Chapter 137: Battle of the Strongest Defense
Five days later at noon, Luo Han and Cole intentionally timed their arrival at Hachinosu to coincide with Whitebeard's.
"Here you go."
Thunk thunk! Luo Han and Cole landed on Whitebeard's ship, and Luo Han casually tossed him the Eternal Pose to his homeland.
Whitebeard caught it mid-air and, instead of asking whether Marco had been delivered safely, glanced toward the direction they'd flown in and asked curiously, "You just got here?"
"We were waiting for you on purpose! Getting here early without knowing anyone is super awkward," Luo Han replied, shrugging casually.
"Well, true. Aside from me and Shao, you two brothers don't exactly get along with anyone," Whitebeard laughed, then suddenly asked, "Shao came back to Hachinosu early?"
"Nope. Sister Shao and Tucker's group stayed behind on Battleship Island. You know how any moment now things could explode into battle. That's why only Cole and I came." Luo Han answered, carefully omitting that Sister Shao had already left the Rocks Pirates. With the current tension, there was no need to stir up more drama.
He scratched his head with an awkward smile. Now that he thought about it, whether it was Golden Lion, Big Mom, Ochoku (Wang Zhi), or Kyo (Silver Axe) —none of them got along with him. But it didn't really matter anymore. Everything now came down to strength—and Luo Han had plenty of that.
Whitebeard didn't seem to care either. He sighed, "Yeah. The kind of battle that's coming up… not just anyone can handle it. Leaving them behind was the right call."
That was precisely why he had been so anxious to ask Luo Han to deliver Marco back home. Once things kicked off, there'd be no room to spare.
As they chatted, their ship arrived at the port.
"Wait… is that Whitebeard? And Lord Blue Demon and Lord Beastman Cole?!"
"They're all on the same ship?!"
Because Luo Han and Cole had flown in alone, no one noticed them at first. It wasn't until Whitebeard's ship docked that people realized, causing a wave of surprise.
Step, step… After docking, the crew disembarked. Whitebeard and Luo Han walked side by side at the front, with Cole following closely behind.
"That's the one who spent half a year fending off Roger and Garp—Lord Blue Demon himself!"
"So terrifying!"
"Last year he stunned the New World. This year, he's already standing toe-to-toe with legends like Whitebeard and Golden Lion!"
Luo Han twitched at the corner of his mouth. No matter where he went, there were always a few minions loudly narrating his achievements, as if trying to remind everyone how impressive he was.
He shook his head. All he wanted now was to find a quiet spot, sip some juice, and snack on pastries.
But as soon as he stepped out of the port, two figures ambushed him.
Boom boom! Two impacts hit five meters in front of Luo Han, bouncing off his psychic barrier and landing with a thud—two human-shaped attackers, blood pooling around them.
"See? Told you, trouble always finds you," Whitebeard chuckled, motioning toward the island's interior.
"Han-ge!"
Cole stepped forward, alert.
"It's fine, Cole. Don't you trust my strength?"
Luo Han waved him off casually. Then he looked toward a figure rushing toward them from inside the island—a slender woman, eyes glinting with hostility.
BOOM! A towering figure landed ten meters in front of Luo Han, roaring with fury.
"Luo Han, brat!!! These two trash told me you've surpassed me? Then explain it to me yourself—how exactly have you surpassed me, huh?!"
Charlotte Linlin slammed down, her eyes narrow, voice sharp with anger. Her presence alone was so overwhelming that several weaker-willed pirates fainted instantly.
"No need to talk. A fight will answer that."
Luo Han activated his psychic armor, flew forward, and without another word, slammed a punch at her.
"Brat!"
Big Mom was furious that he dared strike first. Instantly, she coated her fist with Armament Haki and struck back.
Clang! Silence fell for a split second before a sonic boom exploded out like two supersonic missiles colliding. The resulting shockwave blew away the surrounding crowd.
BOOM! At the same time, the ground between them caved into a fifty-meter crater from the compressed wind pressure, cracks spreading in all directions.
Whitebeard, Cole, and the others quickly retreated from the impact zone.
"Brat!" Big Mom roared, pouring more force into her punch, trying to blast Luo Han away.
Crack crack! Her fist clashed against Luo Han's armored one, each resisting the other.
"Heh." Luo Han sneered. No matter how hard this madwoman tried, she couldn't move him an inch.
BOOM! Frustrated, Big Mom released her Conqueror's Haki. Waves of overwhelming pressure radiated outward, knocking out those unable to withstand it.
"It's only been a year, and he's really reached our level."
Gales of force swept across Whitebeard's face. Looking at Luo Han's unmoving figure, he felt a deep sense of awe.
THUD! After the deadlock, both Luo Han and Big Mom leapt ten meters apart.
"Zeus! Napoleon! Prometheus!" she shouted, summoning her homies and instantly transforming. Her hair burst into flame, her body crackled with lightning, and she gripped her emperor's sword.
"Luo Han, brat—DIE! Ikoku Sovereignty!"
Big Mom raised her sword and roared, slashing down toward Luo Han.
"Heh… Elbaf's spear technique? I can do that too."
Luo Han smirked, mimicking the giant's spear-fist technique and struck the incoming blade head-on.
CLANG! The resulting shockwave was even stronger than before, blasting across the entire island. With a thunderous BOOM, the ground caved in another hundred meters deep.
Big Mom swung with all her might to regain footing. CLANG! She and Luo Han disengaged. Zeus returned to cloud form beneath her feet, lifting her into the air to face him.
"You… You can also use… Elbaf's spear?!"
She trembled, visibly afraid.
Luo Han blinked, then frowned slightly as he sensed her emotional state. He relaxed and gave her a playful smirk.
"What a surprise. So the Soul-Soul Fruit can be used like that. What an interesting Devil Fruit you have… wouldn't you agree?"
"Huh?" Big Mom froze. Her gaze toward Luo Han now held an irrepressible fear.
She stared at him for a long moment, then abruptly turned and flew back into the island.
The sudden fight had ended just as quickly as it began.
After rejoining Whitebeard, Luo Han and the others headed toward a tavern, while the pirates who had witnessed the fight looked on in awe—completely convinced of Luo Han's strength.
"See? That's Lord Blue Demon of the Rocks Pirates!"
Little did they know, the Rocks Pirates were about to fade into history's dust.
(END CHAPTER)
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