MTLNOVEL Chapter 34: Chapter 34
"I'm guessing you want me to fight this 'god' guy, and once we're both weakened, you'll step in to finish us off, right?" Kong said casually, his tone light but his words sharp.
The group stiffened, their eyes widening in shock. That was exactly their plan.
When they had sensed an outsider with an aura unlike anything they had ever encountered—one who might even rival their so-called god—they saw an opportunity. Let the two fight, let them weaken each other, and then swoop in to claim victory.
But now, standing before them, Kong had seen right through them.
"I'll ignore it," Kong said calmly. "I get it—growing up in a world like this, you're bound to be violent… but you're putting your people at risk if someone less forgiving took offense to your actions."
The man gritted his teeth, struggling with his pride, but after a tense moment, he finally stepped back, no longer wanting to attack.
"Alright then," Kong said with a smile . "Teach me this Mantra thing, and let's go kick this so-called god's ass."
Though they still didn't fully trust him, the group ultimately led Kong to a nearby sky island, where they began teaching him everything he wanted to know.
"Does the Blue Sea not have Mantra?" Aisa, the little girl Kong had come to know, asked curiously.
"They do, I just haven't come across a teacher or anything like that," Kong replied with a shrug. "So, this Mantra thing is basically a sixth sense that lets you perceive things around you? That's impressive. You were born with it while everyone else has to train to get it."
His eyes brightened with excitement. "Want to join my crew?"
Aisa immediately shook her head, and the others around her tensed, their gazes sharpening as they glared at Kong.
Kong let out a sigh before focusing on unlocking Mantra. According to Aisa, he needed to tune into the presence of those around him, sharpening his awareness beyond what his eyes could see.
Luckily, his past experiences had already laid the groundwork. From clashing with the Marines to dismantling the Bellamy Pirates and even the instinctive training he had been doing on his own, Kong had unknowingly been developing this sixth sense. Now, with Aisa guiding him, it didn't take long for him to grasp its essence, feeling the subtle shifts in the world around him in a way he never had before.
"You said people would appear in my head as some kind of color, right?" Kong asked, still adjusting to the strange new sense. Aisa nodded lightly in confirmation.
"Weird… I can see everything even better than with my own eyes. But past an inch from my body, things start to lose their detail and take on more of an aura-like form," Kong muttered, tilting his head as he tried to make sense of it. "I can sense up to about two kilometers with pretty good accuracy. Is that good?"
He wasn't sure if his 100x cheat had kicked in for this ability, so he looked to Aisa for confirmation.
"…Y-yes." Aisa's heart skipped a beat at Kong's words. She had always been special—born with Mantra, able to sense all of Skypiea. It was something no one else could do, a rare gift. And yet, Kong had just learned it and was already doing things she couldn't.
Even more shocking was his range—two kilometers. That was unheard of. Most people barely sensed what was right in front of them, slowly refining their abilities over time. But Kong? He had surpassed the basics in mere minutes.
Aisa wasn't the only one stunned. The others who had been watching in silence were now staring at Kong as if he were something beyond comprehension. In less than ten minutes, he had proven himself a monster.
"Alright, I think I can train on my own from here… so tell me about this god guy. He sounds pretty arrogant," Kong said with a smirk.
"Don't underestimate him," Wyper warned, his tone serious. "He is all-knowing—"
"What's wrong, Aisa?" Wyper's sentence was cut short as he noticed Aisa suddenly tense, her expression shifting.
"They went quiet… one of the priests," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.
Instantly, everyone shot to their feet, their eyes wide with shock.
"Priest? I'm guessing this has to do with the god guy, keeping up with the whole theme," Kong said, his tone casual.
Wyper gave a sharp nod before turning to his people, his voice firm. "It's one of his elites. If one of them has fallen silent, it means we have an opening. We have to strike now and bring him down before he realizes what's happening."
His gaze then shifted back to Kong, eyes narrowed with a mixture of caution and expectation. "Will you be joining us?"
"You've wised up," Kong said with a smirk, rolling his eyes. "I have no interest in getting stabbed in the back, so I'll handle this god guy when I see him."
He lazily but suddenly paused as something crossed his mind.
"Oh, one more thing," he added, his tone casual yet firm. "If you run into any blue sea people, don't touch them. Considering the chaos going on, they're probably the ones behind it, which means they're on your side. So it'd be smart not to make enemies where you don't need to… or else."
A subtle wave of Conqueror's Haki pulsed from him, the sheer pressure forcing Wyper to take a step back.
"Point me toward this so-called god, and I'll start heading there," Kong said casually. Without hesitation, the group all pointed toward the distant vines twisting into the sky. Kong nodded, cracking his neck before leaping in that direction, his Mantra sharpening as he pushed it to its limits.
This was an opportunity—traveling through unknown terrain while honing his senses at the same time. Yet, despite his efforts… somehow, he still ended up lost.