"A monkey that knows how to use a sword!"
Before Xiano could react, Nami's eyes were already sparkling with excitement:
"Wow, how amazing! Sister Kuina, lend me your Huazhou! I want to spar with them!"
Huazhou was the Skillful Grade Sword Robin had gifted to Kuina.
Kuina treasured it dearly, always carrying it as her secondary blade.
"Stop fooling around," Nojiko scolded, tugging at Nami's ear. "You don't know any swordsmanship. Just drive them away with your Flames."
"That's too mean to the monkeys! Don't worry, I learned a few moves from my brother back in the day. Dealing with a few monkeys won't be a problem!"
"..."
Kuina shook her head helplessly and tossed Huazhou to her.
"Hahaha! Here I come! Little monkeys, take this!"
Nami charged forward enthusiastically.
As expected.
She didn't even last a minute before being beaten into a hasty retreat, utterly disheveled.
"Ow ow, these darn monkeys are so strong..."
"Let me handle it."
Kuina sighed and drew Wado Ichimonji.
She glanced at the sword-wielding baboons, her eyes gleaming with interest.
At first, she hadn't taken these monkeys seriously.
But after witnessing their fight with Nami, she realized their swordplay wasn't random—it was remarkably refined. Some of their combinations even impressed her.
They were worthy opponents!
To avoid accidentally killing them, Kuina refrained from using Haki and held back her strength, striking only with the flat of her blade.
But the gap in skill was too vast.
After a few exchanges.
The baboons lay defeated, stars spinning in their eyes and foam at their mouths.
"That was impressive swordsmanship," Kuina remarked as she sheathed her sword. "Pity there are so few. If there were more, even I'd have a tough time."
"Oh?"
Xiano chuckled. "Then your wish is easily granted. I just scanned with Observation Haki—there are at least a few hundred sword-wielding baboons on this island."
"A few hundred?!"
Kuina was stunned. "Who in their right mind would teach so many monkeys swordsmanship?"
"Maybe no one taught them. Baboons love to mimic humans. They probably learned by secretly watching someone practice swordsmanship over the years."
"Just by mimicking, they reached this level?"
Then how skilled must the original swordsman be?!
Kuina looked up at the mist-shrouded castle. "The master of this castle must be an extraordinary Master Swordsman..."
"Let's go take a look."
Xiano pushed open the gates and strode inside.
By now, he was certain this was Hawkeye's home.
The island had a long name—something like Kuraigana Island.
It used to be a thriving town until a devastating war left few survivors, leaving it abandoned and in ruins.
Accustomed to solitude, Hawkeye had settled down here, making it his permanent residence.
The castle's decor was elegant and classical, but a layer of dust covered the furniture and floors, clearly indicating that its owner had been away for some time.
Where have you gone, Hawkeye...
Not finding the man himself, Xiano felt a twinge of regret. He wasn't sure if Hawkeye had even heard of his name, but he was quite eager to spar with the world's greatest Master Swordsman.
Kuina would probably want to as well, right?
"Let's seclude ourselves in this castle."
After touring the entire castle, Xiano made his decision.
This castle, located at the heart of the island, was the perfect place for secluded training.
The surrounding area was vast and uninhabited, fulfilling both of Xiano's key requirements. As for the numerous sword-wielding baboons...
For others, they might have been a major nuisance.
But with a young Master Swordsman aboard their ship eager to improve her skills, Xiano actually wished the baboon population were even larger.
However.
If he remembered correctly, there was also a massive baboon king here, wielding a broadsword strikingly similar to Hawkeye's Black Blade Night, with formidable swordsmanship skills.
For Kuina, it would be the perfect training partner.
After exploring the surrounding area, the crew followed Xiano's instructions and settled into the castle.
The first floor was spacious, with plenty of empty guest rooms—more than enough to accommodate the crew.
Kitchen, bathrooms, everything they needed… There was even a small vegetable garden and a fish pond in the backyard, ensuring they wouldn't run out of supplies and could live self-sufficiently.
As for the second floor, those were the master's quarters. Since they were borrowing his territory, they had to show some respect.
The rest of the crew didn't need to worry about it, but Xiano specifically warned Nami and the two pets not to go up there and rummage around unless necessary.
