Zero!
Barrett seemed to faintly hear the whisper of a demon, like a mountain range, but then all the illusions and whispers slowly disappeared without a trace...
After an unknown amount of time, his hands hung down naturally, and he gasped for breath, his body covered in sweat.
What was that just now?
Was it the will of the demon contained within the demon cells?
That guy...
That's right, when Number Three first appeared, he also said that he was 'a worthy vessel,' so does that mean he wants me to be the host for the demon's descent?
They want me to eat that demon cell, just to connect me with that demon, that must be it...
"...Then let's see if you can devour me!"
Barrett didn't regret it. This was something he had expected long ago. Although it was the first time he had seen a real demon, who hasn't heard a few demon stories?
It's only normal for demons to do this kind of thing, and he had been mentally prepared for it.
But controlling his body won't be that easy.
He turned around, opened the door in the same way, and left the room.
Outside were interconnected underground passages. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed that there was a demon kingdom under the Jaltzburg fort country.
"Tunfo..."
As soon as he walked out, he saw someone walking on this road. Barrett's pupils shrank as he looked at that person.
It was none other than the Black Flame Demon Tunfo, who had just fought Garp Sengoku not long ago. Now, his route indicated that he was coming from that central forbidden area. Number Three told him he couldn't go there, but Barrett really wanted to know what was inside.
But not now. Tunfo is still underground, and he doesn't know if these guys have any other tricks up their sleeves, so he needs to be careful.
Before, he was challenging to escape Marine capture, but now he is challenging to escape the demon's descent, or rather, challenging to enter the central forbidden area!
Tunfo walked past him. When he saw him, there was a hint of surprise in his eyes. Barrett calmly distanced himself. In the brief moment they passed each other, he felt immense pressure from Tunfo.
Although he had seen their battle from afar before, it was definitely not as obvious as experiencing the other's power firsthand.
I wonder, if I enter a demonized state, how far would I be from the current Tunfo?
Faintly, he seemed to hear a murmur coming from the central room, like a demon's whisper, making him feel like he was sinking.
Barrett took a deep breath and walked away. He needs to master his current power!
...
"Still haven't found them?"
On the original ground, at the original Pig Cage Town, Garp frowned as he asked the returning Marine.
Sengoku and the others went to Ice City, while he stayed here, preparing to search for the people who originally lived in Pig Cage Town.
"Reporting, Vice Admiral Garp, we have searched the area within twenty miles, but there are no findings!"
Hearing this Marine Captain's report, Garp frowned even deeper.
What's going on?
The people of Pig Cage Town should all just be ordinary people, and during the time he was fighting Tunfo, they shouldn't have been able to run very far, especially since some of them were dragging children, old people, and luggage.
Garp was even feeling somewhat guilty, assuming that everyone was dead, but now...
They can't be found?!
Including himself, he mobilized thousands of Marines to conduct a near-ground search, but not to mention finding the people of Pig Cage Town, they didn't see a single person!
That's impossible. If someone agile left the twenty-mile radius, that's one thing, but it's impossible for everyone to leave the area at the same time, right?
Especially the baozi shop owner and the woman with the child that he drove away at the end, they couldn't have left, could they?
But he even lifted the rubble of the mountains that collapsed because of his battle with Tunfo, and yet there was still no sign of them. Isn't that too strange?
A strange feeling arose in Garp's heart. This isn't right, this is definitely not right!
The people of Pig Cage Town are suspicious!
Garp thought to himself, his inner doubts growing stronger and stronger. He looked at the Marine Captain who was waiting for his instructions and said
"Call off the search. Leave this matter to the local police and army. We're going north to meet up with Sengoku!"
He searched for more than a day, and based on that time, Sengoku should be close to Ice City by now.
He doesn't really agree with Sengoku's way of thinking. Justice is justice, and evil is evil. The one who defeats evil must be justice. If justice and evil join forces to defeat evil, then it cannot be called a victory for justice, so he hates mentioning the battle of God Valley.
In that battle, the Marines and Roger's pirate crew joined forces. How similar is that to now?
Perhaps Sengoku understands Garp, which is why he didn't insist that Garp go with him, but instead generously agreed with his suggestion to stay here and investigate the survivors of Pig Cage Town.
They are both old comrades, and they know what the other is thinking. It is because of this understanding that they become even stronger when they join forces, right?
Garp led the team back to the city. Before leaving, he reluctantly released his Observation Haki again, instantly covering the entire ruins of the original Pig Cage Town.
Garp had already given up, and he wasn't holding out any hope for this Observation Haki, after all, it's not like he hadn't dug through these ruins before. But this time, he suddenly froze.
Perhaps because he wasn't focused on finding people, Garp noticed something he hadn't noticed before.
Garp was already preparing to leave with the Marines, but at that moment, he suddenly flashed into the ruins.
He used his hands to dig open the destroyed buildings. Amidst the astonished and confused gazes of the other Marines, they only saw Garp walking directly into the ruins.
"Vice Admiral Garp?"
The Marines quickly ran over, and halfway there, they suddenly heard Garp burst out laughing.
The next moment, something unbelievable happened. The entire town ruins began to flow, and in the shocked eyes of the Marines, the collapsed buildings surged like flowing water, and then...
They entered a painting!
The painting in Garp's hand!
At this moment, Garp stood on the cracked ground, holding a painting high in one hand. In that painting, a village in the mountains was vividly depicted?!
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