Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 618 The True Meaning of D!
"boom!"

The moment Li Xia finished speaking, terrifying Conqueror's Haki unconsciously surged from Shanks' body, as if in response to something. Even more solid and domineering dark red lightning erupted from Li Xia's body and clashed fiercely with it.

A fierce wind seemed to rise around them, and the terrifying shockwaves from the clash of Conqueror's Haki caused the sand and gravel to churn, and even the seawater was whipped up into huge waves.

The clouds in the sky split into two, rolling and surging towards each other.

Ace's body also emitted a surge of Conqueror's Haki. Although it wasn't as powerful as Li Xia's or Shanks', it was enough to barely maintain his balance with Marco.

As the domineering aura gradually dissipated, the surroundings were already a mess. Shanks stood up, his one arm supporting the hilt of his sword, and looked at Li Xia with an extremely gloomy expression.

Ace and Marco had already entered spectator mode, watching the two confrontational figures with astonishment and bewilderment, completely unaware of what had happened.

They didn't even understand why Shanks would suddenly unleash such terrifying domineering aura.

"Where did you know that?"

Shanks' expression was unusually cold as he asked in a low voice.

"These taboos are not for ordinary people to break, not even if you are a naval admiral!"

No one knew the dangers of the Knights of God and Im better than Shanks.

Before hope truly appears, before the 'Drum of Liberation' echoes across the world's skies, we must remain hidden as much as possible, maintain the balance at sea, and avoid attracting Im's attention.

This is the solution Shanks has been thinking of for so many years; he's been waiting for it!
He's waiting for that future where he'd risk his left arm!

"Are you waiting for Luffy to awaken the Nika Fruit?"

Li Xia waved his hand:

"Luffy will definitely awaken, but even if he does, he won't be the same Joy Boy. He'll be far from it."

Shanks seemed to freeze, his mouth slightly agape. He stared at Li Xia in shock, his mind reeling, completely unable to comprehend how Li Xia knew so much.

Being a plot foreseeer is something you can do, and you can also use the plot advantage to your advantage.

However, this is only possible if you have the strength to back it up. Just like Li Xia in Naruto, who also used the plot advantage to make a deal with Orochimaru and disguised himself as the Byakugan.

It wasn't that no one had approached Orochimaru before, but what were the results?
They've all become [Imprisoned Apostle No. XXXXXX]!
If you can't make Orochimaru feel that you are on par with him, will he make a deal with you?
Without the Transparent World and formidable techniques, would Hyuga have accepted a 'main family' member of unknown origin?
Just like now, if Li Xia hadn't already been a Marine Admiral and dared to speak to Shanks like this, he would probably have been hit by a divine evasion in an instant!
This is why there were no derivative worlds later on. It's not that the Temple of Light couldn't create high-level derivative worlds, but the cost would be too high, and for apostles who are familiar with the plot and have strong abilities, being in a derivative world would be like being in an amusement park.

It was too relaxing, like a vacation.

"who are you!"

Shanks snapped out of his daze, gripped the hilt of his sword, and asked with utmost seriousness. At this moment, in his eyes, Li Xia was like an old monster who had been hiding for a long time, seemingly knowing more inside stories and details than he did.

"I?"

Li Xia waved to him, indicating that he didn't need to be so nervous:
"I am Admiral Light Chase of the Navy Headquarters, and also the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army."

This is the downside of hitting a straight shot: it's impressive, but it can also scare people. If you want to hit a straight shot, you also need to tell a good story afterward.

All humans love to hear stories.

Revolutionary Army, Deputy Chief of the General Staff?

This news came as a shock to the three of them, especially Marco and Ace. They couldn't understand the conversation at all, only that it seemed to involve their younger brother Luffy, which made Ace nervous.

But the revolutionary army could understand it.

It is precisely because I can understand it that I find it absurd and unbelievable.

The Navy Headquarters Admiral, the Navy and the World Government's highest visible fighting force, is actually the Revolutionary Army?

"Can we sit down and talk now?"

