Chapter 227: Reappearance After Four Years, The Stir Caused by the Blue Demon!
"Luo Han, your Armament Haki and Captain Rocks' give me completely opposite feelings!" Sister Shao sighed. "But both are incredibly strong!"
Right! She couldn't learn Luo Han's version, but maybe Ellis could try Rocks' version—the one that fused Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and willpower. With her strong will, it might work.
Thank goodness for Sister Shao's reminder—Luo Han had nearly forgotten Rocks' unique Haki style. With that thought, he shot her a grateful look.
"…"
Sister Shao didn't understand and assumed Luo Han was flirting. She rolled her eyes and turned back to her juice.
Meanwhile, Luo Han organized his thoughts and asked Ellis, "There's a form of Armament Haki as powerful as my perfect one. Do you want to learn it?"
"Of course!" Ellis answered immediately. If it was as strong as Luo Han's, then she could take on Akatsuki no problem.
"You've heard of Rocks, right?"
"Of course." Ellis nodded.
"I'm going to teach—well, actually I can't teach it," Luo Han sighed. "I can only explain the principle. His special Armament Haki can't be taught."
"What the heck!"
Ellis scowled. "So it's just like yours—impossible to learn!"
"No, it's different!"
Luo Han explained, "His Haki is a fusion of Armament, Observation, and willpower in a specific ratio."
"Rocks' version is chaotic and destructive, with high penetrative and annihilative power."
"Mine, in contrast, is orderly and defensive—basically reflects any attack. The only flaw is that my attacks lack penetration."
Luo Han concluded, "In short: his is offense-focused, mine is defense-focused—two extremes."
"Even you can't learn it?!" That was all Ellis fixated on, stunned.
Sister Shao and Aishi looked equally shocked. Was there something even Luo Han couldn't learn?
"I mean…" Luo Han muttered. Isn't that normal? No one can learn everything. He wasn't a god, and even gods didn't know everything.
"I've explained the principle. Try it for yourself—wait, what the hell…?!"
What was this?! Luo Han was dumbstruck, as was Sister Shao—her straw fell from her lips unnoticed.
"Is this the Armament Haki you meant?" Ellis asked.
Her body floated midair—not due to her nature power, as no green glow flickered around her—but surrounded by intensely condensed, invisible Armament Haki. It looked like Luo Han's psychic armor mode, about half a meter thick.
"She actually pulled it off… that easily?!"
Sister Shao was stunned. Rocks had explained the concept before, and they'd spent years testing countless ratios—all failed. In the end, everyone gave up.
She had thought only people like Rocks and Luo Han—blessed by fate—could ever pull off such a technique.
But now…
"Ellis, your luck is insane. You found your perfect fusion on your first try!"
Sister Shao marveled. This type of Haki really relied on luck. If your personal ratio of Haki and willpower matched, you'd succeed instantly.
Simple in theory, but Ellis was only the second person in all these years to do it. Sister Shao couldn't help but wonder if that meant something more.
"Luo Han, let's test it!" Even though everyone's reactions confirmed her success, Ellis wanted to see it firsthand—whether it truly rivaled Luo Han's perfect Armament Haki.
"Let's do it!"
Luo Han, excited, stood. He was eager to compare Rocks' destructive Haki with his own defensive version.
With a thought, the Penguin stopped in the sky, and Luo Han and Ellis flew into the distance.
They stood ten meters apart, grinning at each other in anticipation.
"Take this punch!" Ellis shouted, launching a fist at him.
Luo Han smiled and threw his own punch to meet hers.
Clang! A low thud echoed. Their fists collided—not with a massive shockwave, but with all force focused inward. No energy leaked.
Clang clang clang! They exchanged three more punches before backing off.
"My Haki's depleted!"
As expected—only Rocks' high-penetration Haki could wear down his perfect defense.
"So weird, Luo Han!"
Ellis looked thrilled. "I feel like I can keep mine active without losing stamina!"
"Exactly!"
Luo Han grinned. "That's a key trait—independence. With Observation Haki fused in, it becomes like a sword detached from your body. As long as you have strength, you can keep using it endlessly."
Ellis was amazed. "So cool! You can make Haki like a permanent weapon!"
Then she got even more excited. "If it's already independent, then once I rest and recover, I can generate even more of this special Haki!"
"Haha!"
Luo Han laughed, then clarified: "You're forgetting—it's based on willpower. Your stamina recovers, but willpower doesn't. That sets a limit on how much Haki you can generate."
