**Whitebeard Pirates:**
After returning to the ship, Whitebeard's injuries were treated by Marco and many of the doctors. After a day of treatment, his condition improved significantly.
"Old man, are you alright?"
Seeing Whitebeard wrapped in bandages, the members of his crew expressed their concern, with a hint of disappointment in their eyes. After all, the invincible "Old Man" they revered had been defeated by Li Yuan, shattering the belief they had in his invincibility.
"Gu-lalalala, kids, I'm fine. I was just beaten, not dead!"
Whitebeard laughed heartily, shrugging off the situation as if it were nothing. His old, fatherly warmth seemed to return.
"Old man, you've always protected us. Once I get stronger, I'll protect you in the future!"
"This time, Li Yuan beat you, but I'll avenge you. I'll defeat Li Yuan myself!"
Lama Arellano said firmly.
"That's right! In the future, we will protect you, Old Man!"
Marco and the others spoke with resolve.
"Gu-lalalala, I'm not old yet. I don't need protection. But right now, you guys are still too weak to protect me!"
Whitebeard's heart warmed as he listened to the words of his children. What he had always wanted in life was a family. Now, he was protecting his family, never once thinking that he might need anyone to protect him.
Hearing his children vow to protect him, Whitebeard felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
"Who would've thought that even with the awakened Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Old Man Whitebeard was defeated by Li Yuan? Does that mean the Devil Fruit I've been after... will it really allow me to stand at the top of the world?"
In a corner of the Whitebeard Pirates' ship, Marshall D. Teach was silently questioning his decision. He had been biding his time in the Whitebeard Pirates, waiting for the Devil Fruit of his dreams. But after witnessing the devastating power of Li Yuan, he began to doubt whether it had been the right choice.
Even Whitebeard's awakened Tremor-Tremor Fruit couldn't defeat Li Yuan. What would happen if he obtained the Devil Fruit he sought? Could he rise to the level of Rocks and become the strongest, unifying the New World and conquering the seas?
Seeing Li Yuan's world-shattering power, Teach was conflicted. After all, Li Yuan was not a Devil Fruit user. Even with the Dark-Dark Fruit, Teach knew he could never suppress Li Yuan's might.
"Never mind. The Dark-Dark Fruit is far off anyway. Even if I don't get it, it's no big deal. Staying with the Whitebeard Pirates and living as an ordinary pirate isn't bad either."
Teach thought to himself, feeling increasingly frustrated. Finally, he decided to abandon his worries. The Whitebeard Pirates were vast, and one useless pirate like him wouldn't matter. With Whitebeard's strength, as long as they didn't provoke Li Yuan, they could easily rule over the New World. There was no need for him to worry about personal safety.
---
After the battle between Li Yuan and Whitebeard concluded, Li Yuan resumed his normal training routine, and the Infinite Pirates entered a period of steady development.
However, the world did not become peaceful just because the Infinite Pirates were stabilizing. In fact, the world began to descend into chaos.
Countless pirates rose from all corners of the world, ambitious individuals stepped forward, the Navy appeared weak, and the World Government struggled to maintain control over the seas, all contributing to the increasing instability.
Pirates, driven by dreams of reaching the New World, were crushed by the powerful pirate crews already occupying the area. But rather than backing down, these new pirates became more desperate and determined to take the place of the established sea kings.
Even the islands of the Infinite Pirates were frequently attacked by these ignorant new pirates, as their wealth and proximity made them prime targets.
However, the vast majority of these new pirates were swiftly defeated by the Infinite Pirates. Especially with Esdeath's relentless killing spree—over the past two years, she had eliminated nearly one hundred thousand pirates!
---
Time passed to the year 1500 of the Sea Garden Calendar:
After finishing a day of intense training, Li Yuan lounged by the pool, soaking in the sun. Not far from him, many fish-women were splashing around in the water, having fun.
The fish-women often sent him special benefits, such as flirtatious winks, flying kisses, and occasional displays.
However, due to the powerful aura of Lazili, who stood by his side, the fish-women dared not approach Li Yuan and kept their distance.
"Husband, which is better, a flower from home or a wildflower?"
Lazili gently asked as she massaged Li Yuan's back.
