You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.p*treon.com/darkshadow6395
He had a tall, powerfully built body with eight-pack abs as hard as rock. His back looked majestic, like that of a wicked and ferocious demon. His arms seemed capable of uprooting mountains, and his legs were as thick and powerful as a tiger's or leopard's.
His shattered right wrist and slit neck had both returned to normal under the flashing lightning.
Even the state of him being recently pushed to his absolute limit had completely recovered.
Standing before Sengoku and Zephyr was Kojin... still at his peak.
The scene was horrifying!
Everyone who saw Kojin couldn't help but think a single word:
"Monster!"
—
Mary Geoise:
"Killing him... Can an Undying like him really be killed?" An aged voice muttered softly.
"The severed wrist and broken neck have both healed. Even the stamina he consumed seems to have been fully restored."
"Such a guy..."
One person spoke in a trembling voice.
An immense pressure weighed heavily on the hearts of the five old men.
"How are we supposed to capture him?"
"Our earlier talk of erasing him feels like a joke."
A heavy sigh echoed.
"Let's keep watching. Maybe this ability has limits. Maybe it's limited by the number of times... or something else." After a pause, one voice suddenly spoke again.
"Notify the God's Knights. Tell them to prepare to move out! If they discover even the slightest flaw in his Undying ability, order his complete erasure!"
The words echoed through the palace hall, lingering for a long time before fading away.
Yet the expressions of the five elders remained grim.
Clearly, they all understood that Kojin's Undying ability might be his greatest trump card. Once he suffered a fatal injury, he would instantly recover, and even his stamina would return to its optimal state.
Not to mention, his combat power was terrifying.
Capturing a man like this would be extremely difficult.
Otherwise, they would never have passed up the opportunity to research his lineage factor.
—
Near Ohara, on the frozen sea surface
The cold wind howled, and the great battle between the three resumed once again.
The fight was clearly becoming more and more unfavorable for Zephyr and Sengoku because their opponent was in peak condition.
The two of them fought with all they had, in an almost suicidal style.
Another full day and night passed.
Sengoku's abdomen had been torn open by lightning spears, exposing scorched flesh; he had suffered severe injuries. Zephyr had a long slash across his chest.
Kojin held the lightning spears in his hands without a single wound on his body and still wore an energetic and spirited expression.
During this time, the three of them fought desperately, and Kojin died twice.
Time continued to pass.
The battle lasted seven days and seven nights.
Kojin still stood tall. He looked ahead at the two Admirals, whose bodies were steaming and whose eyes showed signs of exhaustion.
He took a deep breath, then spoke in a deep voice.
"Whether it's cannon bombardment or bullets piercing me. Blades and guns striking my body, poison gas filling my veins and lungs. Or drowning...or being buried alive. None of it can kill me!"
He stepped forward slowly and arrived before the two of them. Once again, he spoke heavily.
"A person like me... How are you going to surpass me?"
Kojin looked down at them, panting heavily and drenched in sweat.
"The World Government sent you to deal with me. So what use is it?"
"Even if the Marines send out all their forces and the God's Knights are right in front of me... Why would I fear them?"
His resolute voice echoed over the sea, making the Marines watching from afar swallow nervously.
"Vice Admiral Kojin is way too strong!"
A breeze blew past.
The two admirals, who were still standing, exchanged a glance. They both saw helplessness and bitter smiles in each other's eyes.
Then... thud!... They both collapsed heavily onto the ground.
During those seven days and nights, they lost count of how many punches they threw and how many times they tried to clamp Seastone onto Kojin to restrain him.
However, his Undying body interrupted them every single time.
It was too difficult!
He was like an ancient, undying Demon Lord, someone who would never fall. Even when their full-powered punches had killed him once before, they still could not overcome him.
"Hah…"
Kojin slowly exhaled. Looking down at the two men, covered in wounds and unable to move, he was about to step forward. But at that moment, a golden light burst from the side and pulled the two of them away from him in an instant.
"You won, Kojin!" Borsalino said.
"Are you worried I'll attack Admiral Sengoku and Zephyr Sensei?" Kojin suddenly asked.
Borsalino pressed his lips together and stared at him cautiously without speaking.
"Haha! I haven't forgotten my identity."
Shaking his head, Kojin turned around. In a flash of thunder and lightning, he appeared on the distant battleship.
The Marines immediately panicked and retreated backward one after another. But Kojin ignored them. Instead, he leaned toward the Den Den Mushi video in front of him.
"Gorōsei, I know you're watching!" Kojin said with a faint smile. "If you want to erase me, then come! But if you can't erase me..."
After a pause, his eyes suddenly turned icy cold and filled with chilling killing intent.
"Then don't blame me for storming Mary Geoise and cutting off the five stupid heads hanging on your necks!"
Immediately afterward, the Den Den Mushi video phone in front of him exploded.
Kojin's figure flashed and disappeared from the Marines' sight.
---
Mary Geoise, Inside the Palace
"Five stupid heads!"
"Stupid heads!"
"Heads!"
"Heads!"
The echoes gradually faded away, but the expressions on the five aged faces had become extremely ugly, visible to the naked eye.
