Chapter 345 - 184

Chapter 184: Thunder and Fire: The Path of the black leg's Principles!On a desolate, ruined island, the weathering rocks were eroded by sea winds into bizarre holes, and sparse, withered grass rustled amidst the gravel."Old man," Sanji began, his voice laced with a lingering confusion. He turned to look at Rayleigh, who was lying on a rattan chair, his brow slightly furrowed."Come to think of it, whenever I fuse the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit with the power of Diable Jambe..."He paused, lifting his right leg and staring at it with intense focus."I always feel... like something is wrong."Sanji carefully weighed his words. On his handsome face, the usual frivolousness or sharpness was replaced by pure confusion."At the very instant the heat of the lightning and the hellfire entwine and erupt, I always feel a... very subtle sense of repulsion."Sanji gestured in the air with his fingers, trying to materialize that abstract feeling."It's like two rushing torrents; even though they are heading in the same direction, they slightly'shove' each other at their tightest point of convergence.""It's also like two tuning forks of different frequencies; even when struck simultaneously, there's always a hint of disharmony that's hard to reconcile."Rayleigh squinted, his silver hair fluttering in the sea breeze. He didn't answer immediately, just listening quietly."It's this faint, elusive awkwardness," Sanji's speech speed quickened, and a sense of frustration began to seep out."That causes what should be a flawless eruption to lose a bit of power at that crucial 'point'.""Perhaps to an outsider, it still looks immensely powerful, but I can feel it myself—that fused strike only exerted, at most, eighty percent of the power it should have had."He clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking slightly, and cast a sharp gaze at Rayleigh:"Rayleigh, you've seen countless powers on the sea. This kind of repulsion that feels like 'natural incompatibility'... what exactly is the reason?"The sea breeze blew across the deserted island, kicking up dust and sweeping over Rayleigh's weathered face.His gaze slowly focused, moving from the distant horizon to Sanji's leg, which contained the power of both thunder and fire."Repulsion?"He put down his wine gourd, the corner of his mouth curling into a complex arc, as if he understood."That is merely the inevitable consequence beneath the surface. The root cause lies in the 'origin' and 'hierarchy' of these two powers, which are worlds apart at the source.""The fire of your [Diable Jambe] is rooted in the [bloodline factor] modified by technology within your body.""No matter how violent it is, its essence is a thing of this world, relying on your flesh and blood, your will, and the life energy belonging to the category of 'human' to drive it."His finger moved slightly upward, as if picking up a trace of an arc lingering in the air that was barely visible to the naked eye."And this lightning comes from the [Rumble-Rumble Fruit]. What it represents is another kind of power of rules that transcends conventional physical laws.""One is a [technological creation] based on human effort, while the other is a [fragment of rules] derived from the origin of the world.""The current'sense of repulsion' is exactly the manifestation of this fundamental difference at the shallowest level."Rayleigh changed the subject, staring at Sanji:"And what you are feeling now is merely the discomfort brought about by this difference. This precisely shows that your grasp of the power of the [Rumble-Rumble Fruit] still remains at a relatively shallow level of 'application'.""—You are merely driving the phenomenon of lightning; you have not yet truly understood or mastered the core part of it as a 'rule'."His tone suddenly grew heavy, and every word was like a quenched iron block, smashing onto the sand and stones of the deserted island:"But, kid, you must be clear—when a Devil Fruitability crosses a certain boundary and reaches the realm of 'awakening', the problem far exceeds what the gentle word 'repulsion' can describe."Rayleigh leaned forward slightly, his eyes shining astonishingly, emitting a dangerous aura."'Awakening' means that the power of the Devil Fruit is no longer satisfied with just the user.""It will expand, aggressively erode outward, and forcibly assimilate the surrounding environment, even everything it touches, into a domain that conforms to its own characteristics."Rayleigh paused slightly, letting the sea breeze take away the last trace of hesitation in his words, leaving only a cold assertion:"The fire of bloodline derived from human technology, its level of 'existence', is destined to be unable to compete with the [Awakened Thunder] that represents a corner of the world's rules.""...In the end, it can only be suppressed, or even 'reconstructed'."On the deserted island, only the endless crashing of the waves remained, along with the chilling omen brought by these words, colder than the sea breeze."In other words..."He spoke slowly, his voice deeper than usual, every word seeming to be laboriously extracted from deep thought,"The most rational, most correct path right now is to completely abandon the fire of [Diable Jambe] and pour all my effort and evolution into the thunder of the [Rumble-Rumble Fruit]?"It wasn't that he didn't understand.The technological fire of the bloodline factor and the rule-based thunder that could distort reality after awakening—The gap in "level" had been explained by Rayleighas clearly as if carved by a knife.Continuing to force a fusion would not only yield half the result with double the effort, but in the future, it might also trigger a war of laws within his body, no different from holding an uncontrollable bomb.The logic was as solid as a mountain, lying right before him.But...Sanji lowered his head, staring at his own legs. His toes seemed to still recall the sensation when flames were entwined—that scorching heat that stung, yet subtly resonated with a cook's burning heart.Diable Jambe was not just a means of attack; it was born on a frozen wasteland of despair, accompanied by vows to his companions, and inscribed with the trajectory of him breaking free from shackles and defining "strength" with his own will.In this fire burned his past, his struggle; it was a part of his soul as "Black Leg Sanji" rather than "Vinsmoke Sanji".Abandon it?A strong sense of unwillingness, like a bone stuck in his throat, dully burned his chest.That wasn't simple greed for power; it was more like a denial of a part of his own existence.Rayleigh took in the struggle and unwillingness in Sanji's eyes.He didn't urge him, just took another drink of wine, letting the silence ferment between them.A moment later, he