The Plaza: Lin Yuan vs. Iron Wall

Flower Capital, Castle Square, noon.

News of the breach of all four gates had reached the plaza. Tie Lan of the East Gate had been captured, Jizō of the North Gate had been knocked unconscious, and Huijin of the West Gate had surrendered. Three of Orochi's four pillars had broken. In the end, only the three hundred shields remaining in the plaza— the Iron Wall Guard, Orochi's most elite force.

Tie Gui stood at the very front of the formation, holding a long-handled battle axe. His face was covered by an iron mask, revealing only his eyes, which were fixed on Lin Yuan, who was walking from the east gate.

"Lin Yuan." The Tie Gui's voice came from behind the iron mask, muffled.

Lin Yuan didn't answer. He walked to the center of the square, standing twenty meters away from the formation, his hands in his pockets. Kaido was fighting the Orochi in a room on the top floor of the Castle; the dull thuds of the impacts echoed through the ceiling, one after another, like pile drivers. Purple poisonous mist seeped out from the cracks in the windows, gleaming eerily in the sunlight.

Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi: "Lin Yuan, Kaido is about to collapse. Orochi's regenerative ability is too strong— Kaido blew off a head, and another one immediately grew back. Kaido's stamina is decreasing, but Orochi's regeneration speed hasn't changed. You need to hurry."

Lin Yuan looked up at the top floor of the Castle. "Understood."

He withdrew his gaze and looked at the opposite formation. "Make way."

The Tie Gui didn't move. "Iron Wall Guards, form ranks!"

Three hundred Seastone shields rose simultaneously, and three hundred spears thrust out at the same time. The shields fit together seamlessly, while the spears peeked out from the gaps, gleaming coldly in the sunlight. The formation took a step forward, and the ground trembled.

Lin Yuan closed his eyes.

Spatial Perception, fully activated. The essence of the Door-Door Fruit is spatial manipulation, and Spatial Perception is the foundation of spatial manipulation. His Observation Haki is only average; Zephyr once said that it was his weakness. But his Spatial Perception is a deeper level of perception than Observation Haki, granted to him by his Devil Fruit ability. The three hundred people in the formation are not three hundred independent individuals, but a whole—a sophisticated killing machine.

He could feel the meshing of each gear.

The shield bearer in the first rank, seventh from the left, had his weight shifted to the right more than the others, and his right leg was noticeably thicker than his left. This wasn't congenital; it was due to an old injury. He had injured his right knee and dared not put weight on it, so he shifted his weight onto his left leg. When the phalanx advanced, his stride was two centimeters shorter than the others. This two-centimeter difference would, after thirty consecutive steps, tear a three-centimeter gap in the third rank on the left flank. Three centimeters—the width of a spear.

Lin Yuan opened his eyes.

Ginny's voice carried a hint of barely suppressed shock. "Your Spatial Perception... can already detect weaknesses inside the human body?"

"It's just the development of the fruit's ability," Lin Yuan said.

He moved. Not charging, but walking. One step, two steps, three steps. The phalanx advanced, the shields closed. On the fourth step, his figure disappeared from the spot.

Space Folding.

The advanced application of the Door-Door Fruit —not opening doors, but compressing the space between two points to zero. The distance between point A and point B disappeared, and he leaped twenty meters, appearing in front of the seventh man in the third row on the left flank of the formation. The soldier hadn't even had time to raise his shield because his old right knee injury slowed his movements by 0.3 seconds. 0.3 seconds was enough.

Lin Yuan slammed his fist into his shield.

Armament Haki covered his fist, Conqueror's Haki Coating, and dark red lightning crackled across it. The shield shattered, and the soldier flew through the air, crashing into two people behind him. A gap appeared on the left flank of the formation, and the soldiers in the back row hadn't had time to fill it because the messenger hadn't had a chance to give the order. His Spatial Perception had already anticipated all of this.

"Left flank breach, three seconds," Lin Yuan said. His voice echoed across the square, emanating from within the formation.

Bullet charged from the east gate. His left arm was still hanging down, but his right fist was already raised. He punched into the gap Lin Yuan had created, his Armament Haki Hardening, Conqueror's Haki Coating, and dark red lightning crackling on his fist. Three soldiers flew out, their shields shattering in all directions.

"When did you come in?" Bullet asked.

"Three seconds ago," Lin Yuan said. He disappeared again, Space Folding —and reappeared on the right flank of the formation.

Kuma came from the north gate. His footprints were red—his internal bleeding hadn't stopped, but he didn't stop. He stood on the outer right flank of the formation, raised his palm, and waited.

Lin Yuan appeared in front of the third man in the fifth row on the right flank. There was a crack on the edge of that soldier's shield—detected by Spatial Perception, but invisible to the naked eye. Lin Yuan punched the crack, and the shield shattered. The soldier fell to the ground, and a gap appeared on the right flank of the formation.

"Kuma."

Kuma slammed his paw into the gap. Air Cannon exploded inside the formation, sending three soldiers flying. Blood trickled from Kuma's mouth, but he didn't stop; he struck again.

