Chapter 51: The Path Ahead

Night fell as Chu Yang exercised alone on the deck. After a while, a figure emerged from the cabin and approached him.

“Why won’t you accept Brother Tiger’s invitation?” Jinbei asked, puzzled. He had thought that after so many battles, they would have become comrades.

Chu Yang paused his movements and slowly sat down. “If it were the Tiger who planned to sail around the world before, I wouldn’t hesitate to join him. But now, all his energy is devoted to liberating slaves. That is his ideal, not mine.”

Jinbei fell silent, reflecting on Chu Yang’s words. Indeed, everyone has different ideals. To impose one’s own ideals on others, even if they are noble and just, is not right.

After a long moment of thought, Jinbei sighed deeply, regret etched across his face. Chu Yang was a promising young man in his eyes; it was a pity to see him leave the Sun Pirates.

Sitting down heavily on the deck, Jinbei asked, “So your ideal is the same as Tiger’s before? To travel the world?”

Chu Yang smiled. “More or less. I want to travel far and wide, challenge powerful foes to hone myself, and see the world’s landscapes. Since I finally have a chance to walk this world, I can’t just let the Navy chase me around like a dog.”

Jinbei warned, “With your previous actions, the Navy has probably noticed you already. Even if you leave the ship, you’ll still be wanted.”

Chu Yang replied firmly, “Wanted or not, at least I can freely decide where I want to go.”

Jinbei sighed, “Now you really are a true pirate.”

“I already am…” Chu Yang said with some emotion. Then he patted Jinbei’s shoulder and smiled, “Don’t be down. I’m not leaving immediately. I’ll stay a while longer.”

Jinbei smiled faintly, a rare expression on his face.

Looking at the moon hanging high on the horizon, Chu Yang began to ponder the words the Magic Chu Yang had told him in the Soul Palace.

Many pirates in this world have mastered Haki, but those with Conqueror’s Haki are exceedingly rare—only about a dozen known individuals. Apart from the still-developing Boa Hancock, the late Pirate King Roger, and Kozuki Oden, the rest are all famous and powerful pirates.

The Navy also has Conqueror’s Haki users, but someone like Chu Yang—once a Celestial Dragon’s slave and now a pirate—could never join their ranks.

Therefore, if Chu Yang wanted to strengthen his Haki further, he had to find a way within the pirate world.

There were only a few candidates worthy of learning from.

First were the Four Emperors.

At the current point in time, Kaido had ruled Wano for nearly twelve years, overseeing a thriving underground black market arms trade involving even the World Government, wielding immense power.

“Big Mom,” Charlotte Linlin, held sway over a vast domain thanks to Whole Cake Island. With more children and an increasing number of pirate crews under her command, her territory was growing into a formidable force.

That year, the calls for these two to be crowned “Emperors of the Sea” grew louder.

Ultimately, they stood as rivals to Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world.

Meanwhile, Red-Haired Shanks, though renowned, paled in comparison to the other three.

The Four Emperors’ structure would only fully form six years later.

After much thought, Chu Yang decided to forgo learning Conqueror’s Haki from Kaido or Big Mom.

Not only were they far away on the latter half of the Grand Line, but their temperaments clashed with his.

Both were somewhat neurotic, and Chu Yang disliked nothing more than neuroticism.

The Whitebeard Pirates would have been a good place to go, but having to call someone “father” was unbearable. The very thought of calling Whitebeard “Dad” sent chills down his spine.

Although Chu Yang admired Whitebeard, he refused to acknowledge anyone as his father.

Among the Four Emperors, Shanks was currently the weakest, making joining him the easiest.

But Chu Yang couldn’t ascertain Shanks’s current level of Conqueror’s Haki. After all, six years remained before Shanks became an Emperor.

The remaining candidate, Dark King Rayleigh, was easier to reach—he resided in the Sabaody Archipelago.

However, as a pirate who had long been in seclusion, the chances of Rayleigh coming out to teach Chu Yang were slim.

Not everyone comes with a protagonist’s aura.

Others like Doflamingo or the pillar of the Happo Navy, Green Pepper, were the absolute last resorts.

After considering all options, Shanks remained the most reliable.

Suddenly, Chu Yang realized this year was not only the year Kaido and Big Mom rose, but also the year Shanks met Luffy at Windmill Village!

The Rubber Fruit!

Its true awakened name was the Human-Human Fruit: Mythical Zoan, Nika Form!

Shanks had taken the Rubber Fruit from Foos Fro, intending to pass it to Ace, the posthumous son of Pirate King Roger, but it was inadvertently eaten by Luffy!

Chu Yang found it hard to believe Shanks was entirely unaware of the fruit’s secret.

For a pirate of his caliber to seize a Devil Fruit from the World Government was not unusual.

Strangely, he had arrived at Windmill Village, where Ace lived, at just the right moment.

Clearly, Shanks wanted Ace to become the child of destiny, but fate chose Luffy instead, and Shanks saw the shadow of Captain Roger in Luffy.

Respecting fate’s choice, he placed all his bets on Luffy.

Now, if Chu Yang was willing to pay the price and bear Shanks’s wrath, he could spin the wheel of fate and steer it towards an unknown direction.

The protagonist need not be Luffy; it could be anyone, including Chu Yang himself.

Was Chu Yang willing?

Of course not!

The success rate was too low, and the price too unimaginable!

Could he pull such a stunt right under Shanks’s watchful eyes?

Not to mention Shanks’s exceptional Observation Haki—Usopp’s father, Jesus Burgess, possessed top-tier Observation Haki. Chu Yang would likely be shot in the head before he even approached the Rubber Fruit.

Luffy’s youth and the lack of suspicion towards him allowed the accident to happen. Chu Yang was clearly not someone the entire Red Hair Pirates would let their guard down around, even if he managed to join them.

The only result Chu Yang could influence was probably stopping Luffy from eating the Rubber Fruit.

But what would be the point?

The next day, Chu Yang approached Tiger and shared his desire to return to the East Blue.

Tiger was surprised. He had expected Chu Yang to leave anywhere after a battle on the Grand Line, but never imagined he would want to go to East Blue.

Still, despite his surprise, Tiger respected Chu Yang’s decision and vowed to escort the Sun Pirates all the way back.

Their current position meant the fastest route to East Blue was to force their way through the Calm Belt.