Chapter 48: Battle's End
Elsewhere, boom! boom!—Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Sengoku, and Garp landed on the island and looked toward Cole, eyes filled with gravity.
"Could it be… is Cole really a Giant?" Whitebeard asked.
"Oi, Newgate! That attack just now—wasn't that Elbaf's Spear: Hakoku?" Garp shouted. "Don't tell me… you've conquered the Giant Nation?!"
Sengoku and Zephyr were also taken aback. Garp had a point.
According to Rocks Pirates' rules, if a Giant joined, it meant Elbaf itself had joined the crew.
And Cole had only just joined the Rocks Pirates…
The three Marines now looked more serious than ever. If it was true, and the Giant Nation had joined Rocks—then the world was truly in for upheaval. Elbaf was called the strongest nation for a reason.
"It was indeed Elbaf's Spear: Hakoku, but Cole's probably not from Elbaf," Whitebeard said. "Though… I wouldn't rule out that he once trained there."
"Phew! As long as you haven't conquered the Giant Nation, it's fine," Garp exhaled. "One Giant isn't enough to shake the World Government."
"But still—that attack seems too draining to use repeatedly," Sengoku said as he saw Cole's fatigued state and visibly relaxed.
"Haha! Sengoku, as long as Luo Han's around, even Zephyr won't get anywhere," Golden Lion smirked. "And besides, this isn't the time for chit-chat!"
He swung his right hand—shing!—a fierce slash flew toward Sengoku.
Sengoku transformed into his Buddha form and countered with a dense shockwave—clang!—neutralizing Golden Lion's strike.
The four resumed their clash instantly.
Back on Luo Han's side, he shook his head at the panting Cole.
"What's the rush? Our goal right now is just to grow stronger. Haki improves fastest through battle," Luo Han said. "Right now we've got someone with Admiral-level strength as a sparring partner—just focus on attacking. I'll cover the rest."
"Got it, Han-ge!" Cole said after catching his breath.
"You brats!!" Zephyr roared, his face twitching with fury. These little punks are using me as a training dummy!
Clearly, the best place for these two was Impel Down—for long-term reform.
"Haha! Come on, Zephyr! You were always destined to be Cole's sparring partner," Luo Han laughed boldly. "Because I said so."
You... bastard! Zephyr's rage exploded, and even his Haki became more intense.
Boom! Zephyr lunged with a punch.
Cole met him head-on—clang!—fists clashed, one big, one small, perfectly matched.
Bang! Both retreated ten meters.
"Ow ow ow!" Cole blew on his reddened fist.
Though his raw strength made up for the power gap, his Haki wasn't hard enough yet.
Thankfully, his Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit gave him exceptional regeneration.
Within moments, his swollen fist returned to normal.
From then on, Cole took the offensive, while Luo Han supported him from the flank.
Whenever Zephyr tried to strike a vulnerable spot—temple, groin, eyes—Luo Han would hit him with a blast of telekinesis.
Each time, Zephyr got so furious that he'd charge at Luo Han—only for Luo Han to effortlessly dodge, having mastered the art of "edge-of-battlefield trolling."
This pattern of battle went on for three days and three nights. In the end, the fight stopped because Cole got hungry.
Maybe the Marines sensed that continuing would lead to someone actually dying—and with Luo Han's annoying presence, it just wasn't worth it.
So, Sengoku and the others ended their fight.
"Haha! We'll let you go this time, Whitebeard. Next time, I'll send you all to Impel Down for sure!" Garp said casually—he didn't really mind letting pirates go.
"We'll see about that next time, when you're the one getting tossed to the Sea Kings," Whitebeard replied, glaring.
"Hahaha!" Garp laughed and returned to the Marine ships with Zephyr and Sengoku.
Luo Han and the others also returned to their own ship.
As soon as Luo Han stepped aboard, the usual bunch of fanboys were already fantasizing aloud again—with faces full of bliss. Luo Han rubbed his forehead in silence.
