Chapter 72: Piercing the Tsunami! The Legend Spreads
"WHOOSH—"
Gale-force winds howled, air currents surged!
The approaching waves kept rising higher and higher.
Dozens, even hundreds of meters tall, the terrifying tsunami began gathering in the distance.
Lotte narrowed his eyes slightly.
Though it wasn't as uniquely dangerous as the Aqua Laguna Luffy and the others faced in later years, stopping it head-on was still no easy feat.
He slowly gripped the hilts of Shodai Kitetsu and Flame King.
As pitch-black Armament Haki coiled around them, blazing flames surged forth once more.
Lotte spoke in a deep, resonant voice.
"Dual Sword Style Secret Technique! Radiant Setting Sun!"
Amid a series of muffled thunder-like explosions, sparks of flame wrapped around the blades, forming a spiraling slash wave that roared forward.
The overwhelming power tore through like ripping fabric.
The seemingly unstoppable raging tsunami
Shuddered violently the moment it collided with the vortex of flames.
The blazing fire created by Sun Breathing combined with Flame King was far beyond ordinary flames—both in temperature and destructive force.
The nearly hundred-meter-tall tsunami was blasted open with a massive gap.
It collapsed back into the sea long before reaching full impact.
"WHOOSH—"
The expected tsunami crashed back down, sending violent waves slamming against the harbor.
But compared to its original power, the tsunami had already been weakened by more than half!
[Ding! Current Flame Dance Dual Sword Style experience increased. Please continue to work hard, Host.]
At the same time.
In the high-level shelter,
Tom and Kokoro hurried to safety. The shipwrights breathed sighs of relief upon seeing Tom return unharmed.
They all spoke up.
"We told you to come back earlier, Tom. Ships can be rebuilt later."
"Staying alive is what matters most."
But unusually, Tom and Kokoro didn't argue. They simply turned their gazes toward the distant harbor, where massive surging waves could be seen.
Both of them couldn't help but recall the calm young man who had walked away earlier.
Could someone really stop such a tsunami head-on?
The other shipwrights sighed at the sight of the distant waves.
"This Aqua Laguna came several days earlier than predicted. A lot of ships are probably going to be damaged—tons of orders just went down the drain."
"I hope the buildings don't suffer too much destruction."
Facing such a natural disaster,
Human strength felt far too small!
The other residents wore helpless expressions. Then someone soon noticed something strange.
"Wait?! What's that blaze of fire?!"
"Flames… piercing the tsunami?! How is that even possible?!"
Amid the shocked voices,
Everyone's eyes turned toward the tsunami. What met their gaze was a terrifying vortex of flame tearing straight through the waves.
They couldn't help but widen their eyes in disbelief.
In nearly a thousand years of Water 7's history, nothing like this had ever happened!
"C-Could it be a Devil Fruit user?"
"A Devil Fruit user trying to face Aqua Laguna head-on… if they get swallowed, they're finished!"
"After all, even Devil Fruit users die if they fall into seawater. No one would be stupid enough to do this, right?!"
The crowd erupted into heated discussion. The scene before them was simply too shocking.
Even Kokoro and Tom stood with mouths agape. Though they suspected this was Lotte's doing, they still felt doubt in their hearts.
From what they knew,
The Azure Emperor Lotte's ability should involve controlling trees, right?
To also produce such terrifying flames—truly worthy of being a cadre of the Rocks Pirates.
But everyone knew that Water 7's tsunamis came in multiple waves. Each successive surge would swallow everything below the high ground.
Even if Lotte could stop the first wave,
Could he really stop every single one?
"Sigh… looks like someone's going to die this time."
"People in the first half of the Grand Line are always like this—think having a Devil Fruit makes them invincible."
"But we should still thank him. Otherwise our losses would be much worse."
The villagers shook their heads, clearly not optimistic about this Devil Fruit user's chances.
Challenging Aqua Laguna was pure delusion!
That was the annual roar of the gods!
After a brief discussion,
The second wave of the tsunami gathered and smashed toward the city once more.
Lotte stood calmly at the harbor. For him, this level of stamina consumption was nothing—thanks to the powerful recovery of Hashirama Cells.
Moreover, piercing tsunamis wasn't particularly difficult.
Even in the original story, Luffy and Zoro's combined "Cannon Barrage" had pierced Aqua Laguna.
And back then, neither Luffy nor Zoro had even learned Haki.
For Lotte, shattering these tsunamis was simply training experience.
BOOM RUMBLE—!
Another blazing slash wave easily pierced through the tsunami—this time even severing part of it midair, causing it to collapse back into the sea with massive waves.
Strong sea winds blew toward him.
Lotte calmly watched the scene. The reason he hadn't used his signature Wood Release was to avoid exposing his location.
Under the cover of night at the harbor, no one could clearly see his appearance.
All they could witness was meteor-like flames.
Each incoming tsunami was shattered midway. His dual-sword style experience continued to accumulate.
WHOOSH—!!
Aqua Laguna's assault lasted a full two hours.
Finally, as if roaring in unwillingness, the surging sea surface kept churning.
But it could no longer muster another terrifying tsunami.
The people watching from the upper levels had long since fallen silent. Whoever had acted to help was undoubtedly an incredibly powerful figure!
Perhaps even a major figure from the New World?!
At the very least, none of them had ever seen
Someone shatter Aqua Laguna head-on. Such strength was simply horrifying!
"It's unbelievable… there's actually a Devil Fruit user like this?!"
"That was clearly a swordsman's slash, right?! But piercing a tsunami… this is the first time I've ever seen anything like it!"
"We have to record this moment!"
As the waters receded,
The crowd began searching for the powerful figure, wanting to express their gratitude.
But in the end, they found nothing.
From that day on, the legend of flames piercing the tsunami spread throughout Water 7.
Anyone who had witnessed that night would never forget the scene.
Only Tom and Kokoro
Looked toward the harbor with complicated expressions, then turned and entered the undamaged shipyard.
They began preparing to build the most proud work of their lives!
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