Chapter 255: The Power of the Five Elders
Above Ark Island, on the cloud layer, the green life energy sphere had reached a diameter of 2,000 meters, yet Aishi continued to concentrate and build it.
Luo Han had come and gone, but no one questioned him. Everyone's focus was on Aishi , hoping she could quickly gather enough life energy to heal Cole .
Cole might not be the talkative type, often just silently following behind Luo Han…
But his heart was pure. Behind the scenes, he had done countless small things for Aishi , Aishi , and the others—things Luo Han never saw.
It was precisely these small acts and moments of support that made Cole feel like family to them.
In contrast, Luo Han seemed more like an outsider.
That's why Aishi and the others were so furious when Cole got injured due to Luo Han—they didn't even want to speak to him.
...
"It's ready," Aishi said with a faint smile.
When the life energy sphere reached a diameter of 5,000 meters, she felt it was finally enough to heal Cole .
She pressed her hands downward, just as she had when healing Luo Han in God Valley.
The massive life energy sphere funneled into Cole 's chest like a giant inverted cone.
His body began to glow green as the life force was absorbed. Something seemed to be changing, though on closer inspection, blood still flowed from his wounds.
Everyone held their breath in silence.
Unlike the slow process of forming the sphere, the injection of life force accelerated rapidly.
Before long—
The enormous sphere had completely disappeared, all of it absorbed into Cole 's body.
"Look!"
"It's working!"
Aishi 's delighted voice rang out. Akatsuki nodded, "Yes! The wounds are healing!"
"Fantastic!"
"Boss Cole is finally out of danger!"
Tuck raised both hands in joy, his usually serious face finally breaking into a smile.
"Cole …" Luo Han muttered under his breath, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. "Good… he's recovering."
Ten breaths later, Cole 's wounds were fully healed. His body was intact again, and his complexion returned to normal—no longer pale.
But he was still asleep.
That was typical in the world of One Piece. After suffering serious injuries, a body would naturally enter a sleep-like state.
"Phew!"
Aishi exhaled softly, visibly relieved. The healing had succeeded.
"Take Cole back to rest," she said with a touch of exhaustion in her voice. Though her stamina remained, her mental energy was heavily drained.
Last time, after healing Luo Han in God Valley, she had passed out entirely.
This time she managed to stay awake, only tired—a major improvement for her.
"Got it."
"And you should get some rest too, Aishi ," Luo Han reminded her before flying Cole back to the Gourmet City.
...
That night—
At the small plaza on the mountaintop, everyone gathered for a meal. Cole was there too.
"Luo Han, what was up with you today?" Midway through dinner, Aishi asked, "And Cole too—it was like he let himself get injured on purpose!"
At her words, Cole put down his meat, scratched his head, and said in confusion, "I don't know either. I just felt like my defense completely collapsed against Brother Han's Perfect Armament Haki—it shattered instantly!"
Shattered instantly???
Aishi frowned. That didn't seem right. Over the previous ten days, their battle hadn't looked staged. The power levels were beyond what ordinary people could handle.
How could Cole 's defense suddenly be so weak against Perfect Haki? Aishi had sparred with Luo Han before, and she didn't think it was that overpowering.
Akatsuki , Sora, and the others frowned slightly too. Clearly, they didn't buy Cole 's explanation.
"It's true!"
Luo Han also put down his food and explained, "You all saw how my Perfect Armament Haki suppresses Devil Fruit abilities."
"Even the powerful regeneration of Zoan users was reduced to that of an ordinary human—so it's no surprise that Cole 's spatial abilities were neutralized too."
But still—it seemed too extreme. If not for the comparison with the prior ten days of battle, they might have believed him.
Luo Han was terrifyingly strong—beyond imagination.
But Cole had already proven during those ten days that even Luo Han's full telekinetic force couldn't break through his defenses.
So how could a switch to Haki alone make that much of a difference?
The four women remained unconvinced.
"I don't have a perfect explanation either," Luo Han admitted. "But just know that my Perfect Armament Haki has a very strong suppressive—no, countering—effect on Devil Fruit-based attacks and defenses."
Seeing their skepticism, Luo Han stopped pressing the point.
He still wanted to uncover the secrets of that special structure found in the Poneglyphs and how it was related to Perfect Armament Haki.
"Alright then," Aishi said, letting it go. But then…
She looked at Luo Han sternly. "From now on, you're not allowed to use your Perfect Armament Haki when sparring with Cole . Same goes for everyone else."
"Understood," Luo Han replied with a wry smile. Was he being rejected?
"Cole !"
Aishi turned to him with a smile. "Let's train together tomorrow."
Then she looked at Akatsuki . "Didn't you say you wanted to learn that special Haki? Let's spar together too."
"Alright," Akatsuki replied simply.
"Okay… Sister Aishi …" Cole mumbled with his mouth full of meat.
...
Late that night—
At the central lake of Ark Island.
Beneath the lake, the two Poneglyphs obtained from Fishman Island and the ones from Skypiea and Alabasta lay quietly.
Four total—one still connected to the golden bell.
In the pitch-black depths, a telekinetic shield shimmered to life. Luo Han sat atop the red Road Poneglyph, extending his mind to sense it.
"Still the same as when I sensed it on Fishman Island—nothing new."
Luo Han shook his head. After dinner, he had come down to re-examine the Poneglyphs, hoping to discover a link between them and Perfect Armament Haki.
Was it that the special structure in the Poneglyphs came first, inspiring the development of Perfect Haki? Or was it the reverse—that Perfect Haki inspired the Poneglyphs' structure?
Luo Han suspected that the special Poneglyph structure had been inspired by Perfect Armament Haki.
If that were true, it would mean someone 800 years ago had possessed Perfect Armament Haki and used that unique structure to create the indestructible Poneglyphs.
His theory was driven by how terrifyingly effective Perfect Haki was at countering Devil Fruits.
Cole 's ability was space-based—yet against Luo Han's Haki, it was like Haki was seastone itself: completely suppressive.
This made Luo Han seriously consider that eight centuries ago, someone had crafted the Poneglyphs based on Perfect Haki.
"If that's true… then things just got interesting."
"It means someone reached my level of power 800 years ago."
"Maybe there are people just as strong in the current World Government too."
Luo Han furrowed his brow, a trace of wariness flashing in his eyes.
He recalled the time he had attacked Mary Geoise, and the enormous barrier that protected Pangaea Castle.
Could it have been the Five Elders?
If so… that meant five people at his level existed.
...
Pfft! The thought made Luo Han chuckle.
"Am I scaring myself?"
Who cares who else is strong—so long as they leave me alone.
Another thirty years or so and the main storyline would arrive. With his ability to guide his body's growth through his mind, he would far surpass his current strength. What was there to fear?
"All that's left is to farm resources, keep building my Sea King control, and further develop the Mind Fruit's abilities."
Having thought it through, Luo Han let it go.
He would just go with the flow.
"Time to go back and sway around again!" Luo Han chuckled to himself.
...
(END CHAPTER)
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