Chapter 229: Instructor Kaido's Reputation is Well-Deserved
Louis spread his wings and instantly flew into the air. The sun shining on his broad wings formed a giant shadow that covered Aokiji's figure.
The blade, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki and a golden light, cut a perfect arc through the atmosphere, slashing straight down at Aokiji's back. This sudden slash made Aokiji's face change drastically, and his entire body was enveloped by a fatal sense of crisis.
The next moment, Aokiji decisively covered the spot where the blade was about to land with Armament Haki, forming a thick armor to protect his body.
CLANG—
The hum of the blade sounded. A blow containing Conqueror's Haki and the ability to strip life force landed unreservedly on Aokiji's back. The blade made contact with his flesh, yet it was met with the sound of clashing metal.
Although he was protected by Armament Haki, fresh blood still gushed from Aokiji's mouth, and his tall, thin figure was uncontrollably sent plummeting toward the abyss, which was still being filled with seawater.
The attack from above made Garp quickly cross his arms, which were wreathed in Armament Haki, in front of his chest to resist the Dragon Flame. He then subconsciously turned his head and shouted, "Hey, Kuzan! Are you okay?!"
The next moment, Garp was hit by Kaido's Dragon Flame and sent flying.
In the giant abyss, a puddle of shattered ice on the frozen surface congealed into a human form, quickly changing into Aokiji's appearance. Aokiji raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked up at the one after another searing fire dragons falling from the sky, and let out a long sigh. "Facing the two most dangerous monsters in the world... how could I possibly be okay—"
As the air temperature rose rapidly, the ice surface beneath his feet gradually melted. Immediately after, one after another, flaming spears came crashing down, falling in his direction.
Seeing this, Aokiji slowly exhaled a breath of cold air. He then extended two sharp ice skates from under his feet, and his entire body began to skate rapidly at the bottom of the abyss. The airflow disturbed by his skating made his blue suit whip and snap. As the ice skates passed, the water surface beneath his feet instantly froze, providing him with an infinite path.
One after another, the searing spears of fire were left behind him, landing at the bottom of the abyss and creating one giant, hemispherical fireball after another.
Aokiji moved rapidly across the ice, heading in the direction Garp had fallen. Although Kaido of the Beasts was also near Mr. Garp, if the two of them, master and disciple, were to team up and skillfully deal with both Kaido and Louis, the situation might be a little better. After all, compared to the well-coordinated master and disciple, Archangel Louis and Kaido of the Beasts had no coordination to speak of. To have the two of them fight an enemy together would probably just result in them getting in each other's way. And in that case, the Marines' chance would come.
Just then, a tall, dark shadow once again enveloped Aokiji.
Louis, maintaining the same speed as him, hovered. His spear, radiating a dazzling light and Conqueror's Haki, once again swept toward Aokiji's back.
To this, the aware Aokiji quickly turned around, wreathed his crystal arm in Armament Haki, and threw a punch.
BOOM!!
With a loud crash, Haki lightning ravaged the area. The atmosphere rippled, creating a visible wave of air that shattered the ice surface from a distance and sent waves splashing hundreds of meters high.
With a crisp cracking sound, Aokiji's crystal arm, which was wrapped in Armament Haki, shattered on impact. His entire body was sent skipping across the surface of the sea, leaving a trail of frozen patches before crashing into an area that had not been submerged.
In his original spot, Louis, who had been knocked back a dozen or so meters, saw this and raised an eyebrow. He felt that this one blow was probably not enough to send Aokiji flying so far. But soon, he understood the meaning behind Aokiji's action. The shattered ice crystals once again condensed into Aokiji's form, and then he shot one ice ball after another at the joints of the tall dragon-man.
"I see. So you think you'll have a greater chance of winning if you team up?" Louis's snow-white wings beat, and he entered a state of high-speed movement, instantly heading in their direction.
CRACK— One ice ball after another accurately froze Kaido's joints, causing the Kaido who was in the middle of clashing with Garp to look incomparably grim.
Opposite him, the corners of Garp's mouth turned up slightly, and a fierce light appeared in his eyes. Almost at the same time, Garp leaped high, swung his iron fist, which was wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, and instantly smashed it toward Kaido's head.
BOOM!
A giant roar as if mountains were collapsing suddenly erupted. Conqueror's Haki ravaged the area, and everything around them was completely shattered, rolling and falling.
