Chapter 332: A Struggle with Sengoku! The True Monster!
"Th-this…" Greenbull stared up at the massive, purple-black demonic Buddha, completely dumbfounded. "Hey, who is this guy?"
"Don't you recognize him yet?" Akainu's face was grim. "It's Sengoku! The former Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you idiot! But now, like those old geezers, he's completely…" He swallowed the rest of his sentence.
On the other side, Shane, Whitebeard, and the others also recognized the newcomer's identity immediately, and they were all a little taken aback.
"Sengoku-san!" Aokiji couldn't help but speak out. "This is the last time I'll call you 'san'. Hey, can you explain what's going on? You already resigned and retired. Why did you accept that power and become this… thing that's neither human nor ghost?!"
Hmm? The purple-black demonic Buddha glanced at Aokiji in surprise, then let out a cold laugh, a hint of mockery in his eight crimson demonic eyes. "So you really joined the Curtain Call, Kuzan. But you're still as naive as ever… The times have changed, and I have to keep up. How could a traitor like you understand my resolve?"
"Neither human nor ghost?"
"A few days ago, when I was coughing up blood and dying in the intensive care unit, struggling at the gates of hell, that was neither human nor ghost!"
A flash of resentment flickered in the demonic Buddha's crimson eyes, and his voice echoed across the battlefield like thunder. "Since the World Government is willing to give me a second life, a chance to wash away the humiliation of the past with my own hands, what reason do I have to refuse?!"
"Sengoku, you…" Aokiji wanted to say more, but Shane raised a hand to stop him.
"Kuzan, save your breath," Shane said flatly. "This guy has been completely consumed by hatred and obsession. He's nothing more than a war machine created by the World Government now."
"I didn't expect this, Sengoku," he looked up at the purple-black demonic Buddha and smiled. "Although you were always a hypocrite who only paid lip service to justice, you were still the former Fleet Admiral, the 'Resourceful General' who dominated the seas for decades. To willingly sink to this level… it's both pathetic and tragic."
"Silence!" the demonic Buddha roared, his eight crimson eyes glowing with blinding blood-red light. "Shane! Stop putting on an act! Isn't it all thanks to you that I've been reduced to this state?!"
"Today, I will personally crush all of you villains who disturb the peace of the world!"
BOOM!!!
Before he had even finished speaking, the demonic Buddha's massive palm slammed down, wrapped in terrifying purple-black lightning, heading straight for Shane and the others!
"Big talk!" Whitebeard shouted, swinging his Murakumogiri. The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit erupted, colliding with the massive palm!
CRACK!
Space shattered like a mirror, and a terrifying shockwave swept out in all directions. Wood chips flew, and a massive crater instantly collapsed in the ground! Although the giant palm was repelled, Whitebeard was also forced back several steps, his blood churning.
"Is this all the 'World's Strongest Man' has to offer?" the demonic Buddha said coldly.
"Gurararara! Sengoku, it seems your strength has improved quite a bit since you turned into this monstrosity!" Whitebeard laughed heartily, seemingly unconcerned, but a hint of gravity flashed in his eyes. That strike just now had put a considerable amount of pressure on him, and his arm was slightly numb. The power of this demonic Buddha exceeded his expectations, and exceeded Sengoku's original level! Or rather, it had given the elderly Sengoku a long lifespan. At the same time, all the hidden injuries and ailments accumulated over the years had vanished without a trace, and his physical strength had skyrocketed, giving him power comparable to his peak!
Besides that, what was even more troublesome was… Whitebeard's gaze swept over the demonic Buddha's right hand. He had clearly cracked the surface of the giant palm just now, shattering the gold paint. But in a flash of black energy, it had instantly returned to its original state, leaving not a scratch.
"Oh? You noticed?" The demonic Buddha grinned, his voice booming like thunder. "This is my current power! An immortal body, endless stamina! What do you have to fight me with?!"
"Indeed, a bit tricky…" Whitebeard grimaced. However, he also knew the secret. Against this kind of power, an overwhelming amount of Conqueror's Haki could achieve a temporary suppression. And when it came to the quality of Conqueror's Haki, he had never been inferior to…
"If it's tricky, then step aside," a voice said from beside him. "Just watch. I have more experience dealing with these guys."
"Hey!" Whitebeard was taken aback, then glared at the figure in front of him. "You bastard, at least let me finish my sentence!"
"No time!" Shane laughed and activated his Flight Technique, shooting into the sky!
SWOOSH!
In the next instant, he appeared above the demonic Buddha's head. His right fist, wreathed in black-and-red lightning, smashed down on the massive skull!
"Galaxy Impact!!!"
A terrifying shockwave erupted. The purple-black demonic Buddha's head was knocked down by the punch, and its massive body staggered back a few steps. Although there was a dent in its head that wouldn't heal quickly, bleeding profusely, the demonic Buddha quickly stabilized itself, the blood-red light in its eight crimson eyes intensifying.
"It hurts, brat! But unfortunately, an attack of this level isn't enough! For the current me, it's far from enough!"
"How about you try this, Shane!" The giant demonic Buddha Sengoku raised both palms, clasping them together, and let out a roar.
"Buddha's Wrath Impact!"
VWOOM!
A purple-black beam of light, over a hundred meters in diameter, erupted from his palms. Space twisted and cracked in its path as it blasted towards Shane with world-destroying force!
