Chapter 18: Victory of the Weak! D-Grade Fishing! (Please add to your library! Please vote!)

Chapter 18: Victory Against the Odds! D-Rank Fishing!

"Muda muda!"

Watching the blood-red fist flying toward him, a look of undisguised contempt flashed in Smoker's eyes.

"I have eaten the Smoke-Smoke Fruit! I am invincible!"

That was what he had intended to say.

However...

Thud!

His stubbled chin was struck solidly by the crimson right fist, the immense force nearly dislocating his jaw on the spot!

The next instant, Smoker's head jerked violently to the side. A wave of intense dizziness washed over him, and his eyes involuntarily rolled back—a clear sign of losing consciousness.

Under the full force of Cui Ze’s explosive punch, Smoker’s body flew backward like a cannonball, exiting the area of white mist and soaring into the distance.

Boom!

Under the wide-eyed gaze of the Navy soldiers, Smoker crashed into the railing of the warship’s deck before sliding down like a lump of wet clay, a stark, blood-red fist print still visible on his cheek.

"Smoker... was defeated..."

"Are you kidding me? How is that possible! He’s a monster who ate a Logia-type Devil Fruit!"

"What exactly happened in the smoke?"

As the Navy soldiers began to whisper in disbelief, the white mist that had gathered on the deck suddenly dissipated, revealing Cui Ze standing in the center, breathing slightly heavily.

A few well-informed soldiers first glanced at Cui Ze’s blood-soaked right hand, then at the still-unconscious Smoker, their hearts filled with shock.

There was only one reason for the dissipation of the white mist zone!

In most cases, a Devil Fruit user’s power ceases to function for only one reason: the user has completely lost consciousness!

In short.

Smoker was down for the count!

What exactly happened in the mist?

The Navy soldiers looked at Cui Ze, who was regaining his composure, with complex expressions mixed with surprise, doubt, admiration, and even awe.

"Excuse me, everyone."

Cui Ze raised his blood-drenched right palm to signal the crowd, wearing a calm and indifferent smile.

"I need to go tend to my injuries. If possible, could someone please help take Mr. Smoker to the infirmary? I’m afraid my strength was a bit too much just now."

Low sighs rippled through the crowd.

After speaking, Cui Ze shook his head at Hina, who looked worried, mouthing the words "I'm fine," before leaving the forward deck.

He needed to treat his hand injury quickly, otherwise, if he walked too slowly...

The [Wild Body] might start healing it automatically!

...

In the Supreme Office.

Zephyr watched the back of Cui Ze as he vanished into the crowd and suddenly asked, "What do you think of this fight?"

"Smoker was too careless!"

"The Smoke-Smoke Fruit is not enough to help him withstand all non-Haki attacks!"

"As the top recruit of the training camp, he barely displayed any of his true strength; it’s truly shameful!"

The adjutants spoke up one after another, expressing their opinions.

Rear Admiral Strawberry also remarked, "Among the various Logia-type abilities, the Smoke-Smoke Fruit is not particularly outstanding; he needs to study his basic combat techniques further."

Zephyr listened silently for a while, and after everyone had finished sharing their views, he asked, "And what about the boy on the other side?"

The adjutants exchanged glances quickly.

"His footwork is messy! His swordsmanship is shallow!"

"His punches are rough and lack finesse!"

"His combat foundations are too poor!"

At the end, an adjutant suddenly changed his tone.

"But his combat talent is extremely high! He is full of spirit! He maximized his strengths to instantly defeat an opponent he shouldn't have been able to beat!"

Standing in the office at a distance, the adjutants did not notice that Cui Ze’s greatest highlight was his "breathing," but their overall assessment remained very positive.

The adjutants were unanimous in their attitude toward Cui Ze: an unpolished gem!

Well...

That description seemed a bit off...

After all, this "unpolished gem" had seemingly already gone head-to-head with Kaido of the Beasts...

Zephyr nodded slightly, then turned back to his desk and gave an order.

"Smoker disrupted the training camp's discipline; punish him with one week of deck-cleaning duty!"

"As for Cui Ze Fite... for intercepting Kaido of the Beasts on the zombie island and defeating the top recruit of the training camp in public... considering his weak combat foundations, teach him one of the Six Powers first!"

The adjutants immediately understood.

Instructor Zephyr was going to focus on cultivating that recruit who had joined halfway through the voyage!

But the reasoning was indeed very sound.

If you're not convinced, go try intercepting Kaido yourself!

An adjutant asked, "Chief Instructor, which technique should we teach him?"

Zephyr pondered for a moment.

"Just teach him—no! Let him choose himself!"

...

Cui Ze had no idea that a massive gift was about to fall on his head, and it was the very "Six Powers" he had been dreaming of!

At this moment, Cui Ze was in his room dealing with his "injuries."

The specific procedure was: turn on the faucet, rinse the blood off his right hand, wipe away the remaining water droplets, and that was it.

Yes!

In the few minutes it took to return to his room from the forward deck, the palm wound that had been bleeding profusely had already successfully healed, leaving only a faint white mark.

It was estimated that in less than half an hour, even this white mark would completely disappear.

"Is this the terrifying recovery ability of an EX-rank [Wild Body]? I might have underestimated this talent before..."

Cui Ze looked at his fully healed right palm and couldn't help but marvel.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, he still found a roll of clean bandages and re-wrapped his right hand, which had only recovered two days ago, turning it into a "bandaged hand."

After finishing the disguise, Cui Ze took a deep breath and opened the light screen.

By defeating the "top player" of the training camp in public, Cui Ze had gained more than just an ethereal sense of deterrence; he had other tangible rewards!

[You have defeated an elite Navy soldier with an overall rating of D!]

[The passive effect of the EX-rank skill [Fishing] has been activated!]

[You have harvested a D-rank "Bait of Victory"!]

That's right!

Bait of Victory!

And it was D-rank!

Looking at the prompt on the light screen, Cui Ze’s eyes shimmered with unprecedented ambition.

He had previously thought that one had to "kill" an opponent to obtain "Bait of Victory"!

He hadn't expected that simply "defeating" an opponent would also yield bait!

What did this mean?!

It meant that Cui Ze could truly achieve growth through battle!

Using all the experts in the sea to nourish his own growth.

The key was that this "nourishment" could be completely "green, cyclical, and sustainable"!

This was truly terrifying!

Cui Ze took a deep breath and buried this "grand strategy" in his heart, waiting for the day it would truly sprout.

Now, it was time to start his first D-rank fishing!

Before [Fishing], Cui Ze first glanced at his Luck attribute.

"Luck D, I knew it... well then..."

"Oh, Goddess of Luck with the surging waves, hear my plea!"

Using his finger as a rod and his will as a line, he cast out!

[Harvest type for this fishing attempt: Ability Entry]

[D-rank Ability Entry: Smoke Form]

[Origin: Dungeons & Dragons - Mephit]

[Entry Description: A cloud of black smoke moves in the breeze, shifting shapes as it approaches, like rolling clouds. Suddenly, the black smoke explodes, turning into a devil-like creature surrounded by wind and smoke, with huge bat wings.]

[Entry Effect: 1. Flight: In smoke form, you gain a flight speed of 80 kilometers per hour, with perfect maneuverability; 2. Immunity to ordinary physical attacks below D-rank.]

[Entry Evaluation: A demon in the smoke!]