Chapter 232: Ellis vs. Akatsuki — The Legend of Rocks
New World
Outer sea ring of Ark Island
After seven days of travel, Cole and Tucker coincidentally arrived together at noon. Akatsuki, meanwhile, approached the ring from the opposite side.
They entered from opposite mountain ranges on either end of Ark Island.
Atop the central mountain plaza, Luo Han, Ellis, Aishi , and Sanlong had just finished eating aboard the Penguin.
"Got it!" Ellis put down the Den Den Mushi excitedly. "Cole and the others have reached the outer sea ring!"
"They arrived together?" Luo Han asked.
"Nope." Ellis checked Akatsuki's Vivre Card and pointed toward the opposite mountain. "Akatsuki's coming from that direction."
"Cole and Tucker are coming from our side."
So they're not together.
"Ellis, you go bring Akatsuki to Island One," Luo Han instructed.
He had named the island on the sunrise-facing end of Ark Island as Island One, with Island Eight on the opposite end. The others, Islands Two through Seven, lay between.
"I'll go get Cole and Tucker and bring them there as well."
"No problem!" Ellis responded.
Luo Han turned to Aishi and Sanlong. "You're both coming with me."
"Yes, Lord Blue Demon," Sanlong said respectfully.
"Alright." Aishi walked up beside Luo Han.
"Let's go!"
Luo Han lifted off with Aishi and Sanlong toward Cole and Tucker.
At the same time, Ellis soared toward Akatsuki, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.
...
Outer ring of Ark Island
Akatsuki's fleet had stopped just outside the sea current, waiting for Luo Han to fly them over.
Akatsuki stood at the bow, frowning slightly. "Why are there islands here? Looks like there's more than one!"
Five or six kilometers away, a Sabaody-like island clearly stood out, flanked by two others that looked nearly identical.
"What's going on?" She clearly remembered there had been no islands here before.
Sora, standing beside her, seemed thoughtful. Only Ellis could have pulled off something this unbelievable—but she didn't say it aloud. Just in case she was wrong.
Most of the other crewmates were unfazed. They had never been to Ark Island before and assumed these islands were part of it.
"Hey hey! Hachiken, we're finally going to meet Lord Blue Demon!"
A human pirate laughed, "Didn't you say you've met him? Tell us about him!"
"Yeah, tell us!"
"You too, Fat Tiger and Sword-Sword! Let's compare notes later!" The human pirates burst into laughter. The mood was unexpectedly harmonious—no human-fishman discrimination here.
They had all known Akatsuki's identity before joining. After all, a fifty-billion Berries bounty was hard to ignore.
But most importantly—it was Akatsuki's charisma that had won them over.
Besides, pirates in the New World had seen all kinds of races—fishmen, minks, and stranger ones too. So there wasn't much room for prejudice.
"I…" The three fishmen were tongue-tied.
They'd never actually met Luo Han—just heard of his deeds on Fishman Island.
Back when they joined Akatsuki, they'd bragged about witnessing his actions—probably driven by instinct, wanting to be respected.
Sure enough, after claiming to have seen Luo Han firsthand, the human pirates had treated them better. So they kept bragging—until now.
Now they were about to meet the real Blue Demon. None dared say another word. They knew he wasn't someone you could joke around with. If they offended him…
Totally not worth it. So they fell silent.
"Hahaha!" The other pirates only laughed harder at their awkwardness.
Akatsuki, sensing what was going on, smiled with resolve.
Coming out here had been the right choice. Only by experiencing the world—fighting and adventuring alongside humans—could true mutual understanding form between races.
Humans naturally feared the deep sea. If the fishmen stayed in their 10,000-meter-deep sanctuary, their first impression to outsiders would always be fear.
And fear leads to discrimination.
That's why I must lead the fishmen to a brighter future, she thought.
At that moment, her cold and regal face transformed into something angelic. It was a breathtaking shift—but only Sora saw it.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the distance, flying toward them.
