Chapter 141: One Man vs. Seven Admirals
The sheer force of the punch distorted the face of the slick-haired Navy Admiral, whose skin steamed red-hot as he gritted his teeth in pain. The difference in Haki levels was clear. Though agonizing, he managed to block Rocks' attack.
Feeling the resistance in his fist, Rocks narrowed his eyes, furious. "This bastard actually blocked my attack? Unforgivable!"
He twisted his arm with added force. Boom! The Admiral was sent flying over a hundred meters, carving a deep trench in the earth as he skidded.
"Rocks! You're not going any farther! Stay right where you are!"
Two more Admirals rushed to intercept him. One of them shimmered with a metallic glint, transforming into a full-body diamond form. With his fist infused with powerful Armament Haki, he launched a direct blow at Rocks.
Rocks, still trying to push forward, had no choice but to meet the strike. This time, he unleashed his full power without mercy.
CLANG! BOOM! Space around them rippled violently. The Diamond Admiral was immediately blasted back over a hundred meters.
TING! In that brief moment, the Quick-Slash Admiral took his chance to slash at Rocks' barrier Haki. The blade clashed with a sharp metallic ring and a burst of sparks—yet did nothing.
Realizing it was useless, the Quick-Slash Admiral withdrew his arms and raised them defensively. BOOM! Rocks spun and punched him dead center.
WHAM! A sonic boom rang out. The ground surged and rolled beneath them as a white shockwave erupted outward. The Admiral was launched like a cannonball.
The CP0 Commander, watching carefully, sent a wave of energy to catch him and slow his crash. He stopped a hundred meters away.
"You alright?!" the Commander called out urgently.
Huff… The Quick-Slash Admiral raised a trembling hand to wipe blood from his mouth—but it had already vaporized into ash. He chuckled hoarsely, "If a Navy Admiral burning his life can't block this… we may as well commit suicide now. Haha!"
Only then did the CP0 Commander breathe a sigh of relief. If we can hold him here, we might just have a chance… as long as the others don't interfere.
He glanced nervously toward Luo Han and the others.
"But we can't get careless. This 'burning life' state can last at most six hours. If the fight escalates, maybe only one," added another Admiral with slicked-back hair.
The CP0 Commander nodded. "Four hours—that's all we need. At the Navy's current speed, they'll be here by then. Our goal is just to contain Rocks.
Looks like Blue Demon, Whitebeard, and the others have no intention of helping him. You all focus on offense—I'll handle blocking the rest of the original Rocks crew."
"Understood!"
But before they could act further, Rocks and his eleven crewmates surged forward.
Rocks had no intention of dragging things out—he wanted to get to the palace as fast as possible. That's where his goal lay.
"You bastards! Still just standing there watching?! You planning to let me die while you sit back and enjoy the show?!" Rocks roared, furious.
John just shrugged. "Captain Rocks, this is your battle. We wouldn't dare get involved."
Golden Lion and the others only smiled faintly, pretending not to hear. But the hunger in their eyes could no longer be concealed. They'd been suppressing it for too long—now, the fire of greed flared uncontrollably.
"Thank you for everything over the years, Captain Rocks! I'll gladly take that treasure off your hands!" John laughed and whoosh! bolted toward the palace.
The others smirked and, almost in unison, followed him at high speed. Only Kaido remained in place, continuing to observe. He had no intention of joining.
"Let's go too, Cole. Brother Newgate!"
Luo Han waved them along, eyeing Kaido with intrigue. He didn't go with Big Mom? Interesting.
The three followed behind Golden Lion's group, racing toward the palace—though they kept some distance behind.
Luo Han's eyes glimmered with curiosity. Why does Rocks want this island so badly? What's the real secret of the Valley of the Gods?
Whoosh whoosh! Seeing the others finally leave for the interior, the CP0 Commander sighed in relief.
"They're gone… finally."
In the end, pirates are pirates. Though he had been engaged with the original Rocks crew, the CP0 Commander had constantly monitored Golden Lion's group—fearing they'd join the fight. But luckily, he'd gambled right.
That insight into the makeup of the Rocks Pirates was the only reason he dared to split their forces to confront Rocks directly. Had Blue Demon or Whitebeard attacked, they wouldn't have stood a chance. Now, all that mattered was containing Rocks.
The CP0 Commander looked again at the man still engaged with the three former Admirals—at least we've got him here.
BOOM! The clash continued violently.
From his side, Rocks could see the movements of Golden Lion's group. He gritted his teeth. Damn bastards! I knew they couldn't be trusted!
He'd hoped they would help hold off the government's forces—but they'd clearly been waiting for their own moment. Even during the initial sword wave ambush, they hadn't lifted a finger.
Rocks turned to his crew. "Ecks! Koda! All of you—go stop those traitorous bastards! Forget the World Government—they're only here for me!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Ecks, Koda, and the others exchanged glances, then withdrew from the fight. They moved to flank both sides of the battlefield, heading after Golden Lion's group.
The CP0 Commander's eyes lit up. "Now's our chance!" he yelled. Everyone rushed to block every direction Rocks could move in.
The strategy had succeeded. Now it was up to the CP0 Commander's subordinate to hold the palace with his Devil Fruit ability.
"Rocks!" Ecks and the others hesitated, worried for their captain.
"GO! Don't let them take anything from the palace—not a single piece!" Rocks barked, his fury clear.
"Move out!"
Seeing the rage in Rocks' eyes, they understood just how important the palace was. With no further hesitation, they chased after the traitors.
Rocks had no other option. He hadn't expected this many Celestial Dragon-level guards to be on-site. Seven Admiral-class fighters from the start—this was different.
What he didn't know was that a CP0 commander with Admiral-level power was still guarding the palace interior.
Unable to risk it, Rocks had to send his men to intercept the others—he couldn't afford to gamble on this.
Turning back to the fight, Rocks' eyes sharpened as he glared at the enemies surrounding him.
"Seven Admiral-class enemies and a bunch of little gnats? Sure, that's annoying. But let's see how long you can last!"
BOOM! Rocks stood alone against seven Admiral-level foes and six Vice Admirals. The CP0 Commander, who had hoped the battle would ease once Ecks and the others left, instead found himself in deeper trouble the moment combat resumed.
Even with three Admirals burning their life force, their attacks had little effect on Rocks' condensed Armament Haki—just as Luo Han had experienced before. Psychic-like abilities simply dissolved on contact.
Rocks' specialized use of Haki was too effective a counter. Straightforward, brute-force methods were more reliable.
The battlefield turned dangerous in an instant. One moment of distraction, and you'd be sent flying. Two of the six Vice Admirals were already down within three breaths. The rest fought on desperately, and the battle quickly reached a stalemate.
(END CHAPTER)
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