Kaido, who had taken this punch head-on, had a deep fist print engraved on his face, and blood gushed from his cavernous mouth, which was filled with fangs. But the next moment, the originally staggering Kaido quickly stood firm, turned his head, and looked at Garp with a ferocious smile. "Worororo!"
He raised a hand, which was covered in hard scales, grabbed one of Garp's legs, and then brazenly lifted his Hassaikai and once again smashed it at Garp's body. "Your fists are as heavy as ever!"
Seeing this, Garp frowned, and once again clenched his iron fist, which was wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, to meet the Hassaikai that was sweeping toward him.
BOOM!
In the midst of the violent collision, Conqueror's Haki lightning spread out, directly blasting one deep pit after another in the already broken rock layer.
In the end, Garp's condition was worse. In the clash with Kaido, he was at a disadvantage. The leg that was being held was instantly fractured, and the iron fist wreathed in Conqueror's Haki was also deformed and twisted under the bombardment of the kanabō.
The intense pain made cold sweat drip down Garp's forehead, and his face became incomparably grim.
"Worororo!"
Kaido casually flung aside Garp, whose limbs were now fractured, and with a ferocious smile, gripped his kanabō with both hands and smashed it forward.
"ROARING THUNDER BAGUA!"
"That won't do—" Not far away, Aokiji, using Geppo at high speed, rushed straight for Kaido's back.
However, almost at the same time, Louis appeared like a ghost. He sidestepped and slashed his sword at Aokiji.
The sword and the kanabō, almost at the same time, made contact with the two Marines' bodies, creating a dull thud.
Black and red lightning ravaged the area, piercing through the entire abyss and reaching to the clouds. The powerful Conqueror's Haki directly woke up Fujitora, who was lying quietly in the distance. He leaned on his cane-sword and shakily stood up, taking a deep breath of fresh air. In the midst of his heavy panting, ripples appeared in Fujitora's heart.
"My fruit's ability... has improved again—"
With one blow, Garp and Aokiji were smashed heavily into the ground, creating a giant pit.
THUD—
Louis spread his wings and slowly descended, diving with his weapon toward Aokiji. As he moved at high speed, a chilling whistle sounded, echoing throughout the entire abyss.
And Kaido, after looking back at the grim-faced, panting Aokiji, let out a crazed laugh. "Worororo! Did you two think that just by teaming up, you could defeat us? Our durability, recovery, and current condition are all far better than yours! Even if you two team up, it's useless!"
Louis paid no mind to Kaido's words. The spear in his hand, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki and a blazing sun, thrust toward Aokiji's chest.
Just then, a red light flashed in Louis's eyes. A corner of the future was fully presented before him, which also made him subconsciously stop his advance.
Almost in an instant, an invisible wave of gravity swept over, landing directly in front of Louis and pressing out a terrifying zone dozens of meters long, causing the terrifying heatwave and poisonous gases below to rise.
"The Gravity-Gravity Fruit's ability... is it Fujitora?"
At this moment, Aokiji's already grim face became even uglier. "When the soldiers retreated, did they not take the unconscious Fujitora with them?"
On the other side, Kaido looked up at the edge of the abyss, taking in the full view of the figure who was covered in blood, his clothes in tatters, and was panting heavily. "That guy... he can still stand?"
Then, Fujitora half-knelt on the ground. His blood-soaked face was turned to the distance, and he quickly swung the cane-sword in his hand.
The next moment, a special, almost imperceptible wave of gravity crossed a thousand meters, instantly appearing near Louis and Kaido. The two of them sensed that something was wrong and subconsciously moved away from the vicinity of the invisible gravity wave.
However, before the two of them could react, the invisible gravity wave had already merged into their bodies. Immediately after, an invisible wave spread out from their bodies. Everything around them was completely destroyed, and then, in defiance of the laws of physics, began to surround them.
"Is this—Planetary Devastation?" For a moment, Louis was dazed and subconsciously thought of this.
Kaido turned his head to survey everything around him, his eyes wide. "Using us as the center... to absorb everything? Is he trying to temporarily control us?"
Everything within a thousand-meter radius was attracted by the two, who were acting as "black holes," and flew rapidly toward them.
A scarlet light flashed in the eyes of Louis and Kaido. Their top-tier future sight Observation Haki presented a corner of the future before them. The next moment, the two of them turned their heads at the same time, looking in the direction of Garp and Aokiji. Their gazes pierced through the continuously surging matter and saw the rock and soil beneath Garp and Aokiji float up, carrying the two of them rapidly in the direction of the open sea.
