Chapter 220: The Contest for the First Legion
The flame-wreathed spear and the thunderous roar tore through the atmosphere, crashing down on the dilapidated warships.
Before the blows even landed, the rolling sound waves had already pierced the entire sea area. The searing high temperature radiated out, igniting the sails and clothes from a distance.
On the warships that were rocking in the storm, the Marine soldiers stood dazedly on the decks, watching in despair as the destructive blows fell from the sky.
"We're really being looked down upon!"
Conqueror's Haki crackled as black and red arcs of electricity coiled around Garp's body, spreading out to form a web that broke through the storm and suppressed the sky.
A confident smile appeared on the corner of Garp's mouth. He gathered his powerful Conqueror's Haki, wreathing it around his right fist, making it blossom like a black and red cross-star.
"Fist Bone: Impact!"
Just as the two entirely different strikes were about to converge and fall, Garp twisted his burly, bear-like body. His fist, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, shot up from below like a bolt of lightning.
In that instant, the Conqueror's Haki combined with the extremely powerful punch-gale, forming a terrifyingly strong shockwave that scattered the thunder roar and the flame spear from a distance.
The lightning and flames shattered, and a rain of golden and blue light scattered across the sky. The force of the blow, undiminished, directly created a near-vacuum zone in the atmosphere that reached the clouds, piercing a huge hole in them.
Sunlight scattered down, forming a golden beam that shone on the burly old man who stood at the bow with his arms crossed, a confident smile on his face.
From the scattered warships, thunderous cheers erupted. All the soldiers were cheering for the undisputed hero of the Marines.
"His bones are as sturdy as ever, Vice Admiral Garp," Aokiji thought to himself, looking at Garp, who appeared powerful and reliable under the sunlight.
Nearby, Fujitora and Ryokugyu saw this and also couldn't help but marvel. "Is this the strength of the Marine Hero who pushed the Pirate King into a corner multiple times?"
In the sky, the sky-blotting Azure Dragon narrowed his eyes slightly, a chilling smile on his ferocious dragon face. "To still be able to land a punch like that at his age... not bad, Garp—"
Then, Kaido, with his sky-blotting dragon body, headed for the Big Mom Pirates' fleet. Kaido transformed into his strongest dragon-man form, shouldered his Hassaikai club, and landed heavily on the deck of the Queen Mama Chanter.
A giant Island Cloud descended from the sky, slowly appearing in the sight of both sides of the battlefield. Louis, clad in gold and red heavy armor and with flawless white wings on his back, strode into everyone's view with an unhurried pace.
"Is that Archangel - Louis?"
"Although he's a pirate with the blood of countless Marines on his hands, he's unexpectedly dazzling and warm—" Behind Garp, Fujitora did not shy away from the others, but directly spoke his mind. Because of various reasons, Fujitora's Observation Haki was abnormally strong, allowing him to observe the world and understand people from more angles. He had thus perceived the extraordinariness of the Archangel himself.
"Hey! Are you sure you're complimenting the right person?! He's an out-and-out, extremely evil person!" Ryokugyu said, looking as if he were dissatisfied with Fujitora's words.
In front, Garp ignored the two behind him. Instead, he put away his smile and frowned as he looked at Louis, who was looking down on the Marines with a detached expression.
"Has it already reached this point? Failing to find him in the East Blue back then really allowed him to grow into a major power."
Facing everyone's gaze, Louis appeared quite at ease.
"Ryokugyu, Fujitora, Aokiji, Zephyr, and Garp—they've dispatched five of them. Excluding Sengoku, who wouldn't be deployed, and missing Akainu and Kizaru... I have to say, Big Mom's response really saved her life."
Then, Louis stepped onto the empty air, spread his wings, and hovered, advancing at an unhurried pace. As he moved, the surrounding sea surface trembled violently. The great sea shuddered like water in a basin, and a dark shadow that stretched to the horizon emerged from the seabed.
"Hey, hey! Is this for real?!" Ryokugyu looked at the shadow under the ship, and cold sweat instantly dripped from his forehead.
"A monster." Fujitora's expression did not change noticeably, but the ever-tightening grip on his Supreme Grade sword revealed the unrest in his heart.
"Arara... so the one expanding Dressrosa wasn't just that giant?" Aokiji showed a surprised expression.
Behind them, all the pirates and Marines let out terrified roars on the trembling sea.
In the distance, Kaido and Big Mom's faces also changed as they looked at the increasingly clear dark shadow beneath their feet. "That guy... he can even do something like this?"
One after another, "mountain peaks" pierced the sea surface and grew rapidly. Immediately after, an endless dark shadow rose from the seabed, displacing an immeasurable amount of seawater and revealing the dark brown earth, which was covered with shipwreck and coral.
"The seabed... is actually being lifted!!"
From the one after another warships that were scattered by the seawater came voices of shock and disbelief.
