Chapter 265: Fierce Battle with Zunesha
...
"Chief Tiger Fang… we… we're back!"
A dozen Mink warriors returned, carrying tools to make a rubbing of the Poneglyph.
Behind them was a large group of Minks, full of fury at first glance—but their voices trembled with helplessness.
"Chief Tiger Fang, where are the enemies?"
"They dared to intrude on Zou—they must be punished!"
...
The group that had followed from the city shouted angrily, scanning the area for any sign of Luo Han and his crew.
"What happened to you all?" Tiger Fang frowned. Something was clearly off with the frightened expressions of the warriors holding the rubbing tools.
Ignoring the civilians, he asked in a low voice, "Did something happen? Did the Blue Demon do something?"
"Chief Tiger Fang…"
The wolf-headed Mink at the front of the group stepped forward, fear gleaming in his eyes. His voice trembled, "We just found out that man… in a single instant… controlled all of our people!"
By the end, his voice was full of dread. Though they'd been paralyzed by Luo Han before, they had still been aware of the conversation between him and Tiger Fang.
"He wasn't bluffing when he talked about genocide. He really could do it—in an instant," the wolf Mink continued. The others hung their heads in silence.
The bravado they had earlier—gone. When they first left, they had planned to gather more troops and fight Luo Han's group.
But now...
Tiger Fang was silent.
"Chief Tiger Fang, what about the enemy?"
"Yeah? Did you drive them off?"
"You really are our king—Chief Tiger Fang!"
"You're so strong!"
Clearly, Tiger Fang was highly respected by the Minks. Those unaware of what had really happened still looked up to him with confidence.
"Everyone return to the city."
Tiger Fang waved them off without explanation.
"Uh…"
"Yes, Chief Tiger Fang!"
Though curious about some things—like why the sacred Poneglyph was outside—they obeyed the command and left.
After all, the Whale Tree and the area around it were sacred. Their presence here was already pushing boundaries.
No one dared question Tiger Fang's orders. One by one, they left. Only the sacred site's guards remained.
Once the civilians were gone, Tiger Fang turned to the remaining warriors. "Start the rubbing immediately."
With that, he sat down to the side, pulled out a pipe, and began to smoke.
Puff… puff…
Heavy clouds of smoke curled before his eyes.
That man… what was he really after?
From the moment he arrived, Luo Han had headed straight for the sacred ground. And what he wanted was the Poneglyph.
Did he know something?
Was he the one foretold by legend?
No… that couldn't be it.
The Blue Demon couldn't read the Poneglyphs, and none of his companions seemed able to either.
"He's not the one," Tiger Fang concluded after a long pause.
...
Ten days later!
Zunesha finally emerged from the fog-covered sea.
Luo Han and company had enjoyed a near-perfect vacation.
Basking in sunlight, eating delicious food, overlooking the vast ocean.
It was a peaceful life… for about ten days. Then it got dull.
Nothing compared to Evernight City. The truth was—Zou just didn't have much. No entertainment, no gourmet food.
So, they decided it was time to head home.
In front of the Whale Tree—
The Penguin hovered in the air. Luo Han and the others stood at the edge of the deck.
Below, Tiger Fang and the Mink warriors were gathered around the Poneglyph, solemnly saying goodbye.
Mostly just touching it… which gave Luo Han goosebumps, but he didn't stop them.
Until—
"Are you done yet?" Luo Han muttered, twitching at the corners of his mouth. With a thought, he used telekinesis to lift the Poneglyph onto the deck.
Ignoring the angry glares from below, Luo Han raised the ship and prepared to leave.
Why not just teleport?
Because teleportation didn't work on Poneglyphs. Devil Fruit powers couldn't affect them.
But telekinesis could—which surprised Luo Han.
Then again, telekinesis was a spiritual ability, not a direct fruit-based one.
Luo Han came up with a convenient theory… and left it at that.
However—
Just as he was flying the Penguin away from Zou, Zunesha suddenly turned its massive body, causing the entire island to tremble.
"This scene… feels familiar," Luo Han muttered.
Then he remembered—wasn't this how Jack the Drought ended up getting stared down by Zunesha?
And then—
Before Luo Han could finish the thought, Zunesha raised its massive trunk!
"Luo Han!!" Akatsuki and the others shouted, instantly entering battle mode.
They recognized the motion immediately.
Akatsuki and Raijin activated Thunder Armor mode.
Aishi and Cole also activated their various battle forms.