"Hm? Why is Ellis coming?" Akatsuki frowned.
She had eight massive ships. Could Ellis really lift them all?
"Hahaha! Akatsuki, I'm here!" Ellis's excited voice rang out even before she arrived, drawing the attention of the crew.
Soon, a green-glowing figure flashed through the air, appearing twenty meters before Akatsuki.
"So beautiful…"
"Unreal…"
"...I can't breathe!"
Aside from Ochoku (Wang Zhi), Kyo (Silver Axe) , and a few determined individuals, everyone—including fishmen—fell into a daze over Ellis's beauty.
Her deep green hair, elven face… she didn't even seem human.
They never expected a woman could rival, or even outshine, Akatsuki's beauty.
"Ellis!" Akatsuki called out. "Where's Luo Han? He's not coming?"
"Forget him for now!" Ellis grinned. "Let's fight! I want to show you that a master is always a master!"
Uh… Akatsuki sighed. Is this still about that one time I blocked her years ago? She still holds that grudge?
Plus, I'm not the same as I was back then. She really thinks she can beat me?
"Come on already!" Ellis teased. "If you beat me, I'll teach you my ultimate move—it'll let you go toe-to-toe with Luo Han!"
That caught everyone's attention.
Go toe-to-toe with Blue Demon?
If this woman could teach something like that…!
Everyone now stared at Ellis with burning eyes—no more starry gazes. Strength was far more seductive.
"You're serious?" Akatsuki locked eyes with her.
Everyone held their breath, waiting.
"Hehe! Let me show you what peak power really looks like!"
Ellis released her nature energy, revealing her true form—an aura of Armament Haki extended one and a half meters from her body.
"How about it?" she said proudly. "Feel it?"
The newer crew members were baffled—nothing seemed different.
Akatsuki frowned. She could sense a terrifying power surrounding Ellis—but couldn't place it.
But just then—Ochoku (Wang Zhi), Kyo (Silver Axe) , and Sora all froze.
The chaotic, unstable, high-speed Armament Haki Ellis displayed triggered something in them.
Their pupils contracted, eyes filled with fear—memories of someone else who once had that power.
Akatsuki noticed their reactions. "You recognize that power?"
"Rocks," Sora said gravely. "That's the power he used to rule the New World."
Ochoku (Wang Zhi)followed, trembling. "It's an extremely condensed Armament Haki. It excels in both offense and defense. Once mastered, it allows flight—like Lord Blue Demon. There are no weaknesses."
Kyo (Silver Axe) added, "The most terrifying part is its penetrating force. It can launch pure Armament Haki shockwaves."
"Armament shockwaves?" Akatsuki blinked. "Are you saying Haki can do that?"
Sora explained, "It's a rare advanced application of Armament Haki. Even those who know it can't match Rocks's level."
"You could call his shockwave a guaranteed defense breaker."
She continued, "Akatsuki, you might not know, but Luo Han's defense is monstrous. When he first stationed on Warship Island nine years ago, even Fleet Admiral Kong—former Admiral himself—couldn't break his psychic barrier after ten straight days of attacking. He had to retreat."
"And I'm sure others here can back that up."
"I can!" a young pirate stood up excitedly. "I was a kid on Warship Island back then! Blue Demon fought both Garp and Roger—and wasn't even scratched!"
"That battle lasted over half a year!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Luo Han had faced legends and held his own.
"No wonder even the Red Queen and Beast King follow him."
"He really is the strongest man alive."
Just as the awe settled—
"However…" Sora said ominously, "Even with all that defense, Luo Han was one-shot by Rocks's special Armament shockwave."
She added, "If Ellis hadn't been there to save him, his legend would've ended that day."
What!?
The man with the 10-billion bounty? The one who attacked Mariejois and fought Roger and Garp?
Was taken down in a single strike!?
Many looked at Sora like she'd lost her mind.
Wasn't Rocks defeated by Garp?
And you're saying someone even Garp and Roger couldn't beat got one-shot by that same Rocks?
