Chapter 451 - 290

Chapter 291: Confrontation, Breaking the Stalemate!Kuzan knelt on the ground, his palm pressed around Zephyr's wound, his brows deeply furrowed.Teacher Zephyr's vitality was rapidly draining away with the stubborn asthma and the penetrating wound.He slowly raised his head, his usually sleepy eyes now holding an icy chill like an ice field. His gaze swept over Yamato, who looked somewhat startled, and then over Sanji, who stood in front of her, his body faintly flickering with blue electricity."Oh dear..."Kuzan's voice betrayed little emotion, but he slowly straightened up, his tall figure casting a long shadow on the ice field."This is quite troublesome."He wasn't angry that Yamato defeated Zephyr.Victory and defeat are common in battle, and his teacher was old and suffering from a chronic illness; he had long been mentally prepared.But at this moment, looking at the astonishing strength displayed by these two members of the Straw Hat, and Luffy behind them, who had already become an emperor of the sea... Kuzan's long-standing observation and confusion suddenly transformed into a strong urge to personally "test" them.He wanted to know how far the Straw Hat, who carried the "D" will of the new era and attracted so many strong individuals, had come.What kind of sparks would their "justice" ignite with the old order of this sea?"I'll leave the old man to you guys."Kuzan said to Smoker and Tashigi, who had rushed over.His gaze refocused on Sanji and Yamato, and white cold air visibly began to emanate from his body. The ice beneath his feet silently thickened and spread."As for these two 'Four Emperors' right-hand men... I'll 'entertain' them for a bit."The moment his voice fell, Kuzan's entire left arm, along with half his shoulder, abruptly turned into crystal-clear solid ice!The moisture in the air instantly condensed into countless ice crystals, slowly rotating around him."Kuzan..."Sanji spat out his cigarette butt, his eyes extremely grave.He could feel that the aura Kuzan was emitting at this moment was completely different from the lazy and confused one during their previous casual chat; it had a kind of almost "serious" probing and pressure.Blue electric light crackled under his feet, and dense arcs of electricity jumped around his boots and body."Yamato, be careful. This guy is getting serious.""Oh? I couldn't ask for more!"Yamato recovered from her brief astonishment, and the flames of battle reignited in her crimson eyes.She felt a dangerous aura emanating from Kuzan, completely different from Zephyr's.It was a colder, vaster, and more oppressive feeling, closer to "nature" itself.She gripped her Spiked Club, takeru, took a deep breath, and an invisible, intangible, yet soul-shaking powerful aura began to rise from her strong body!That was the king's aptitude, superior to all beings—Conqueror's Haki!Three distinctly powerful forces violently collided and surged on this ruin, intertwined with ice and fire!Kuzan's extreme freezing air caused the temperature within several hundred meters to plummet wildly. Ice spread rapidly and thickened outwards from him, and countless sharp ice blades condensed in the air.Blue lightning surged around Sanji!Violent lightning was highly compressed and controlled, wrapping around his legs and body, forming a constantly leaping "Lightning Armor."His eyes were calm, his brain working rapidly, analyzing Kuzan's abilities and possible attack methods... Yamato's dark red Conqueror's Hakierupted like a volcano, mixed with her own Oni race's fierce aura and the power of ice and lightning, transforming into a towering spiritual pressure!Dark red Haki arcs crackled around her, contending with Kuzan's freezing air and Sanji's lightning, even subtly pushing them away, forming a "King's Domain" unique to her!Her long hair danced wildly, and her fighting intent was almost tangible.Rumble—!!!The sky responded to the clash of the three forces!The originally distinct ice and fire colored sky was now completely chaotic!Heaven and earth changed drastically! As if the apocalypse had arrived!...Volcanic zone!"Whoa! What's going on over there?!"Usopp covered his head, dodging a burning piece of wood swept over by the strong wind, and pointed at the terrifying anomaly covering half the sky at the ice-fire boundary.Dark clouds pressed down, three-colored lights darted wildly within the clouds, and thunderstorms and hail flew together!"S-so scary!"Chopper had transformed into his human form, but he was still trembling and hiding behind Zoro, only peeking out half his head.Zoro held his three swords, gazing into the distance, his brows tightly furrowed.He felt the aura coming from over there... very chaotic, and very powerful."Hey, Luffy."Zoro looked at his Captain, who was still burying his head in food but whose movements had slowed down at some point."It seems like a lively fight over there. Want to go check it out?"Luffy didn't answer immediately.He grabbed the last large piece of charred, fragrant dragon rib, stuffed it into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out high, and slowly chewed.But his eyes were not focused on the food at this moment; they were slightly lowered, and deep within his pupils, faint dark red electric arcs seemed to flash."