Near Death

Luo Chuan had no intention of leaving the Sabaody Archipelago. His sharp eyes swept over his surroundings. He wanted to see whether, with him here, any blind fool would dare lay a hand on innocent civilians.

The Marine soldiers and CP0 members in black suits who had been sent flying earlier were now struggling to climb up from the ground.

Their legs trembled violently, like dead branches swaying in the wind. After all, anyone who personally witnessed a living person blown into a cloud of blood in an instant would probably be scared out of their wits.

Those with slightly better mental fortitude could still barely support themselves and stand, while those with weaker nerves simply rolled their eyes back and died of fright.

Though their hearts were filled with fear, these Marine soldiers and CP0 agents did not retreat.

They knew full well that the crimes this man had committed were monstrous, and they absolutely could not let him escape just like that. So all of them immediately sprang into action, swiftly forming an encirclement as they tried to surround Luo Chuan as quickly as possible.

All the remaining Marine soldiers in the station were deployed to blockade Luo Chuan.

However, they also knew very well in their hearts that with their own strength, it was impossible to defeat that man. All they could do was buy time until the three admirals from headquarters or CP0's elite forces arrived on the scene.

Meanwhile, the three admirals who had set out from Marine Headquarters were rushing toward the Sabaody Archipelago at breakneck speed.

The warship they rode split through the surging sea, kicking up layer upon layer of waves. Every admiral's face was solemn and grave; they knew full well how serious this incident was.

And as Luo Chuan strolled along the street, he keenly sensed the change in the atmosphere around him.

The way the civilians looked at him carried a complicated mix of emotions—both admiration and awe.

They admired Luo Chuan for daring to kill a Celestial Dragon, and they also felt awe at the terrifying strength Luo Chuan had displayed.

It was precisely because these two feelings were intertwined that no one dared casually step forward and strike up a conversation with Luo Chuan. The entire street sank into an eerie silence, with only Luo Chuan's steady, powerful footsteps echoing beside everyone's ears.

Within a few minutes, nearly a hundred Marine soldiers and CP0 agents had surrounded Luo Chuan.

"Give yourself up, Luo Chuan. You're already surrounded."

Someone shouted the line, though no one knew who.

The Marine soldiers drew their guns one after another and pulled the bolts, preparing to fire.

Luo Chuan found it utterly speechless. They clearly knew it was useless, yet they still dared to pull out guns. What were they thinking?

Just as the soldiers were about to pull the triggers, the three admirals descended from the sky, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Great! It's the three admirals, Kuzan, Borsalino, and Sakazuki!"

The three admirals stood in a row, their gazes cold and grave as frosty stars, fixed tightly on Luo Chuan before them.

The one at the front was tall and powerful, draped in a Marine cloak of justice. It was none other than Akainu—Sakazuki. His face was filled with rage, as if he wanted to put the man before him to death at once. Beside him, Kizaru Borsalino narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth carrying the faintest trace of a smile. And behind them, Aokiji Kuzan stood with his arms folded across his chest, his expression heavy, though a barely perceptible complexity showed in the depths of his eyes.

"I really didn't expect it to be the three of you coming together. What's wrong, Kuzan? Don't tell me you've already forgotten the pain from that punch I gave you before?" Luo Chuan's face carried an almost-smiling expression as he teased him in a relaxed tone.

Facing Luo Chuan's mockery, Kuzan did not get angry. He only quietly stared at him, that stern face as still as thousand-year-old ice.

Yet at that moment, Sakazuki suddenly roared, "You audacious, lawless madman! Today, you will receive the punishment you deserve!"

Before anyone else could react, Sakazuki had already attacked without hesitation. He bellowed, "Great Eruption!!" In an instant, an incomparably scorching surge of magma gushed from his hand, quickly gathering into a gigantic magma fist that smashed fiercely toward Luo Chuan with world-destroying force.

The punch was astonishingly powerful. Wherever it passed, the air was burned until it warped and twisted, and the surrounding temperature instantly soared to the extreme.

Feeling the terrifying heat wave rushing toward him, Luo Chuan calmly extended the index finger of his right hand and flicked it lightly.

A faint ray of light shot from his fingertip, turning into a tiny energy bullet that crashed into the menacing magma fist with lightning speed. With a thunderous boom, the magma fist burst apart at once, transforming into countless scalding fragments of magma that splashed everywhere like rain.

This sudden turn of events frightened the soldiers and CP0 members present into panic. They screamed and fled in every direction, terrified that the blazing magma would splash onto them. For a time, the entire scene became utter chaos.

Almost at the same moment the magma fist exploded, Sakazuki exploded with it.

"What!!!"

Borsalino's heart shook violently. As a powerful fighter with the ability of light and a reputation for speed, he had actually failed to notice when the other side launched his attack! In that chilling instant, Luo Chuan appeared abruptly before him like a ghost and threw a punch without hesitation.

This perfectly ordinary punch looked as terrifying as a stormy sea in Borsalino's eyes. He did not dare show the slightest negligence and immediately elementalized, narrowly dodging the blow. However, what shocked him was that the moment he reappeared, Luo Chuan had actually followed right along like a shadow and materialized with him.

Just like that, a thrilling chase began—Borsalino continuously elementalized, while Luo Chuan pursued from behind. Seeing that the situation was bad, Kuzan decisively launched an attack on Luo Chuan.

Unfortunately, Luo Chuan's movement speed was simply astonishingly fast, so much so that Kuzan could not accurately lock onto his target for the moment.

After Borsalino realized he could not shake off Luo Chuan's pursuit no matter what, he quickly elementalized and flew higher into the sky, planning to unleash the powerful Yasakani no Magatama. But what he never expected was that Luo Chuan seemed to have already seen through his intentions and had accurately predicted the position where he was about to appear.

Luo Chuan placed one hand steadily on Borsalino's shoulder, then suddenly exerted force and slammed him hard into the ground below.

There was only a thunderous boom as a huge pit was blasted into the ground, dust billowing and shattered stones flying everywhere.

But Luo Chuan did not stop there. He turned to look at Kuzan, who was about to attack again, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a contemptuous smile.

He flashed instantly in front of Kuzan and showed him the same smile as last time. Then he threw another simple punch, sending Kuzan flying backward like a cannonball before he crashed heavily into the distant ground, raising a rolling cloud of dust.

Unlike the first time he fought Kuzan, when facing the three admirals this time, Luo Chuan struck very hard, beating the three of them until they were nearly half-dead.