Heavenly Bird

An hour later, the entire square was divided into several camps. At the very front stood all the top ten from the grand tournament; by rights, Xuan Ye, as the champion, should have had a thousand subordinates, but after much selection, he ended up keeping only three hundred.

Turning to regard these fresh-faced recruits, Xuan Ye flashed a captivating smile.

“Ahem... ahem...” On the dais, Zephyr cleared his throat and spoke. “Now that you’ve all chosen, maintain your training teams for a month. After that, provided nothing major arises, you may set out to journey at sea.”

With that, Zephyr glanced at the smiling Xuan Ye, smiled himself without realizing it, and then left the field.

Watching Zephyr depart, Xuan Ye stood before his three hundred recruits, clapped his hands, and spoke with extraordinary gentleness, “From now on, we are family. Oh, and here is a hundred and fifty million Berries—split it among yourselves and send it to your families. Starting tomorrow, our month of intensive closed training will begin.”

A stir swept through the ranks. Not only did Xuan Ye’s words leave his own three hundred in awe, but recruits from other camps were also dumbfounded. To hand out a hundred and fifty million in one go, and for the sake of their families—this act alone won him the admiration of every recruit present.

“Quiet down, let me finish!” Seeing the excited faces, Xuan Ye couldn’t help but raise his voice a little.

“As my subordinates, I have only three requirements.”

He paced back and forth, his expression cool and sharp, raising three fingers. “First: stay alive. Second: stay alive. Third: do whatever it takes to stay alive. You may disregard discipline, indulge in any vice, use any means necessary; but here, you must share hardship and blessing with your comrades. Anyone who dares betray this rule—I will ensure he finds no grave in this world!”

His face turned cold, and his words rang with steely resolve. There was no hint of jest in his determination.

“I don’t care about your past or your future, but now, you act by my rules. And as my subordinates, you must stand united. If anyone dares bully you, you may kill them outright—even if it’s a Rear Admiral from headquarters. I’ll take full responsibility for the consequences. As my men, you don’t start trouble, but you never fear it. You must stand tall and proud.”

“Remember, our team is called the Skybirds. Our code is simple: anyone who bullies, oppresses, or provokes us must be repaid in full, even if we all have to strike together. Do you understand? As long as you don’t cross my bottom line, I will shoulder everything for you, even at the cost of my life!”

With a forceful stomp, the ground split open, revealing a gaping pit. Xuan Ye’s gaze was electric.

Dominant, unreasonable, and willful—Xuan Ye’s words set the three hundred recruits ablaze with excitement.

“Skybirds! Skybirds!”

They shouted hoarsely, faces flushed and spirits soaring. Even those in other camps were stirred, some eyes reddening with envy—they could only wish for such a superior as Xuan Ye.

“For the sake of our first principle: survival, the coming training will be grueling. Many of you have heard of me, so I’ll skip the introductions. Over this month, anyone who fails to meet my standards will be eliminated—meaning some of you will leave this team!”

Three hundred were momentarily breathless, but fervor quickly surged again.

“Pakas, take this hundred and fifty million. Make sure everyone gets their share. You all have today off—go home and properly say your goodbyes. From now on, your lives will hang by a thread.”

Taking a deep breath, Xuan Ye handed a suitcase to a young man in the ranks whose face was aglow with excitement.

Watching Xuan Ye’s team dividing the money, the other recruits were all green with envy. The situation made Akainu smolder with anger.

“What are you staring at? Focus! What’s so enviable about an undisciplined mob? They’re nothing but pirates in navy coats—such people should be wiped out.” Akainu’s face was dark, his tone bristling with either jealousy or resentment.

“Stupid mutt, I’m right here—try wiping me out if you dare.” Raising an eyebrow, Xuan Ye slanted his gaze, mocking Akainu.

“Hmph!” Akainu snorted, fists clenched tightly.

“See that? That’s the fate of the weak. Remember this: train harder, bleed less on the field. If you can’t win alone, attack together. Survival is everything. Don’t think it’s shameful—if you die, there’s truly no chance left. As long as you live, there’s always hope.” Pointing at Akainu, Xuan Ye’s face was stern, unbothered by how callous his words might sound.

“Not satisfied? Want a fight? Shall I come to you, or will you come to me?” Eyes narrowed, Xuan Ye stared at Akainu, whose face was livid and veins bulged on his forehead, but Xuan Ye provoked him without the slightest pressure.

“This is the misery of the weak. If you don’t want to be taunted like this, you’d best keep your life tied to your belt. In the Skybirds, there are no weaklings. All upcoming training will be hellish.”

“Tomorrow at 5 a.m., gather at the port! Anyone late is out!” With these words, Xuan Ye used Moonwalk and vanished into the sky in the blink of an eye.

Night fell, and the stars glittered endlessly. At Zephyr’s home, Xuan Ye sat on the sofa, holding Little Star in his arms, and spoke to Zephyr, who was sipping tea. “Master, will you have time this month?”

“Time?” Zephyr took a sip of bitter tea and shook his head. “No. The Five Elders have ordered the Navy to track down Roger’s crew. Garp, Sengoku, and I will all be heading out to sea.”

“I see,” Xuan Ye nodded, thinking, “It seems Roger becoming Pirate King and reaching the last island has truly threatened the World Government—so the Five Elders are desperate to capture him?”

“Master, I want to go to Savage Beast Island. Do you think Fleet Admiral Kong would approve? Could you put in a word?”

“Isn’t that a bit hasty? Remember, you’ve chosen three hundred recruits. They’re not you—on that island, their lives could be at risk every moment.” Zephyr frowned, feeling it was too reckless.

“It’ll be fine, Master—I’m confident. My own progress has slowed, and on that island I can find worthy opponents. Last time, I cleared out the perimeter. As long as they follow my methods, there may be danger, but they won’t be entirely helpless.”

“I doubt Fleet Admiral Kong will agree—it’s far too risky,” Zephyr shook his head.

“Master, only when someone’s life is at stake do they reach their true potential. If we want to rapidly strengthen these people, they must endure hardships beyond ordinary men. Otherwise, when it comes time to hunt pirates, they’ll...” Xuan Ye trailed off, but his meaning was plain.

“Very well! I’ll discuss it with Fleet Admiral Kong tonight. Head out directly tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Master!” Xuan Ye smiled in gratitude. He knew Zephyr would help him achieve his goal regardless of Kong’s answer.

“Oh, Master—could you teach me the remaining Six Forms?”

“You want to learn them?” Zephyr was surprised.

“No,” Xuan Ye shook his head, his eyes shining like stars. “Perhaps my subordinates will need them.”

“You really...” Zephyr gave a wry smile.

“Brother Night, can I come with you?” Sitting on Xuan Ye’s lap, Little Star looked up, her eyes sparkling hopefully.

“No, not yet! When you’re older, I promise I’ll take you to sail the seas.”

“Hmph…” Pouting in protest, the little one said indignantly, “But I’m already grown up.”

“But Brother Night’s strength isn’t enough yet—I can’t fully protect you. Give me a little time, and I promise I’ll take you out to play. Let’s pinky swear.”

“That’s better—let’s pinky swear!”

A slender thumb and a tiny pinky pressed together, and gentle laughter rang through the room.

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