Ash fell from the sky, landing directly behind the formation. His right arm was bandaged— Huijin had reattached it with gray flames—but his left hand was still usable. He used the Float-Float Fruit to lift slabs of stone from the plaza and smash them into the rear of the formation. The slabs struck shields, shattering them and causing soldiers to fall. A messenger was hit by a slab and coughed up blood. Communication between the front and rear ranks was lost; the front ranks didn't know the rear ranks' movements, and the rear ranks couldn't see the front ranks' commands.

The formation was crumbling. The left flank was missing, the right flank was missing, and the rear was in disarray. But the Iron Wall Guard did not fall. When the front ranks fell, the rear ranks filled in. When shields shattered, they picked up their teammates'. When spears broke, they drew short swords. They had trained for ten years, not on how to win, but on how not to lose.

Tie Gui stood in the center of the formation, his face hidden by an iron mask, so his expression was not visible. But his eyes were fixed on Lin Yuan.

"Lin Yuan." The Tie Gui's voice came from behind the iron mask.

Lin Yuan stood on the left side of the formation, his feet resting on a broken shield. His fists were covered in blood—not his, but that of the soldiers.

"Your abilities are formidable. Your Spatial Perception allows you to see through the weaknesses of any formation. Your Space Folding allows you to appear anywhere you desire. Your Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki can shatter Seastone Alloy shield with a single punch." Tie Gui gripped his battle axe tightly. "But you've forgotten one thing."

"What?"

"Your Space Folding, and it has a place to land."

Tie Gui charged forward. Not towards Lin Yuan's current location, but towards the location where Lin Yuan was about to appear. His Observation Haki captured the instant Lin Yuan folded space—the direction of his disappearance, the magnitude of the compression, and the spatial fluctuations. He saw the landing point.

The battle axe cleaved down.

The moment Lin Yuan stepped out of the folded space, the axe blade was already in front of him. He turned his head. The axe blade grazed his ear, shaving off a lock of hair. A bloody mark appeared on his ear, and a drop of blood dripped from his earlobe.

"You can see where I'm going to land?" Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed.

"I saw you throw seven punches." Tie Gui sheathed his axe and brought it down again. "I understand."

Lin Yuan did not retreat. He opened a door in front of the axe blade—not to teleport himself, but to teleport the Tie Gui's attack. The axe blade slashed into the door, then emerged from the space behind the Tie Gui, striking the Tie Gui's own back. The Tie Gui groaned as the armor on his back cracked, and blood seeped from the crack.

But he didn't stop. With the second axe strike, Lin Yuan opened another door. The axe blade once again cleaved through Tie Gui's own body. The third axe, the fourth axe, the fifth axe. Each axe cleaved into Lin Yuan's door and then cleaved through Tie Gui's own body. Left arm, right shoulder, back, thigh—all wounds he had inflicted himself. Blood flowed from Tie Gui's body, dripping onto the ground and pooling into a small puddle.

But Tie Gui did not retreat.

He threw away his battle axe, drew a short sword from his waist, and charged at Lin Yuan. The short sword aimed for Lin Yuan's abdomen. Lin Yuan dodged to the side, grabbed Tie Gui's wrist with his left hand, and punched Tie Gui in the face with his right. Tie Gui's face was knocked to the side, and a crack appeared in his iron mask. He didn't retreat. He used the short sword to stab Lin Yuan's throat with his other hand— Lin Yuan leaned back, the tip of the sword grazing his chin, leaving a bloody mark.

Lin Yuan kicked Tie Gui in the knee. Tie Gui knelt on one knee, his short knife falling to the ground. Lin Yuan punched Tie Gui in the temple— Tie Gui's eyes rolled back, his body leaned forward, but he didn't fall. He grabbed Lin Yuan's clothes with his fingers.

"The captain won't fall..." Tie Gui's voice was faint, as if it came from a great distance, "The formation won't break..."

The formation did not break apart. Tie Gui knelt on the ground, but the formation continued to move. The soldiers in the front ranks were unaware of their captain's situation, and the soldiers in the back ranks were unaware of the battle situation ahead. They only obeyed orders and carried out training. The formation continued to advance, and the shields continued to close.

Lin Yuan looked at the Tie Gui on his shoulder and remained silent for a moment.

"Your body can't hold on any longer. Your ribs have pierced your lungs, and blood gushes out with every breath. Your back is bleeding; you've stabbed yourself seven times. Standing up is only hastening your death."

Tie Gui didn't answer. He picked up the dagger from the ground, stood up, and walked towards Lin Yuan. With one step, blood gushed from the corner of his mouth. With two steps, blood gushed from his nose. With three steps, blood gushed from his ears. With the fourth step, his left leg gave way, and he knelt on one knee. He used the dagger to support himself on the ground and stood up again. With the fifth step, he couldn't see his right eye—not from being shot, but from a fractured skull pressing on his optic nerve. With the sixth step, his fingers could no longer hold the dagger, and it fell to the ground.

Step seven. He didn't take that step.

Tie Gui stood frozen in place, his eyes fixed on Lin Yuan, his lips moving but no sound escaping. Then his body slowly collapsed, the back of his head hitting the ground with a dull thud. His eyes remained open, but there was no light. He wasn't unconscious, but he would never stand up again.

