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The instant Arthur stepped onto the island, a sense of crisis flared. His heart suddenly hammered against his ribs. His Observation Haki immediately blanketed the entire Sabaody Archipelago, yet he couldn't pinpoint the source of the danger.
"Nothing? How can that be?" Arthur frowned. His incredibly powerful Observation Haki had failed him for the first time.
If Observation Haki exists, then methods to block it must exist too. That's not surprising. But… not even strange voices?
His control over electromagnetic waves allowed him to eavesdrop on conversations. Normally, if anyone lying in ambush uttered a single word, he'd detect it instantly.
"Groves 50 to 59… Is that Buggy and Shanks talking? The Roger Pirates are here too? Could the danger be coming from them?"
Arthur heard Buggy yelling for Shanks and immediately deduced the Roger Pirates had also landed on Sabaody.
"No, that can't be right. We haven't had any direct conflict. Even if there was danger, I could escape. Why would I feel like my life is on the line?"
I could leave first… but what about Jessica? Should I leave her behind for a while?
His Observation Haki swept the area again, but Arthur still couldn't "see" anything abnormal. It felt as if his gut feeling was completely baseless.
"Is this the Sabaody Archipelago mentioned in the Marine hero stories? It's so beautiful..." Jessica exclaimed, her eyes shining as she watched people ride bubble cars in the distance.
Women always seemed to appreciate beauty more than men.
"Jessica, go play in Bubble Park for a bit—" Arthur's heart pounded violently, feeling like it would leap out of his chest. The sense of impending doom intensified beyond anything he'd ever felt.
"Remember what I said. Don't worry. I'll come back for you. Wait for me there!"
He hastily gave instructions, no time for more. His body dissolved into lightning, trying to distance himself from Jessica instantly.
Once the fighting started, she would absolutely be caught in the crossfire. Although Jessica had trained at Marine Headquarters, compared to truly powerful individuals, she was like an ant.
Whoosh!!
He transformed into lightning, leaving the lawless zone in a flash, but before he could even exit the mangrove area—
BANG!!
It felt like hitting solid steel at full speed. Even in his elemental lightning form, Arthur was violently knocked back, forced out of his Logia state.
"What is this? A force field? Or a barrier?" He finally understood the source of the overwhelming sense of crisis.
If this Paramecia ability covered the entire Sabaody Archipelago, it could indeed trap him completely. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit's electricity couldn't pass through.
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"Seabury D. Arthur! Surrender peacefully—This place will be the end of your journey!"
Sengoku led the way, with Zephyr, Garp, Tsuru, Aokiji, and Kizaru slowly emerging from behind, surrounding Arthur completely.
"Surrender, Seabury D. Arthur! This is a barrier, see? Created by a Barrier-Barrier Fruit user. You can't run this time!" Kizaru drawled lazily as he walked out, cigarette dangling from his lips. "The ability of the Admiral of the Army, Basques Andri!"
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(PS : Once again, the Army serves as the land force of the World Government. I considered using the term 'General' instead of 'Admiral,' but 'Admiral' sounds much more appealing.)
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"Barrier-Barrier Fruit?" Arthur's gaze sharpened. Isn't that the fruit Bartolomeo eats in the future?
Its previous owner, before Bartolomeo, was an Admiral of the Army?
Arthur had seen the Encyclopedia of Devil Fruits and knew about this fruit. The user could create barriers akin to absolute defense and use them offensively. Its weakness was the limited total surface area of barriers that could be deployed simultaneously.
The Barrier-Barrier Fruit's defense wasn't truly absolute.
The Door-Door Fruit, a phasing ability like the Swim-Swim Fruit, or even the Op-Op Fruit could easily pass through or bypass the barrier. Without such counters, however, it could be considered an absolute defense.
Admiral of the Army Basques Andri had clearly developed this fruit to its limit, practically overcoming the weakness of limited range. The entire area was now completely enclosed by the barrier. Arthur was trapped.
"Devil Fruit Awakening?"
Despite the perilous situation, Arthur remained calm, posing the question coolly.
"Oh? You even know about the level of Devil Fruit Awakening?" An aged voice seemed to drift in from outside the barrier.
Arthur didn't respond. He surveyed the battlefield enclosed by the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, relieved to find Jessica wasn't within its confines. It seemed his speed earlier had taken him far enough away from the lawless zone where she was, keeping her out of this mess.
"Dispatching this many heavy hitters—and the Admiral of the Army—just for a rookie like me? I'm Honored." Arthur's tone was dry, laced with sarcasm.
"Bwahahahaha! Kid, the World Government issued a kill-on-sight order to stop you from entering the New World and becoming an uncontrollable Major pirate in the future!" Garp laughed heartily, crunching on rice crackers. "Kacha kacha."
"Ara ara, enough chit-chat, everyone. Let's capture him quickly so I can go back to sleep!" Aokiji's lazy voice interjected.
"Ice Age!!"
With his low shout, the air temperature plummeted instantly. Frost that froze everything surged from his hands, spreading rapidly across the ground in all directions, freezing everything within the barrier's range.
"Seabury D. Arthur, I'm offering you a chance. Accept my Wash-Wash Fruit's power to cleanse the evil thoughts from your mind, and you can join the Marines. Everything you've done can be forgiven..." Vice Admiral Tsuru stated calmly.
"Surrender? Are you kidding me? Hahahaha! If you want to fight, then let's get started!" Arthur clutched his forehead, laughing wildly.
Forcing him to join the Marines and obey orders was worse than killing him. Even a meaningless verbal promise was out of the question.
"Such a violent and unruly nature. It seems the only option is for you to spend the rest of your life in Impel Down!" Zephyr removed his Justice coat, preparing for battle.
Arthur knew escape was impossible today. Without a special ability, no one could walk away from this lineup unscathed—not even Whitebeard.
But surrendering wasn't an option. A cathartic battle before capture or death—there was no more perfect curtain call than this.
Licking his dry lips, Arthur brewed a terrifying fighting spirit. Thunder roared around him...
"Come on, then! Let's dance! I'll either die a glorious death—or take you all down with me!"
"Alright! Everyone... Maintaining this large-scale barrier is extremely taxing. I'm old, I probably can't hold it for too long. Let's hurry up!" The Admiral of the Army sounded like he barely had the strength to speak.
His figure appeared atop the inverted bowl-shaped barrier. He was tall and imposing, but his hair was white, and his eyes were half-closed, drowsy, as if he could pass away at any moment.
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