THUD. When the seabed stopped rising and no longer trembled, Louis had just happened to set foot on this land that now stretched for several nautical miles. This was the largest area Louis could lift without considering resisting a great flood.
After a moment, the Island Cloud in the sky also descended, dropping all the combatants of the Archangel Pirates onto this battlefield.
As soon as they appeared, the group cast looks of awe and admiration at Louis. They all knew and had witnessed him lift the seabed before. But this massive scale was far beyond their imagination, leaving everyone horrified.
While everyone was lost in thought, Louis suddenly spoke, his tone revealing a hint of casualness.
"The Archangel Pirates... we don't seem to have an organizational structure like other pirate crews, do we?"
"It's true we don't, but what does that matter?" At the front of the crowd, Yelena asked thoughtfully.
To this, Louis's gaze fell on the scattered Marines and pirates in the distance. "I plan to establish a divisional structure," he said pointedly. "When we have more manpower in the future, it will be expanded to the legion level."
The group heard him and, coming back from their thoughts, their faces were filled with confusion. But his next words made their expressions become abnormally excited.
"So, does anyone want the title of the First Division, the future First Legion? If you want it, go and seize it. I will be watching your performance."
After leaving these words, Louis spread his wings, hovered in the air, and disappeared from their sight.
"..."
In an instant, the crowd was in an uproar. They all understood what Louis meant.
Asmodai, Artemis, and the other members of the Lunarian race were the first to fly out, heading straight for the Marines. "The First Legion must belong to the Lunarians!"
"Haha! We also want the title of number one!" The Buccaneers were not to be outdone. They laughed and charged out.
Hajrudin, who had just returned not long ago, looked at the spot beside him where three others should have been, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. At this moment, for the first time in his decades of life, Hajrudin complained about his partners. "Why did they have to pick this time to go back to Elbaf!!"
But after his complaint, he transformed into a pink dragon and flew toward the battlefield. As a valiant and peerless warrior of the giant race, Hajrudin also wanted this number one title. But the Lunarians and the Buccaneers both had dozens of people. He believed he would have to put in more effort to catch up to their efficiency.
Immediately after, the more than one thousand pirates present, as well as the gladiators and the army led by Kyros, also charged up, heading straight for the pirates' position.
In just a moment, only Yelena, Uta, Kuina, Daz Bonez, and the others were left on the entire battlefield.
Yelena looked at the charging crowd and fell into thought. "Should I pull together a force of people with Oni blood?"
In the end, she shook her head and gave up on the idea. On one hand, the number of "Oni" was not large. On the other hand, no matter who got the number one title, they would ultimately follow her command.
"By the way... what should the commander-in-chief of Terra be called?" Yelena, carrying her World-Breaker war hammer, slowly strode toward the distance as she pondered.
Louis folded his wings and slowly descended before Garp and the others. He slowly drew the Seven Star Sword and held it, along with his spear, in his palms. Then, black and red arcs of electricity flashed out of thin air, coiling around the blades as he slowly walked toward Garp.
Seeing this, Garp's expression was extremely grim. His clenched fists were wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, and he strode forward against the oncoming malice.
Aokiji slowly exhaled a breath of cold air. His entire body radiated a chilling aura. He used his ice to forge a temporary arm for himself, wreathed it in the ultimate Armament Haki, and walked side-by-side with Garp.
As the distance closed, the confrontational aura thickened to its extreme, and the entire battlefield became oppressive.
The two sides from different stances exchanged no unnecessary words. They launched their attacks without any warning.
BOOM!
Garp and Aokiji left a shattered patch of ground several hundred meters long and instantly disappeared, tearing through the sound barrier as they attacked Louis, who was approaching with his sword and spear.
SHIING—
The sword's edge, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki and a golden light, cut through the atmosphere, letting out a piercing hum. Louis, in a sword-swinging posture that was very familiar to Garp, swung the extremely demonic Seven Star Sword. Following the guidance of his Observation Haki, it went straight for the two distinctly different fists.
"This is—" At this moment, in Garp's eyes, the shadows of Roger and Red-Hair merged with Louis, and they cut out a sharp slash at him.
BOOM!
The two's iron fists and the blade clashed without physical contact, erupting in a world-shaking impact and a sound like the sky falling.
Black and red lightning spread out, hanging high in the golden world, tearing open the sky and revealing the two suns. The super-strong Haki of Aokiji and Garp clashed with Louis's Conqueror's Haki from a distance, neither giving way. It directly tore countless cracks in the surface of the earth, and plate-like debris was thrown into the air.
"Fist Bone: Meteor Shower!" In the midst of the fierce clash, Garp and Aokiji, with great coordination, roared loudly.
Facing the unbeatable Archangel, Garp and his grand-disciple coordinated their attack. Iron fists, wreathed in the ultimate Haki, were swung out like a meteor shower.