Chapter 56: The Matter is Concluded
Chapter 56: The Matter is Concluded
A tremendous roar suddenly erupted as Conqueror's Haki clashed without physical contact. Streaks of black and red lightning filled the air, intertwining and colliding, forming a giant black and red web that covered the sea. The atmosphere trembled violently, and seawater was thrown and overturned in mid-air.
Even the people far away in Elegia could see the devastating scene on the distant sea, like a meteorite falling into the ocean.
At the very center of the destructive clash, the members of the Red Hair Pirates and Garp stood frozen in mid-air, facing off against each other.
Shanks lifted his trembling hand, which was still gripping his famous sword, Gryphon, and took a deep breath. He then turned to look at Louis, who was being protected by his crewmates, and said with a smile, "Set sail with confidence, Louis!"
"Leave this to us!"
The trouble with Garp had started because of him and his crew, so it was only right that it ended with them.
Louis didn't refuse. "Alright!"
He held out a hand, and a golden light rose in his palm. One by one, golden beams of light emerged from the radiance and entered the bodies of the Red Hair Pirates. In just a moment, everyone except for Limejuice and Hongo, who had already been treated, was restored to their peak condition. The Red Hair Pirates had a small crew, so healing all of them didn't tire him out.
Then, without paying any attention to the complex expression on Garp's face, he turned, flapped his wings, and left. His purpose had been accomplished; there was no need to stay any longer.
On the turbulent sea, Shanks turned to look at Louis, a brilliant smile on his face. "Louis."
"What is it?" Louis turned his head.
An indescribable emotion flowed from Shanks's eyes, which were shadowed by his straw hat. He spoke in a gentle, calm tone: "I'm leaving Uta in your care."
"Of course," Louis replied, his expression serious as he nodded without further words.
The next moment, he looked into the distance, and the flames coiling around his white wings expanded again, spewing out scorching fire that propelled him away from the battlefield.
Seeing this, Garp used Geppo to cross the sea, his iron fist wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, aiming straight for Louis's back.
In the next instant, Shanks appeared behind Louis, raising his famous sword, which was also coated in Conqueror's Haki, to meet Garp's iron fist.
CLANG...
The iron fist and the blade clashed without contact. Conqueror's Haki ravaged the sea's surface, kicking up a massive storm out of thin air.
Shanks narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful smile on his lips. "Vice Admiral Garp, you shouldn't be thinking about snuffing out the new era!"
As his words fell, bullets, slashes, electric shocks, and other attacks, all coated in powerful Haki, came from behind Shanks, aimed directly at Garp.
Shanks saw this and exerted force with both hands. Coordinating with the strength of his crewmates, he temporarily knocked Garp back several hundred meters.
Garp, held aloft by Geppo, frowned and said in a low voice, "Roger's apprentice brat, why are you fostering a guy with such malice towards the Marines..."
However, Shanks just laughed. This was all just the bitter fruit that the Marines and the World Government had sown themselves; it had nothing to do with him. But he had no need to explain this to Garp. Time would solve all mysteries.
Shanks pressed down the straw hat on his head and looked up at the distant Garp, whose cheek was now bleeding, a soaring fighting spirit rising from his body. "As a senior, isn't it perfectly normal to ensure the juniors of the new era can set sail smoothly?"
Beside him, Beckman silently lit a cigarette for himself, a grave expression on his face. "After this fight, we probably can't stay in the East Blue for long."
"Are you prepared for that, Shanks?"
Shanks's expression froze, and he looked a little annoyed. "I didn't expect to be this unlucky! How was I supposed to know we'd run into Garp? How could I have prepared for that?"
"..."
After a long moment, Beckman sighed. "We'll just have to play it by ear." The next moment, his eyes became sharp. He once again raised his pistol at Garp and, coordinating with Shanks, launched an offensive.
In an instant, the battle reignited. The seas near Elegia once again echoed with continuous roars and terrifying booms.
A golden arc streaked across the sky, piercing through the clouds, disturbing the mist, and leaving a brilliant fiery trail. Soon, Louis, guided by his Observation Haki, found Avant Heim several thousand meters in the sky.
A moment later, he slowly decelerated and landed under the watchful eyes of Yelena and Uta. As soon as he returned, the two of them walked over from the other side of the Island Cloud, both casting worried glances at him.
"You're not hurt, are you, Louis?"
"..."
Facing their questions, Louis replied with a smile, "My defense is very strong! A short battle like that isn't enough to hurt me. Besides, I'm a user of the Life-Life Fruit. I can heal others, and I can heal myself."
Yelena and Uta looked at each other, then both fell silent.
The strength of the Marine Hero was undeniable. Even Shanks and his entire crew were chased into a chaotic mess and covered in wounds after clashing with him. But Louis had gone to face Garp alone and had returned without a single scratch...
For some reason, they were once again reminded of Kuina falling down the stairs. At this moment, the two of them finally realized just how vast the gap between people could be. But besides being shocked, neither of them dwelled on it for too long. For them, the stronger their captain, Louis, was, the better.
However...
"What's with your new look?" Uta stared at the fiery halo hovering behind Louis's head.
Nearby, Yelena was also very surprised. She hadn't noticed it at first. It was only after Uta pointed it out that she belatedly realized.
Louis was silent. For a moment, he didn't know how to explain it. He speculated that it was the work of the Angel's Blood that had given him his strange physique and coloring. When he went all out, it caused a mutation in combination with his Lunarian flames.
To this, Louis could only hope that this Angel's Blood wasn't scraped off some hammer. If it really was, then there was a very low probability that Louis would also suffer from the torment of recursive prophecies. Louis really didn't want to suddenly see the distant future one night, only to think that when he woke up, he had fallen into a second prophecy based on the first one, and so on, in an infinite loop. Being able to see the future was nice, but the recursive kind was a hard pass. It would drive a person mad.
Inside Avant Heim.
Louis took out a wooden box and handed it to Uta. "Uta, this is for you."
"What is it?" Uta subconsciously took the small wooden box, asking with a bewildered look on her face.
"A Devil Fruit," Louis replied concisely.
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