vncnus Chapter 223 King Ha Arrives, Deadly Standoff
Chapter 223 King Ha Arrives, Deadly Standoff
Chapter 223 King Ha Arrives, Deadly Standoff
The sound of the bell spread like invisible ripples throughout Water Seven and the surrounding seas!
Everyone who heard the bell—whether it was Ace counting his investment funds, Fujitora waiting anxiously on his warship, or even Blackbeard far away in Pirate Castle—felt a sudden unease in their hearts!
At the same time, the gray-white space of the abandoned shipyard, shrouded in the realm of death, suddenly underwent a strange change in color!
It didn't regain its vibrancy, but rather was shrouded in an even more somber, pitch-black hue.
Another powerful force of death, like a resurrected behemoth, descended fiercely to rival the Assassin's domain.
In an instant, it forcefully countered the suffocating pressure of death!
"What?!" Lucci's smile froze as he stared in disbelief at the sudden turn of events.
He could sense that the quality and quantity of this newly emerged power were in no way inferior to the Death Angel beside him!
For the first time, Assassin's usually impassive expression showed an extremely subtle change.
He slowly turned his head and looked towards the source of the pitch-black color.
Amidst the billowing smoke and distorted light, a tall and imposing figure slowly emerged.
As the figure gradually solidified, it was revealed that the person was wearing ancient Middle Eastern-style armor and a tattered black robe.
He wore a skull mask that was the same as Hassan's, and held a two-handed greatsword that looked simple but seemed to embody the sighs of countless dead souls.
Boom-!
Clang—!
The heavy chimes rang out again, accompanied by the sound of metal scraping against the ground.
He plunged his greatsword into the ground, placing his hands on the hilt, like a king who judges life and death, descending upon this place.
His deep, imposing voice, like a declaration from the underworld, resounded deep within everyone's soul.
"Life and death have their own laws, which are thoroughly understood by both humans and gods, and thus it is so."
"However, life and death in this world have their own laws. Those who recklessly violate the precepts and disrupt the balance will be punished."
"You are the ones who should be warned by death!"
Lu Qi's pupils contracted sharply as he stared intently at the skull mask, an unbelievable thought exploding in his mind.
"This mask—Hassan the Shadow Lantern?! Could he be—?!"
Before he could think it through, Assassin's ancient voice, carrying a hint of confirmation, rang out softly, revealing the identity of the newcomer.
"The Old Man in the Mountains"
That's right, it's fate that brought us together, as Brook is a user of the Yomi Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Fruit) and as he seeks to fight against the concept of "death."
Those who have crossed the world to descend upon this place are none other than the Grand Assassin.
It is also the origin and pinnacle of all Hassan al-Sabahs—the Old Man of the Mountain, King Hassan!
In the abandoned shipyard area, the air seemed to have been sucked out and then filled with lead and mercury, making it so heavy that it was suffocating.
The two opposing concepts of death, though originating from the same source, collide and erode each other within this small space, like two ancient, ferocious beasts that have awakened.
Pale represents absolute order and a cold end, while pitch black symbolizes ancient laws and the authority to end things.
Colors were stripped away, sounds were swallowed up, and only the most primal trembling of life remained, screaming silently.
The arrival of King Hassan not only brought resistance but also a profound sense of history.
He stood with his hand on his sword, the blue flames beneath his skull mask seemingly piercing through time, landing on Assassin's deep blue cloak.
With a scrutinizing, knowing, and even a barely perceptible sigh.
Lucky Assassin, the angel who holds the power of death, was no longer as absolutely calm as before when he saw King Hassan appear. Instead, his expression was like that of an ancient well to which a stone has been thrown, causing obvious ripples.
He slowly turned around, facing the uninvited guest directly, and for the first time, his ancient voice carried a hint of emotion.
This is not hostility, but rather a sense of acknowledgment of a predetermined trajectory and a feeling of destiny.
"As expected—it is you. It's been a long time, this body." Assassin's voice was still ethereal, but no longer so cold.
"In the end, you still chose this path, transformed into this form, and forgot your original intention of standing between life and death."
Wang Hassan's deep, resonant voice rang out, carrying a world-weary wisdom and a touch of melancholy: "The death of Cang—"
"Fragments drifting beyond time, or perhaps the past I have abandoned? Do you still cling to that cold precept?"
"After so many years, we meet again in this way. At this moment, are you merely Hassan al-Sabah, or Yazlar?"
Their conversation, like an ancient riddle, clearly reveals the deep and complex connection between them.
Lucci was deeply shaken. As a former CP9 ace who was an expert in assassination, he also dreamed of fragments of his own Heroic Spirit's memories.