"Is he trying to use his ability to take them away?" Louis frowned and muttered.
Then, Louis lightly raised the spear in his hand, awakening the lightning-incarnate Fantasy Species, causing it to continuously jump on the blade. Then, the power of fire and storm spiraled around it, and a golden light rose.
The spear, which at every moment flashed with the power of the end, cut out a brilliant light. It tore out from the gaps between the successively surging matter and was instantly reflected in Aokiji's eyes.
Facing this spear that was powerful enough to annihilate everything, Aokiji had a premonition, feeling himself enveloped by a sense of mortal crisis. Under the acceleration of the storm and lightning, even a top-tier fighter of the World Government like Aokiji could not dodge at this distance. He could only, in the first instant, wreathe his arms in his remaining Armament Haki and cross them in front of his chest, preparing to block the blow.
BOOM—
The spear's blade and the iron fist, which was wreathed in Armament Haki, made contact, and a terrifying roar was heard. Black and red arcs of electricity exploded, and a shockwave spread.
After a brief stalemate, Aokiji, who had been fighting a long battle, had the familiar faces of those who had died because of Louis flash in his mind, and a scarlet light shone in his eyes. In a fit of rage, another surge of strength and Haki gushed out from his body.
"LOUIS!!"
With a roar, Aokiji's arms burst forth with a powerful force, meeting the attacking spear head-on. It seemed as if he was about to block this blow.
However, the next moment, the flames, storm, and lightning wreathed on the Lance that Shines at the End swelled again, spinning at high speed. Under its powerful might, the strength that had surged out of Aokiji due to his conviction gradually weakened, and his Haki was consumed to its critical point.
CRACK— A breaking sound was heard, making Aokiji feel a moment of daze.
"What?"
He saw that his ice-forged arm had shattered. Crystal-clear ice crystals scattered everywhere. The brilliant spear flashed, pierced through his chest, and was embedded in the devastated ground.
"KUZAN!!!"
Garp's angry, sorrowful roar came from the distance, making Aokiji freeze. He then looked down at his own chest. A giant, charred hole was deeply embedded there. Even though the life-draining ability had been offset by his Haki, the blow, which contained destructive power, had still pierced his lungs, heart, and spine.
An intense pain surged up, making Aokiji weakly kneel. He helplessly lowered his head, carried away by the rock layer beneath his feet.
Aokiji's aura plummeted, making Garp's eyes on the other side fill with fury. His one good foot pushed off the rock layer and he leaped high, rushing straight for Aokiji. He endured the pain of his fractured bones, clenched his iron fists, and wreathed his remaining Haki around them, making no attempt to hide his powerful killing intent for Louis.
Just then, a massive figure, accompanied by a terrifying whistle, arrived without any concealment, instantly enveloping Garp and the others. Behind it, countless materials, attracted by the force, followed.
"Kaido!" Garp gritted his teeth and turned his head, looking at Kaido, who was now covering him, his scarlet eyes the only thing real. A vein bulged on his forehead.
"Great Wyrm—"
Kaido's arms swelled to their limit. He gripped his kanabō at his side, a terrifyingly chilling smile on his ferocious face.
"THUNDER BAGUA!"
BOOM!
The kanabō, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, was swung in a visible arc, instantly landing on Garp's back.
A powerful blow sent a terrifying ripple out, creating a visible wave of air in the atmosphere that spread out to sea. The Conqueror's Haki ran rampant, shattering the countless rocks that were surging toward Kaido.
With one blow, a look of pain flashed on Garp's face, and he spat out a mouthful of crimson blood. His entire body instantly tore through the sound barrier, crashed into the ground, and set off a series of roars.
Just then, on the other side, Fujitora once again sensed, with his Observation Haki, everything that had happened in those few short seconds. He then increased the power he was applying to Kaido and Louis. The next moment, the matter surging toward the two became faster and faster, its quantity increasing dramatically.
Tens of thousands of tons of material instantly submerged the two inhuman figures. Then, Fujitora raised his hand, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and once again moved Aokiji and the other two.
The next moment, two extremely tyrannical Conqueror's Haki erupted, and black and red lightning pierced through the entire land, kicking up a terrifying wave on the open sea. Under the powerful Conqueror's Haki, the gravity wave that Fujitora had applied to the two was instantly dispelled, and the countless dust-like materials also fell.
