Chapter 146: Pink Flame
Whoosh whoosh! With Kama's speed-enhancing ability, Ecks and Koda arrived one step ahead of Golden Lion and the others, reaching the massive palace's barrier.
At that moment, Luo Han, Whitebeard, and Cole stood ten meters apart, hammering the barrier with coordinated strikes. When Ecks and Koda arrived, they were completely ignored as the three continued their assault.
"Judging by impact force, Luo Han's is the strongest. His blows cause the biggest ripples," Ecks quickly assessed.
"Koda, you take on that Blue Demon brat. Whitebeard and Beastman Cole are mine."
His plan was to distract the other two, whose attacks had less impact on the barrier. As long as he could stall them, and keep Blue Demon away from the shield, everything would be fine until Captain Rocks arrived.
"Got it!"
Whoosh! Koda leapt into the air and transformed into a towering 15-meter gorilla. Coating his punch with Armament Haki, he slammed it at Luo Han.
Zoom! Luo Han vanished just before the fist landed. CLANG! Koda's punch struck the shield instead, causing visible ripples to radiate.
CLANG! Luo Han reappeared, unfazed, and resumed pounding the shield with more force.
"That little bastard! Using my attack to hit the barrier?!" Koda roared in fury.
He launched another strike, but once again, it landed on the shield. He clenched his fists, frustrated—Luo Han's speed was too much for him to catch.
Meanwhile—Shing shing!—two slashes flew toward Whitebeard and Cole. Whitebeard shattered one with a punch. Cole ducked into the spatial realm to avoid the other.
Compared to Luo Han's easy dominance, Whitebeard and Cole couldn't ignore Ecks. He could go head-to-head with Golden Lion in a swordfight—definitely not someone they could overlook.
CLANG! Whitebeard's blade met Ecks', creating shockwaves that shook the air. The two clashed repeatedly, locked in an even match.
Ecks had to abandon his attempt to interfere with Cole and focus fully on Whitebeard.
Still—CLANG CLANG—Luo Han and Cole continued hammering the barrier.
As it began to wobble under their combined assault, Golden Lion and the others arrived.
"Stop Blue Demon's attack—now!" Ecks roared, pointing toward Luo Han.
"You're talking during a fight? Do I look like a joke to you?!" Whitebeard growled. He delivered a swift kick to Ecks' ribs.
CRACK! Caught off guard, Ecks was hurled into the barrier. The impact triggered an enormous ripple across the shield's surface.
"Ecks!!" Kama screamed, rushing forward and catching him as he tumbled down.
Thud! As Ecks hit the ground, he spat out blood.
"You okay?!" Kama panicked, unsure where to place his hands.
"I'm fine," Ecks wiped the blood from his lips. "Go help them. Blue Demon's too fast—only your ability can help them keep up."
"But you—"
Kama hesitated, but Ecks' sharp glare cut him off.
Whoosh! Kama departed. Ecks got back up, raising his sword again to face Whitebeard.
Meanwhile, Luo Han could no longer keep attacking the barrier. One Koda was manageable—but now there were three Admiral-level threats, and he couldn't afford to get caught off guard by some freak Devil Fruit ability.
As he weaved between blows, Luo Han glanced at Golden Lion and the others—and was stunned.
"What the hell are they doing?!"
They weren't fighting. Again.
Just like when Rocks was fighting, they were now standing off to the side—watching Luo Han battle like spectators. Their eyes gleamed with fascination, like they were analyzing something.
Unbelievable... The treasure is right there. All it takes is a few more Haki-infused attacks to break through… but they just stand there?
What is this? Some alternate version of the Pirate King world where these clowns stood by during the God Valley battle, watched Rocks get defeated, and did nothing but shout "Amazing!" like a bunch of bystanders?!
Frustrated, Luo Han activated Bullet Time and soared 3,000 meters into the air, evading the assault.
Koda and the others stopped. Their strategy was simple: stop Luo Han from entering the palace.
Finally… no more of those weirdos watching me like I'm a circus act. Luo Han sighed in relief high above.
But his frustration was building. With Navy reinforcements or Rocks' arrival looming, too many variables were about to hit. Better to claim the Devil Fruit now while he had the chance.
BOOM! A pink flame bloomed in Luo Han's hand. He grinned mischievously.
"You want to stop me? Then let's see if you can stop yourselves from falling in love."
With that, he dove back down.
Below, Koda saw Luo Han diving again and was enraged.
"I'm ending you this time, Blue Demon! Kama—full speed boost!"
"Understood!"
Kama raised a finger and bathed in blue light, which surged into Koda.
"Just what I needed!" Koda grinned, then disappeared, reappearing above Luo Han and hurling a punch down.
"Faster now? Even better," Luo Han smirked. His psychic armor was already active. Instead of dodging, he adjusted his trajectory.
BOOM! Luo Han shot like a missile—right into the crowd watching.
"He's doing it on purpose," Golden Lion muttered, jumping aside. The others did too, clearing a path.
CRASH! A crater exploded into the ground.
Before the dust settled, Luo Han reappeared by the edge.
"You! Come here!" he taunted Koda with a curled finger and a wicked smile.
"You're dead, Blue Demon!!" Koda roared, charging in and throwing a punch at Luo Han's head.
Luo Han just smiled. "Bullet Time."
The world slowed. Koda's punch moved at a snail's pace.
Luo Han sidestepped and gently pressed the pink flame into Koda's arm. Like a scene in slow motion, it all happened perfectly.
Whoosh! The moment the flame entered Koda's body, Luo Han exploded upward, using all his psychic power to flee.
To onlookers, it looked like he was running away from something terrifying.
High above, Luo Han gasped for air, heart pounding. He looked down and grinned.
"Let's see what you do now. Still want to stop me? Still want to watch?"
Below, Koda froze.
The instant the Pink Flame entered him, he felt an overwhelming, primal urge flood his brain—an instinct to… procreate.
His pupils turned blood red.
(END CHAPTER)
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