Chapter 137: Tower of Justice – Sol vs. Joser: Ancient Zoan Showdown
Sol kicked the door open with one foot, his sharp gaze sweeping forward. He saw Spandam hurriedly fleeing with Vivi and Robin, several agents following closely behind. The distance between them was less than a hundred meters. Sol exploded with power under his feet, his figure shooting forward like lightning. In the blink of an eye, he closed the gap and nearly caught up to them from behind!
"He's… he's catching up!!" Spandam felt a chill run down his spine. When he looked back, he was so terrified his soul nearly left his body, screaming in panic.
Just as Sol was about to strike, a man wearing a hat decorated with red feathers suddenly flashed out, shielding Spandam and the others behind him. He shouted sternly: "You mere pirate, don't even think about harming the director! Remember the name of the one who will take your life—CP9 rookie, Joser!"
Before the words finished, he fired a ferocious Tempest Kick. The slash tore through the air straight toward Sol!
"Well done, Joser!" Spandam exclaimed in delight and relief upon seeing this.
Sol, however, merely glanced at it indifferently. With a casual wave of his hand, he swatted the fierce slash away as easily as brushing off dust. Joser's pupils shrank sharply; his face filled with shock. The next second, Sol's fist slammed into his right cheek like a falling meteor!
BOOM!!
Joser didn't even have time to scream. His entire body was launched like a cannonball, tracing a parabolic arc before plunging off the bridge and smashing into the sea like a depth charge, sending massive waves surging upward.
"Go cool off somewhere." Sol withdrew his fist, his tone as calm as if he had just swatted a fly.
Spandam and the remaining agents watched the scene with eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. Then, in unison, they let out near-hysterical groundhog-like screams: "Aaaaaaaaah!!!"
Sol completely ignored their noise. He spread his hands; fierce winds instantly coiled into invisible ropes, gently yet precisely binding Vivi and Robin around their waists and pulling them steadily back to his side.
"Sol!" ×2
The two, having survived the ordeal, cried out his name in shock and joy almost simultaneously.
"It's alright, Vivi, Robin," Sol said with a reassuring smile. "Step back a little. Once I finish dealing with these small fries, I'll help you remove the cuffs."
"Mm!" Both nodded without hesitation and quickly retreated a short distance, leaving the battlefield to Sol.
"Then goodbye. Remember to be more careful in your next life—Fire Dragon's Roar!" As Sol spoke, a blazing torrent of flames erupted from his mouth, surging straight toward Spandam!
Spandam turned deathly pale. But just as the flames were about to swallow him, a violent gust of wind suddenly whipped up, forcefully blocking the blaze and forming a protective wall around him.
Sol frowned and stopped his attack. His sharp gaze turned toward the source of the storm. A giant dragonfly had appeared at some point, hovering in front of Spandam. Its rapidly vibrating wings made it clear that the life-saving gust had come from it.
The dragonfly's body shimmered with light and quickly transformed into human form. A man in a white suit and wearing a mask landed quietly. He spoke in a calm tone:
"Director Spandam, greetings. I am a subordinate of Director Spandain, belonging to CP0. My name is Joser, and I have come to assist."
"Excellent! Quick! Execute this vicious pirate on the spot! And bring the criminal Nico Robin back to me!" Spandam, as if grabbing a lifeline, frantically pointed at Sol and Robin, his voice shrill with excitement. "Zoan type… Ancient? Or Mythical?" Sol examined the opponent's clearly extraordinary previous form and asked in a deep voice.
Joser seemed to see through his doubt and answered proactively: "I am an Animal-type – Bug-Bug Fruit Ancient Model – Dragonfly Form ability user. You must be the 'Fire Dragon' Sol, right? If possible, I hope you will commit suicide here. At least you'll keep your corpse intact and save me the trouble."
"You guy… are really arrogant." Sol had no interest in wasting more words. His figure shot forward like lightning, Armament Haki coiling around his right fist as he delivered a heavy punch straight at the opponent's face!
Joser raised his arm to block, but the overwhelming force sent him sliding backward several steps.
"Tch, such a short temper?" He shook his numb arm, then slowly removed his mask.
The next moment, his body began changing dramatically. His eyes turned into countless compound eyes, gleaming with cold light. His lower jaw extended into hard pincer-like mouthparts. Behind him, two pairs of huge, transparent, veined membranous wings unfolded, emitting a low buzzing sound as they vibrated slightly. His entire form became a bizarre and terrifying half-insect, half-human shape.
"Ugly as hell," Sol commented bluntly.
"For people like us, only power is eternal—Empty Flash!" Joser responded coldly. His four wings vibrated at ultra-high frequency; his figure turned into a residual image almost impossible for the naked eye to follow, rushing toward Sol at astonishing speed! Both fists coated in Armament Haki, he attacked with the full momentum of his charge.
This speed far exceeded expectations, causing Sol a slight moment of surprise. But he reacted extremely fast, raising his leg in a precise kick that forcefully pushed the opponent back.
"Just a small-fry CP0—Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Sol's fists ignited with scorching flames and fired in a continuous barrage like meteors! The high temperature forced Joser to avoid taking them head-on; he could only rely on his extreme speed to keep dodging, gradually being suppressed and forced backward.
Spandam saw that Joser was failing to gain the upper hand and was instead falling into a disadvantage. The thought that his own life would be in danger if Joser lost made him turn vicious. He secretly turned his back, pulled out the golden Den Den Mushi from his bosom, and pressed it without hesitation!
"Hehehe… As long as I can bring Nico Robin back, the World Government will naturally compensate me for these lost subordinates…" A twisted smile appeared on his face as he muttered to himself, "I really am a genius!"
Because he deliberately hid it, neither Sol nor Joser—locked in fierce combat—noticed that the golden Den Den Mushi, capable of summoning a Buster Call and destroying everything, had been quietly activated.
"Storm Slash!"
Joser hovered in midair, his four wings vibrating. Then, with extremely high frequency flapping, he instantly released countless invisible yet razor-sharp wind blades—like a dense net of death—sweeping toward Sol from all directions! This technique, which had easily torn apart countless enemies, now encountered an unexpected counter.
"Hmph—you didn't even bother defending… My wind blades can easily cut through steel." Joser looked at Sol below, who showed no defensive stance and instead wore an excited expression. A trace of disdain had just risen in his heart when reality slapped him hard in the face!
Sol didn't dodge or block. Instead, he suddenly opened his mouth wide and took a deep breath!
The originally ferocious and sharp wind blade storm—powerful enough to shred steel—seemed to be pulled by an invisible force. It rapidly disintegrated and contracted, all of it swallowed into Sol's stomach in one gulp!
"Burp!"
Sol let out a loud, satisfied burp and even smacked his lips, looking somewhat unsatisfied.
"Didn't expect I could get a snack at a time like this…" He patted his stomach and grinned. "The taste of this wind wasn't bad at all."
Joser hovered in the air; a flash of disbelief passed through his compound eyes. His signature killing technique had just become a snack to replenish the opponent's energy?
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