By the time Louis and Kaido's figures reappeared in the air, Fujitora, who had already reached the edge of the land, had unleashed the sublimated power of his Gravity-Gravity Fruit to its maximum.
The next moment, the gravity of the entire battlefield and the surrounding sea instantly disappeared. Everything here, along with many of the people who had been lingering, floated up out of thin air, entering a state of zero gravity.
"Has his Devil Fruit awakened?" Kaido of the Beasts said subconsciously, looking at the weightless surroundings. Devil Fruit Awakening was something only a few powerhouses could achieve. Once awakened, their strength would undergo a heaven-and-earth-shaking change. Even the Drunken Dragon form he had displayed was not an awakening. What he had previously said he would teach Yelena was to develop a second, stronger hybrid form based on the beast-man form.
And now, not only had that guy Fujitora woken up, but he had also actually awakened his Devil Fruit ability? Did his one blow actually knock him into an awakening?
Nearby, Louis, while flying in pursuit, subconsciously glanced at Kaido, a strange thought in his mind. Should he be called "Instructor Kaido"? He actually knocked Fujitora's Gravity-Gravity Fruit into an awakening with one blow. Another blow, and would he make him go through the whole process from awakening Conqueror's Haki to mastering its coating?
Before Louis could break free of this weightless zone, another change occurred. The originally weightless zone instantly erupted with a terrifying, distorted gravity wave. Like a dense mass of lightning, it instantly tore apart the half of the land that Louis had raised, turning it into countless giant rocks that floated in mid-air.
Immediately after, the countless rocks, under Fujitora's long-distance control, surged like a school of deep-sea fish, heading for Kaido, who had transformed into an Azure Dragon, and Louis, who had spread his wings. In a flash, the countless rocks formed a dense mass of obstacles, obscuring their vision and blocking their path forward. Countless rocks floated out of thin air, heading for the two of them. Immediately after, tens of thousands of tons of seawater also came, wanting to swallow them and form an island-level suspended sphere.
To this, the Haki lightning on the Seven Star Sword in Louis's hand crackled and swelled, finally turning into a greatsword that spewed black and red flames, which he held tightly in his palm. Just as the seawater, mixed with rocks, was about to pounce, Louis swung his sword again and again, directly annihilating the countless obstacles, quickly carving a path, and giving chase, guided by his Observation.
On the other side, Kaido, in his Azure Dragon form, swam and coiled, spitting out a searing dragon flame from his mouth, or countless wind blades that rivaled a swordsman's slash, or letting out a fatal roar that turned into a thunderclap, smashing everything around him as he moved quickly forward.
A few seconds later, Louis spread his wings and pierced through the sky-blotting group of rocks, heading for the open sea. Immediately after, Kaido, in his Azure Dragon form, spat out a mouthful of dragon flame, burning a huge tunnel in the suspended group of rocks, and swam out.
His giant dragon eyes swept over the rippling sea surface, and a look of anger gradually rose. "Garp and the others have been taken away—" A whisper filled with endless anger fell from Kaido's cavernous mouth.
On the other side, Louis spread his wings and flew through the clouds and mist. While flying at high speed in the direction Fujitora had lost, he spread his super-large-range Observation Haki, searching for any suspicious life reactions in the surrounding sea.
Half an hour later, Louis finally gave up on searching for Garp and the others and returned to that battlefield with a blank expression. Louis slowly landed at the edge of the zero-gravity zone, slowly folding his wings.
Nearby, Uta, who had been waiting for a long time, raised her head and stared at the countless giant rocks that were still suspended in the sky even after the ability user had long since departed. "The Gravity-Gravity Fruit... it can actually do something like this?" she whispered.
"This is the ability of an awakened Devil Fruit. If there are no surprises, this zero-gravity zone will remain here forever—" Louis explained casually.
Then, Louis turned to look at Yelena and asked in a deep voice, "Where did that guy Kaido go? Did he just leave obediently like that?"
"He said he was going to find trouble with the World Government," Yelena replied concisely. "According to his words, he's going to avenge Big Mom."
Louis heard this and nodded, no longer paying it any mind.
Aokiji had no chance of survival. Garp was old, and even if he recovered, his strength would inevitably decline. Adding to that the death of Zephyr, the two powerful members of the God's Knights, and Ryokugyu... Louis had no complaints about this war—
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