"That asshole!" One of them suddenly roared in fury.
The other four remained expressionless, ignoring Kojin's threat in the image.
They all understood that everything has its pros and cons.
A powerful, undying Kojin, who had defeated two Headquarters Admirals, Sengoku and Zephyr, working together, with his own strength alone, possessed enough combat power to threaten the world.
"He can't be killed! Even if we dispatch the God's Knights, there's no guarantee that we would be able to take him down. In fact, it may cause the Knights to suffer losses. " A deep voice sounded.
"During the seven days and seven nights of battle, the two Admirals killed Kojin fifteen times. And when facing unavoidable desperate situations, he committed suicide twelve times."
"Such an extremely frequent number of deaths has not affected him in any way. At the very least, we can't see any negative effects."
After a pause...
"If we cannot erase a man like this, then... We can only try our best to win him over!"
These words immediately caused the others' expressions to shift, but no one spoke up to oppose them.
Having stood at the top of this world for so many years, they were not impulsive children. Naturally, they knew what choice should be made in special circumstances.
"If we force Kojin to become our enemy, it will not bode well for the world. Even if it's only maintaining a superficial balance..."
A sigh sounded.
This battle made them realize just how terrifying Kojin truly was. Mere strength alone was not enough to make them retreat.
What truly made their hearts tremble was his Undying ability.
"Before we understand the special nature of his bloodline... Perhaps we should soften our approach."
"That guy...he's from the Nefertari Family, isn't he?"
"Tell him this news. Let him know his origin."
"We are not his enemy!"
"Invite him to move to the Holy Land and join the Knights of God!"
The voices echoed through the hall. In almost an instant, the five of them finalized a new plan regarding Kojin.
And they abandoned the idea of dispatching the God's Knights.
They would not act rashly when they had no certainty. If the God's Knights were defeated, it would have a tremendous impact on the World Government.
That was something they absolutely could not allow!
"That lord in..." A voice came from the void.
"That lord should permit it!"
"Eight hundred years ago, there may have been doubts about Lily, but so much time has already passed."
"Most importantly..."
"The strong have the right to choose!"
They all acknowledged Kojin's power unanimously.
The situation on the seas was not favorable to the World Government at the moment. The rational choice was to avoid creating an enemy and pushing Kojin to the opposing side.
Naturally, the most important point was...
Ohara had already been destroyed. In terms of appearances, they had already achieved their goal.
Everything else could be negotiated with Kojin afterward.
Reaching an agreement that was acceptable to both sides would naturally take time, but it was far better than tearing everything apart completely.
The World Government needed time to clean up the mess of this era.
For example, there was the Great Age of Piracy ignited by Roger before his death and rumors of a rising force resisting the world.
...
Ohara Coast
A battleship slowly docked.
At the bow, Kojin stared ahead with a solemn expression.
After seven days and seven nights, this island, once lush, beautiful, and quiet, had become nothing but scorched earth.
Only the central part of the island, which had been stuffed full of books, had not suffered too much damage.
"Where are the others?" Kojin asked in a deep voice as a trace of exhaustion appeared between his brows.
This exhaustion came from mental fatigue.
Seven days and seven nights of battling two Admirals was an enormous challenge to his willpower, even if his body could endure it.
"The civilians and scholars of Ohara have all been gathered at Fortress G-18." Crocodile understood what he meant and spoke.
There were a few wounds on his cheeks.
Beside him, Bullet was wrapped in bandages from head to toe. He leaned against the railing with his eyes half-closed, resting.
"Are you all right?" Kojin turned around and asked.
"Heh heh. That guy's more badly injured than I am!" Bullet opened his eyes and sneered.
Kojin smiled faintly and averted his gaze.
"When we get back, order the men to move all these books away!"
After a pause, his tone grew heavier.
"Don't leave a single one behind, and don't damage a single book!"
Crocodile nodded.
When the battleship turned around and returned to G-18 Fortress, the entire base and all thirteen thousand Marines were shocked and soon fell into an uproar.
"Vice Admiral Kojin is back!"
"Vice Admiral Kojin is completely unharmed!"
"Those were three monster Vice Admirals and two headquarters Admirals!"
"He is too powerful!"
Countless Marines sucked in cold breaths and cried out in disbelief.
Eveya slowly let out a sigh of relief.
When they escorted the civilians back and learned the kind of enemies their superior was facing, their hearts clenched tight.
Now, they could finally relax.
Vice Admiral Kojin's strength was simply unimaginable.
However, the young officer's mind quickly became preoccupied with worry again. Even if they overcame Headquarters this time, what about the future?
Eveya hurried to Kojin's place, gently pushed open the door, and was about to express her concerns with a troubled expression, only to see the powerful superior she remembered lying on the bed inside the room with his eyes closed and faint snoring coming from his nose.
Eveya froze.
Then, she quietly closed the door and turned away.
"The man who gives everything for justice... He's too tired."
At that moment, an inexplicable emotion rapidly filled the young female officer's heart.
A moment later, all her worries unexpectedly vanished, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Even if we have to face the whole world!"
"Eveya will follow a great person like you!"
"Even if it costs my life!"
(End of Chapter)