Chapter 129: Infinite Defense
In the dim sky above, clouds churned as thunder and lightning clashed, and wild winds howled.
This marked the fourth day of the battle between Luo Han, Roger, and Garp.
Out at sea, a navy warship rocked unsteadily as it made its way toward Battleship Island.
"This weather? If I remember correctly, it shouldn't be like this near that island."
Staring at the sky, Sengoku furrowed his brow. Especially unsettling were the deep, rumbling booms coming from the distance—those definitely weren't from thunder.
"Speed up!"
Sengoku gave the order once more, urging the ship forward. He was beginning to worry about Garp. While he knew Garp was strong, Luo Han's strange Devil Fruit powers and unnatural rate of power growth made him uneasy.
As they drew closer to the island, the weather worsened. The booming sounds became clearer. Though it hadn't begun raining, the waves and wind hammering the front of the ship grew increasingly fierce.
The sails had already been taken down, and the ship was now relying on turbine paddles for propulsion, but even so, the warship struggled to advance.
"Vice Admiral Sengoku, a warship has been spotted ahead…! Huh? It's Vice Admiral Garp's vessel."
A soldier shouted from the upper deck, peering through a telescope and quickly reporting his discovery to Sengoku.
"Pull up to it. Let's check on the crew."
Sengoku's expression tensed as he gave the order in a low voice. He sighed in relief—if the ship was still intact, Garp was likely fine.
"Vice Admiral Sengoku, there are lots of people on the ship, but no sign of Vice Admiral Garp," the soldier reported quickly.
"Understood," Sengoku replied.
The two ships slowly drew closer, and soon Sengoku's vessel came alongside Garp's.
Thud! Sengoku stepped aboard Garp's ship. The navy soldiers stationed there immediately stood at attention and saluted.
"Vice Admiral Sengoku!"
He waved his hand to dismiss the formality and asked urgently, "Is Garp fighting the Blue Demon kid alone?"
"Yes…! No!"
"Well, which is it?!"
"Yes—but Roger's there too."
Hmm? Sengoku frowned. What was Roger doing here? Could he also be after Luo Han?
"A three-way battle?" Sengoku asked, clearly intrigued by the idea of the three fighting.
…
After the question, Sengoku frowned again, noticing that the sailors had all gone silent.
Uhh… The navy crew looked awkward. Finally, a rear admiral stepped forward to explain, "Uh, Vice Admiral Sengoku, right after the fight began four days ago, Vice Admiral Garp told us to withdraw. We saw him and Roger jointly defending against that terrifying golden light beam attack from the Blue Demon…"
"What?! You're saying Garp and Roger teamed up to defend against the Blue Demon kid's attack?!"
Before the officer could finish, Sengoku shouted in disbelief, his face showing clear skepticism. Garp and Roger—their combined strength—forced onto the defensive by Luo Han? That was hard to swallow.
Everyone on board trembled. Sengoku's fury was nothing to take lightly.
The rear admiral looked helpless. He was just reporting what they had seen. Fearfully, he continued, "The golden beam's shockwaves were so wide-ranging that we were forced out of the combat zone. Then the rising wind and waves pushed our ship farther and farther away, until we ended up here."
Sengoku looked at the group silently. So basically, you've all been sitting here for four days watching a play… No, not even watching—just listening.
"Fine. You all stay here. I'll go check for myself."
"Yes, Vice Admiral Sengoku!"
Hmph, now they respond quickly… Sengoku shook his head and took to the air—thump thump—leaping toward the battlefield using Moonwalk.
…
Luo Han hovered in the sky, still wrapped in his psychic armor. But the form had returned to normal—no more flashy extra hands or tails. They weren't effective against Garp and Roger anymore, so he decided it was better to rely on his own hands and feet, sparing the effort needed to control the extras.
"Luo Han, why've you stopped? Out of strength already? Hahaha!"
Roger floated 200 meters to Luo Han's right, using Moonwalk. Though his words were taunting, his heavy breathing betrayed his condition.
Luo Han looked at him speechlessly. Thanks to his psychic powers, he could float without consuming stamina. Garp and Roger, on the other hand, had been using Moonwalk for four straight days—at least 25% more exhausting than normal combat.
"Hey, why don't we call it a day? You guys are already breathing pretty hard."
Luo Han cautiously suggested a truce.
But no sooner had he spoken than Garp and Roger perked up and turned to him at the same time. The three of them still held a triangular formation in the air.
"Luo Han, are you saying I've lost?" Garp asked, his tone furious.
Roger said nothing, but the look on his face was identical.
"I mean, isn't it obvious? With your stamina, it's only a matter of time before I win."
Luo Han shrugged, speaking as if it were the most natural conclusion in the world. Garp and Roger both bulged with veins in frustration.
"How could we possibly lose to a kid under twenty? And in terms of stamina?!" the two thought simultaneously. Then, as one, they charged Luo Han again.
"Sigh. Seriously? You want to keep fighting? Fine—then I'll let you go all out."
Luo Han switched his psychic armor into a defensive spherical shield mode. A transparent ten-meter-wide energy dome enveloped his body.
As Garp and Roger rushed in, Luo Han stayed perfectly still in the air.
"Haha! This is that indestructible move Kong mentioned, the one he couldn't break after ten days? Watch me shatter it!"
Garp, seeing the shield, recalled Kong's words. He clenched his fist with confidence and struck it with full force.
At the same time, Roger slashed at the shield with his sword.
Clang clang!
"Hmm? What the…"
Garp and Roger froze for a moment, then backed off and stared at Luo Han's psychic barrier in confusion.
The sound of their attacks had been normal—just like their previous clashes. But all the usual effects—red lightning, massive shockwaves, the air being ripped apart—were gone. It was as if the barrier had absorbed everything.
"Go on, keep at it. Aren't you the types who get stronger mid-battle? I'll just stand here and watch how overpowered your protagonist buffs really are."
Luo Han remained calm. Against enemies who leveled up mid-fight, the only solution was a defense that nothing could break through.
Fortunately, his psychic barrier could now do exactly that. He had been searching for a way to merge external force into his psychic energy—and after four days of testing, he'd finally done it. Rather than "finding" a fusion point, it was more accurate to say he had tuned his mental frequency to match the physical impact of attacks, giving the effect of absorbing any shock force.
With this, the stronger the incoming attack, the more power was fused—and the more resilient the shield became. As long as the damage didn't surpass the shield's breaking point in one blow, it could theoretically defend against anything.
Thus, his Infinite Defense Mode was complete! Luo Han's combat system was now fully formed—with specialized techniques for speed, power, and defense.
Next, it was time to think about awakening his Mind-Mind Fruit. Luo Han made a silent note of his next goal.
(END CHAPTER)
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