Chapter 82: Army General

The moment he landed on the island, Asa's sense of crisis surged. His heartbeat accelerated suddenly, and his Haki immediately enveloped the entire Sabaody Archipelago. Yet, he couldn't pinpoint the source of the threat.

"No? How can that be?" Asa frowned. For the first time, his incredibly sharp Observation Haki failed him.

"If Haki exists in this world, then naturally, there must be ways to block it. That's not surprising… but… not even a single odd sound?"

Radio waves gave him the ability to monitor nearby conversations. Normally, if anyone nearby uttered even a word, he'd notice it immediately.

"Over there, from No. 50 to No. 59... is that Buggy and Shanks talking? Are the Roger Pirates here too? Could they be the source of the danger I'm sensing?"

Asa heard Buggy shouting at Shanks and quickly deduced that the Roger Pirates had arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.

"No, I've never had a direct conflict with them. Even if things went bad, I could still escape. Why do I feel like my life is in danger?"

"I could leave... but what about Jessica? Should I abandon her for now?"

Despite his intense Observation Haki, Asa couldn't detect anything unusual, as if his intuition was deceiving him.

Jessica was already his crew member. If he left her behind, she'd undoubtedly feel hurt. They had acknowledged each other for a long time, and leaving her would make her feel inadequate, like a burden.

"Is this the Sabaody Archipelago mentioned in the Navy Hero's stories? It's so beautiful…" Jessica exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she watched people glide by in bubble cars.

Women always seemed to appreciate beauty more than men.

"Jessica, go play at the Bubble Park for a bit... Remember what I said, don't worry—I'll come back for you. Wait for me there!"

A feeling Asa had never known before welled up inside him. His heart pounded like it was about to burst.

He quickly gave his instructions, not even stopping to say more, and in a flash of lightning, he left Jessica behind.

Once battle broke out, she would inevitably be affected. Despite her training at Navy Headquarters, Jessica was still like an ant compared to true powerhouses.

Zzzt!!

He transformed into lightning and shot out of the illegal zone, aiming to clear the mangrove range...

BOOM!!

Like a man slamming into steel, Asa was jolted violently even in his lightning form.

"What is this? A barrier? A wall?" He finally understood where the sense of crisis had come from.

If a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user had created a field covering the entire Sabaody Archipelago, then yes, he was completely trapped—and his Thunder Fruit couldn't pass through it.

"Hippolyte D. Asa! Surrender! This is where your journey ends!"

The one taking the lead was Sengoku. Zephyr, Garp, Tsuru, Aokiji, and Kizaru slowly emerged from behind him, encircling Asa.

"Give it up, Hippolyte D. Asa! This is the power of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit. You're not escaping this time!" Kizaru strolled forward casually, a cigarette between his lips. "Army General Basque St. Andri's ability."

"Barrier-Barrier Fruit?" Asa narrowed his eyes. Wasn't this fruit supposed to be eaten by Bartolomeo in the future?

So the previous user was an Army General?

Asa had read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. He knew that this fruit allowed the user to create near-impenetrable barriers and use them offensively. The drawback was that the total area of active barriers was limited.

The Barrier-Barrier Fruit wasn't truly invincible. If someone had the Door-Door Fruit, the Piercing Fruit, or even the Op-Op Fruit, they could bypass or break through it. But in the absence of such counterabilities, it was indeed close to absolute defense.

Army General Basque Andri had refined the fruit's abilities to the limit, overcoming the weakness of small scale. The entire island was now sealed inside the barrier, and Asa couldn't escape.

"Devil Fruit Awakening?"

Even in danger, Asa didn't panic. He calmly asked his question.

"Oh? So you know about Devil Fruit awakenings?" a weathered voice responded from outside the barrier.

Asa didn't reply. He scanned the entire battlefield within the barrier's range and didn't see Jessica. Relieved, he realized he'd successfully left the lawless zone, sparing her from involvement.

"To mobilize so many of the Navy's top forces and an Army General just to capture a junior like me... I'm flattered," Asa laughed wryly.

"Hahahaha! Kid Asa, the World Government has issued a death order to stop you from entering the New World and becoming a lawless pirate," Garp bellowed, crunching on a senbei.

"Ahhh, enough talk... Let's wrap this up. I wanna go back to sleep," Aokiji said lazily.

"Ice Age!!"

With that cry, the air temperature plummeted. Icy mist shot from his hands, freezing the ground and spreading rapidly, turning everything within the barrier into a frozen wasteland.

"Hippolyte D. Asa, I'll give you one chance," said Vice Admiral Tsuru calmly. "Take the Mind-Cleansing Fruit to purge the evil in your heart, join the Navy, and we'll let go of your past sins…"

"Surrender? Are you kidding me?" Asa laughed maniacally, holding his forehead. "If you wanna fight, then bring it on!"

The idea of joining the Navy and submitting to orders was more painful than death, even if only in words.

"With a temper like yours, you're only fit for Impel Down," Zephyr growled, removing his coat of justice and preparing to engage.

Asa knew full well—there was no escaping this situation. No ordinary man, not even Whitebeard, could walk away from this lineup without a miracle.

Still, there was no way he'd go down without a fight. If this was the end, then he'd make it a glorious one.

He licked his dry lips, thunder cracking around him, battle spirit surging.

"Come on! Let's fight! Either kill me now—or I'll kill you all!"

"Alright! Everyone, let's wrap this up fast," said the Army General weakly. "Maintaining a barrier this wide burns too much stamina. I'm old—I won't hold out long."

His figure appeared above the barrier dome. Tall and muscular, with graying hair and sleepy eyes, he looked like a man who could keel over at any moment.

(End Of Chapter)

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