Most pirates didn't believe it.
Only Ochoku (Wang Zhi)and Kyo (Silver Axe) knew the truth. They had seen Luo Han charred by that attack.
And they'd also seen him later shatter Rocks's seemingly invincible defense with a single strike.
"Alright, Akatsuki," Ellis interrupted. "Let's go. Try it and you'll see how terrifying this power really is."
"Luo Han's waiting."
Then let's go. Akatsuki nodded sharply. "I'll give it everything, Ellis."
"Less talk, more action!" Ellis cheered.
Crack! A flash of lightning—Akatsuki used her Rumble Fruit powers and Armament Haki in a single punch.
Ellis didn't dodge. She punched back.
Though their fists were different sizes, the result was staggering.
Clang! Akatsuki's attack never touched Ellis directly. Instead, it collided with that powerful outer shell.
A brutal shock ran up Akatsuki's arm—her Haki shattered. She was thrown backward onto the ship.
Drip... drip... Blood trickled from a gash on her arm.
"Captain!!"
"Princess!!"
"You dare hurt her!?"
Akatsuki's crew moved to strike.
Crackle! A storm of lightning erupted. Dozens collapsed, smoking.
"Stand down!" Akatsuki shouted.
"…Right. Not that we could move anyway," one groaned.
Then—whoosh! A green energy orb floated to her. Akatsuki calmly let it merge with her.
Her wounds vanished instantly.
"Wow!"
"She can heal?!"
The pirates were stunned. Such healing was invaluable in battle. Everyone wanted a crew doctor like Ellis.
"Well?" Ellis asked smugly. "Cool, right? This is Chaos Armament Haki. Luo Han named it."
"Chaos… Yeah. That fits," Akatsuki agreed, remembering the sensation of being struck by it.
It really was the power once held by Captain Rocks.
"Ellis," Akatsuki said seriously. "You promised to teach me. So don't forget."
"Er…" Ellis suddenly remembered—this power couldn't be taught. It was luck-based.
But she couldn't say that now—not after all that boasting.
So she said smoothly, "Later. Let's go to Island One first."
She withdrew her Chaos Haki, summoned nature energy, and activated her ability.
Akatsuki's eight ships rose and followed her toward Island One.
...
At the same time—
Luo Han was escorting Cole and Tucker to Island One.
Aboard Beast King—Cole's flagship.
On the main deck, Cole sat opposite Luo Han, his expression calm. Around them, several pirates lay unconscious.
"So, Cole…"
Luo Han looked up, bewildered. "How did you go from one man… to a mountain?"
"Uh…" Cole tried to make an embarrassed face—but with his current build, all facial expressions looked the same.
"I don't know. I just kept eating, and one day… this happened."
He waved his hand, then looked around—why wasn't anyone bringing him food?
Oh, right. Everyone was still knocked out by Luo Han's Haki.
Awkwardly, he lowered his hand and looked back at Luo Han, eyes darting to avoid the stare.
"That doesn't make sense," Luo Han said, brows furrowed. "Your Devil Fruit made your stomach bottomless. You shouldn't gain weight."
"Plus, eating used to drain your energy. Why are you still going?"
"Started about a year ago," Cole recalled. "My stomach stopped working. Nothing went in. But my appetite exploded. So I ate and ate… and here we are."
What the hell? Luo Han was stunned. A Devil Fruit that disables itself? While the user's still sane?
"Do you feel anything unusual, Cole?"
"Nope!" Cole beamed. "Actually, I feel great. It's like a warm energy flowing through me all the time."
He slapped his chest. "So comfy!"
Except now he couldn't even reach his belly anymore.
Luo Han sighed. Sister Shao must've already seen Cole like this—though likely not as big, or she wouldn't have just laughed.
When Luo Han saw him, he didn't laugh at all. He broke into a cold sweat.
Cole was literally a mountain of flesh—neck fused with shoulders, waist rolls covering his feet.
Still… warm energy? What was that?
(END CHAPTER)
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