Chapter 103: The Upwelling Current [Fourth Update]

[Every day, I observe my wife’s information through every possible channel. _(:з」∠)_]

One of the twenty great blades of the Great Blade Collection—the renowned sword, Thunder Cutter.

This was the matched blade of the famed general, Michiyuki Tachibana. Known as the incarnation of thunder, Michiyuki’s treasured sword was aptly named Thunder Cutter. Legend has it that Tachibana once slew the Thunder God himself with this blade, its inscription reading: Thunder Cutter!

Shu Mingyuan’s eyes brimmed with joy; he never expected this very sword to be in his possession. To him, even the most supreme blades paled in comparison to this Thunder Cutter! A famous sword imbued with the power of thunder, combined with his own lightning affinity—how could his combat ability not multiply manifold?

Grasping the hilt, he felt a tingling numbness course through his hand. Lightning affinity was his strongest attribute; for anyone else, this blade might have been utterly unusable.

The electric currents continuously flowing along the blade seemed to embody the sword’s very will. Those lacking strength would never earn Thunder Cutter’s acceptance, let alone wield it as an extension of their own arm.

At a thought, a wild surge of electricity burst forth from his palm, enveloping the blade. He immediately sensed chakra flowing without any obstruction. The lightning coiling around the sword brought a thrilling sensation, as if a fish were leaping freely into the sea.

Shu Mingyuan knew this was a rare phenomenon of perfect harmony. The user and the blade influenced each other, their wills intertwined. Even the slightest surge of sword energy would grant Thunder Cutter tremendous enhancement.

This blade truly felt like a weapon tailor-made for him!

Infused with his lightning chakra, Thunder Cutter emitted a delightful chime. It was clear the sword had long been veiled in dust amid the mortal world, but now, upon meeting its rightful master, it rejoiced openly.

Caressing the blade’s surface, Shu Mingyuan’s love for it shone in his eyes. With a single-handed grip, he executed a simple downward slash. A surge of sword energy crackling with electric light erupted, cleaving the cellar before him cleanly in two, slicing deep into the earth.

“Excellent blade!”

Booming sounds erupted from beyond the cellar. Startled, Shu Mingyuan suddenly recalled something. Slinging the Thunder Cutter on his back, he grabbed two artificial Devil Fruits and the guiding bird before hastily leaving the cellar.

Outside, thick black clouds swirled densely overhead. Thunder rumbled but there was no wind or rain. The clouds grew heavier, blotting out all sunlight as darkness descended.

Shu Mingyuan recognized this celestial anomaly—this was the Accumulated Emperor Cloud! Formed over countless millennia by the layering of cloud fossils, the legendary Sky Island rested atop this immense cloud mass.

By now, he knew the updraft was about to appear!

If he wished to reach Sky Island, he had to seize this chance; otherwise, he would have to wait another six days, uncertain if new complications would arise by then.

“Time to go all out.”

Resolute, Shu Mingyuan unfurled a scroll on the ground. Forming seals, a grand ink-and-wash bird emerged from the painting, lifting Shu Mingyuan skyward as it swiftly flew due south.

“Captain, the fierce battle just now came from here. Could it have been left by that little brat, the Ghost Hunter?”

“Ha ha ha… I’m very familiar with that brat’s aura. The air here is saturated with his unique energy. This time… we cannot let him escape again.”

Not long after Shu Mingyuan’s departure, Blackbeard and a few companions emerged from the forest to the site of the earlier violent clash. He gazed up at the cataclysmic Accumulated Emperor Cloud with a dark, brooding expression.

“Captain, I’ve spotted the Ghost Hunter. He’s riding a large bird, flying due south!”

“Could that brat’s true goal be beyond the clouds?” Blackbeard murmured, suddenly recalling the legend of Sky Island—a land floating high above the clouds, tens of thousands of meters in the sky.

“We’ll pursue! This time, no matter what, we’ll take him down!”

Guided by the compass bird, the ink-and-wash bird quickly closed in on the sea area where the updraft was likely to emerge.

Bang!

A bullet charged with overwhelming haki flew from over ten thousand meters away. This time, Shu Mingyuan sensed it. Holding Thunder Cutter, he swung his blade backhandedly, releasing a streak of sword energy that met the bullet head-on, cleaving it in two.

“That brat’s been discovered. Seems his strength has increased again,” Van Orca observed the tiny dark figure in the sky, then fired twice more in quick succession.

Shu Mingyuan activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan, while his Observation Haki’s coverage expanded to sixty meters. Though Van Orca’s gunfire far exceeded the speed of sound, making the sixty-meter distance negligible in time, at Shu Mingyuan’s level even the slightest fraction of a second could alter the battle’s tide.

While Observation Haki’s range was limited, under the penetrating gaze of his Sharingan, nothing escaped detection.

As he swung his arm, a fierce layer of lightning enveloped Thunder Cutter’s blade, like a beacon illuminating the darkness and revealing Blackbeard and his crew’s position. Yet Shu Mingyuan remained unfazed. At this range, only Van Orca’s sniper shots posed a threat; the others were insignificant.

Countless strands of electrified sword energy formed a formidable net before him. Every bullet from the rapid-fire attacks was shredded to pieces within this mesh of sword energy.

“Van Orca, can’t you handle him?” Blackbeard’s voice was low and grim.

Van Orca gave a bitter smile. “That brat’s senses are sharp, and the distance is just too great. Hitting him accurately is tough, and by the time the bullets reach him, their power is greatly diminished.”

Blackbeard nodded, narrowing his eyes. “In that case, we’ll let him go this time. We’ll follow him and see what he’s really after!”

The sea’s surface was calm, but through Shu Mingyuan’s Sharingan, he clearly saw turbulent currents beneath. Icy seawater flowed into an enormous underwater cavern. Due to geothermal heat, immense steam pressure built up, causing violent explosions underground.

A colossal deep-sea whirlpool formed, its rotations gulping vast amounts of seawater. Over time, this whirlpool expanded to a diameter of thousands of meters, each turn threatening to churn the entire sea region.

Gradually, tiny circular rings appeared on the surface, connecting to the massive whirlpool below. A gargantuan vortex formed above the waters, its fierce suction swallowing everything in the area—no matter how huge, even giant sea kings over a thousand meters in length were no exception.

Under this overwhelming force of nature, all creatures seemed infinitesimally small.

“It’s coming.”

Shu Mingyuan watched in awe. Without witnessing it firsthand, he could never imagine any power rivaled the whirlpool before him. No wonder the colossal updraft four centuries ago had blasted half of Gaia Island a full ten thousand meters into the sky—it was a terrifying force beyond comprehension.

Finally, moments later,

Under Shu Mingyuan’s gaze, a water column thousands of meters wide surged skyward from the sea floor!

PS: Dear readers, as promised, here comes the fourth update—no broken promises! And I’m almost dead from writing this. Aren’t you going to show some love with a tip?