chapter 188 part 3
They stared blankly at the hole. After a long while, some zombie's brain must have short-circuited, and it suddenly shouted, "Lord Absalom is incomparably brave!"
When the other zombies heard this, they also started cheering, and the entire corridor was filled with their unpleasant cries.
But this cheering didn't last long. One zombie seemed to have been hit by a petrification spell, and the smile on its face vanished at once.
The other zombies curiously followed its gaze and were so shocked their jaws almost hit the floor.
The smoke slowly dissipated. Ren Arakawa, at the center of the explosion, was completely fine, standing steadily in his original spot, still maintaining the posture of having thrown a punch. His clothes weren't even wrinkled!
Absalom, hidden in a corner, saw this scene and felt his heart was about to jump out of his throat.
He had never seen someone who could punch a rocket to bits and be completely unharmed!
'It must be, it must be that this guy's physique is too tough, or it's some kind of Devil Fruit ability...'
Although Absalom was shocked by Ren Arakawa's move just now, he was still thinking of launching a sneak attack. After all, he was a Clear-Clear Fruit user; even if he couldn't win, he could run.
Absalom's eyes were fixed on Ren Arakawa's figure, like a hungry wolf staring at a piece of fat meat, thinking to himself, 'Find an opportunity to stab him!'
He tiptoed around from the side, clutching the dagger in his hand tightly, and slowly approached Ren Arakawa.
Suddenly, Absalom froze!
He found that the kid in front of him was looking straight at him!
Absalom's heart skipped a beat, and he nearly tripped over his own feet. The expression on his face froze instantly.
A coincidence! It must be a coincidence!
He screamed frantically in his heart, his mind a chaotic mess, and he scrambled to the other side in a panic.
As a result, Ren Arakawa's gaze, like sticky candy, followed him over again.
Absalom was stunned. He stood there, scratching his head, his hair a mess like a chicken's nest.
'Impossible? Another coincidence?'
He was full of doubts, but this kind of situation had never happened before. He decided to just go for it. On a whim, with a push of his legs, he leaped like an agile monkey and clung to the ceiling of the corridor with a "swish."
He clung to the wall, not even daring to breathe loudly, his eyes secretly peeking at Ren Arakawa, still holding onto a sliver of hope.
'Now that I'm up here, he can't possibly look up at me, right? It can't be that much of a coincidence, right?'
But reality gave him a harsh slap in the face.
Ren Arakawa's gaze was like a searchlight, instantly locking onto the area above!
Absalom's face instantly turned red! He threw caution to the wind, jumped down from the corridor ceiling, and quickly lay prone on the ground, still fantasizing, 'Another coincidence! Could you possibly look down again? Maybe this guy's cervical spondylosis was acting up just now.'
However...
Ren Arakawa's gaze still landed steadily on the ground, as if Absalom wasn't invisible at all.
This time, Absalom was completely dumbfounded. He slumped to the ground, his eyes vacant, his soul about to leave his body.
But this guy still hadn't given up hope. After all, such a ghostly situation had never happened before.
He suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He quietly approached a scary-looking zombie next to him and punched it, knocking the zombie off balance.
The scary zombie looked bewildered, looking left and right, scratching its head, and muttering, "Am I hallucinating?"
Seeing this scene, Absalom's face instantly turned ghastly pale. His eyes widened like copper bells, and his mouth hung open.
The Clear-Clear Fruit ability was still active!
Then how did this guy see me?!
Everyone's knowledge base is different. The strange tree recognized Conqueror's Haki because it had come down from the New World, preparing to return to its old home to live out its years in obscurity, only to be swallowed by Thriller Bark. It had seen a thing or two.
Absalom didn't have that kind of knowledge.
He was still immersed in extreme fear and shock, his legs weak like two cooked noodles.
After hesitating again and again, he finally opened his mouth with a tremble, "Can... can you see me?"
He stared intently at Ren Arakawa, his eyes full of terror and anticipation, hoping to get a sliver of comfort from the other's answer.
The corners of Ren Arakawa's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a mysterious smile, and he nodded slowly.
This light nod, however, was like a giant rock, smashing mercilessly into Absalom's heart.
Absalom's eyes widened in an instant, his face filled with disbelief! His voice trembled, and he stammered.
Hearing the voice from the darkness, Ren Arakawa scratched the back of his hand. "Oh, so I was supposed to pretend I couldn't see you?"
"Wh-What! You... you're too humiliating!" Under extreme panic, Absalom's mind went blank. He subconsciously canceled the ability of the Clear-Clear Fruit, and his figure was instantly revealed to everyone.
Just then, Ren Arakawa looked at the exposed Absalom and suddenly burst out laughing. The laughter echoed in the empty corridor, making Absalom's hair stand on end.
Ren Arakawa laughed and said, "I actually couldn't see you just now. I was guessing. But now I can see you. Hello."
When Absalom heard this, his heart skipped half a beat.
Damn it! I've been tricked!
Absalom let out a strange cry and hurriedly activated his Clear-Clear Fruit ability again, wanting to escape this terrifying place as quickly as possible.
However, he had just taken a step, before he had time to react, he felt a powerful force coming from behind him!
Ren Arakawa instantly flashed behind him, his large hand like a vise, clamping down on his neck!
Absalom only felt his neck tighten, and even breathing became difficult!
"Did I say you could leave?"
Absalom struggled desperately, his hands flailing wildly, trying to break free from Ren Arakawa's grip, but it was all in vain.
"Let's go. Take me to see that guy Moria. I have a score to settle with him."
(end of chapter)