...
In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.
Before dawn, at a little past five in the morning, Xiano was already up.
He spent half an hour running ten laps around the island as a warm-up, then found a clearing in the forest to continue practicing the Energy Disc.
Over the past few days,
he had thoroughly studied all the key points described in the manual and attempted the technique several times—but each attempt ended in failure.
The biggest challenge was that the world of pirates lacked the so-called "ki" from the Dragon Ball universe.
At first glance, this seemed insurmountable. But when it came down to it, what Xiano had mastered was the technique—what gathered in his palm and was released was just a form of energy, regardless of its nature.
After some thought, Xiano decided to substitute Haki and see if that would work.
Today was his first official attempt.
"The key to the Energy Disc lies in compressing and spinning energy at high speed into a disc shape..."
He closed his eyes, recalling the manual's instructions, as Armament Haki began gathering in his palm.
Unlike the "ki" of the Dragon Ball world, Haki's energy leaned more toward materialization.
And true to its name, when released from the body, it carried a fierce, unyielding force—
wild, unrestrained, and overwhelmingly domineering...
Controlling it required far greater precision and focus.
Hummm!
Thick black Haki condensed between his palms, rapidly forming an irregular oval sphere that began to spin leisurely.
Xiano glanced at the black vortex above his head, sensing the energy within, but frowned slightly.
"The compression isn't tight enough, and the rotation speed can't be increased."
At this level, even if launched, it would be sluggish, easily dodged, and lack any real lethality.
He took a deep breath and abruptly intensified his Haki output.
Hiss!
More Haki surged into the vortex, yet under Xiano's deliberate compression and control, it didn't expand much.
This time, however, the rotation speed gradually increased.
But the edges were jagged and uneven, the shape irregular, with Haki frequently scattering outward—far from the perfect, saw-like state described in the secret manual.
Boom!
With a muffled explosion, the Haki vortex suddenly burst apart, releasing a terrifying shockwave that flattened a wide circle of trees in an instant.
"The rotation speed isn't enough. Maintaining an externalized state for too long causes it to explode on its own."
Xiano shook his numb right hand, deep in thought.
Having trained in Haki for years, he had mastered the technique of "externalization" quite skillfully. Even so, once Haki left his body, he couldn't control it with the same precision as the martial artists of the Dragon Ball world, who manipulated "ki" down to the finest detail.
Yet the "Energy Disc" demanded exactly that level of control.
Haki, after all, wasn't "ki." Directly copying the technique simply didn't work.
Xiano sighed, stood up, and paced back and forth, stroking his chin.
Perhaps he needed a different approach. If he couldn't perfectly replicate the original, he could adapt it based on Haki's unique properties.
But how exactly should he...
Just then.
From the distant withered forest came a chorus of "Ooh-ooh-ooh!" cries.
Xiano used Moon Walk to leap to the treetops and looked toward the source. It was the same pack of baboons he had repelled yesterday, now rallying a large group of reinforcements, charging menacingly toward the castle.
Coming for revenge?
Kuina was probably already awake. Seeing so many sparring partners delivering themselves to her doorstep would surely delight her.
Xiano watched with amusement.
One of the baboons, while walking, casually swung its sword in a graceful flourish—a perfect arc, the glint of cold steel flashing in Xiano's eyes.
"A sword flourish..."
Xiano narrowed his eyes, struck by sudden inspiration.
He returned to his spot, raised his right arm, and gathered Haki again.
But this time, instead of trying to shape a massive lump of Haki into a disc all at once, he divided the released Haki into dozens—no, hundreds—of fine threads, weaving them together like a braid.
"Spin!"
With a low shout, these blade-like Haki threads began rotating rapidly in one direction, gradually forming a disc about half a meter in diameter.
Though the edges were still a bit rough, the overall shape was beginning to take form.
"The idea works!"
Xiano's face lit up with joy. This method perfectly fit the mold of the "Energy Disc." All that remained was to refine and optimize it further.
He immediately tried compressing more Haki into the disc's edges, thinning them to the point of being as delicate as a cicada's wing, increasing the rotation speed to a terrifying, nearly invisible blur.
The pitch-black energy disc emitted a piercing hum, teetering on the edge of losing its stable form.
