At first, no one noticed anything amiss.
Ansel Island was, as usual, a place of joyous celebration today.
The man who ruled this island, the true master of this sea, Captain Silver Axe, was a man who loved to throw banquets.
Naturally, his pirate subordinates happily inherited this tradition.
There were parties happening almost every moment on this island, and the scene was filled with laughter and cheer.
Until,
"Huh?"
A drunken pirate, relieving himself in a corner of the street, suddenly noticed his shadow had become incredibly clear beneath his feet.
"Ah?"
He blinked blankly, then raised his head.
The pirate froze instantly.
His body began to tremble involuntarily, and sweat immediately soaked his back.
"F-Fire!!"
The sky was dyed golden, and an overwhelming torrent of flames swept down!
It was as if a hole had been punched through the heavens, and a sea of fire, previously separated by the sky, was pouring down!
He was the first, but soon came the second, the third, the hundredth, and the ten thousandth!
Screams instantly erupted across the island, one after another.
"W-What is that!!"
"Flames! It's fire!"
"Where is the fire coming from! Enemy attack! It must be an enemy attack!"
"Run! Run to the sea! The entire island is being covered!"
Run?
From the very beginning, there was nowhere to escape.
The first fireball crashed down.
"Get out of my way!"
A man leaped up and shattered the ball of fire with a punch.
But, in the next instant, his arm was engulfed in raging flames.
Not only that, the golden-yellow fire rapidly spread over his entire body.
"Waaaaah!!!"
The man instantly howled in pain.
This was only the beginning.
The moment the shattered flames landed on the ground, the ground ignited, and the fire began to spread.
"Wha—What!!"
The surrounding pirates who witnessed this scene screamed in terror.
The human body, and even the ground itself, was on fire!
What kind of flame is this!!
That was just the first fireball falling.
Like the onset of a rainstorm,
Once the first fireball fell, a continuous deluge of flames descended.
When the fire fell on rooftops, houses burned.
When the fire fell in the forests, trees burned.
When the fire fell into the rivers, the water's surface burned.
The golden-yellow blaze transformed into a rainstorm that burned the world, beginning to unleash divine punishment upon the entire island.
There was no escaping, nowhere to hide. Everything was ignited, and everything was consumed in raging flames!
Houses were reduced to ash in mere moments, the ground melted into lava, and soon even the ashes and lava were burned away.
"No! Help me!!"
The pirates screamed, but the screams ceased abruptly after a few seconds as they, too, turned into torches, and then into ash.
"Get away! Get away from me!"
A powerful pirate brandished his sword, unleashing slashes, trying to cut through the spreading inferno.
But even the ground had become a blaze, and the flames from the sky continued to fall without end. There was simply no escape, and soon, he too could only futilely turn to cinders.
In less than half a minute, the entire island was transformed into a sea of fire.
In the sky,
"Th-This..."
Bonney watched the scene below, utterly dumbfounded.
"What is that!!"
Is the entire island going to be burned into nothingness?
Are these even regular flames?
"It's Divine Judgment , you see."
The horrifying, ferocious beast turned its head, a hint of a smile in its voice.
The emergence of the Blue Bar had caused all of his abilities to evolve.
Just as his ability to manipulate negative emotions gained a new mechanism, his ability to summon various natural calamities naturally wasn't just an increase in numbers.
Simply put, the current Roa was not limited to creating natural disasters in the realistic sense.
He could also summon great catastrophes from mythology.
For example, what he unleashed now wasn't just simple sulfur and fire, but the Sulfur-Fire from Heaven that destroyed Sodom in myth!
Because it was genuinely materialized directly from fantasy, it didn't even require a medium.
Of course, the actual intensity still depended on his personal ability level.
But, wasn't that interesting enough?
"Oh? Found him!"
Roa's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then—"
His wings beat, and he swooped down.
Meanwhile, at the center of the island below,
"What in the world is going on?"
The slightly drunken Silver Axe looked around at the chaos in confusion.
Everything before him was raging with fire. As far as the eye could see, there was only a brilliant, magnificent gold!
The majestic palace he resided in was already on the verge of collapse, and now, flames were sweeping towards him.
"Captain! These flames are strange!" one of Silver Axe's executives exclaimed.
Any person could see it now.
The floor tiles were burning, the stone columns were burning, and even the weapons made of steel were now ablaze.
"Is that bastard Teach!"
A surging rage suddenly filled Silver Axe's intoxicated eyes.
Although Silver Axe had never fought Teach, his good brother Wang Zhi had clashed with Teach several times.
According to Wang Zhi, that brat, once unknown under Roa's command, was now frighteningly strong and had powerful helpers. Wang Zhi admitted that if he hadn't gained immortality, he likely would have been defeated long ago.
As expected of that bastard Rocks' son, and a brat chosen by Roa as an executive at a young age?
Wang Zhi said that Teach's most signature ability was to unleash Hellfire that burned everything!