nodded, seemingly both affirming and transcending affirmation, but then he shook his head slowly."What I just said," Rayleigh's voice returned to calm, but it contained a depth as vast as the sea,"Is the [common sense] verified by countless blood and tears on this sea, the [best method] that is universally acknowledged to have the least cost and the clearest prospects.""Follow it, and you can at least steadily step into the ranks of top powerhouses, in the name of pure [Thunder]."He changed the subject, and in those eyes that had seen through countless legends and downfalls, a scorching brilliance suddenly burst forth, like a meteor streaking across the night sky:"However, Sanji... the true monsters, those guys who eventually stand at the pinnacle of the tide and turn their own names into symbols of the era, the paths they walk have never been paved by 'common sense'.""They see a barrier and think about how to shatter it or transcend it; when they encounter two incompatible powers, they exhaust their wisdom, bet everything, and create a third, unprecedented possibility."Rayleigh's hand gripped forcefully in the air, as if to grasp that ethereal "possibility"."That path is full of thorns, a life-and-death gamble; you might never find an exit and end up completely backlashed and annihilated by the two conflicting powers."His gaze was like an anvil, forging the following words into Sanji's ears:"However, once you walk through it... what you possess will no longer be [Fire] or [Thunder], but the unprecedented—[Principles]—that belongs solely to you, 'Black Leg Sanji'."Sanji's pupils suddenly contracted.All the unwillingness, hesitation, and weighing were, in the face of these words, seemingly split open by a violent lightning bolt. What was revealed was not confusion, but an ignited, extremely sharp flame.What appeared before him was no longer a fork in the road of choosing one or the other, but an unexplored, dangerous, and magnificent chaotic wilderness."..."He took a deep breath of air mixed with the smell of the sea and scorching heat, his chest rising and falling slowly.A moment later, he faced Rayleigh, no longer in the posture of a junior asking a senior for advice,But more like a warrior, formally saluting a guide.He bowed slightly, his movements simple yet full of power.When he raised his head, in those eyes that always reflected the silhouettes of ladies or the flaws of enemies, the previous unwillingness and confusion had already settled.Replacing them was a clarity after settling, and a scorching determination like burning the boats behind him."I have learned much, old man."The voice was not loud, but clear and firm, like the clear ringing of a blade being hammered for the first time after quenching, spreading far across this ruined deserted island.He didn't say which path he chose.But the light burning in his eyes had already declared:Whether it was following common sense to climb to the pinnacle, or betting everything to open up the wilderness, he would walk to the end in the way of "Black Leg Sanji"."Ahem."A light cough, out of place with the atmosphere of this deserted island ascetic practice, came.The voice carried the usual coldness, but it was subtly mixed with an imperceptible speechlessness.Beside a charred tree trunk not far away, Trafalgar Law was leaning sideways.His spotted hat was covered in dust, and his originally handsome fur coat was damaged in many places, revealing half-wrapped bandages underneath that were still seeping blood.He held ointment in one hand, his movements slightly sluggish due to pulling at the wound, and there was no expression on his face.Only those slightly furrowed brows revealed the pain in his body and a certain speechlessness brought by the scene before him."Mr. Rayleigh,"He didn't even look up, continuing to struggle with the bandages, his tone flat,"How about you 'by the way' guide me too?"The air seemed to stagnate for a moment.Rayleigh turned his head, his gaze falling on Law's disheveled appearance, and the corner of his mouth twitched imperceptibly.He raised his wine gourd, took a big gulp, and then "ha'd" in a huff,That look was just like looking at a troublesome kid who had benefited and was still acting spoiled."You?"Rayleigh's tone was blunt,"As the 'Surgeon of Death', you have long since developed your ability to a dazzling level.""The use of ROOM, the trickery of tactics, and even combining ability with swordsmanship... the path under your feet is as clear as if measured with a ruler, and the direction is terrifyingly firm.""What else do you need me to guide?""Guide you on how to bandage yourself better?"These words were sharp, but they were also a very high recognition.Law heard it, his movements of applying medicine paused slightly, and the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch extremely quickly, not knowing if it was pain or some other emotion.On the other side, Sanji suddenly came back to his senses.He only then realized that he had been immersed in the Q&A with Rayleigh and his own inner agitation, completely forgetting this "seriously injured person" on the side.And Law's injuries... well, although bumps and bruises are inevitable in training, at least seventy or eighty percent of the "merit" must be counted on his own obsession with the pleasure of bullying the weak.A trace of imperceptible guilt, like a tiny electric arc, quietly flashed across Sanji's heart.He habitually straightened the collar of his suit, which was actually already damaged, and stepped toward Law."Hey, that..."Sanji's voice was a bit less frivolous than usual. He squatted down, his eyes sweeping over the shocking scars on Law's body."Although you are a doctor, wrapping bandages on yourself... it's quite awkward, right!!"He didn't wait for Law to respond, and naturally reached out to take the slightly clumsy bandage roll from Law's hand."Let me help you."Sanji said, his tone not exactly gentle, even carrying a bit of stiff awkwardness, but his movements were unexpectedly stable and precise.Law's body stiffened imperceptibly for a moment, seemingly unaccustomed to this sudden "friendliness".He looked up, glanced at Sanji with those pupils that always carried a sense of aloofness, said nothing, but didn't refuse, just silently handed over the ointment in his hand.On the deserted island, the wind was still blowing.On one side, Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King, watched the interaction between the two young men, shaking his head and continuing to drink;On the other side, the cook who had temporarily put aside the myths of the path of power focused on the bandaging before him, and the Surgeon of Death who endured the pain and was slightly awkward.A strange, slightly awkward but unexpectedly harmonious atmosphere quietly permeated.