Lin Yuan stood before the Tie Gui, looking down at the face beneath the iron mask. It wasn't ferocious or malevolent; it was just an ordinary, elderly warrior. There were old scars on the corners of his mouth, wrinkles around his eyes, and white hair at his temples.

"Your captain has fallen." Lin Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the square heard it clearly.

The formation stopped. All three hundred shields halted simultaneously. The three hundred soldiers stood still, shields still raised, spears still gripped, but not a single one took another step forward. It wasn't surrender; they simply didn't know what to do. Their captain had fallen, their vice-captain had been knocked unconscious by Lin Yuan, and all the squad leaders lay sprawled on the plaza.

Three hundred people, three hundred hearts, but no unified voice.

Lin Yuan lowered his fist. He stood in the center of the square, covered in blood—not his, but Tie Gui's, and those soldiers'. There was a bloodstain on his ear, a knife wound on his chin, and the skin on his fists was worn raw. But his breathing was steady, and his eyes were calm.

Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi: "Iron Wall Guard... has ceased operations."

"That's enough." Lin Yuan turned around and walked towards the Castle gate.

Bullet emerged from the ranks, his left arm still hanging limply, his right hand covered in blood. "What do we do with these people?"

"Don't worry about it. They won't fight anymore."

Jin fell from the sky and landed next to Lin Yuan. Kuma walked out from the right flank of the formation, leaving a bloody footprint on the ground with each step.

Lin Yuan pushed open the Castle gate and walked into the dark corridor. The corpses of guards lay on both sides of the corridor, and there were claw marks and burn marks on the walls—left by Kaido when he went upstairs.

"How long has Kaido been fighting up there?" Bullet asked.

"More than an hour," Lin Yuan said.

"Is Orochi that powerful?"

"It's not that Orochi is strong, it's that the Yamata no Orochi Orochi's regenerative ability is too strong. Kaido blew off one of its heads, and another immediately grew back. Kaido's stamina is limited, but Orochi's regenerative ability is almost limitless." Lin Yuan quickened his pace. "Kaido can't hold on much longer."

At the top of the stairs, the door to the top-floor room was open, and purple poisonous mist poured out, flowing down the stairs. Lin Yuan raised his hand and opened a door in the mist, revealing fresh air from outside the Castle. The poisonous mist was drawn out, and visibility in the corridor instantly improved.

"Walk."

Lin Yuan pushed open the Castle gate and walked into the dark corridor. Bullet followed for two steps, but Lin Yuan raised his hand to stop him.

You stay here.

Bullet frowned. "You mean we're not going up?"

"You're all too badly injured. You won't be able to help, and you'll only be a distraction." Lin Yuan didn't turn around. "Kuma's internal organs are bleeding, Bullet's left arm is unresponsive, and Jin's right arm has just been reattached. If you go, you'll be sending yourselves to your deaths."

Kuma stood there, silent. Blood was still seeping from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were calm.

Jin looked at his bandaged right arm and paused for a moment. "The flames of Huijin can heal. Let her stop the bleeding for the Kuma."

Lin Yuan turned and glanced at him. "You believe her?"

"She healed my hand," Jin said. "The fire of the Lunarian should not kill each other."

Lin Yuan was silent for a moment. "Alright. Let her heal. You all stand by in the square. If the fight upstairs is over, I'll call you. If it's not over upstairs—guard the square and don't let anyone in."

He turned and walked towards the stairs. His footsteps echoed in the dark corridor, growing fainter and fainter.

Bullet stood in the square, watching Lin Yuan's figure disappear around the corner of the stairs. His left arm hung down, his right fist clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"He went up alone?"

"He's not alone," King said. "Kaido is up there."

"Kaido has been fighting for over an hour."

That's why we need to go up.

Bullet was silent for a moment, then plopped down on the steps, slamming his right fist into his knee. "... Wait... wait until they're done fighting."

Kuma sat down against a pillar and closed his eyes. Blood was still seeping from his chest, and his breathing was heavy. Jhin walked to the edge of the plaza and spoke a few words to the Den Den Mushi. A moment later, Huijin walked from the direction of the west gate, bandages wrapped around half of his face, and there was no hostility in the gray eye that was exposed.

She walked up to the Kuma, squatted down, and gray flames gathered in her palm.

"The flames of the Lunarian can heal the body," Jin said. "Let her heal."

The Kuma opened its eyes, glanced at the Huijin, and then closed them again.

Huijin pressed the gray flame against the Kuma's chest. The flame seeped into the skin, causing no burning sensation, only a warm feeling, like soaking in lukewarm water. The Kuma's breathing became more even, and the bleeding from the corner of its mouth stopped.

Bullet frowned as he watched. "Are you sure she's not killing someone?"

"I'm sure," Jin said.

Huijin didn't speak. Her head was bowed, a gray flame burning quietly in her palm as she focused intently on treating the wound on the Kuma's chest. Beneath the bandages, her lips were slightly pursed, obscuring her expression.

(End of Chapter 83)