Chapter 13: The Youth in the Dark Blue Battle Armor

“Craving wild boar meat? Sure, go ahead and take down this wild boar, and I’ll roast it for you,” Luffy said with a smile, glancing at the divine beast Teddy.

“Woof woof…” To his surprise, Teddy retreated a few steps.

“Lazy and useless, get out of here. You’re a divine beast in name only,” Luffy said with disdain, casting Teddy a brief look before turning and drawing his Crimson Fire Sword from his back, ready to face the wild boar beast.

The beast’s eyes brimmed with greed, regarding Luffy as nothing more than prey. Its hind legs pawed restlessly at the earth, signaling its imminent charge.

Luffy’s gaze sharpened, the Crimson Fire Sword held before him. As the wild boar beast lunged, its two long bone-white horns thrust out.

It moved fast as wind.

The ground shook violently beneath its charge.

“Damn…” Luffy was startled—he’d never expected a beast of such size to move so swiftly, almost like a rocket shooting across the field.

Clang!

He raised the Crimson Fire Sword and struck, but the blade could not pierce the beast’s hide; it bounced off, useless. The beast’s horns crashed toward him.

In a sudden burst, Luffy spun a full three hundred sixty degrees, narrowly evading the charge, and slashed at the beast once more.

Clang! Sparks flew as the blade scraped across its skin. The force of Luffy’s blow, equivalent to a hundred men, sent the wild boar beast staggering to the side, roaring in fury.

Luffy landed and moved back, keeping a ten-meter distance between him and the beast, his sword arm aching—its hide was simply too tough to cut.

“Woof woof…” Teddy climbed a nearby tree, munching fruit and cheering Luffy on.

“Get out of here. Is cuteness your only skill?” Luffy muttered, exasperated by Teddy’s antics. He knew brute force alone would never defeat the beast. Only the Flame Sword Technique he had recently learned could give him a chance.

First stance: Cross Flame Slash.

Luffy charged, gripping the Crimson Fire Sword with intense focus. He swung, and a fiery cross shot toward the wild boar beast.

The blaze illuminated everything around them; the speed of the strike was evident in its sudden brilliance.

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Whoosh! The wild boar beast saw the cross slash and grew wary, dodging aside, unwilling to take the attack head-on.

Luffy’s spirits soared. If the beast feared this cross slash, he’d keep using it.

He darted toward the beast, whose reaction was almost intelligent—it turned to flee rather than fight, evidently wary of Luffy’s Flame Sword Technique.

“Trying to escape? Not so easy,” Luffy sneered, lifting his sword and aiming at the beast’s head. “Flame Sword Flash!”

Whoosh—flames erupted from the Crimson Fire Sword.

Suddenly,

A surge of red light burst forth, and a sword of fire shot out.

It streaked through the air like lightning,

Whistling as it pierced the sky,

An arrow loosed from the string.

The wild boar beast howled in frustration.

Thud! The fiery blade struck its head, and the three-tiered beast convulsed, trembling the earth as blood poured forth. Soon, the beast ceased its struggle.

Luffy, drenched in sweat, nearly exhausted all his strength with that move.

He walked over and carved out the three-tiered crystal core, which was equal to a hundred first-tier cores, slightly larger than a second-tier core but otherwise unchanged.

With delight, Luffy dragged the beast to a nearby brook, washed it, removed its hair, and cut it into pieces.

Then,

He set about roasting the meat.

The aroma was intoxicating.

Teddy, the divine beast, came running, drooling with anticipation.

He rushed over, “Woof woof…”

“You sure have good timing, little fellow.” Luffy tore off a chunk of meat and tossed it aside. Teddy gobbled it up, clearly savoring every bite.

Luffy also tore off a piece for himself.

Three-tiered wild beast meat was indeed delicious, carrying a subtle fragrance unlike ordinary pork. Moreover, after eating it, the bottleneck that had resisted all the dragon blood elixirs he’d consumed finally loosened ever so slightly. Clearly, this wild boar beast was a treasure.

Satisfied, Luffy packed up the leftover meat and brought it home.

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He washed his hands, then noticed a red envelope had appeared in his house.

He walked over immediately and tapped it. “Ding, red envelope opening, requires fifteen seconds. Fifteen, fourteen…”

“Ding, red envelope opened successfully. Congratulations, host, you have received three Puppet Talismans.”

“What the heck?” Luffy had no idea what these Puppet Talismans were for.

“Ding, Puppet Talismans can control a person’s soul, forcing them to reveal their secrets, or make them serve you. Each lasts fifteen minutes.”

“Damn, that’s a serious advantage,” Luffy exclaimed, surprised.

He hung up the Crimson Fire Sword and returned to his bedroom, ready for some rest—

When he heard the sound of a car outside.

A man in dark blue battle armor stepped out.

He appeared to be twenty-five or twenty-six, with blue hair and cold, menacing eyes. He stood nearly two meters tall, legs long and confident as he walked, strutting like a model with his nose held high. He entered Luffy’s house without even bothering to knock.

“You’re Luffy?” The armored youth glanced around indifferently, then looked Luffy up and down, sneering, “First tier… heh… weak…”

“Who are you, barging into my home without knocking? Have you no manners? And what’s with the nose-in-the-air attitude—did your mother never teach you that’s rude?” Luffy saw clearly that this stranger meant trouble; he knew his name immediately, perhaps sent by Zhang Rishan as a killer?

The armored youth pulled out a photo. “You’re definitely Luffy. Sitting next to Qin Bailin was your good fortune. Your parents have been rescued and sent to Nine Provinces City, so don’t worry. Oh—and you’re coming with me.”

“You’re sent by Qin Bailin?” Luffy looked at the man, surprised by his arrogance and his disregard for him.

“Bailin only sent me because you two were desk-mates. I can’t stand pretty boys like you, always relying on women. Hmm, this sword’s not bad.”

The armored youth’s eyes lit up as he spotted the Crimson Fire Sword hanging on the wall.

“What are you doing? That’s my sword,” Luffy said coldly. This guy was too insolent.

“Your sword? If I see it, it’s mine. You, a first-tier, using such a good sword is a waste. I’m at the peak of second-tier, eighty times normal strength—that’s my limit. Qin Bailin is late second-tier, a hundred and ten times normal strength. She’s talented and could reach two hundred times. You’re only thirty times—don’t even think about her. You’re worlds apart.”

The armored youth handled the Crimson Fire Sword with obvious affection.

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