Chapter 135: Holy Spear, Weigh Anchor!
In mid-air, Kizaru and Aokiji looked at the golden holy light on the spear, their faces filled with extreme caution. Aokiji had already experienced this move firsthand. If this attack hit when one's Haki wasn't strong enough or if one couldn't react in time, it would cause irreversible damage to the body.
Aokiji had tried to use his own Haki to reverse the effect of this Devil Fruit, but no matter how he tried, his arm remained in its withered state. In the end, Aokiji and Kizaru had realized during their battle with Louis that this move was different from the effects of other Devil Fruits. It couldn't be resolved afterward through one's own Haki. One could only resist it with sufficiently strong Haki at the moment of impact.
And after fighting until now, both Aokiji and Kizaru had already consumed a considerable amount of their Haki. Therefore, when facing this move again, the only thought in their minds was to get away for the time being.
Almost in an instant, Kizaru grabbed Aokiji's arm, preparing to let Kaido of the Beasts deal with this blow. Then, Kizaru's body turned into a golden flash of light, taking Aokiji with him as they disappeared from the spot. For a moment, in the golden sky, only Kaido of the Beasts remained.
Louis subconsciously glanced at the departing Kizaru and Aokiji, then controlled the flames on his back to change direction, preparing to give chase once more. However, the next moment, he came to an abrupt stop, causing an impact that had flown at him from the side to miss.
Louis slowly turned his head to look in the direction the blow had come from. To his side, Kaido, in his dragon-man form, was flying rapidly toward him.
"Worororo!"
In his high-speed assault, a chaotic hurricane whipped up his dark overcoat and long black hair, his entire being exuding the terrifying aura of a demon god. "Come on! Let me test your quality!" Kaido challenged Louis to a fight.
Kaido was, in many ways, a chaotic figure with no regard for order. To him, there was no clear distinction between pirates, revolutionaries, and the Marines. He never picked opponents based on their faction, only on their strength. In his words, the blood of pirates and Marines splattered all the same.
This time, with Louis appearing before him, he certainly had no reason to miss the opportunity.
However, Louis ignored Kaido. Instead, he ignited the flames on his back and once again tore through the sound barrier, flying away at high speed, showing no intention of accepting Kaido's challenge.
Louis had always targeted the World Government's side. The World Government's related armed forces were ranked T1 among his targets. Even in a melee, Louis would prioritize attacking those on the World Government's side. Therefore, the two Admirals from Marine Headquarters were his main targets now. Unless, of course, someone could present him with irrefutable proof that the Marines were not part of the World Government and persuade him.
In mid-air, Kaido watched Louis chase after Kizaru and the other, and his originally feverish expression instantly fell.
"Hey, you brat Louis!" Kaido transformed back into his Azure Dragon form and, with a body that was massive even among Zoan users, gave chase. "What do you think you're doing?!"
To this, Louis, his eyes and Observation Haki firmly locked on Kizaru and Aokiji, replied casually without turning his head, "My target is the Marines. I don't have time to deal with you right now."
Kaido was taken aback. He then looked in another direction, at the old man who was spreading his black wings and joining the pursuit. After a moment, Kaido, who understood the hatred between the Lunarians and the World Government, had a flash of understanding in his eyes.
"Is that so?"
The next second, the corners of Kaido's mouth turned up slightly, and a sharp glint flashed in his huge eyes. Perhaps it was out of a desire to avenge his crewmates, or perhaps just for fun and to weaken the forces of Marine Headquarters, Kaido decisively joined the siege of the Marine Admirals.
Thus, the brief melee ended because of Louis and turned into a hunt for the Marines.
Not far away, Kizaru saw this and a look of helplessness appeared on his face. "The pirates have teamed up~" he said. "Kuzan."
To this, Aokiji, who was in a very bad state, now had an extremely calm expression. "Arara~ Pirates teaming up... isn't that a common sight on the sea? What's so strange about it?"
Kizaru crossed his arms in front of his chest and shot out a dense barrage of laser beams, forming a terrifying curtain of fire that covered the sky and enveloped the three in front.
On a shattered iceberg, Aokiji, after using Life Return to close the wounds on his body, had a serious look in his eyes. His entire body once again erupted with an extreme chill, which instantly enveloped an area of several nautical miles, forming a huge continent of ice. On its surface, one sharp ice spear after another shot out, forming a pincer formation with the laser beams, shooting toward the three pirates from bottom to top.
Seeing this, Louis beat his wings, and the flames on his back swelled even more, increasing his speed once again. He dodged the ice spears shooting up from below and charged headfirst into the impenetrable curtain of laser beams. One by one, the lasers, each powerful enough to pierce a mountain range, landed on Louis's body. After piercing through his golden armor, they were blocked by his skin.
To Louis, the effect of Kizaru's lasers was far inferior to his world's-fastest speed. The threat was even less than that of Aokiji's enemy-freezing ice spears.
Not far away, Kaido in his dragon form and Amit also chose to dodge the ice spears, braving the sky full of laser beams as they closed in on the two.
Seeing this, the expressions of Kizaru and Aokiji no longer showed any obvious change. After exchanging glances, they stood side-by-side, quietly waiting for the three monster-level pirates to approach. Although Kizaru could take Aokiji and leave with his speed, their subordinates were still fighting a bloody battle, and the Fleet Admiral's order to retreat had not yet arrived. As Admirals, the two of them naturally had no reason to withdraw without permission.
Louis charged out from the sky full of lasers and hovered a hundred meters in front of the two, his wings spread. Facing their calm gazes, Louis no longer held back. Under their watch, he quietly raised his spear.
The next second, a violent lightning flashed from the spear. The deepest sleeping Fantasy Species was awakened. A raging hurricane coiled around it. The Anemoi that had been following Yelena was summoned by Louis, transforming into a violent tornado that straddled the heavens and the earth and coiled around the lightning-wreathed spear.
Conqueror's Haki burst forth. Black and red arcs of electricity, searing flames, and a golden holy light extended, coiling around the spear's blade.
In that instant, the heavens and the earth seemed to be remade. The entire world seemed to grow dim. A fierce hurricane whipped up Louis's golden hair, revealing a pair of detached, merciless eyes.
In the dim world, a golden light rose, transforming into a spear radiating destructive power, illuminating the entire world.
"The Lance that Shines at the End!"