Aishi pressed close behind Luo Han, her ring igniting the telekinetic armor mode.
"Is this really happening?" Luo Han's eyes narrowed. If Zunesha attacked—he wouldn't be holding back.
Whoosh!
Zunesha didn't give him time to think. Its trunk whipped out like a cannon.
Before the trunk even reached them, the pressure wave had already arrived!
In a flash, Luo Han poured all his strength into creating a telekinetic shield around the Penguin.
Clang!
BOOM!
CRACK!
The impact was unimaginable. Even though the shield was designed to absorb force…
It didn't work??
Luo Han was shocked. His shield shattered in less than a second.
BOOM! BOOM! CRACK!
The group was launched like cannonballs, sent flying by the sheer force of Zunesha's trunk.
White streaks cut through the sky.
The Penguin ship shattered instantly, fragments scattering across the sea and vanishing.
Only the Poneglyph remained—caught midair by Zunesha's trunk and gently returned to the front of the Whale Tree.
Back on the island, Tiger Fang and the others were stunned.
They had seen Zunesha's strike with their own eyes.
And now, with the red Road Poneglyph lying before them, they began to piece it together.
"Did that bastard get taken out by Zunesha?" Tiger Fang muttered, his eyes filled with excitement.
"The Poneglyph's back!"
"Awesome!"
"They must've been obliterated!"
"No way anyone could survive that!"
The warriors celebrated. In their eyes, there was no way Luo Han's group had withstood that blow.
"Get that stone back to the sacred site," Tiger Fang ordered. With the Poneglyph returned, it was safer to hide it again.
"Yes, Chief!"
The warriors moved quickly, hauling the Poneglyph back into the Whale Tree.
...
Fifty kilometers from Zunesha—
Luo Han and the others finally stopped tumbling through the air.
With a thought, he used telekinesis to catch Aishi , who had passed out from the sudden acceleration.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Akatsuki , Aishi , and Cole flew to his side.
They were all unharmed—thanks to Luo Han's protective telekinetic shield.
"Sorry, Brother Han…" Cole said guiltily. "It's our fault."
If not for them, Luo Han wouldn't have been hit at all. He only took the brunt of it to protect them.
"It's fine," Luo Han wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth and smiled. "Let me send you back to Ark Island first."
Before they could respond, he activated teleportation and sent them back to Evernight City.
Huff…
Once they were gone, Luo Han let out a deep breath. His eyes flashed with a rare hint of caution.
Zunesha's power was no joke. It had been a long time since anything had broken his shield so easily.
Such raw, unfiltered strength—pure force, without any technique or energy.
And because it was so pure, he couldn't absorb it like he had with Rocks' shockwaves.
"What a strange kind of power… no spiritual presence at all."
Luo Han shook his head. He couldn't figure it out—how could such force exist?
"So my defenses aren't invincible after all," he muttered.
This had been a wake-up call. His shock absorption wasn't flawless.
He should've had Aishi and the others retreat first.
He had overestimated his shield—and underestimated Zunesha.
Heh.
After a moment's thought, Luo Han grinned wickedly and shot back toward Zunesha.
What was the point of overthinking? Now that blows had been exchanged, there was no room for diplomacy.
One of them had to die.
"You damn beast… I'm taking your life today."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
In a flash, Luo Han reappeared before Zunesha.
The massive elephant froze. Its hollow, black eyes showed a flicker of surprise.
Someone had survived its full-power strike?
Zunesha didn't care for words. Though it had sworn only to act under the Kozuki clan's orders, that only applied when the Poneglyph was safe.
Now, with this human clearly trying to steal it—that promise no longer mattered.
SNORT!
With a roar, Zunesha raised its massive trunk, locking onto Luo Han.
Rumble!
A gust of wind surged forth as it struck again.
To Zunesha, no problem couldn't be solved with a trunk strike.
If one wasn't enough—then two would do.
This time, Zunesha was going all-out. Last time, it had held back to avoid damaging the Poneglyph.
But now? No more mercy.
It was confident—Luo Han wouldn't survive.
"Let's see if your brute force can knock me back again—"
"Or if my telekinesis can slice that trunk clean off."
Facing the oncoming strike, Luo Han extended his right palm.
With a thought, all his telekinetic energy surged forth, forming a massive silver crescent blade over a kilometer tall.
The curved blade met Zunesha's trunk head-on. The incoming pressure seemed to part silently as the blade sliced through the wind like butter.
Not a single hair on Luo Han's head moved.
(END CHAPTER)
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