He ignored them and immediately asked the cook to prepare food.
Then he and Cole sat on the deck, admiring the sea while Cole's bruised body slowly recovered.
Luo Han couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. After all, he'd shouted about "training Haki" and then spent three days using Zephyr as a sandbag—while Cole took all the hits.
Fortunately, with Cole's body, a good meal would fix everything.
Luo Han told himself that and immediately felt better.
Tap, tap! Whitebeard and Golden Lion approached.
"What a monster of a body. To last three days and nights against Zephyr… Cole, you've earned my respect," Golden Lion said, though privately he saw Cole as a potential future rival.
As for Luo Han? A guy who stayed on the sidelines shouting "nice shot"—not exactly threatening. His attacks were weird, sure, but without solid Haki, they weren't dangerous.
Poor Luo Han had no idea this battle made Golden Lion underestimate him.
But even if he had known, he probably wouldn't have cared.
Cole just smiled and said nothing.
There wasn't much to say—he'd been on the receiving end the entire time. And worst of all, Zephyr hadn't even taken a scratch.
An Admiral's strength was no joke.
"Haha! For your body alone to leave Zephyr helpless—that's already amazing," Whitebeard added. "But tell me, Cole—are you a Giant? That Hakoku technique isn't something just anyone can do."
"It was taught to me by a Giant who had washed up on the island," Luo Han answered quickly, not wanting to reveal anything about Uncle Kate.
"I see… just like Linlin then," Whitebeard nodded.
He seemed curious, but didn't press the matter—it was just idle interest to him.
He and Golden Lion sat down on the deck to rest.
Time passed, and the ship had already sailed some distance.
Soon, Sister Shao appeared with a group of underlings carrying trays of food.
"Ara ara~ Hungry, boys? Dig in," she said with a smile.
Plates upon plates of food were laid out.
Luo Han and Cole didn't waste a second—each grabbed a chunk of meat and started eating.
Whitebeard and Golden Lion joined in too, feasting like beasts.
The four of them were heavy eaters. One tray after another was cleared in minutes.
The cooks scrambled to bring out more.
Eventually, the food frenzy came to an end—Luo Han and Golden Lion tapped out first.
Only Whitebeard and Cole kept going, their massive bodies devouring ungodly amounts.
But even Whitebeard had to admit defeat.
Cole alone continued eating… though at this point, he was nearly done—any more and the ship would be out of food.
Cole's Kun-Kun Fruit had given him an almost limitless digestive system, like an infinite stomach. No matter how much he ate, it never seemed full.
Huff… Cole exhaled deeply. His injuries had fully healed.
"That's enough! No more food!" he told the head chef.
"Y-Yes, Lord Cole!" the chef replied, stunned.
"How are you feeling? All good now?" Luo Han asked.
"Yeah, I'm good, Han-ge," Cole nodded.
Good. Luo Han had been feeling slightly guilty. Very slightly.
"Does your Haki feel stronger now?" Luo Han asked.
Cole raised his arm and focused. His Armament Haki spread smoothly.
"It does feel more solid," he confirmed.
"Haha! Luo Han, Cole—there's no better way to improve Haki than through real battle!" Whitebeard laughed. "I look forward to crossing fists with you someday, Cole!"
Seeing Whitebeard's eager gaze fixed on Cole…
Luo Han sulked a little. Hey, I'm the flashiest guy on the team!
Sure, I got punched once, but then I spent the rest of the fight tossing Zephyr around!
Why is everyone only praising Cole?!
Jealous of my stylish Devil Fruit, maybe? Luo Han stewed in silence.
Whitebeard and Golden Lion exchanged awkward glances.
Truth was—Luo Han's powers were annoying. Not strong, but irritating. Like playing soccer with human bodies.
Neither of them wanted to be the next one booted around like Zephyr.
Eventually, everyone went off to rest.
The ship continued slowly sailing toward their next destination—White Island.
(END CHAPTER)
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