The Old Man of the Mountain is the founder and spiritual symbol of the Assassins, and the Yazr he speaks of is the angel of death in Islam, commanded by God!
In this other world, both of them share the same cultural roots and believe in the same ruler!
Could this descending angel of death be the divine aspect of the Old Man of the Mountain's legend, or an embodiment of one of his discarded rules?
This conjecture sent shivers down his spine.
The Straw Hat crew was completely bewildered, yet instinctively felt a sense of awe.
Luffy tilted his head, his rubber face scrunched up: "What are they talking about? They seem to know each other? But they don't seem like friends—"
Zoro gripped the Wado Ichimonji tightly, his headband soaked with sweat. He felt the ultimate sharpness and deathly stillness.
"Don't get distracted! These two guys—their slashes have transcended the realm of swords! They're on a conceptual level!"
The cigarette Sanji lit burned out quickly in the distorted area as he stared intently at the center of the battlefield.
"That feeling—it's like facing two different kinds of death—"
Brook stared blankly at King Hassan's retreating figure, the power of the Yomi Yomi no Mi resonating within him, as if he could hear sighs and sword cries from the River Styx.
He understood that this heroic spirit was summoned by three intertwined connections: his unwavering will to protect his comrades, the Yellow Spring Fruit's ability to transcend life and death, and his desire to resist external rules of death.
He is the giver of death, and also the maintainer of the balance between life and death in this world.
Assassin responded to Wang Hassan's questioning, his voice turning cold again, but with an added stubbornness.
"My original intention? My original intention was to maintain the precepts governing the operation of all things. Life and death are the greatest order, which cannot be disordered in the slightest."
"I am the embodiment of the precepts, eliminating all abnormalities that transgress the boundaries; I am the one who thoroughly understands the laws of humanity and divinity."
His gaze swept over Brook and Luffy.
"This person is burdened with the folly of the underworld, hovering between life and death, disrupting the normal order; this youth, possessing the will to liberate, is also the source of change."
"All of them are on my list, and shall die."
"Precepts? Destiny?" King Hassan's voice carried an undeniable air of authority, and a deep-seated compassion.
"Why do those who have achieved enlightenment cling so tightly to their vows? You have become a puppet of the precepts, Assassin. You should not be like this."
"Life and death are not cold ledgers; they must be accurate to the millimeter."
"It is a rushing river, with rapids and gentle currents, as well as silt and backflows that should not exist. I wield my sword to cut off unnecessary pain and eternal torment, to distorted existence, rather than to maintain some kind of stagnant order."
"The list of names you see may be the very shackles that I need to sever with my sword."
The clash of ideologies erupted at this moment!
Assassin represents absolute, ruthless, and precise rules of death; the enforcer of fate.
King Hassan represents the judgment and execution inherent in the power of death. He maintains a higher level of balance, and for the sake of true peace in death, he is willing to kill anyone who has any influence over him.
The laws of gods and men are thoroughly understood, showing no mercy or sentimentality.
"Ideological debates are pointless. The precepts are beyond question." Assassin seemed unwilling to get bogged down in this endless dialectic any longer.
He slowly raised his hand, and dark magic gathered in his palm, transforming into a transparent long scythe that seemed to be woven from the sighs of countless dead souls and cold rules.
"In the name of the angels, I invoke my death to enforce the commandments, Azure Scythe!"
The pale, deathly domain instantly boiled, coalescing into a massive scythe that stretched across space, seemingly capable of severing lifelines and causal chains.
The attack was silent yet incredibly swift, slashing down upon King Hassan!
This strike contained his absolute rules of death, transcending the concepts of speed and defense, and was almost a death sentence!
"Stubborn to the end," Wang Hassan murmured with a sigh, and finally, he moved!
He suddenly pulled the greatsword, which had been stuck in the ground, out!
The sword's blade did not have a metallic sheen, but rather a dark color as if it had been settled by eternal death.
He didn't use any fancy sword techniques; he simply held the sword upright in front of him, its blade pointing directly at the incoming scythe of annihilation.
"This sword marks the boundary between life and death; it will behead!"
The pitch-black death domain surged into the sword like a sea of blood that had been set ablaze!
Wang Hassan swung his sword, unleashing a refined, deep blue sword aura that surged upwards against the tide, directly confronting the pale, annihilating scythe!
There was no sound, no burst of energy.
The moment the two attacks collided, it was as if two different worlds of death had experienced a primal collision!
The space is like glass, full of cracks, yet it is forcibly mended by the paradox of the rules of life and death.
The light was completely swallowed up at the point of contact, forming a brief small black hole, which was then smoothed out by a more powerful force of the rules.
This is a clash that transcends the energy level and directly impacts the fundamental logic of the world.