Shanks remained silent for a long while before slowly sitting down. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

He decided to listen carefully to what the person in front of him was trying to say.

And Ace finally couldn't hold back any longer:
"What are you talking about? And I heard Luffy! What happened to Luffy? Is someone trying to get rid of him?"

Both Ace and Sabo treated Luffy as a younger brother who needed their care from beginning to end.

Li Xia nodded:

“That’s right, you don’t know the whole story. Alright, let’s start from the beginning.”

The three of them silently sat back down on the stone bench, ready to listen to the story.

"Where to begin? Let's start from eight hundred years ago. Eight hundred years ago, there was a period of history known as the 'Blank Century'."

Many things have happened in this century, and these are the root causes of the current world order.

The three people's mouths gradually widened, and their breathing became rapid.

"You...you've already seen through the history of those hundred years?"

Ace couldn't help but ask, "The Void Century is something that the world has concealed. Anyone who wants to study that century will face the most brutal blow from the World Government."

This is where Ohara once perished.

"No, just a general overview."

Li Xia waved his hand. The "Void Century" he mentioned wasn't from the original work, but rather the most widely circulated version within the Hall of Fame. At least 8 out of 10 One Piece spin-off worlds use this version.
"During the blank century, a race came from outer space, bringing with them advanced technology and creating an extremely wealthy and vast civilization."

Initially, all countries benefited from the advantages provided by the large nations.

For example, the ancient city of Shandora, the legendary golden city, prospered because of trade. To facilitate trade, the people of the Great Kingdom even created the 'Great Ocean Current'.

The people of the vast kingdom also used magnetism to create magnetic tracks. Because the magnetic tracks were too fast, they used their technology to create windless belts to reduce wind resistance.

The sea monsters that inhabit these areas are also giant creatures created by them using their technology to transport goods by sea.

In short, everything was wonderful.

Shanks and Ace, Marco, and the others had completely different expressions. Shanks remained silent because he also knew bits and pieces about what happened a year ago.

For example, a huge country, but definitely not as detailed as Li Xia described. He didn't even know if what Li Xia said was true or false.

Ace and Marco stared wide-eyed, as if listening to a fairy tale, completely unable to comprehend it.

"But contradictions also slowly emerged, as the exceptionally advanced civilization of this vast country spread like a torch throughout the world."

Because of its extreme wealth and power, this place is a place that people all over the world yearn for.

And most importantly—this civilization had no concept of nobility! This is where the conflict arose, and the kings united to wage war for their own power and status.

Among them are two key figures: Queen Nefit D. Lily of the Alabasta Kingdom and Nerona Im!

Red-Haired Shanks was deeply shaken, his gaze fixed on Li Xia, eager to know what had happened in those hundred years.

"Im ate a Devil Fruit, which gives him the ability to make contracts and control things."

"Wait, what kind of Devil Fruit is it?"

Ace couldn't help but stand up, as if he hadn't heard clearly:
"What fruit?"

"Devil Fruit!"

Li Xia said seriously, although he also thought it was ridiculous, but the Temple of Light had really made up stories like this many times. As for whether Im was the fruit or not, what did it matter?

Regardless of what kind of Devil Fruit it is, Im is going to kill him anyway. Could Im possibly be harder to kill than an incarnation of an Old God?
"Devil Fruit! Zoan Type, Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan Type, Devil Mode!"

Shanks clenched his fist tightly, as if his left arm were still there, the 'Shallow Sea Mark' burning hot.

"This Devil Fruit possesses immense power, and most importantly, it allows the signing of various contracts. Once the fruit awakens, it can even accomplish all sorts of incredible things through these contracts."

The kings who once formed the World Government signed a pact with Im, relinquishing control of their bodies, accepting demonic power, and becoming terrifying monsters.

But the condition is that their descendants become eternally superior beings, gods, celestial beings!

Ace took a step back in shock, unsure of how to react to the bombshell news he had just heard.

"But the Great Kingdom will not actually lose. What truly brought victory to Im's side was the theft by the 'Heavenly King'."

