"Armament Haki and the Six Powers... a close-combat expert?"
These types were always troublesome. With someone this skilled, Wayne knew he'd have to pull out some tricks.
"Guess I'll have to use this."
He set his sword Yuki-Zoe aside and drew Rasetsu from his waist.
The moment he gripped the Great Grade blade, his expression shifted subtly.
"It really does devour a swordsman's Haki. What a demon blade..."
"Fine. If you want to feed, I'll let you gorge."
Wayne coated his right hand in Armament Haki and poured it into Rasetsu. The blade let out a soft hum, as if pleased with the quality of the Haki it was receiving.
After a few moments, Rasetsu's edge gleamed, entirely cloaked in pitch-black Haki. Wayne's eyes lit up with surprise.
This sword had been cultivated for a long time. It was on the verge of becoming a black blade.
He lunged forward, Rasetsu in hand, and struck at Hardy.
Hardy responded immediately, reinforcing both arms with Haki to defend himself.
But the moment Rasetsu made contact with his arm, Hardy's eyes went wide with horror.
The blade wasn't just cutting it was draining his Haki.
Rasetsu could consume not only its wielder's Haki, but also its opponent's.
After just a dozen exchanges, Hardy could feel his Armament Haki depleting rapidly. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to maintain full-body coverage for much longer.
Wayne, meanwhile, grew more curious with each strike. Hardy's Haki felt increasingly flimsy, almost like paper, and was weakening with every clash.
Wondering why Rasetsu hadn't consumed his own Haki during the battle with Xivi?
Wayne just blinked innocently and said, "Beats me. Didn't notice anything. I mean, I burn through Haki fast anyway. I've got so much of it, I never run out!"
Yes Wayne possessed such vast reserves of Armament Haki that he hadn't even felt Rasetsu's drain.
Of course, it was also possible that after Wayne had just "fed" it so thoroughly, Rasetsu had become even more powerful.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Love the story? Show your support and unlock early access to new chapters by joining me on Patreon!
P@treon.com/yanxx
Change @ to a.