...The meat's almost gone."Luffy swallowed the last bite of meat, then suddenly said something out of the blue.Then, he patted his stomach, stood up, and a carefree smile spread across his face beneath his straw hat, but his eyes were clear and calm."I'm going to see what Sanji and Yamato are up to. Uta, save the rest of the meat for me!"Before his words even finished, without waiting for everyone to react, his rubber legs compressed sharply downwards.Boom!The rocks beneath his feet instantly shattered!Luffy's figure transformed into a blurry crimson streak, shooting upwards at an almost vertical angle towards the sky above the fire zone! His altitude rapidly climbed!"Wow! Luffy! That way is a cliff... Eh?"Usopp's exclamation abruptly stopped.Because he saw Luffy, after reaching a certain peak, twist his body impossibly in the air. His rubber arm suddenly stretched out, grabbing the top of a towering, ice-covered sharp stone peak at the distant ice-fire boundary!"Heave-ho!"His arm contracted!Using this pulling force, Luffy's body streaked across the sky like a meteor, rapidly flying towards the ice field battlefield!The strong winds made his red vest flap loudly, but his straw hat remained firmly on his head.And just as he flew into the airspace directly above the battlefield!!An indescribably crimson-gold Conqueror's Hakierupted with Luffy at its center!The crimson-gold Haki torrent, like a gentle yet irresistible tide, crushed downwards from above, directly pressing upon the entangled and colliding forces below!Buzz—!!!The freezing air at the edge of Kuzan's expanded extreme cold domain, as if hitting an invisible barrier, fluctuated violently and was forced to retract!The electric arcs on the surface of Sanji's highly compressed Lightning Armor flickered erratically, almost disintegrating!Yamato's towering dark red Conqueror's Haki, furthermore, seemed to be "pacified" or "covered" by a higher-ranking existence. Its light instantly dimmed, and it involuntarily flowed back into her body!The violent anomalies between heaven and earth paused!The rolling dark clouds were forcibly torn open, and a beam of heavenly light pierced through the haze, landing precisely where Luffy was about to descend.The next second, Luffy's figure, as light as a feather yet as steady as a mountain, landed firmly in the very center of the standoff between Sanji, Yamato, and Kuzan!The moment his feet touched the ice, a faint "crack" sound was heard. Fine cracks appeared in the solid ice where he landed, but it was just right, not completely shattering.The crimson-gold Conqueror's Haki slowly receded, like a sheathed sharp sword, but the lingering pressure still made all living beings present, except for a very few, feel difficulty breathing and heart palpitations.Luffy straightened up, raised his hand, and adjusted his slightly crooked straw hat.Then, under everyone's astonished, wary, or bewildered gazes!!He took the bare dragon bone, which he hadn't finished eating and had been holding in his mouth, tossed it aside, clapped the grease off his hands, and then looked up, revealing a brilliant, cloudless smile:"Yo! Sanji, Yamato! And... Uncle Aokiji?"He greeted them enthusiastically, then scratched his head, looked at the pale-faced Zephyr and the tense Marines around them, his tone as casual as if asking about the weather."Are you guys having a party here? You seem to be having a bit too much fun, you've changed the color of the sky."Just as Luffy's strikingly contrasting entrance and remarks plunged the atmosphere into an eerie silence!!"Teacher Zephyr—!!"Two shouts filled with anxiety and anger came from the edge of the battlefield!Two figures, leading a large number of well-equipped soldiers in NEO Marines black uniforms, broke through the pervasive ice fog and cold air, quickly surrounding them!On the left was a tall, beautiful woman with long blue wavy hair, Zephyr's adjutant, the Rewind-Rewind Fruit ability user—Ain.Her pretty face was now frosty, her long sword drawn, staring intently at Luffy and the Straw Hatcrew.On the right was a tall man with green, plant-like attire and a peculiar hairstyle, the Mori-Mori Fruitability user—Binz.He also had a furious expression, his hands in a combat stance, and vine-like energy phantoms began to appear around his body.The NEO Marines soldiers quickly deployed their formation, aiming their weapons at the Straw Hatcrew in the center, and the atmosphere instantly became extremely tense again!"Straw Hat Luffy...!"Ain's voice was cold."What did you do to Teacher Zephyr?!""Wait, Ain, Binz..."A weak but still steady voice sounded.Supported by Kuzan and Tashigi, Zephyrlaboriously raised his hand, stopping his subordinates' overzealous actions.He gasped a few times, his eyes looking at Luffy, then at Sanji and Yamato, and finally resting on Kuzan, a complex expression flashing across his face."It was I... who was not skilled enough."Zephyr frankly admitted his defeat; although asthma was a factor, a loss was a loss."It has nothing to do with these young people. They... are very strong."He paused, his gaze refocused on Luffy, this young man who had just arrived with such domineering yet effortless grace, this newly appointed "Fourth Emperor."