The moment those words fell, the bear's house-sized paw slammed toward Lorne with an air-rending shriek and devastating force!
"Ensign, sir!"
"Get out of the way!"
Ethan, the scarred veteran, and the others aboard the Fearless let out heart-wrenching cries.
Yet faced with a terrifying attack powerful enough to smash a warship in two, Lorne did not dodge. Instead, he crossed his arms, coated them in jet-black Armament Haki, and met it head-on!
He wanted to experience the strength of this Ancient Zoan with his own body!
"Madman! This Marine is a complete madman!" Watching from his hiding place atop the high wall, Diamante's pupils abruptly contracted. For the first time, incomprehension appeared on his face. "He actually wants to take an Ancient Zoan giant bear's full-strength blow with his body? Who does he think he is? Garp?!"
BOOM!!!
Under everyone's horrified gazes, the enormous bear paw collided head-on with Lorne's figure, as tiny as an ant in comparison!
There was none of the flying flesh and blood they had imagined.
At the instant of impact, a visible white shock wave spread wildly in every direction, forming a ring around the point of contact!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The beach beneath Lorne's feet, along with the hard rock below it, shattered instantly under the immense pressure. Spiderweb cracks raced outward for hundreds of meters!
"He... he blocked it?" a young Marine soldier asked, his voice trembling as he watched through his telescope.
But before he could finish speaking, that irresistible, terrifying force erupted in full!
A heavy crash rang out from Lorne's crossed arms. The Armament Haki coating them fluctuated violently, and he was sent flying as though a battering ram had struck him head-on!
Whoosh!
His figure became a tiny black speck, hurtling backward at a speed almost too fast