"Go!"
Xiano suddenly exerted force with his right hand, sending the rapidly spinning Haki Disc Slash hurtling through the air toward a distant hill roughly a hundred meters tall.
Boom!
Amid the deafening explosion, the entire hill was cleaved in half.
The upper half of the mountain slowly slid down, kicking up a cloud of dust. Xiano stepped onto the air with Moon Walk, hovering above as he inspected the result—the cross-section was smooth as a mirror, completely flattened by that single strike.
Success!
A sharp glint flashed in Xiano's eyes. After days of relentless research, he had finally overcome the most challenging hurdle. Excitement surged through him as he clenched his fists.
So what if the original "Energy Disc" couldn't be replicated in this world?
Techniques were universal!
Now, he had finally created his own unique "Haki Disc Slash"!
"This name doesn't sound great. It needs changing."
But not now.
Xiano's gaze lingered on the bisected hill. At this level, he could achieve a similar effect with a casual punch, so he wasn't entirely satisfied with the current power of this technique.
Thus, in the coming days, he had to focus on two fronts—both equally crucial!
—He needed to continue refining and optimizing the power of the Energy Disc while also practicing Conqueror's Haki Infusion.
And then…
Perfectly merge the two!
Yes!
The "Energy Disc" technique had immense potential. Simply adapting it into a Haki version wasn't enough!
To truly make it his ultimate trump card, how could he not infuse it with a substantial amount of Conqueror's Haki, just like Teacher Kai?!
Briefly envisioning the future…
His raised right arm, the rapidly spinning disc radiating a terrifying aura that chilled the soul, while thick black-and-red lightning crackled outward in all directions…
Even the Four Emperors and Admirals—would they dare to take it head-on?
Xiano had already decided on a name.
Just like the "God's Avoidance" and "God's Punishment" series, he'd give it a similarly imposing title—
Its name would be—
God Split!
As for now…
Xiano tightened his fists.
Back to relentless training!
———
Time seemed to pass faster during days of secluded, grueling training.
In the blink of an eye, two months had flown by.
Since Roger ushered in the Great Pirate Era, the seas had never known peace.
This period was no exception, marked by turbulent events.
First, the Beast Pirates of the New World clashed with the Red Hair Pirates in a massive battle.
The incident's origins seemed tied to the vanished Blade Swordsman Xiano.
To summarize briefly: after the battle at Enies Lobby, Kaido of the Beasts grew even more volatile. After brooding in his stronghold for days, he set out looking for fights—and accidentally crossed paths with Red Hair, sparking the war.
While the New World conflict raged on, the first half of the Grand Line buzzed with even more sensational news.
The two vacant Warlord of the Sea positions had finally been filled.
One was a long-renowned pirate, "Fierce Rhino" Akshan, with a former bounty of 430 million Berries—a seasoned veteran who had even ventured into the New World.
His appointment as a Warlord was widely anticipated, stirring little surprise.
The other, however, left countless people gaping in shock.
A man known as the "Thunder God" Enel, with no prior bounty and a name unheard of by anyone, seemed to have fallen from the sky out of nowhere, suddenly emerging on the seas and catching the attention of the World Government.
It inevitably made people wonder—
Did this guy's strength really qualify him to be a Warlord of the Sea?
And just what gave him the audacity to call himself the Thunder God...
As for the big news in recent days—
A massive explosion shook the island of Dressrosa, ruled by the Donquixote Family, causing the entire landmass to tremble violently.
Eyewitnesses claimed to have seen something soar into the sky, fleeing into the distance.
But the specifics remained unclear, as the Donquixote Family seemed to be suppressing the details. Reporters from the World Economic Journal were currently infiltrating to investigate.
The waves of the new always overtake the old.
One sensational headline after another kept surfacing.
In contrast, the remnants of the Falling Stars Adventure Crew—once responsible for countless major headlines—had completely vanished from the spotlight after Xiano's death, fading into obscurity.
Rumors circulated that they had been successfully captured and wiped out by the Marines, while others claimed that with their Captain gone, the group had disbanded, each member returning to their hometowns.
No matter what—
Xiano's story had already exited the world's center stage. And if history was any indication, it wouldn't be long before most people forgot about him entirely...
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