But something was off. Wang Zhi said Teach's Hellfire was pitch-black, the complete opposite of the holy-looking golden fire before him.
"Captain! The fire is coming!" an executive screamed.
The ceiling hadn't been completely burned down yet, but the raging flames on the ground had already spread towards them.
"Get out of my way!"
Silver Axe casually picked up the axe leaning nearby and swung it. A massive, exaggerated Flying Slash instantly sliced the ground in front of him away, scattering the flames.
But, in the very next moment, the fire was already spreading along the newly exposed ground.
Simultaneously, the ceiling above finally cracked under the strain, and a torrent of accumulated flames poured down.
Silver Axe's face changed drastically. "Haki! Use Haki to protect yourselves!"
Swoosh!
In the next instant, the flames engulfed everyone.
"Waaah!!!"
The screams were incessant.
Haki was indeed the balancing force against various special abilities. With their bodies covered in Haki, the flames that could ignite everything were indeed prevented from burning Silver Axe and his men.
However, the fluid-like flames descending from the sky still adhered to them, and the ground fire continued to burn fiercely.
They were still trapped in the inferno, unable to escape, and the temperature of this fire was so high that even with Haki coating, they felt their bodies were being incinerated.
Moreover, not all of Silver Axe's executives could use Haki.
So, in just a few seconds, only a handful of figures remained standing beside Silver Axe.
"You bastard!!" Silver Axe gnashed his teeth.
Out of desperation, he had no choice but to release Haki to form an invisible barrier, keeping the flames out.
However, even for Silver Axe, this technique was costly in stamina.
He couldn't last for too long.
"Run! Run to the sea!"
This island was finished.
After the castle collapsed, they could see the situation more clearly.
Not only was the island completely ignited, but more crucially, the flames were descending like a rainstorm, turning the world between the sky and the sea into a golden sea of fire!
Even a powerhouse like Silver Axe didn't feel he could save this island.
Finding out who the culprit was and taking fierce revenge would have to wait. The only thing to do now was escape!
The extremely intense combustion had nearly depleted the air on the island, and Silver Axe felt his lungs were about to burst.
Although he had gained immortality, his subordinates had not.
Furthermore, immortality did not mean immunity to pain. Burns were one of the highest levels of pain.
Run!
Only run now!
Silver Axe traversed the sea of fire with his few surviving subordinates.
But suddenly, Silver Axe stopped.
No, something is wrong.
What is this hair-raising sensation?
Something is here, something is definitely watching me!
Silver Axe abruptly looked up. Above him was nothing but the golden fire falling like a rainstorm.
But Silver Axe's eyes slowly widened.
Though his eyes couldn't see, his Observation Haki could perceive it!
That aura!
That aura is!!
"Oho, I was found already?"
The falling flames gradually parted, revealing the pitch-black figure, wrapped in malevolence, hidden behind the divine gold.
"I was going to wait until you thought you had finally escaped, and then appear to give you a surprise."
The vast wings, like two black clouds, slowly flapped. The massive black fierce tiger, colossal like a mountain range, gently landed on the ground.
"Uncle Silver Axe, shouldn't you say 'long time no see'? Though it's only been a few days for me."
"Ro... Ro... Ro..."
Silver Axe's body suddenly began to tremble violently, and his face was pale, almost transparent. "Roa!! You're not dead!!"
Since the battle twenty-five years ago, he had lived in constant dread, fearing that this vengeful monster would return for revenge.
But Roa never appeared.
He initially thought Roa was deterred by the power shown by the government and was lying low.
It was only a few years later that he realized something must have truly happened to Roa, that he had genuinely vanished from the seas.
Only then did the fear in his heart finally subside.
But, but!!
He's back!
He actually came back!
"Dead?"
Roa looked down at the minuscule pirates. "From the moment I arrived in this era, there has been no one in this world who could kill me."
"However, Silver Axe, are you ready to meet your death?"
"Death—"
Silver Axe's hands were shaking.
He knew exactly how terrifying Roa was.
Twenty-five years ago, after Shiki and the others were sent away, so many monsters surrounded him alone, yet he managed to escape!
Even if Roa hadn't made any progress in the last two decades, remaining stagnant, he was definitely not his opponent!
Furthermore, this guy's aura now was terrifyingly exaggerated!
"Th-The events of that year weren't my fault!"
Silver Axe gritted his teeth. "If you had told me earlier that the woman beside you could take us away, why would I have surrendered? I just didn't want to die like that."
"That is precisely where you are most deserving of death, Uncle Silver Axe,"
Roa said faintly. "When I need you, you should be willing to risk your life."
Silver Axe clamped his jaw shut.
I almost forgot. Roa is a completely unreasonable lunatic!
Talking to him is pointless!
Now, call for help!
I must call for help!
Did you forget what happened twenty-five years ago, Roa!
