031 The Powerful Carlo Roman
If one wanted to truly injure Lin Mu, it would only be possible if the opponent had mastered Armament Haki, the Busoshoku Haki that had already appeared multiple times in the Grand Line and was widely used by Marine officers and powerful pirates alike.
But even then, this was only because Lin Mu's current level was still too low to fully unleash the complete strength of the Hulk's genes.
If Lin Mu were able to draw out the Hulk's power to its true peak, with that terrifying defensive ability that could withstand artillery fire and monstrous impacts, Lin Mu himself did not know whether there was anyone in the entire pirate world, from the Four Seas to the New World, who could actually hurt him.
Soon, the surrounding Marines also discovered this cruel reality. Their attacks were no different from scratching an itch for Lin Mu. No matter whether it was slashes, stabs, or blunt strikes, they were completely unable to cause any effective damage, and all they were doing was wasting their own lives!
"Ding, kill Marine Lieutenant Colonel and gain 80 experience points!"
Finally, after Lin Mu personally killed a Marine Lieutenant Colonel, Carlo Roman could no longer endure watching his subordinates fall one by one and shouted loudly at the Marines who were still fighting Lin Mu, "Spread out! Defensive formation!"
After receiving Carlo Roman's order, the Marines quickly dispersed in an orderly manner. Even though they had been slaughtered by Lin Mu up to this point, they did not fall into total chaos, nor did a single person attempt to flee in panic!
After the Marines spread out, Carlo Roman leapt forward directly and landed in front of Lin Mu. His tall and robust body slammed heavily into the ground, producing a muffled sound and smashing a visible depression into the earth.
"Troisen, your crimes have only grown heavier!" Carlo Roman said angrily, his voice filled with killing intent.
Lin Mu glanced coldly at Carlo Roman. The 2300 experience points displayed above his head were enough to prove his strength. This was a Marine far stronger than Smoker, the Logia user of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, and it was no wonder Carlo Roman still dared to pursue and attack him even after learning that Smoker had been defeated.
"It seems you are very confident in your own strength, so there is no need for any more nonsense." Lin Mu said indifferently, and immediately threw a punch straight toward Carlo Roman.
Carlo Roman did not retreat at all. On the contrary, he wanted to personally experience how powerful the pirate Troyson D. Lin, who had stirred up huge waves in the West Blue, really was!
Boom!
With a deep explosive sound, the fists of Lin Mu and Carlo Roman collided head-on. The terrifying force generated between them even produced a visible shock wave that spread violently outward from the point of impact!
After a brief moment, Carlo Roman was sent flying backward, while Lin Mu remained firmly in place without taking a single step back.
There was no doubt that in this pure contest of strength, Lin Mu had won with an absolute advantage!
After being flung back dozens of meters, Carlo Roman forcefully stabilized his body. The look he gave Lin Mu was filled with shock, but there was no fear in his eyes. "I underestimated you. It's time to let you see my true strength!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Carlo Roman's tall body began to undergo a drastic transformation.
Black hair rapidly grew all over Carlo Roman's body. Two sharp horns bulged out from the top of his head, his shoulders expanded upward, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a massive, hairy tauren-like form!
The Niu Niu no Mi, model Yak!
Lin Mu immediately understood. No wonder Carlo Roman possessed such confidence. Even after losing in a direct power clash, he showed no fear at all. It turned out that he was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user!
Zoan Devil Fruits provided comprehensive boosts to vitality, endurance, speed, strength, agility, and even the sharpness of the five senses.
And the Niu Niu Fruit specialized primarily in raw strength!
Carlo Roman's power might have been inferior to Lin Mu's before transforming, but after activating the Niu Niu Fruit, the outcome was no longer so easy to judge!
"Troisen, now let's compete again!" Carlo Roman's eyes turned slightly red as an intense killing intent erupted from him, and he charged straight toward Lin Mu.
Lin Mu did not evade either. He also wanted to see exactly how far Carlo Roman's strength could reach after being amplified by the Zoan Devil Fruit.
Boom!!!
With a thunderous explosion, a shock wave even more violent than before erupted with the two of them at its center.
The ground beneath Lin Mu and Carlo Roman's feet could not withstand such terrifying force and cracked apart, the fissures spreading several meters in all directions!
Evenly matched!
This time, neither Lin Mu nor Carlo Roman took a single step back!
A trace of surprise flashed through Lin Mu's eyes. He had to admit that Carlo Roman was far stronger than he had initially imagined!
He had thought that he could easily kill Carlo Roman and harvest over 2,300 experience points, but now it seemed that he would have to go through a real battle first!
But that was fine. Since coming to the world of pirates, no one had ever forced Lin Mu to fight with his full strength, and Carlo Roman was the first person capable of doing so.
With a flash of movement, boosted by Quicksilver's terrifying speed, Lin Mu moved a short distance almost like teleportation. In the blink of an eye, he appeared at Carlo Roman's right side and slammed a punch toward Carlo Roman's waist and abdomen.
This was an extremely vulnerable area. If Lin Mu's punch landed cleanly, Carlo Roman's ribs would inevitably shatter, and if things went badly, his internal organs could be pierced directly!
However, Carlo Roman made another move that completely surprised Lin Mu.
Just as Lin Mu's fist was about to connect, Carlo Roman's figure vanished instantly. In the next moment, he appeared behind Lin Mu and punched straight into Lin Mu's back.
"Soru!" Lin Mu did not expect that Carlo Roman had actually mastered Soru, one of the Six Powers of the Marines!
Soru was a technique that involved kicking off the ground at extremely high speed to achieve explosive movement that looked almost like teleportation.
If it were a long-distance chase, Carlo Roman was definitely not as fast as Lin Mu, but in short-distance burst movement, Carlo Roman was not inferior at all!
Strength!
Speed!
These had always been the two greatest advantages Lin Mu relied on in past battles, but in front of Carlo Roman, both strength and speed were no longer exclusive advantages, because Carlo Roman himself was by no means weak!
Of course, Lin Mu could choose to retreat at any time. Even ten Carlo Romans would never be able to catch him in a prolonged chase.
However, Lin Mu was unwilling to abandon such a massive amount of experience and escape just like that!
Looking at Carlo Roman, a strange light flickered in Lin Mu's eyes. "It seems I can only choose to use that method!"