The mere conceptual ripples from this silent collision struck Lucci and all the CP9 members like lightning, sending them flying backward, spitting blood. Their domineering aura seemed so pale and powerless in the face of power at this level!
Kalifa, Kaku, and the others were filled with despair; this was a battle they couldn't possibly intervene in!
The Straw Hat crew is under even greater pressure!
Seeing that his juniors behind him were about to give up, Roger roared and unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, which had conquered the Grand Line, without reservation!
The crimson and black lightning enveloped everyone like a solid armor, fiercely battling against the dual death domains, emitting a sizzling sound of erosion!
Roger's feet sank deep into the ground, and his face was no longer filled with a bold smile, but with utter solemnity.
"Those two monsters—!"
The sound of the Nika drum inside Luffy's body was suppressed to the lowest point, and his rubber body was slightly deformed under this pressure, but the flames burning in his eyes never went out.
He was waiting, waiting for an opportunity!
Lucci's pupils constricted; he saw it!
Assassin's sure-fire, deadly strike was actually blocked by King Hassan in such a nonchalant way, using the pure concept of death?!
"Is your death warrant only this?" King Hassan's voice came through the shockwaves of the collision, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
"The true meaning of death cannot be grasped by cold lists and precepts alone."
Assassin remained silent, but the violently flickering, eerie blue flames revealed the turmoil within him.
His figure vanished again, launching attacks from all sorts of unbelievable angles, each one containing the rule of instant death.
Just as the two Grand Masters were locked in fierce combat and had no time to spare, the double death suppression that enveloped the Straw Hat crew showed a very slight loosening!
"Now! Lucci! Your opponent is me!!"
Roger's Conqueror's Haki suddenly contracted, no longer attempting to completely resist the Death Domain, but instead coalescing into an indestructible torrent of will.
Just like when he stood at the bow of the ship facing thousands of enemies, he crashed into Lucci, who had just regained his footing!
"Luffy, prepare! Listen to all things, unleash the wrath of the Conqueror!"
This attack was a Noble Phantasm! It was a pure crushing of will and dominance!
Lucci felt as if his soul had been thrown into a raging storm. His Observation Haki instantly failed, and his mind was filled with Roger's domineering and unrestrained will and endless clamor!
His six signature techniques, which he was so proud of, and his ruthless mindset, were momentarily blank and collapsed under the most domineering pressure of the king!
"Pfft—!" Lucci spat out another mouthful of blood, his body stiffening, revealing numerous openings!
"Gum-Gum-Gum—!!!" How could Luffy let go of this opportunity that Roger had created with his Haki?!
The drums of liberation roared like a beast breaking free of its chains!
His body instantly swelled and stretched, his skin turned white, and his hair danced like free flames.
After revealing that liberating and unrestrained smile on his face, Nika form descended once more!
"Nika—!!!"
A field of willpower filled with laughter, liberation, and breaking free from constraints blossoms amidst death.
Although it could not dispel the domain of death, it was like a hot knife cutting into solidified butter, forcibly tearing open a crack of life in the airtight suppression!
"Brook! Usopp! Grab me!" Luffy laughed loudly.
The rubber arm, like a giant white python with life, stretched out instantly, wrapping around the still-shaken Brook and Usopp, about to pull them back to its side!
"Don't even think about succeeding!!" The other CP9 members, seeing this, suppressed their discomfort on a spiritual level.
Kaku's Tempest Kick, Jabra's Wolf Fang, and Lion's Finger Pistol—several attacks simultaneously struck Luffy, attempting to stop him from saving people!
"Three-Sword Style - Black Rope - Giant Tornado!"
"Devil's Gale - Crushing!"
Zoro and Sanji had been waiting for this moment, and now they were like tigers unleashed from their cages!
Zoro's slash transformed into a black tornado that tore everything apart, shredding the Tempest Kick and Finger Pistol to shreds!
Sanji's kick, imbued with intense heat and fury, sent Jabra flying, crashing into the distant ruins!
Instantly, Roger amplified the power of his Haki. All the CP9 members immediately collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
The standoff between King Hassan and the Assassin continues; their battle is too high-level for them to attend to the minor skirmishes below.
But throughout the entire Seven Waters City, one could feel the chilling deathly fluctuations and the occasional bursts of liberation emanating from the northeast.
Ace and Karna also sensed the earth-shattering energy collision in the distance.
Ace clenched his fist, flames erupting uncontrollably: "Luffy—"
Karna said calmly, "Master, trust them. Our duty is to protect this place."
Admiral Fujitora stood at the bow of the warship, his face extremely solemn. He sensed the terror of the two death rules and knew that the situation was completely out of control.
"Two auras, two heroic spirits symbolizing death—where should the world go from here—?"