Chapter 52: Challenging the Rocks Pirates
As the sky brightened, the sun gradually turned scorching. The pirate lackeys resting in the town began returning to their ships, preparing to set sail.
Luo Han gazed over the town as wisps of cooking smoke rose into the air, casting a hazy veil over the entire place.
Hmm! Luo Han suddenly spotted a golden figure streaking through the mist above the town.
Whoosh! Whoosh! It was the Golden Lion, flying at high speed toward the pirate ship.
Thud! Thud! Thud! As soon as he landed on the deck, the Golden Lion stomped angrily toward Whitebeard.
"The intel agents from Hachinosu Island actually informed you first, Whitebeard," he said, clearly irritated.
Whitebeard put down his bottle and stood up with a laugh.
"Ha ha! Is that really worth fussing over, Golden Lion?" he said casually.
"This is putting me below you, Whitebeard!" Golden Lion snapped, his face still dark with displeasure.
Whitebeard shook his head and didn't reply. There was no need to argue—if they did, they were still both under someone else anyway.
"Hmph! Once that little punk arrives, I'll show him what despair feels like!" Golden Lion huffed, still fuming.
Luo Han, now awake along with Cole , looked on in confusion. Both of them were puzzled about what had happened.
"So? What's going on, you two?" Luo Han asked curiously.
"Ha ha! It's just a pirate crew trying to challenge the Rocks Pirates. They plan to attack White Island," Whitebeard said nonchalantly, waving his hand. "The intel guys found out and asked us to take care of the rookies who just arrived in the New World."
Hmph! Golden Lion stood to the side, still fuming. The intel division had informed Whitebeard first and then him—how humiliating!
Weren't they basically saying that Whitebeard was stronger than him?
After Whitebeard explained the situation, Luo Han was a bit speechless. All this over who got the info first? Seriously?
How childish.
"Oh right! Cole , did we get any notification?" Luo Han suddenly thought of something and turned to ask Cole .
Cole stared at him with big round eyes, thinking, Notification? I have no idea what you're talking about...
Seeing Cole 's blank expression, Luo Han understood.
So they only told Whitebeard and Golden Lion? What the hell—did they think he and Cole weren't worth informing?
Luo Han's face turned red with anger.
If that intel agent showed up now, Luo Han would definitely hit him with a psychokinetic volleyball blast to show him who's boss.
Hypocrites!
Golden Lion couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly. Was that how he looked earlier?
He fell silent.
After fuming for a bit, Luo Han walked to the edge of the ship, slumping against the railing. He looked back and asked Whitebeard, "So, how long do we have to wait here?"
Whitebeard looked up, thought for a moment, then said, "According to the intel, they should arrive at White Island this afternoon."
Thud thud! Golden Lion walked to the opposite side of the ship, looked back at Whitebeard, and said, "I'm going to drink. Let me know when that punk shows up."
Whoosh! Without waiting for a reply, he flew back toward the town.
Whitebeard didn't say anything—he just sat back down with another bottle of sake from who-knows-where.
Luo Han shook his head, then looked at Cole and asked if he wanted to go hunt a Sea King for lunch.
Cole had been craving Sea King meat, so of course, he agreed enthusiastically.
Well, they didn't have much choice. Cole 's appetite was massive, and the ship's meat stores were nearly depleted.
So they had to go Sea King hunting.
The two of them flew to a nearby sea zone, about a hundred kilometers from the island. From that distance, White Island was just a vague silhouette.
Luo Han spread his arms and released his spiritual perception, hoping for better clarity.
Beside him, Cole bobbed his huge head, glancing around as he tried to sense something. But with his limited Observation Haki range, all he picked up was sea—and more sea. No Sea Kings in sight.
However, Luo Han had some luck.
Soon, he sensed a large Sea King, around 5,000 meters long, shaped like a bull—clearly a fatty and full of juicy meat.
Luo Han focused his mind, and with a burst of psychokinesis, wrapped up the Sea King and dragged it to the surface, using Kyoka Suigetsu to muddle its instincts.
Hiss hiss! Cole started drooling uncontrollably. He had to suck it back in just to stop.
Sensing Cole 's overwhelming hunger and impending doom, the bull-like Sea King shook violently, trying to escape and return to the depths of the ocean.
But alas! It was fate.
Actually, it was Luo Han's Kyoka Suigetsu technique, which made the Sea King think it was still happily swimming underwater. Only its survival instinct made it struggle against Luo Han's psychic restraint.
Luckily, its strength wasn't overwhelming—Luo Han could manage it.
"Cole ! Put it out of its misery," Luo Han said.
"Got it!" Cole replied and moved to the Sea King's head.
The creature, sensing Cole approaching, shook even more violently, its instincts warning it of imminent death.
Cole didn't give it time to think—he threw a Haki-filled punch straight through its skull.
Before long, the Sea King stopped moving.
"All done, Brother Han," Cole said, still drooling a little.
"Good. Let's head back," Luo Han replied.
He used his psychokinesis to carry the massive Sea King alongside Cole back toward White Island.
This was exactly how Luo Han and Cole had wiped out the Sea Kings around Tree Ring Island—Luo Han brought them up, and Cole delivered the finishing blow.
Perfect teamwork!
Soon, the two of them were flying back with the enormous Sea King in tow.
When Luo Han appeared above the town, the residents below stared in awe and fear, worried it might fall on them.
The 5,000-meter-long bull-like Sea King completely blocked out the sunlight, casting a huge shadow over the town.
"Lord Luo Han and Lord Cole are so powerful—they even brought back such a huge Sea King!" a pirate lackey exclaimed.
The other pirates all agreed enthusiastically.
The townspeople, hearing this, gradually calmed down, understanding these were important figures from the Rocks Pirates.
Boom! Luo Han dropped the Sea King near the shore.
He then told the ship's head chef to get a team to handle the meat. For lunch, the whole island would feast on this Sea King. Anything left over would be shared with the townspeople.
In no time, the whole island buzzed with excitement as everyone rushed to help.
After that, Luo Han and Cole flew high above White Island to begin their daily sparring.
Strength had to be earned through combat. Whether it was Cole 's Haki or Luo Han's psychokinesis, both needed constant sharpening.
Clang! Clang! The sounds of their fight rang out from above as Whitebeard leaned against the ship, sipping his sake.
So dedicated. If only they could become crewmates someday…
Whitebeard hadn't given up on recruiting them—in fact, he was more determined than ever.
Golden Lion, meanwhile, sat atop a tavern roof, drinking alone. His eyes still burned with ambition, like a lion waiting for his chance to lead the pride.
Sister Shao strolled through the town, occasionally glancing at the sky with a gentle smile.
High above, the battle was intensifying.
Clang! Luo Han once again blocked Cole 's Haki attack. As the blows came, Luo Han's psychokinesis gradually adapted, its density slowly increasing.
Clang! Clang! Cole flashed and struck from all angles while Luo Han's psychic barrier instantly formed around him each time, deflecting the attacks.
This was a way to train the speed of psychic activation. After fighting Zephyr, Luo Han realized that even though psychokinesis could strike at close range, it still took time. Those with strong Observation Haki could dodge in that window.
So Luo Han aimed to improve his attack speed. After all, if the speed was high enough, even Observation Haki wouldn't help.
That's something Pirate King Luffy taught him during his fight with Katakuri.
Then they switched roles. Luo Han launched psychic attacks while Cole defended. Thanks to the unpredictability of psychokinesis, it was a great way for Cole to train his Observation Haki.
(END CHAPTER)
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