Chapter 144: Luo Han Takes Action
Outside the palace, behind the battlefield where Golden Lion and the others were clashing, Luo Han retrieved from behind his back the golden-scaled fruit containing the consciousness of the sleeping Divine Tree, Ellis . He gazed at it closely, his expression gentle.
"Hmm... Is that a Devil Fruit?" Whitebeard thought silently beside him, his eyes filled with curiosity. It looked like one, but something felt off.
Heh... Luo Han chuckled to himself. His thoughts drifted back to those tense days on Ring Island. He clearly remembered the joy he felt the first time he heard Ellis 's voice.
"Ellis , we're finally going to meet again. Hopefully… you're a beautiful woman."
Please don't turn out to be a snotty old man with yellow teeth… If I find out that sweet little girl voice came from someone like that, and I actually felt moved… that'd be terrifying!
Ugh! Stop thinking about it. I'll puke. First things first—get the fruit.
Focusing back, he glanced toward the battlefield. Golden Lion and the others had been fighting for a while now. Judging by top Navy speeds, reinforcements should be arriving soon. He couldn't afford to delay—things would only get more complicated.
"Looks like I'll have to break through that energy barrier first."
Luo Han remained fascinated by the barrier surrounding the palace.
From the outside, it appeared completely transparent—almost impossible to detect. But from the inside, visibility was blurry and distorted. It was certainly a unique power. The real question was—how strong was its defense?
If he could break it with one hit, he could dash in from the sky. After all, no one was faster than him. He'd reach the treasure first and claim the Human-Human Fruit.
Without hesitation, he acted. High above the battlefield, a massive psychic vortex appeared. From it, countless golden spears burst forth like a radiant sun, their tips gleaming ominously.
"So that's Blue Demon's Golden Sparkles? His Fruit… so shiny!"
Combatants below paused, sensing the vortex. Even in the middle of battle, they couldn't help but comment—everyone who had seen it agreed: it was flashy.
Clang! Hearing that nickname, Luo Han stumbled slightly. The vortex in the sky trembled, nearly collapsing.
"Golden… Sparkles?! Who the hell came up with that lame name?!"
Luo Han grumbled. He always called the move "Infinite Armory," and now people were calling it that?
Golden Sparkles… he scratched his head. Actually… it didn't sound too bad.
"Infinite Golden Sparkles?"
No, stop thinking about it. Luo Han focused again. Whoosh! One golden spear shot out from the vortex like a beam of light across the sky.
"He's aiming at the palace!" the crowd muttered. They didn't stop him, as long as he didn't enter the palace himself.
Everyone knew how fearsome Blue Demon was—especially his unlimited attack style. That fear was precisely why neither Golden Lion's group nor Ecks' crew had tried to draw him into their battle.
Clang! A sharp metallic sound rang out. All eyes turned toward the palace.
The spear struck the energy barrier, causing ripples to spread across its surface like water disturbed by a dragonfly. But the barrier held firm.
Everyone was stunned. They had expected an explosion, a massive breach. But the palace remained untouched.
"What's going on? It was blocked? Someone's still in there? And they just blocked Blue Demon's Golden Sparkles?!"
Even though it was just one strike, it was enough to shake them.
Worse—it meant someone inside the palace had been watching this entire time.
The realization hit hard. They were being watched like circus animals—and the fury from that stung worse than any wound. The fighting ground to a halt as everyone looked at one another in silence.
"The World Government really does have deep resources," Luo Han muttered. "Those ripples—it's a force dispersion effect. That defense is going to be a pain."
He dismissed the golden spears, dissolving the vortex in the sky.
What others didn't know was that these new spears were infused with the same heavy energy from Roger's slashes. They were far more powerful than before—yet even these had been blocked.
This meant that brute-forcing the barrier with his psychic attacks would take time—and a lot of energy. More importantly, unless the attack carried Haki, the barrier wouldn't drain much stamina from the user. Only Armament-infused strikes could truly pressure its defenses.
Clearly, the barrier was of that latter kind: high efficiency against non-Haki attacks.
"Damn… Looks like we'll have to break it with pure force. I'll need to rally some help if I want to do it before the Navy arrives."
But convincing Ecks and the others to stop fighting and help? Impossible—they were too loyal to Rocks.
Even if he and Cole joined Golden Lion's group, it would take time to overpower Ecks and his men.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated Luo Han became. It might be faster if he, Cole, and Whitebeard just attacked the barrier themselves.
Having made up his mind, Luo Han turned to Whitebeard. "Brother Newgate, I used Observation Haki just now and saw something I've been looking for inside that palace—a Devil Fruit."
"We're going to break through that barrier. Are you in? My gold spears aren't enough. We need Haki."
Whitebeard blinked. He didn't reply right away. Instead, he stared at Luo Han, looking both surprised and impressed.
"You can see inside the palace? No wonder back on Ark Island, the way you looked at Sister Shao was so weird! I thought it was your Fruit. Turns out it's your Haki—nice, kid!"
Luo Han's face fell. What kind of leap of logic is that?! And how did you get so gossipy, Whitebeard?!
"Enough! Brother Newgate! Focus! Are you helping or not?!" Luo Han snapped, flustered.
Whitebeard finally sobered. A slight flush colored his cheeks—Luo Han even rubbed his eyes to be sure he wasn't imagining it.
Ahem.
Fortunately, Whitebeard recovered quickly. He squared his shoulders and replied firmly, "No problem, Luo Han."
"Good. I'll fly you over Ecks and the others straight to the palace."
Then he turned to Cole. "Cole, enter your spatial form and try phasing through the barrier. See if it lets you in."
"Got it, Han-ge!"
Cole nodded, shifting into his half-beast form. With a step forward, he vanished.
Whitebeard wasn't surprised. He'd seen Cole do it before. Still, he was impressed by how easily the ability had evolved.
"Let's go," Luo Han said, wrapping Whitebeard in psychic energy.
Whoosh! In a blink, the two of them soared 3,000 meters into the sky and then sped toward the palace.
"They're heading for the palace!" Ecks and Golden Lion realized simultaneously.
Their fights stopped at once, and both groups raced after them. None of them wanted Luo Han to beat them to the prize.
Boom boom! In moments, Luo Han and Whitebeard arrived outside the grand palace doors. Through the blurry barrier, they could see shadowy figures inside.
"They're still there?" Luo Han blinked.
Apparently, the Celestial Dragons hadn't left. Their arrogance was unmatched—even Luo Han's earlier attack had terrified them, yet they stayed.
If not for the CP0 Commander sealing the barrier in time, Luo Han might have claimed the "first blood" of a Celestial Dragon—an achievement many transmigrators would envy.
"That's the one who dared attack us? Kill him!" the lead Celestial Dragon shrieked. He didn't even know Luo Han had launched the attack—he just saw someone and assumed he was trash.
The CP0 Commander facepalmed. The reinforcements were almost here, and these idiots were still demanding death sentences.
He sighed. "Please, sirs. Retreat to the depths of the palace. I'll hold the entrance myself. They won't get past me."
But the Celestial Dragons scoffed. Even now, they didn't understand their position.
Eventually, though, they did retreat—grumbling all the while.
"That bastard… Once we return to the Holy Land, I'll have him executed!"
As they stomped down the palace's corridors, they recalled the cold, death-like stare the CP0 Commander had given them.
For the first time in their lives, the Celestial Dragons felt fear.
Because when the people meant to protect them stopped seeing them as human—
That's when they truly became mortal.
(END CHAPTER)
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