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Chapter 465: The Ant King Licks Blood, The Catgirl Targets Luffy
A sound resembling shattering glass cracked through the air. Dragon raised an eyebrow. The physical durability of this ant had exceeded his estimates. To be able to sever the Rinnegan's gravitational pull with sheer brute force… if this monster was dropped into the Grand Line, he could absolutely single-handedly challenge Marine Headquarters.
The moment the gravitational field shattered, both of them vanished from their spots. The human retina couldn't even process their movement trajectories.
A blindingly brilliant white light exploded in mid-air, followed by an earth-shattering boom that threatened to stop hearts.
Dragon's right fist was coated in dense, black-red Advanced Armament Haki. The internal destruction of Ryuo was pushed to its absolute limit, blending flawlessly with Nen on his knuckles.
Meruem's fist was covered in a layer of purplish-green Nen so thick it was nearly solid.
The two fists collided ferociously in the sky. Neither took a single step back. The space around their clash visibly warped and distorted. Rings of white shockwaves erupted outward like a tsunami, sweeping across the entire forest. A layer of topsoil was literally scraped away.
Ivankov was blown backward by the gale, desperately shielding his huge face with both hands. "This is literally a fight between two monsters! My makeup is going to be blown right off!"
Kuma took a step forward, his broad back shielding Luffy, Ace, and Sabo. He thrust both palms forward. "Pad Cannon: Barrier."
A massive, translucent phantom paw materialized, standing like the Wall of Sighs before them. The shockwaves that could shred steel into ribbons slammed into the paw barrier with a continuous string of muffled thuds, all deflected harmlessly by the Paw-Paw Fruit's conceptual power.
Hiding behind Kuma, Luffy stared open-mouthed at the two blurred afterimages clashing in the sky. He had thought that by grasping the basics of Conqueror's Haki and gaining Teyvat's elemental power, he was already an expert who could do as he pleased in the East Blue. Now he realized he barely even qualified as a spectator.
Ace and Sabo gritted their teeth as well. A battle of this dimension completely shattered whatever sliver of pride they had just rebuilt. It turned out that when their fathers "disciplined" them, they really had just been playing house. This was the true apex combat power of the pirate world.
The mid-air deadlock lasted less than two seconds before the massive recoil launched them both away.
Dragon flipped gracefully through the air, landing firmly on a tree trunk dozens of meters away. The wood beneath his feet instantly pulverized into dust. He shook his slightly numb right hand. The ocular power of the Rinnegan was draining rapidly. For this mutated ant's physical durability to be able to endure the internal destruction of Ryuo… the supreme martial arts of the One Piece world had truly met their match here.
Meruem also used the momentum to flip back through the air, landing lightly on a jutting rock. He raised his right hand, glancing at his knuckles. A tiny cut had split the skin, oozing a few drops of green blood.
This was the first time he had been injured since his birth.
Meruem stuck out his tongue, licking the drops of green blood clean. There was no pain in his purple eyes. Only the fanaticism of an apex predator encountering a peer. He had assumed this entire world was trash, never expecting to bleed moments after his birth. Devouring this man would guarantee his ultimate evolution.
The purplish-black Nen behind Meruem began to surge violently, faintly coalescing into the shape of a hideous demon's head.
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Back in the tavern in the East Blue's Foosha Village.
Blake sat in his rocking chair, a freshly brewed cup of coffee in hand. The virtual screen floating in front of him broadcasted this cross-dimensional peak showdown. He blew on the hot coffee and took a sip.
"Interesting. Rinnegan and Ryuo against a mutated Chimera Ant King. This ticket price was definitely worth it."
Blake was highly satisfied with Dragon's performance. To be able to integrate Naruto's abilities with One Piece's Haki in such a short time... he truly lived up to his reputation as the man who dared to challenge the World Government. But this mutated Ant King was undeniably fierce. The system warning about 'Nen volume exceeding the upper limit' wasn't a joke.
Blake shifted into a more comfortable position to keep watching. Either way, the Failsafe Mechanism would ensure nobody actually died. He just wanted to see if Dragon could achieve another breakthrough in this desperate situation.
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Back in the forest, the battle escalated once more.
The demon head behind Meruem let out a silent roar. He bent his legs, and his entire body became a green laser, shooting straight toward Dragon. He was three times faster than before.
Dragon's dark green cloak plastered tightly to his body under the crushing pressure. He didn't dodge. The purple Rinnegan tracked the Ant King's trajectory with absolute focus. His left hand formed a seal.
"Shinra Tensei."
The violent repulsive force exploded once again. But this time, Meruem wasn't blown away. He pushed right through the mountain-shattering repulsion, forcibly wedging himself into Dragon's defensive zone. His green fist, carrying apocalyptic momentum, smashed toward Dragon's chest.
Dragon's right fist shot out to meet it. "Dragon Claw: Dragon's Breath."
The black-red Haki roared out as a massive dragon, colliding head-on with the Ant King's strike.
Two supreme forces clashed again. This time, the entire forest wailed in agony. The earth began collapsing in massive chunks. Underground water was squeezed to the surface by the immense pressure, forming geysers that shot into the sky.
Kuma protected the three boys, retreating continuously. The Bible in his hand was nearly deformed by his grip. "Is the Commander planning to dismantle this entire country?"
Ivankov shook his massive head frantically. "This is too crazy. My heart can't take this."
Luffy watched the apocalyptic destruction unfold in the distance, his fists clenched tightly.
As the devastating shockwaves swept wildly in all directions, uprooting giant trees and stripping away layers of rock, Kuma stepped forward. He thrust his broad palms out horizontally. "Pad Cannon: Barrier."
The giant, translucent paw blocked the path once more. The shockwaves crashed against the phantom with endless, muffled thuds, but all the destructive energy was perfectly repelled by his conceptual ability. Ivankov hid behind the barrier, gasping for air, his makeup entirely ruined. This level of combat was beyond his comprehension.
High above, Meruem used the recoil to spin twice in the air before landing gracefully on the remains of a thick branch. A few more drops of blood oozed from his green knuckles. He extended his long tongue, licking away his own blood completely, his purple eyes filled with tyrannical delight. The purplish-black Nen behind him boiled, forming the ghastly shape of the demon's head once more.
But while everyone's attention was completely captivated by the clash of titans in the sky, a deadly anomaly emerged in the scorched forest below.
An incredibly bizarre afterimage darted out, clinging close to the blackened earth. There was no wind. Even the fluctuations of Nen had been compressed to an absolute minimum.
Neferpitou's ruby-red pupils burned with fanatical fire. She had been waiting for this exact opportunity for a long time. The King was enjoying his battle, so as his Royal Guard, she naturally had to alleviate her master's burdens. For instance, by disposing of these annoying little appetizers first.
The scent coming from the kid with the straw hat was simply too intoxicating. The potential to awaken Conqueror's Haki was the most exquisite, nourishing poison for a Chimera Ant.
Her razor-sharp bone claws gleamed with a purplish-black, ghostly light in the dim forest—aimed directly at Luffy's defenseless throat.
"I've caught you, little apples!"
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