However, facing the oncoming purple-black beam, Shane remained motionless, not even bothering to dodge. Only black-and-red lightning emerged from his body, forming an invisible barrier around him.
THUD!
When the beam hit the barrier, there was only a dull thud. In the next moment, it was completely swallowed up, like a clay ox entering the sea, causing not even a ripple. Let alone hurting a hair on Shane's head.
"Th-this is…" The demonic Buddha's eight eyes widened simultaneously.
"Just figured it out recently," Shane said calmly. "You should recognize what this is, right, Sengoku?"
"…" The demonic Buddha's face darkened. Of course he recognized it. It was a "Conqueror's Barrier"! If Armament Haki could form a barrier, so could Conqueror's Haki. And the defensive effect was thousands of times better, truly impregnable! But to master this move, one first needed an extremely high quality of Conqueror's Haki, and a mastery that reached the pinnacle! For so many years, he had tried many times but failed. Garp hadn't been able to do it either. Only Rocks, back in God Valley, had displayed such a powerful ability! It had taken Garp and Roger in their prime half a day of bitter fighting, failing to break his defense, before they finally went all out, using all their Haki in one go, to finally shatter that Conqueror's Barrier!
"Damn brat…" A hint of dread flashed in the demonic Buddha Sengoku's crimson eyes. But soon, the purple-black flames around him flared, and he raised his palms again with a savage grin. "Do you really think you're Rocks?! Don't forget, my stamina is nearly limitless. Let's see how many times you can block it!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three consecutive "Buddha's Wrath Impacts" were fired, engulfing the entire battlefield in purple-black energy. Yet Shane remained motionless, his hair not even out of place. That invisible barrier, indistinguishable to the naked eye, was like an insurmountable chasm, blocking all his attacks!
Impossible? The demonic Buddha refused to believe it and continued to attack with full force. Six, seven, eight times… The result was no different.
Finally, Shane grew impatient.
"Are you done playing?" He grinned, his right fist clenching suddenly. Blinding black-and-red lightning coiled around it like a dragon. "If you're done, then it's my turn!"
BOOM!!!
In the next instant, Shane's figure vanished from where he stood! When he reappeared, he was directly in front of the demonic Buddha Sengoku. He grabbed the giant by the chest and, with a burst of strength, lifted the seventy-to-eighty-meter-tall demonic Buddha into the air. Then, he swung him over his head and slammed him into the ground!
"Get… SMASHED!!"
BOOM!
Sengoku's body fell from the sky like a meteor, smashing into the ground. The entire massive sea platform shook, and huge cracks instantly spread for several kilometers. With just this one hit! Hundreds of Marine soldiers were killed or injured. The unlucky newly promoted Vice Admiral who happened to be standing at the center of the impact was flattened into a meat paste.
"Not done yet, Sengoku!" With a savage laugh, Shane, now a blur, rapidly expanded in the demonic Buddha's eight crimson eyes. His right fist tore through the air, carrying a terrifying shockwave, and slammed into the peeling gold body!
"Cross Fang… Dragon Slayer Fist!"
VWOOM—!
Black and white shockwaves erupted, intertwining like two dragons, instantly piercing the demonic Buddha's chest!
CRACK! CRACK!
The sound of shattering bones was dense. The massive body of the purple-black demonic Buddha had a gaping hole over ten meters in diameter punched right through it!
"URGH!!" The demonic Buddha let out a roar of agony, staggering back several steps, his eight crimson eyes filled with disbelief. Pain! So much pain! This punch had pierced right through his chest and abdomen, through his internal organs! It was excruciating! If he didn't have this immortal body, if he were still the old, sick Sengoku, this single blow would probably have incapacitated him!
No, the situation doesn't seem much better… Sengoku felt with horror and clarity that the aftershocks of the two shockwaves had not dissipated. They were still raging inside his body, continuing to destroy every inch of flesh and meridian. Even with his near-immortal regenerative ability, he couldn't keep up with the speed of the destruction!
"Impossible. It shouldn't be like this. My current body, how could…"
"Surprised?" Shane sneered. His figure flickered again, appearing above the demonic Buddha's head. His right leg rose high like a battle-axe. "We were never in the same league. You thought becoming this monstrosity would let you stand against me?"
"Don't be so naive, old man Sengoku!"
SWISH!
His right leg, wreathed in black-and-red lightning, came crashing down!
THUD!!!
The demonic Buddha's head was smashed into his chest cavity by the kick. His entire upper body twisted and deformed, purple-black flames scattering wildly.
"Fight back! Why don't you fight back!" Shane's face was savage. His assault was relentless. His fists rained down like a storm, each blow carrying high-quality Conqueror's Haki, driving the demonic Buddha's massive body back again and again!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In the center of the battlefield, black-red and purple-black energies collided madly, or rather, the former constantly devoured and crushed the latter, making the whole world tremble!
"Hey, is… is that really a power a human can possess…" Greenbull looked up, his face pale as he watched the scene. Seeing his former Fleet Admiral completely helpless, seeing Sengoku's aura growing weaker and weaker, his forehead broke out in a cold sweat. Greenbull had thought that Sengoku in that form was terrifying enough. He felt he would be at a disadvantage in a one-on-one fight. But now it seemed…
Indeed, indeed! My impression was right. My fear was right.
Demonic Buddha or not…
The man named Shane standing before me is the true monster!!!