The King is a powerful energy distributor. The Great Kingdom uses the King to create a beautiful kingdom without hunger or strife. However, Im steals the King using his power and uses it as a weapon, which makes the Great Kingdom realize the possible outcome of failure.

They appealed to Queen Nefit Lily, the queen of Alabasta who was once a partner of the Great Kingdom.

Please ask her to spread the history that records the vast nation and everything, and to leave the spirit of resistance and the spark of revolution in the text of history.

So Lily also participated in the siege, but after the victory, she did not stay in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise to become a Celestial Dragon. Instead, she piloted Pluton to Wano Country and invited the craftsmen there to carve out the Poneglyphs using their superb stonemasonry skills.

And the historical text was disseminated.

This immediately angered Im, resulting in Lily's death and the eternal sinking of the Hades she controlled beneath Wano Country.

The entire beach was silent, save for the heavy breathing of Ace and Marco. The amount of information was overwhelming, even exceeding their capacity to process it.

Li Xia had said so much in one breath, and wanting to give them some time to catch their breath, she simply stopped and let them think about it and accept it.

To be fair, the version written by the Temple of Light is quite convincing. Some apostles even said that when they returned to reality, they wanted the author to draw it this way, and they would kill him if it wasn't!

"And what about Joy Boy?"

Shanks finally spoke, his voice unusually deep, and what Li Xia said had also greatly impacted him.

He couldn't even tell whether what Li Xia said was true or false.

Because what he knew basically confirmed what Li Xia said, he subconsciously believed that this was the 'blank century'.

"Joyboy—he is the strongest in the Great Kingdom and the one Im fears; his Drum of Liberation is an important means of inspiring laughter among the people."

Im's power comes from fear and despair, therefore Joy Boy is Im's natural enemy.

Besides Joy Boy, there is another very important person, Davy Jones, who also possesses a power that Im fears: the power of deprivation and darkness.

Because fear and despair both originate from darkness!
However, during that battle, Joy Boy's companions were controlled by Im using his abilities, and they were also besieged by a large number of demons and powerful beings.

Ultimately, Joy Boy was defeated.

Li Xia finished recounting the rest of the story in one breath:

"Throughout history, many people have supported great nations, adding the letter 'D' to their names as a sign of acquaintance."

After the war, a large number of people whose names contained the letter D were killed. However, after the World Government erased history, it was discovered that even those whose names contained the letter D had forgotten the origin of the letter D.

Therefore, they stopped hunting.

Li Xia looked at the shocked Ace:
"Your name, Porthos D. Ace, the D in it comes from Joy Boy."

The "D" in Marshall D. Teach, whom you were hunting before, comes from David D. Jones.

The letter D stands for Deliverance!

Liberation and Trial!
Joy Boyle's liberation and Davy Jones' trial!

The entire beach fell silent once more, and even the redhead was caught in an unprecedented upheaval.

He never imagined that the letter D would have this meaning, let alone that there would be someone in this world who knew so much about the blank century.

It felt as if I had experienced it myself.

After a long silence, Shanks finally spoke in a hoarse voice:

"If that's the case, you know how terrifying Im is, yet you still want to face him? Luffy—no, don't you need Joy Boy?"

"It would be better if we had it, but it's not a problem if we don't."

Li Xia stood up, patted his pants, and smiled at the three people in front of him:
"In the face of absolute power, Im is not so invincible."

Even top-tier fourth-tier powerhouses can defeat One Piece, so Im's strength is only at the level of a top-tier fourth-tier apostle, and may even be slightly inferior.

Because the greater danger comes from the power controlled by Im.

He has wielded too much power, which will inevitably weaken the strength rating given to him by the Temple of Light.

Just like how Aowu likes to walk along the path to the boss room where there are small elites, so that the boss's strength won't be too strong.

The type of boss I least want to fight is the one where the path is smooth and there are no obstacles ahead.

So, does Im dare to leave the flower garden?
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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

I just made this up, so I hope you'll bear with it. I really couldn't think of a better explanation.

(End of this chapter)