Chapter 253: A Battle Mishap!
Clang! Boom!
Ten days had passed, yet the thunderous clash between Luo Han and Cole still echoed through the skies, reverberating across the entirety of Evernight City.
Island No. 4.
Today was Stussy's official first day working in Evernight City. As soon as she arrived, she heard deafening booms coming from the skies above Ark Island.
"Is Lord Blue Demon fighting?"
She speculated. The intensity of the sounds, even from this far away, made them feel like they were ringing right beside her ears.
She couldn't imagine anyone else in Evernight City possessing that level of strength.
But…
If it really was Blue Demon, then who could be fighting him?
"Yes, Administrator," replied the man who had been following Stussy—speaking as though it were nothing new.
This man was Puss, a cadre of the Tuck Pirates, sent by Tuck himself to help Stussy familiarize herself with Evernight City.
Tuck, meanwhile, had gone off to manage his own business on Island No. 2—the one he had told Luo Han he'd personally develop.
Apparently, no one liked to trouble others. Maybe that was just how Blue Demon's crew operated.
Hearing Puss's response, Stussy finally couldn't help but ask, "Who is Lord Blue Demon fighting?"
"It's Boss Cole !"
"The Beast King Cole !" Stussy gasped, a hint of wariness flashing in her eyes. "I didn't expect that man to be so powerful."
Hahaha!
Puss laughed but didn't elaborate. Captain Tuck had warned him in advance:
Don't talk too much about Lord Cole and Lord Luo Han. Anything else was fine.
Stussy raised an eyebrow. She understood that she hadn't earned their trust yet, so she didn't ask further.
For instance, she didn't ask how long the fight had been going. She had just arrived and hadn't had a chance to check with others.
After all, a one-time battle with Blue Demon and a multi-day fight were very different things.
Thinking about this, Stussy didn't dwell on it. She turned to Puss and said seriously, "My people have arrived. Have the construction team build an office building here on Island No. 4."
"From now on, this will be the administrative center of Evernight City!"
She continued, "Go notify the others to gather here. I'll take a closer look at this island and choose the best location for the central building!"
"Understood, my lady." Puss put away his smile and left for Island No. 2, where many construction workers who had joined Evernight City were currently based.
Once he was gone, Stussy didn't wander around. Instead, she used Moonwalk to reach the treetops, fixing her gaze on Ark Island.
Clang! Clang! Boom! The battle was still raging.
"This level of battle power is far beyond that of a typical admiral."
Just how strong was Blue Demon? This was something top New World powerhouses and the World Government had long wanted to understand.
And now—
A man had appeared who could go toe-to-toe with Blue Demon.
Stussy thought she should report this to the Five Elders. A man like the Beast King couldn't be underestimated.
His strength had reached a new level—beyond what ordinary admirals could handle.
"Hmm…"
"Maybe I'll wait until my next trip out to report it." Stussy put away her Den Den Mushi. Better not to take risks.
Even though Blue Demon was mid-battle and likely distracted, his Observation Haki might still be active.
So she kept watching quietly from afar, listening to the melody of battle.
...
High above Ark Island!
On the cloud-islands, once-flat ground was now crisscrossed with massive trenches and pockmarked with deep craters.
Clang!
After another fierce exchange, Luo Han and Cole simultaneously stopped.
"Guess your endurance is fully tested," Luo Han said with a light chuckle, noting that Cole was only breathing slightly harder.
Ten days of high-intensity fighting—and Luo Han had only lasted this long thanks to his Sea King "energy battery" system.
Otherwise, he'd be collapsed from exhaustion by now.
Cole , on the other hand, had no such external support. He relied entirely on his awakened Devil Fruit, with its incredible recovery and endurance. Judging by how steady he looked, he could probably keep going another ten days and nights.
"Brother Han, try using that Perfect Armament Haki of yours!"
Cole suggested now that he had basically confirmed his body had reached its physical limits.
He'd pushed his physique about as far as it could go. Beyond this, only minor improvements could be made.
Now, his focus was on Armament Haki. While already strong, it still lagged far behind Luo Han's Perfect version.
Even Sister Aishi could use that special variant of Haki once used by Rocks. Cole believed he could too.
Sigh. Luo Han let out a deep sigh at Cole 's words.
He wanted to rest—but his mouth answered with honor:
"Alright."
With that, Luo Han deactivated his telekinesis and, for the first time, fully activated his Perfect Armament Haki.
Zzztt! It was like an invisible force solidified in the air.
Luo Han slowly floated five meters above the cloud ground. A layer of Armament Haki formed around him—one meter thick.
"Be careful, Cole ," Luo Han warned. "This is the first time I'm using this form. I don't know how strong it is."
He reminded again, "Don't get careless!"