Twenty-five years ago you fled in defeat, and now, you can only do the same!
"All of you, attack together! Buy me time!" Silver Axe shouted orders at his subordinates.
Some of his subordinates recognized Roa, and some didn't.
Regardless of whether they recognized him, these executives could clearly sense the terror of the monster before them.
But, there was no other path to take now!
Roaring with all their might, the few remaining men instantly rushed towards Roa, enduring the falling hellfire.
At the same time, Silver Axe used all his might to erect a Haki barrier to block the descending fire from the sky, while also cleaving the flames on the ground with his axe.
A five-pointed star magical array began to form.
But,
"Honestly, you really don't think much of me, do you?"
Roa simply yawned casually.
The surging flames in the sky and on the ground instantly condensed into a giant tiger head, which swallowed those subordinates whole.
Then, Roa raised his right paw and swatted down at Silver Axe.
In his Beast Form, his body length exceeded two hundred meters.
Therefore, even just one of his paws was fantastically huge.
Silver Axe's vision went black as he felt a meteorite crashing down on him.
It's too late!
If that's the case!
"Roa!!"
The former executive of the Rocks Pirates finally ignited his fighting spirit, roaring as he leaped up, swinging his massive battle axe towards Roa's paw.
Boom!
The giant paw slammed into the ground without slowing down. Silver Axe's full-power strike failed to delay the paw for even a second.
The entire island began to shake violently. Thick, deep cracks spread outwards from the center, shattering the entire island.
"The extent of a mere fly."
Roa slowly lifted his paw.
Based on the intensity of that single blow, it wasn't much stronger than Bonney's strike.
He had completely stagnated over the past two decades, perhaps even regressed.
It seemed that becoming a running dog for Imu was quite a psychological blow for this old man.
At the bottom of the ruined pit, Silver Axe's body was practically pulverized into a paste.
But this paste was rapidly repairing itself.
Once the brain region finished repairing, a burst of laughter came through.
"I have immortality! Roa! No matter how powerful you are, you can't kill me!"
Silver Axe's face was manic.
Roa's power had indeed exceeded his imagination. Even at full power, he couldn't withstand a single blow!
But so what?
He wouldn't die!
He was immortal!!
"Is that so?"
Roa chuckled lightly. "Then I'll just have to vent my frustration first."
The surrounding flames instantly coalesced into countless swords, their points aimed at Silver Axe's rapidly repairing body.
"Although you're immortal, I'm sure the pain still exists, doesn't it?"
Silver Axe's pupils suddenly shrank.
Then, hundreds of flaming swords rained down in an instant.
"Waaah!!"
It was the true meaning of being sliced into a thousand pieces.
Moreover, there was the intense pain from the burns. Every part of Silver Axe's body was being incinerated by the searing flames.
"Hiss, that must hurt a lot, right?"
Roa couldn't help but gasp as he watched. "That's good. Time for the second round."
The flaming swords dissipated, and Silver Axe's body began to regenerate from the ash.
Then, the moment he opened his eyes, he saw an even greater number of flaming swords descending again.
"No! Roa! You can't—"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The second round ended.
Then came the third, the fourth...
The rain of fire from the sky had gradually ceased. Although the island was still burning fiercely, Katakuri and the others could now approach.
Katakuri's black Haki-coated arm lowered them to mid-air.
Watching Silver Axe continuously recover only to be sliced again and again by Roa, Bonney couldn't help but frown. "His immortality has become the source of his suffering! But didn't Roa say he would try to kill him?"
"Because," Katakuri smiled, "Roa is petty."
That's too petty, Bonney thought to herself.
Meanwhile, Roa finally felt satisfied enough.
After Silver Axe recovered his body once more, he didn't allow the flaming swords to fall again.
But Silver Axe's expression was now only one of utter blankness.
The continuous, intense stimulation had pushed him into a state of near mental breakdown.
"How pathetic,"
Roa's voice held a trace of compassion. "Then let me put an end to this completely."
The massive monster's body instantly shrank, returning to its beast-man form.
Roa landed in front of Silver Axe and slowly drew the long sword from his waist.
A thick column of black and red Haki floated up.
Silver Axe still stared blankly at Roa, but a faint voice whispered,
"Kill me... Just kill me, Roa... Don't torment me anymore..."
"Alas, how did it come to this?"
Roa sighed with emotion.
They were all once renowned great heroes of the sea.
The blade pierced Silver Axe's heart.
"Ugh—"
Silver Axe's eyes suddenly widened.
Something, something shattered...
Roa curled the corner of his mouth.
Because the moment he pulled the sword out, blood spurted forth.
That must have been the power Imu lodged inside this guy, right?
Perhaps there was a simpler technique, but when you didn't know the technique, you could achieve the same result by simply overpowering it with sheer numerical strength!
Today, Roa severed immortality!
Hmph. Hesitation is defeat!
Wait, no, wrong line.
-----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi