Glacier Treasure! A Single Punch Repels Chinjao!

"Th-this... that..."

The king's eyes darted around, his heart struggling violently.

How could he not be tempted by such a massive treasure?

Although the Glacier Treasure nominally belonged to the heritage of the Happo Navy, he had secretly coveted it ever since he ascended the throne.

It was only due to the formidable strength and prestige of the current leader of the Happo Navy, Chinjao, that he had never dared to make a move.

Now, if he let the Rocks Pirates snatch it away... the mere thought made his heart bleed with intense unwillingness.

The king played the victim: "That Glacier Treasure is a legacy of the Happo Navy; even I, the king, dare not touch it without permission...

Leader Chinjao is incredibly powerful and has a volatile temper. If he finds out I led you there, he will surely skin me alive!"

These words were half-truth and half-lie, serving both as an excuse and a subtle way to point the spearhead at Chinjao.

In any case, the treasure didn't entirely belong to him anyway; if he could let Luo Tian and Chinjao destroy each other...

Dark thoughts flashed through the king's mind.

However, the helplessness and fear he was feigning were crystal clear in the eyes of Luo Tian.

Having cultivated Observation Haki to a high level, he could not only predict movements but also perceive emotions and lies.

"I will say this only one more time."

Luo Tian said coldly, his impatience already showing:

"Otherwise, I don't mind letting the royal family of the Flower Country... disappear completely."

The territory of the Flower Country was not small; if he had to search for the specific location of the Glacier Treasure on his own, it would inevitably waste time.

For the sake of efficiency, he had come directly to the supreme ruler of this country.

"Sir... you are making this very difficult for me." The king was still playing the victim.

"Difficult? Then don't bother!" As the words fell, Luo Tian applied a slight force to the hand holding the king.

The king immediately felt an irresistible force crushing his entire body; his internal organs felt as if they were shifting, and a sweetness rose in his throat as a mouthful of blood couldn't help but gush out!

"Sir! I'll take you there! I'll go right now!!"

This moment had nearly cost him half his life, and the king begged desperately, truly feeling the breath of death.

He had no doubt that if he refused again, he would die on the spot.

Just as Luo Tian was holding the ashen-faced king and preparing to leave the palace—

Outside the palace gates, a sturdy figure, surrounded by a group of elite subordinates, swaggered into the hall.

The newcomer stood over five meters tall, his build as robust as a giant bear, and most striking was the strange, drill-shaped protrusion on the top of his head.

He wore loose martial arts attire with a red sash tied around his waist, and his arms were as thick as pillars.

It was none other than the 12th leader of the Happo Navy, The Drill, Chinjao!

"This is the palace of the Flower Country in the West Blue, not a place where you people from the New World's Rocks Pirates can run wild!"

Chinjao stared fixedly at the young figure beside the throne holding the king, his voice like a tolling bell:

"Even if you are from the Rocks Pirates, you have no right to trample upon the ruler of a country like this!"

There had long been scouts from the Happo Navy stationed in the coastal military camp.

From the moment the giant pirate ship broke into their territorial waters, the news had already reached him.

At first, he only knew it was a ship of the Rocks Pirates, and a cloud of gloom couldn't help but cover his heart—the subordinates of that New World hegemon were always filled with monsters.

But seeing it with his own eyes now, that back actually carried a hint of youth.

The West Blue was remote; surely Rocks wouldn't send a powerhouse here, right?

How much trouble could a young pirate stir up in the powerful Flower Country?

Thinking of this, Chinjao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He had absolute confidence in his own strength.

Hasshoken—this fierce martial art passed down through generations had long accompanied him in battles across the four seas, spreading the fame of the Happo Navy throughout the West Blue.

Even in the New World, as long as he didn't encounter legends standing at the peak like Whitebeard or Golden Lion, he had the confidence to fight to the end.

"Oh?"

A light scoff, devoid of emotion, echoed clearly in every corner of the hall.

Luo Tian turned slowly, his gaze like a blade, looking straight at Chinjao.

"The 12th leader of the Happo Navy, The Drill, Chinjao—"

"Since you know it's me, why haven't you knelt down to beg for mercy?"

Seeing that the other party recognized him, Chinjao's contempt grew even deeper.

He was just a young man, after all; hearing his name should have taught him to know his place.

However, before his words could finish, his son beside him suddenly began to tremble, pointing a finger at Luo Tian, his lips quivering, unable to squeeze out a complete sentence for a long time.

"Useless trash!"

Chinjao was furious at the sight and raised his hand, ready to slap him across the face.

"--He is Luo Tian!! The Luo Tian with a 2.5 billion bounty!!"

His son roared the words out with every ounce of his strength.

Chinjao's hand froze in mid-air.

Luo Tian?!

That monster who shook the entire world with his very first bounty? How could he possibly appear in the West Blue?!

He hurriedly fished a crumpled newspaper from his robes—the news that had only reached the West Blue a few days ago, featuring Luo Tian's photo and that terrifying bounty amount.

He looked down at the paper, then looked up at the man in the flesh.

"The Rocks Pirates are far away in the New World. I wonder what brings Executive Luo Tian to our remote West Blue... and for what purpose?" Chinjao immediately became polite and courteous.

"Since you're here, that works out well." Luo Tian tossed the king, who looked like a dead dog, to the side and spoke without any attempt to hide his intent:

"I want the treasure beneath the Ice Continent."

"Ouch!" The king groaned in pain as he hit the floor, but he turned his head to cast a venomous glare at Chinjao.

If you had arrived even half a step earlier, I wouldn't have ended up like this!

Chinjao ignored the king's gaze, but the moment he heard the word "treasure," his expression sank completely.

As expected.

From the moment he recognized the man, he had vaguely guessed his intentions.

But that was the accumulation of eleven generations of his family, the foundation for his future conquest of the Grand Line; how could he just hand it over?

"Father..." his son whispered, his voice laced with confusion.

He also understood what that meant, but standing before them was Luo Tian, with a bounty of 2.5 billion!

"Pirate—you go too far!!!"

Chinjao's rage and his obsession with defending his family's wealth ultimately overcame that sliver of fear for Luo Tian's reputation.

He roared in a blind fury, no longer hesitating!

That was the accumulation of eleven generations of his family! It was the capital for him, Chinjao, to dominate the seas in the future! How could he possibly hand it over to someone else!

In an instant, his burly frame erupted with astonishing speed, and a heavy punch, condensed with thick Haki and the secret arts of the Hasshoken, tore through the air as he struck fiercely toward Luo Tian!

Chinjao had absolute confidence in his "Hasshoken."

This unique skill, with its century-long history, had been passed down through generations of the Happo Navy.

Not only was its power astonishing, but it could also release a powerful, diffusive shockwave at the moment of impact, which ordinary shields and defenses simply could not withstand.

At the same time, the Hasshoken itself possessed an extremely strong defensive and force-deflecting effect, making it a technique that combined both offense and defense.

This was his unparalleled reliance as he roamed the West Blue.

"Hasshoken Secret Art—Drill Dragon!"

At the tip of his fist, Haki coiled like a physical substance, forming a spiraling, drill-shaped air current.

Facing this heavy, powerful punch with its spreading shockwave, Luo Tian's expression remained as calm as a stagnant well.

He didn't even draw his blade; he simply raised his right hand in a casual motion.

At the tip of his fist, an invisible repulsive force was highly condensed and compressed, causing the surrounding space to begin to distort slightly.

Then, he met the punch head-on!

It wasn't a clash of brute force, but rather the concentration of the repulsive force of "Shinra Tensei" into a single point on his fist, creating a piercing, destructive power!

"Bang—!!!"

Fists! Collided!

A violent blast of air exploded from the center of the two, blowing the ornate decorations in the grand hall into pieces and even sending the unconscious guards flying away.

Immediately after, to Chinjao's disbelief, his entire body was sent flying backward uncontrollably.

His feet plowed two deep furrows into the ground, and he stumbled back more than ten steps before he could barely steady himself.

"Damn it..." Chinjao felt a numbing, sharp pain radiating through his entire right arm; his knuckles felt as if they were about to shatter, and his blood surged uncontrollably.

The strange and majestic power transmitted from the opponent's fist was completely beyond his expectations.

It wasn't simple brute force, but some kind of... repulsion on a spatial level!

Chinjao raised his head and stared fixedly at Luo Tian, a look of genuine gravity appearing in his eyes for the first time.

This young man...

He was far stronger than he had imagined.