"Of course, the flower from home is better. How can wildflowers compare to the fragrance of a home-grown flower? You should trust your husband's judgment."
Li Yuan naturally answered this seemingly dangerous question with ease.
"Is that so? Then why does my husband always like to look at wildflowers?"
Lazili asked with a teasing tone, increasing the pressure in her massage.
She didn't understand—why was it that despite having the four most beautiful flowers in the world at home, Li Yuan still couldn't resist looking at wildflowers? If it weren't for her and the others taking turns guarding him, she was sure Li Yuan would have picked all the wildflowers by now!
"Cough, cough!!!"
Li Yuan was momentarily speechless. He couldn't possibly say it was just a man's nature.
Or could he say, "You can't help but want what's in front of you?"
Or perhaps, "Wildflowers have a taste that home flowers can't offer, making him want to try them"?
"Well, well, I've found that Devil Fruit you asked me to look for!"
Luckily, at that moment, Shaqi came over.
"What Devil Fruit?" Li Yuan asked curiously, since he had asked her to find many Devil Fruits in the past, such as the Momo Momo Fruit, the Gold-Gold Fruit, the Lucky Fruit, the Blood-Blood Fruit, and the Coal-Coal Fruit.
In the past two years, the number of powerful Devil Fruits appearing in the sea had greatly increased. Whether it was the Devil Fruits purchased by Yadina or those Shaqi collected secretly, there had been more and more Devil Fruits appearing in the world.
Li Yuan speculated that this was likely due to the explosion that destroyed the Holy Land of Mariejois. The Devil Fruits were shattered in the blast, then reborn in the seas, resulting in the increase of Devil Fruits in recent years.
"It's a special Paramecia-type Blood-Blood Fruit. According to my research, although it's a Paramecia-type, it has an elemental ability similar to Logia, allowing the user to turn into blood, making them immune to physical attacks."
Shaqi handed Li Yuan a blood-colored Devil Fruit.
"The Blood-Blood Fruit? This is perfect! My Seven Star Sword has been waiting for this!"
Upon hearing Shaqi's words, Li Yuan immediately stood up excitedly.
The Blood-Blood Fruit was the Devil Fruit he had longed for. It was the perfect match for his Seven Star Sword and his abilities. He had been planning to feed it to his sword.
"Let's go to Caesar's lab."
With the Blood-Blood Fruit in hand, Li Yuan was eager to let his Seven Star Sword eat it.
"Hehe, Captain, Ladies, welcome to Caesar's lab!"
Upon arriving at Caesar's lab, Li Yuan, Shaqi, and Lazili found Caesar, who had just returned from his vacation. Noticing Caesar's pale face and slimmed-down figure, but also the satisfied smile on his face, Li Yuan immediately realized that Caesar had indulged himself during his break!
"Feed this Devil Fruit to my Seven Star Sword!"
Li Yuan handed the Seven Star Sword and the Blood-Blood Fruit to Caesar.
"To think the Captain's Seven Star Sword is eating a Devil Fruit! It would be my honor to help!"
Caesar, as always, flattered Li Yuan while taking the sword and Devil Fruit. It seemed that Caesar's flattery skills were getting better, to the point where Li Yuan felt he was making sense.
"Captain, it's done! The Seven Star Sword has eaten the Devil Fruit!"
A little while later, Caesar returned the sword to Li Yuan.
"Not bad, not bad!"
Li Yuan took the Seven Star Sword and immediately sensed the tremendous blood power contained within it. This blood power was similar to his own ability to control blood as a vampire, and it could merge with his own blood power.
Suppressing the urge to test the sword's power right away, Li Yuan focused his will, and the Seven Star Sword transformed into a pool of blood, merging into his body.
This was different from the previous situation where the Seven Star Sword simply attached itself to him; now, it became a part of his body. Even if the Seven Star Sword were destroyed, as long as Li Yuan's blood remained, it would regenerate.
Moreover, with the Blood-Blood Fruit's power, the sword would continually enhance Li Yuan's blood, indirectly strengthening his physical body.
"Caesar, tell me about your recent experimental results!"
Li Yuan looked at Caesar and said.
*(End of Chapter)*