Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

Shen Qing knew that Devil Fruits only needed to be eaten once; otherwise, given their indescribable strange taste, Shen Qing wasn't sure if he could eat a second bite.

After swallowing a Devil Fruit, Shen Qing instantly felt a gentle energy surge from his heart, flowing through his veins and meridians. In the next moment, he could vaguely sense that he had gained the ability to control the power of space.

There's nothing fancy about it; it feels like an innate instinct.

Shen Qing immediately tried to draw a circular doorway in the void in front of him by extending his right hand. However, when Shen Qing activated his spatial power, he clearly felt that the air in front of him had become very resistant, as if the void in front of him had turned into viscous glue, making it extremely difficult for him to draw. Shen Qing took a deep breath and forcefully activated his fruit ability. Soon, a circular air doorway appeared in front of Shen Qing. As long as he entered it, he could hide in the subspace attached to the main plane and escape from pursuit.

However, Shen Qing also clearly noticed that using the power to manipulate space consumed a great deal of his physical strength. He had just drawn a very simple air door, which had already used up one-third of his strength. Of course, this was also related to his weak strength.

Meanwhile, right after Shen Qing swallowed the Door-Door Fruit, in the world of One Piece, in that same mysterious sea, a deafening roar once again echoed from beneath the waves. The surface of the sea, spanning a hundred miles, churned and exploded like boiling water amidst the sonic boom. "Damn it! Who stole my power again? I won't let you get away with this! Wait until I get out..." The roar quickly faded into inaudibility under the mysterious runes sealing the seabed, and the surface returned to calm. However, after the explosion, all life in that area was wiped out, leaving the entire sea devoid of any vitality, appearing eerie and terrifying.

Just after the explosion subsided, on a nearby island, a figure with a grave expression took out a black Den Den Mushi and said in a deep voice, "There have been constant unusual movements in this mysterious place recently..."

The black Den Den Mushi remained silent on the other end, and hung up immediately after the intelligence report was completed.

On the other side, just after Shen Qing swallowed the Door-Door Fruit, a joyful mood once again emanated from the world of Snow. Stars twinkled in the sky, and the sun and moon shone brightly. All the experts above the Celestial Phenomenon Realm who could perceive the energy of heaven and earth noticed the changes in the world and sensed that the source of this anomaly was from the southeast.

Immediately after this strange phenomenon appeared, Xie Guanying, who was observing the unusual activity in the city from his room at the inn, suddenly changed his expression. He hurriedly looked at the white bowl in his left hand and saw that the dragon of fortune that had been sleeping in the white bowl was now frantically swimming around in the bowl as if it had been stimulated, and it seemed to be trying to break free of the white bowl.

"This... could this be the place that sir was looking for?" Xie Guanying looked at the strange phenomenon appearing in the white bowl. His original intention to remain on the sidelines vanished instantly, and he immediately rushed in the direction indicated by the dragon of fortune within the white bowl. Before he had the absolute strength to break free from the chessboard of heaven and earth, he still needed that sir as his backer, so he could not delay the task assigned by that master.

When Lucci saw that Shen Qing had eaten the Door-Door Fruit, he was furious. The next second, he broke free from the old sword god's obstruction and rushed towards Shen Qing's location.

Shen Qing was initially hesitant about entering the unknown subspace, but seeing Lucci's rapidly approaching figure, he gritted his teeth and immediately slipped into the subspace. As Shen Qing entered, the air portal in the void immediately closed and disappeared, and Shen Qing's figure vanished from the scene. Lucci could only roar angrily at the spot where Shen Qing had disappeared. As Bruno's former captain, Lucci knew the characteristics of the Door-Door Fruit. Once inside the subspace, unless one possessed an ability similar to the Tremor-Tremor Fruit that could break through the void, they could only wait for the subspace inhabitants to reveal themselves, leaving them helpless. This was the characteristic of the Door-Door Fruit as a fruit with excellent life-saving properties.

Shen Qing felt a strange sensation while in the subspace. It was as if there was a thin membrane separating the subspace from the prime plane. However, Shen Qing, who was in the subspace, could clearly see the location of the people in the prime plane. Conversely, the people in the prime plane could not see anything in the subspace.

The subspace is an interlayered space that exists in relation to the main space. When Shen Qing is in the subspace, there is no air in the surrounding space, so he cannot breathe freely. He can only survive in the subspace until his oxygen runs out. Once the oxygen is used up, he must leave the subspace, otherwise he will die from lack of oxygen.

Upon realizing the characteristics of the subspace, Shen Qing immediately began running within it. After leaving his previous location, Shen Qing felt his breathing become rapid. He then opened the spatial portal again and emerged from the subspace. He reappeared in a location more than seventy meters away from his original spot.

Inside the prefectural governor's mansion, Zhao Kai was resting, but the loud noise from the city immediately woke him up.

Zhao Kai then ordered the golden-armored man to stand beside him, dressed himself, and went out. The courtyard where he was was already full of guards, and Han Shengxuan was personally standing guard at the gate.

"Master, what happened in the city?" Zhao Kai asked Han Shengxuan as soon as he stepped out of the room.

"Your Highness, this old servant does not know at the moment. I only vaguely sense that there are top experts fighting in the city. This old servant has already sent people to inquire about the situation," Han Shengxuan said, bowing.

Just then, the guard who had been sent out to scout the situation returned, looking utterly terrified, shouting as he ran, "There's a monster! There's a monster in the city..."

Zhao Kai frowned as he looked at the guard spouting nonsense, and immediately said sternly, "Shut up, stop spreading rumors and misleading the public."

Faced with Zhao Kai's furious shout, the guard immediately snapped out of his shock and, upon seeing Zhao Kai, hurriedly knelt down, pleading, "Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me..."

"Tell me, what exactly happened in the city?" Zhao Kai asked hurriedly.

"Your Highness, I just encountered a group of terrified soldiers on the street. They said a leopard demon had appeared in the city. I didn't believe it at first, but..." The guard's face showed horror again as he spoke.

"But what?" Zhao Kai asked eagerly.

"But I actually saw the leopard demon appear in the city, and it seemed to be fighting a fierce battle with the old sword god..."

"A leopard spirit? A monster?" Zhao Kai's face showed even more doubt upon hearing this. However, seeing that the guard didn't seem to be lying, he couldn't figure out the truth for the time being. Immediately, Zhao Kai turned to Han Shengxuan and asked, "Master, what do you think of this matter?"

"This old servant has only heard legends of monsters in strange and unusual books, and has never seen a monster with his own eyes. However, since the monster is fighting with Li Chungang, then all of this must be related to Young Master Shen. Therefore, if we want to know the answer, we must ask Young Master Shen." Han Shengxuan pondered for a moment after hearing this and gave his answer.

“Master is right, all of this must be related to Brother Shen.” Zhao Kai looked enlightened upon hearing this, and then immediately said to Han Sheng, “Master, although we don’t know what the monster is all about, anyone who can fight against the old master must be no ordinary person. Please go and see how Brother Shen is doing right away.”

"Your Highness, the city is in chaos right now. If this old servant leaves, what will happen to Your Highness here?" Han Shengxuan hesitated upon hearing this. There were many people with ulterior motives hiding in Kuaiji City, and he dared not leave rashly, lest something happen to Zhao Kai.

“Master, with the Golden Armor General Fu Jiang here, ordinary people can’t hurt me at all. Brother Shen is my friend and a key figure in my Yue Wang Mansion. I hope you can lend a hand,” Zhao Kai said.

Faced with Zhao Kai's repeated request, Han Shengxuan did not hesitate any longer. He then flashed away, spreading his sleeves and flying away like a hawk.