He sighed. "Otherwise, Rocks would've been invincible. But he was beaten because he used too much and lost both offensive and defensive power."
"What about yours, Luo Han?" Ellis asked.
"Also independent," he replied, flying back to the ship. "Let's go!"
"Okay, hehe~" Ellis beamed and followed him back to the Penguin.
The ship resumed its high-speed flight toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
…
Mary Geoise
Clang! The door to the Five Elders' office burst open. A sweaty intelligence officer rushed in.
"Five Elders! Five Elders!"
He shouted, panicked. "Just now, the Blue Demon appeared on Warship Island in the New World!"
"What…?! The Blue Demon?!"
"It's been four years. Is he finally making his move?"
The Elders were shocked. One turned to the officer. "Continue."
"Yes, sir!"
The officer took a deep breath. "The Blue Demon didn't just appear—he also recruited Ochoku (Wang Zhi)and Kyo (Silver Axe) !"
"What…?!"
The sword-wielding elder was stunned. "Those two aren't the type to submit, especially to an old crewmate like him!"
"Wait, are you sure?!"
"No mistake!" the officer shook his head. "We even have voice recordings!"
"Give it here!"
"Yes!" The officer handed a recording Den Den Mushi to the elder.
Click! The elder activated it on the table.
"…We submit! We submit!"
"…"
The Five Elders fell silent, then smiled faintly. It didn't matter—this was within their plan. They'd always intended to let him build his own force.
"Five Elders!"
The officer still looked uneasy. "After appearing, the Blue Demon vanished again!"
"What do you mean?" Their gazes turned sharp.
"He flew away alone in his Penguin ship. Cole, Green Fork, and new members like the mermaid princess Akatsuki stayed on Warship Island. It looks like they're forming a new pirate crew!"
The officer trembled as he handed over the full intelligence report. The Five Elders' reactions were too much for his nerves.
"Leave us."
"Yes, sir!" He bowed and quickly left.
The Five Elders read the report in silence.
"To think… two unknowns defeated Ochoku (Wang Zhi)and Kyo (Silver Axe) !"
The sword elder frowned. "And that mermaid princess Akatsuki joined him? Is that Fishman Island's stance?"
"Probably not," said the bearded elder. "Four years ago, the Blue Demon saved two mermaids on Sabaody—one of them was Akatsuki."
"She was later worth 20 billion in the Celestial Dragons' bounty. She must've lost all hope in the World Government and joined them."
The mention of the Celestial Dragons gave them all a headache—but it was Lord Imu's will. They had to bear it.
"That Blue Demon is looking for something, isn't he?" the long-bearded elder guessed.
The others agreed. After disappearing for four years, he suddenly returned, took new subordinates, and vanished again—clearly on a quest.
"Could it be the Poneglyphs?" the blond elder wondered.
"Unlikely," said the sword elder. "He's not of the D clan—he shouldn't know about them."
"Then what is he searching for?" the curved-saber elder muttered. "Not knowing feels… ominous."
Another long silence followed.
"…Well, even if he vanished, the Beast King Cole is forming a New World crew. That gives the Blue Demon something to care about. Whatever he's seeking, he'll return."
"Let the Navy handle the rest."
The long-bearded elder wrapped things up. The others had no objections.
…
That Night – Marine Headquarters
A conference room lay in darkness. Silent. Only a giant screen glowed.
It looped photos taken by a Den Den Mushi—an illustrated record of the Warship Island incident earlier that day.
After a while—
Click! A switch flipped. Lights flooded the room, revealing the assembled marines.
At the front sat the new Fleet Admiral—Kong—alongside Karp, Sengoku, and other God Valley veterans.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, everyone,"
"I'm the newly appointed intelligence officer—Dehn Hobbit."
A four-meter-tall rear admiral with a large pompadour and a pointer stood before the screen and bowed.
"Begin," Kong nodded.
"Yes, sir!"
Hobbit pointed at the screen. "These are the six key individuals involved in today's battle!"
At the top left: Luo Han. Below him: Cole. Then Akatsuki and Tucker side by side.
On the right: Ochoku (Wang Zhi)and Kyo (Silver Axe) .
"First: the Blue Demon!"
Hobbit tapped Luo Han's image—then Kong interrupted.
"Why is the Blue Demon's photo blurred?"
Karp and the others frowned. All the photos were sharp—except his, which looked fogged.
"Well…" Hobbit explained awkwardly, "Every frontal photo of him turns out blurred. And eyewitnesses say he looks blurry in person too!"