Back when he fought Big Mom and Bundy Wald, his Perfect Haki was only five centimeters thick.
And even that was terrifying. Big Mom had suffered internal bleeding, and Bundy Wald had nearly died from one punch.
Now, with one meter of thickness, Luo Han didn't know how much stronger it had become.
But based on how Rocks's thinner Haki was weaker in both power and defense, it seemed this special Haki's strength increased with thickness.
"No worries, Brother Han. I'll go all out!" Cole responded earnestly, though inwardly he wasn't too concerned. He didn't believe even this would be enough to badly injure him now.
"Hehe! Here I come, then."
Luo Han smiled, realizing maybe he was underestimating Cole 's defense. But even so, it couldn't possibly exceed his focused telekinesis.
Whoosh! Having made up his mind, Luo Han charged at Cole .
Whoosh! Cole charged too.
In the instant they approached, both unleashed a punch simultaneously.
Just before the fists clashed, Akatsuki , watching from afar, suddenly turned pale.
Her future-seeing Observation Haki activated automatically, showing her the terrible result of the impending clash.
She immediately launched a bolt of lightning toward Luo Han and shouted at Aishi , "Stop Luo Han's attack, now!"
But it was too late.
Just as she spoke, Luo Han's Haki-coated fist collided with Cole 's spatial armor.
The lightning bolt struck Luo Han's arm too—but did nothing to hinder him.
Crack!
At the moment of impact, Luo Han's expression changed drastically.
Cole 's spatial armor shattered like brittle glass before Luo Han's Perfect Armament Haki—completely overwhelmed.
Then Luo Han's Haki struck Cole 's fist.
Crack! Another sound rang out. Cole 's face froze. His right arm twisted unnaturally, blood spurted, and an enormous force smashed into his body.
Boom! Even though Luo Han had pulled back some strength, the residual force from his full-power strike still sent Cole flying from the cloud-island.
A pale white streak cut through the air behind him!
"Luo Han!"
"Cole !"
Akatsuki and Aishi cried out in unison.
Whoosh whoosh! Akatsuki flew to Luo Han, Aishi rushed after Cole .
"Luo Han… Boss Cole ?!"
"How did this happen?" Tuck, Aishi , and Sora finally realized what had just occurred.
Their eyes were filled with confusion as they flew toward Luo Han.
Luo Han stood in place, ignoring Akatsuki beside him. He raised his right fist, frowning at the Perfect Haki still coating it.
"This doesn't make sense…"
"No matter how powerful Perfect Armament Haki is, it should follow some rules."
"When Cole 's spatial armor met it just now, it was like a tiny flame snuffed out by a flood—completely erased without resistance."
"Cole 's Devil Fruit power didn't block it at all—as if Perfect Armament Haki naturally suppresses it!"
"What could explain that?"
Luo Han kept thinking. The issue had to lie in the nature of Perfect Haki. Yes, high-level Haki could suppress certain special Devil Fruit powers.
But Cole 's was spatial power—how could it be so thoroughly crushed?
He didn't understand. But he suspected there was something deeper he hadn't grasped yet. Perfect Armament Haki… no, the perfect structure from the Poneglyphs it was based on—it wasn't simple.
His Perfect Haki was developed from that unique structure found in the Poneglyphs.
But for now, he had to deal with Cole 's condition. Fortunately, he'd pulled his punch at the end. Though the injury looked severe…
With Cole 's awakened recovery ability, he should be fine.
Luo Han lowered his hand and retracted the Haki.
With a thought, he locked onto Cole and Aishi 's position in the spiritual world and activated his teleportation ability.
Whoosh whoosh!
Aishi and Cole appeared before him.
"Cole …"
"Cole !"
Aishi and the others arrived and called out. They all glared at Luo Han with blame in their eyes.
"Why'd you hit him so hard?!" Aishi demanded.
Luo Han didn't answer. He just frowned at Cole , whose body was drenched in blood, his wounds still bleeding. "That's not right. Why isn't his recovery kicking in?"
"Your Perfect Armament Haki seems to be especially suppressive against Devil Fruit users."
Akatsuki explained, "Cole 's ability was suppressed—he can't heal himself."
"Aishi …"
"Quiet, don't interrupt me!" Aishi snapped before Luo Han could finish.
Uh… Luo Han was stunned. He opened his mouth but said nothing, silently watching Aishi .
The others also fell silent, not wanting to disrupt her.
Natural energy surged from Aishi . A glowing green orb full of vitality formed in her hand, about the size of a basketball.
But it still wasn't enough. She could feel that Luo Han's attack had left a unique energy inside Cole 's body.
It severely weakened her Devil Fruit's healing effect.
She would need more life force. So Aishi continued to concentrate.
...
(END CHAPTER)
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