Chapter 74: Duel with Whitebeard
In the dense interior of Ark Island, the thick forest canopy was so tightly woven that sunlight barely filtered through the gaps in the branches to reach the ground below.
Luo Han stepped across the soft grass, meeting Whitebeard's fierce punch head-on. He didn't dodge—he raised his own heavy fist, cloaked in psychokinesis, and struck back.
Clang!
Their fists didn't even need to touch—just the collision of energy shattered the surrounding air. Crack! Crack! The ground beneath them split apart with thunderous rumbling, flocks of birds startled into flight.
Bang!
Luo Han's psychokinetic armor shattered. His bare fist reddened from the shock, and he staggered backward, breathing hard.
He shook his hand and quickly rewrapped it in psychokinesis, then looked at Whitebeard with serious eyes.
He's too strong! Luo Han thought. I figured if I could block Zephyr's Haki, I could take Whitebeard's too—but I was wrong. His Haki is stronger. And with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit added in, my armor couldn't hold up at all.
"Not bad. You blocked my basic attack," Whitebeard said with surprise. In such a short time, he's already able to take a hit from me—even if the strange armor broke, he recovered instantly. That means he can withstand more.
Luo Han shook his head. He didn't agree with the "not bad" comment. If I can't even block your normal punch, then either I'm too weak… or you're just way too strong. Probably both.
"Come on, let's push your limits, kid," Whitebeard said.
Luo Han leaned forward, eyes sharp. "Bring it on, Brother Newgate!"
The two clashed again. Air split, ground cracked—the booming sounds of battle echoed through the forest.
Nearby, even the giant chickens and other creatures felt the pressure and fled.
…
Elsewhere, Sister Shao sat in a tree munching on a mango-like fruit, its fragrant sweetness spreading through her mouth.
"Not bad."
Hm?
Hearing the distant battle, she paused and focused her Observation Haki.
"…Luo Han's gotten stronger again. What a monster," she muttered, shaking her head with a smile, and continued picking fruit.
In another area, Cole was chasing a group of giant chickens around, giggling like a child. It was clearly just a game to him—he had no intention of killing them.
But the people following Cole were miserable. None of them knew where they were, and they weren't strong enough to get back alone. They had no choice but to keep chasing chickens with him.
"Wait for us, Lord Cole !" they cried, but Cole didn't listen—he was having too much fun.
Behind them, another horde of chickens was chasing them in turn. It was chaos: a chicken chasing Cole , Cole chasing chickens, and the crew running for their lives behind it all.
Thus began the ridiculous battle of man vs. chicken in the joyful forest.
It continued until Cole got hungry. Then he quickly hunted down five chickens, had them hauled back to the mountaintop, and declared they'd be dinner.
Back in the forest clearing—
Luo Han and Whitebeard had been fighting for hours. Judging by the sun's position, evening was fast approaching.
"How's that? Holding up okay, kid?" Whitebeard asked, standing atop a fallen tree, looking down at Luo Han who was catching his breath.
Huff… huff… Luo Han tried to calm himself.
Around them, the land was devastated—trees flattened, ground torn apart. They'd cleared a massive open area, and now sunlight poured in freely.
"This time… it's your turn to attack," Luo Han said, looking up defiantly. "Let's see if you can hit me."
Cheeky, Whitebeard thought. Luo Han had taken the hits all day—now he wanted to test Whitebeard's ability to land one.
"You're such an unlovable brat," Whitebeard said, shaking his head—but he accepted the challenge.
His eyes narrowed, body vibrating violently. His outline began to blur, like a glitched image.
Boom!
In an instant, Whitebeard appeared in front of Luo Han, fist crashing down with even more power than before.
But—swish!
Luo Han vanished, reappearing behind him just in time.
Whitebeard blinked, surprised, then turned to face him with a proud smile.
"Your speed's almost on par with Rocks now, kid."
"Really?" Luo Han looked stunned—but also annoyed. Almost, huh?
"Don't pout. Aside from Rocks, there aren't many who could even touch you now," Whitebeard said. "You're officially a strong one."
A strong one… Luo Han mused. Am I really worthy of that title now?
As the sky darkened, Whitebeard grabbed his naginata and said, "That's enough for today. Over the next two months, I'll train you personally. We need to toughen up your defense—you'll be unstoppable once that's handled."
Luo Han smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Brother Newgate. Let's head back."
Whitebeard just nodded. The two of them walked side by side—well, Whitebeard walked; Luo Han floated.
In the quiet forest, all the animals had long since fled from their battle zone.
"Hey, Brother Newgate," Luo Han asked, "what's your definition of a strong person in this world?"
Whitebeard turned, then looked forward again. His voice grew solemn.
"In this world, strength comes down to three things: speed, power, and defense," he said. "Master any one of them, and you'll be nearly invincible."
"If you're fast enough, no one can hit you or catch you. If your attacks are strong enough, you can break through anything. If your defense is solid enough, you can survive anything."
"As long as one of those reaches the top, you won't go down easily. That's the standard for strength."
"But," he added with a grin, "if you run into someone faster, stronger, and tougher than you—well, then you're not the strong one anymore. It's all relative. Haha!"
Luo Han finally understood.
Until now, he'd been improving without a clear direction—just following instinct.
But now he had a plan.
It's true. Strength boils down to speed, power, and defense. Reach the top in one, and the rest will follow.
Just look at Kizaru. "Speed is weight," he said—then crushed Supernovas with one kick. That's what raw speed could do.
Now, Luo Han knew his path: strengthen his Psychokinesis Armor Mode, max out his speed, and refine his telekinetic density to boost his defense.
From today's fight, he noticed his telekinesis was quickly adapting to Haki and Tremor-Tremor attacks—as if it was evolving after each hit. He believed that with enough training, it would eventually block even Whitebeard's punches completely.
If I can reach the peak of speed and defense… then I'll truly be free in this world.
He grinned at the thought—picturing Whitebeard, Garp, and Roger all helplessly staring at him as their attacks failed to land.
His laughter slipped out unconsciously.
Whitebeard glanced at him, frowning. Is this kid crazy or what?
(END CHAPTER)
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