Chapter 117: You! Come at Me!!
At this moment, Luo Han found himself stuck on a conceptual roadblock. Power, like force, could be transferred directly — a punch lands on a stone, and the force is delivered. If the stone can't take it, it breaks.
But aura wasn't the same. It was like a writer who was excited while typing a scene, but the readers felt nothing — in the end, he was just entertaining himself.
Excitement, like happiness or joy, was an emotion — it couldn't be transmitted directly, only influenced.
"Sigh, this is a real problem… how the hell do I crack it?" Luo Han muttered. He ultimately decided to shelve the issue until they returned to Battleship Island, where he could test out some ideas.
He stood, stretched, and turned — only to be startled. "What… are you all doing?"
Luo Han stood there confused as Spoon-jie and the other women stared at him with expressions normally reserved for mentally unstable children.
"…If there's anything bothering you, you can talk to me," Spoon-jie said sweetly, withdrawing her "concerned for the mentally ill" gaze before turning to head back to her cabin.
Aishi and Sora sighed simultaneously, gave Luo Han one last look, and walked off to prepare dinner.
What the heck? What did I do wrong? Luo Han stood there, head full of question marks.
Just then, Toki walked up to him with a shy expression, twisting her fingers nervously. "Luo Han… don't blame yourself, okay? You don't have to slap yourself. I forgive you. I'm not in a hurry to go back to Wano anymore — we can go whenever you're ready."
Then she ran off, leaving Luo Han completely dumbfounded.
When did I slap myself?
Why do I need her forgiveness?
Since when was I the one in a rush to return to Wano?
Luo Han turned to Cole with a helpless look. "What's going on?"
"Han-ge, were you… developing a new ability just now?" Cole scratched his head.
Luo Han paused. Despite his frustration, his eyes lit up. Maybe if I discuss it with someone, we'll spark a breakthrough on this whole aura-transmission problem!
He grabbed Cole excitedly and said, "Haha! Cole, this new power I'm working on — once it's ready, everyone's going to be shocked! Can you imagine—"
…
An hour later, Cole's face was twitching as he sat through Luo Han's passionate monologue. When it looked like Luo Han was about to start another round, Cole couldn't take it anymore.
Cough cough!
"…What's wrong? You feeling sick?" Luo Han paused, concerned. Cole's face looked constipated.
A quick scan with his spiritual sense showed Cole was perfectly healthy — just emotionally wrecked. Luo Han instantly realized what was going on. He waved Cole off with a sigh. "Go. I'll think this through on my own."
Whew! Cole let out a huge breath of relief. As he flew over to Tucker's ship, he shouted back, "Han-ge! Don't go slapping yourself again later!"
Luo Han, who had just been about to dive back into his brainstorming, twitched. His expression darkened, and instead of continuing, he stomped over to Tucker's ship too.
Sigh… my glorious reputation. Only a breakthrough ability can redeem me now, Luo Han thought bitterly.
…
The next day, around noon, under a bright and peaceful sky, Luo Han's ships entered waters just a few hundred kilometers from Battleship Island.
But the sea was anything but peaceful — Golden Lion and Luo Han had crossed paths again. Back during the Hachinosu Island celebration, they had never met — Luo Han had spent all his time with Spoon-jie. But now… fate had finally caught up.
"Hahahaha! Shiki, are you guys out here begging for food?" Luo Han laughed so hard he could barely breathe.
Hovering two hundred meters to the right, Golden Lion's ship was an utter wreck. The sails were in tatters, the hull had multiple holes, and the keel was broken. The only reason the ship floated was because Shiki was using his Devil Fruit to keep it in the air. It clearly couldn't be put back into the water.
Golden Lion's group glared, their faces darkening as Luo Han howled with laughter.
Eventually, Kyo (Silver Axe) couldn't hold back. "It's your damn fault for not holding off Kong! That bastard and Sengoku teamed up on us — that's why we're like this!"
Luo Han paused, then burst into even louder laughter.
"Oh? So it's my fault now?" he said as his laughter faded into a smirk. "Maybe… you're just too weak?"
"You—!" Kyo (Silver Axe) was about to retort, but Shiki cut him off.
"Enough. If you're weak, don't blame others."
"See? At least Shiki knows the truth!" Luo Han clapped mockingly. "Smart of you."
Shiki froze for a second, then realized that Luo Han was including him in the insult — implying he was weak too. His face twisted.
His eyes gleamed coldly. Drawing his twin swords, he locked eyes with Luo Han. "Luo Han… you think you can defeat me now?"
Whoosh! Luo Han flew higher than Shiki's ship, looking down at them. With a thought, he activated Mind Armor Mode. His body became cloaked in an almost invisible film of telekinetic energy. There was no color, but the density was so extreme that the very air around him distorted. From Shiki and the others' perspective, Luo Han's form looked warped and surreal — as if space itself couldn't handle his presence.
"Spoon-jie… what's Luo Han doing? Don't tell me he's…" Aishi stammered, watching Luo Han in the sky with nervous dread.
Spoon-jie frowned, recalling the argument Luo Han had had with Shiki back on Ark Island. She had thought it was just a minor spat, but judging by his current aura, this wasn't going to end without a serious fight.
She turned to the crew and said firmly, "Prepare for battle!"
"Yes, ma'am!" everyone replied.
Not that she needed to say it — Cole and Tucker had already activated their partial Zoan transformations the moment Luo Han entered battle mode.
From his vantage point, Luo Han noticed this and smiled. Spoon-jie really is sharp. She didn't try to stop me just because Shiki's a core member of the Rocks Pirates.
"But you guys don't need to fight this one."
With a confident grin, Luo Han waved his hand. In an instant, Spoon-jie and the others — along with their entire ship — were pushed safely away.
They were momentarily stunned. Then Spoon-jie smiled, understanding his intent. None of them tried to intervene — they knew how tough Luo Han's defenses were.
"Well then…" Luo Han's smile turned teasing as he extended his hand toward Shiki and his crew, curled his fingers, and beckoned mockingly. "Come at me!!"
Clang clang clang! Swords were drawn. Ochoku (Wang Zhi), Kyo (Silver Axe) , and the others glared at him with fury in their eyes.
Even the rookie grunts on Shiki's ship, who had been trembling from the overwhelming tension between the top fighters, were now flushed with rage at Luo Han's insult.
(END CHAPTER)
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