A unique Devil Fruit ability? Could someone on his ship be hiding his image?
"Continue," Kong said.
"Yes, sir."
Hobbit went on: "I won't explain Blue Demon and Cole's threat—you all know better than I."
Tack! He pointed to the pair below Cole. "The two active fighters in today's battle were Green Fork Tucker and the newly joined Akatsuki."
"Four years ago, Tucker was just Vice Admiral level. Now he's undoubtedly Admiral class—a monster. He even defeated Kyo (Silver Axe) !"
Four years—from Vice Admiral to Admiral? That growth was staggering.
"Hey, Karp," Sengoku said gravely. "We've met that Tucker before. He didn't seem like someone with Admiral potential…"
"How'd he get so strong in four years?"
"Who knows," Karp muttered. "The Blue Demon's strength grew abnormally too. Maybe he has some power-boosting method."
That last comment stuck with Sengoku. He silently made a mental note to investigate further.
Smack! Hobbit dramatically jabbed Akatsuki's... prominent feature.
"So beautiful—uh, I mean!"
"Akatsuki! Once a princess of Fishman Island, but no longer. After the incident, the World Government confirmed with Ryugu Kingdom that she'd been exiled four years ago."
Damn Celestial Dragons… Karp fumed. It was their bounty that forced her into piracy. Luo Han had even executed the Celestial Dragon who posted it.
Ryugu Kingdom probably exiled her to protect their people.
"Red Queen!"
Hobbit shouted. "That's the title I gave her! She defeated the infamous Ochoku (Wang Zhi)in one blow and destroyed Warship Island. Her Armament and Observation Haki are top-tier. She's also a Logia-type Thunder Fruit user!"
"Plus… she has the perfect body and stunning beauty! Red hair flowing, regal presence—"
"That title suits her perfectly!" Hobbit beamed.
Everyone else looked like they'd been slapped.
"This guy's an idiot."
"Who recommended him?! What happened to proper vetting?"
"Rumor has it he's the little brother of the Fleet Admiral's sister-in-law's younger uncle."
"…"
"No wonder! The genius who gave us such an entertaining debrief is the Fleet Admiral's… uncle!"
Kong's mouth twitched. His iron-blooded image was crumbling fast. Looking at Hobbit drooling over Akatsuki's photo, his temper snapped.
"Continue!"
A cold aura surged. "One more word off-topic and you're fired."
"Ah—yes, sir!"
Pale, Hobbit forced himself to look away.
He declared, "After recruiting Ochoku (Wang Zhi)and Kyo (Silver Axe) , Luo Han left them to the Red Queen's new crew and flew off with another woman on the Penguin."
"Cole and Tucker led the crew away, followed by Akatsuki, the woman, and the two new recruits."
Hobbit added, "It all appeared very deliberate—preplanned."
"Now then, what bounties is Intelligence proposing for Green Fork Tucker and the Red Queen?" Kong asked.
He still didn't like the nickname "Red Queen," but whatever—just pirates. Being a former princess didn't mean anything to him.
"Yes!"
Excited at the recognition, Hobbit said, "After thorough analysis, we propose—Green Demon… um, Intelligence named him that, not me—"
"Skip the names!" Kong snapped.
"Yes, sir!"
Hobbit switched to two wanted posters and pointed.
"Green Demon Tucker—500 million Berries!"
"Red Queen Akatsuki—fi—fifty billion Berries!"
Silence.
Everyone was stunned. Before the Mariejois attack, the Blue Demon and Cole's bounties hadn't even reached ten billion.
And now… a first-time bounty for a mermaid pirate was fifty billion?
No one could believe it. Karp stood, furious.
"You brat! Are you sure—fifty billion?!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
"You idiots!" Karp roared. "What's Intelligence trying to do with a bounty that high?!"
"And what's the meaning of 'Alive Only' below?! Explain!"
Spit flying from four meters away, Hobbit trembled and said, "That… that was the Celestial Dragons' request. We were just following orders…"
"…"
Clang! Karp went silent, then kicked over a table and stormed out.
Bam! Bam! The doors slammed open and shut.
"Karp!"
"Karp!"
Sengoku and Zephyr called and followed him out.
The room fell into a heavy silence. No one dared speak once the Celestial Dragons were mentioned.
Finally—
Clang! Kong stood.
"Release the wanted posters as-is. Meeting's over. Dismissed."
He left. The rest followed in silence.
…
(END CHAPTER)
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