Chapter 244: Dark Sky Wave Eyes!

Snap!

The great doors of the Demon Locking Tower swung open, and a pure-gold chain shot out, lashing like an iron whip against the incoming Wave Breath slash.

In an instant,

the Wave Breath slash was shattered, becoming fragments of Wave Breath; before they could dissipate, they were swept up by the gold chain and dragged into the Demon Locking Tower as nourishment.

"It's the Demon Locking Tower—the Navy's golden reward!"

Beikeman's face grew grave.

The aura radiating from the gold chain just now was terrifying to the extreme—even without approaching, one could feel a dread rising from the depths of the soul.

That was a skill of the Demon Locking Tower—

Demon Locking Chain.

The bane of all demons and monsters; the more evil intent a being harbors, the stronger the Demon Locking Chain's power becomes.

No one is absolutely free of distracting thoughts; even Xiangkesi cannot possess a perfectly pure heart. Anger, jealousy, confusion—every kind of emotion breeds evil intent.

Compared with a villain like Blackbeard, it is merely weaker, but it can still be detected by the Demon Locking Chain.

Moreover,

the shattered Shura Evil Light Slash, along with the Wave Breath that had drained most of Xiangkesi's Energy Value, was torn apart and converted entirely into nourishment for the Demon Locking Tower.

Inside the Demon Locking Tower lies a 【Purifying Evil Spirit Pool】,

and every villain imprisoned within the tower, as well as every absorbed attack, is purified into the purest stream of energy.

That is Experience Value.

By virtue of the Purifying Evil Spirit Pool's ability, Marine Headquarters can cultivate new players at an extremely rapid pace.

"What a fine treasure—perfectly suited for the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Whitebeard stared enviously at the Demon Locking Tower rising from the ground, the longing in his eyes nearly spilling over.

The Whitebeard Pirates and the Revolutionary Army, already in retreat,

upon hearing that the eastern defensive line had been broken by Hongfa Xiangkesi, began deliberately obstructing the Navy's reinforcements.

Vice Admiral Tsuru paced anxiously in circles, yet for the moment could find no solution.

Once all Navy forces are thrown against Hongfa Xiangkesi, Whitebeard and the Revolutionary Army will very likely seize the chance to break through Jiazu Chenqiang.

"If we have enough Reward Points, the first priority is to upgrade Jiazu Chenqiang."

Vice Admiral Tsuru's head ached, and she felt a touch of regret.

If some Reward Points had been spared to upgrade Jiazu Chenqiang, it could have held off the Revolutionary Army and Whitebeard for a time.

During that window, the Red Hair Pirates could have been annihilated.

But now,

the fragile wall simply cannot buy the precious time needed to wipe out the Red Hair Pirates.

"The Game Information Department must select the Navy's finest strategists to study every scrap of Samsara Game data!"

Vice Admiral Tsuru rubbed her brow.

Relying on the advantage of the 【Marine Giant Corps】, she kept driving back the Whitebeard Pirates, compressing their space.

The Whitebeard Pirates refused direct engagement, roaming and skirmishing instead, stalling the Navy's rush to reinforce Kizaru.

The Revolutionary Army, in tacit coordination, adopted the same tactic,

infuriating Garp until his beard bristled and his eyes bulged.

Vice Admiral Tsuru said, her face full of worry, "If only we had recognized the importance of Jiazu Chenqiang sooner, we wouldn't be so passive now. I just hope the Demon Locking Tower can hold against Hongfa Xiangkesi."

She, who had always been a master strategist,

had suffered setback after setback, all because she was unfamiliar with Samsara Game data—therefore the importance of the Game Information Department must be elevated.

"Should we retreat, Captain?"

Breaking through the Demon Locking Tower's defenses would be extremely difficult.

Moreover,

the Red Hair Pirates have already proclaimed their strength to the entire world; even without destroying the Navy's clan, they are the first Pirate crew to break through a 【Level 2 Clan】 defensive line.

Even the Revolutionary Army and Whitebeard failed to do so.

Xiangkesi shook his head. "It's not enough."

"Captain, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Beikeman could not quite read his captain's intentions.

The Red Hair Pirates have never been the sort of force that fights for empty glory; they value freedom above all. Yet now the captain's persistence felt strangely out of character.

Xiangkesi said firmly, "The power we've shown the world is still not enough!"

Even with the eastern defensive line broken,

the Navy has not been truly wounded; the damaged wall only needs materials and Reward Points to be restored quickly.

If that's the case, everything done before would be meaningless.

"Captain, sometimes I really want to crack open your skull and see whether it's filled with paste or seawater."

Beikeman clenched his teeth so hard his cigar was crushed; he swallowed the fragments and said, "But since it's the captain's order, we can only obey!"

"Buy me time."

After saying this, Xiangkesi stood still on the spot.

A faint Wave Breath swirled around him continuously, as though preparing some kind of state.

"It's faint, yet I can sense a threat—is he preparing some terrifying technique?"

Kizaru keenly perceived the change taking place on Xiangkesi nearby.

The Pirate World likewise possesses abilities that require charging; for instance, the king of Puluodiansi Wangguo can, by continually accumulating power, deliver a 【King's Fist】 capable of shaking the world.

Of course,

Saying it would shake the world is an exaggeration, but the longer a certain skill is charged, the greater the destructive power it can unleash beyond one's own strength.

"What a nuisance — I can't let you get away with it!"

Kizaru lost the mood to keep teasing. He took off his tinted goggles and carefully tucked them into his pocket,

his whole body turning into golden light as he charged toward Shanks, who stood frozen in place.

"Hold it right there, Kizaru!"

Beikeman, his entire body jet-black with Armament Haki pushed to its absolute limit, tried to block Kizaru's golden radiance.

But it was pierced straight through,

"Impressive Armament Haki, but unfortunately, what I'm unleashing now isn't pure Glint-Glint Fruit — it's the Magic Lancer's method!"

The golden light coalesced into Kizaru's figure,

both hands gripping a golden spear tight, its tip pressed against the ground as he flicked it upward,

golden flames mingled with the upturned rock fragments raining down upon Shanks.

"How bold — charging into the Red Hair Pirates all by yourself?"

Limejuice used his hair-control Superpower to form a hair Shield, taking the brunt of the attack for his Captain.

Bang.

A tank-killer explosive shell flew with pinpoint accuracy toward Kizaru's chest.

"A Gunner?"

Kizaru felt a headache coming on,

hastily raising his golden spear. The force of the tank-killer blast sent him skidding back dozens of meters, and when the shell detonated, even the golden spear in his hand snapped clean in two.

Within Navy families, some Navy members with outstanding marksmanship天赋 — a portion of them become Gunners.

They possess extremely powerful long-range combat ability, and the destructive power of most of their skills is absurdly strong.

They have a weakness too — they fear close combat.

However,

Kizaru didn't abandon his attempt to interrupt Shanks's skill charge just because a Gunner had drawn his attention. These petty tricks could never fool a battle-hardened Marine Admiral.

Eagle Drop.

Kizaru's whole body erupted with blazing golden flames. He suddenly leapt high into the air, then — like a falling meteor — plunged toward Shanks.

"Not good!"

Beikeman leapt up right behind him, trying to intercept the airborne Eagle Drop.

A top-tier player like Kizaru, with such high mobility, couldn't take the Red Hair Pirates head-on, but stopping them was equally difficult.

"Whatever the trick may be — that's enough. Cancel it!"

The golden flames plummeted rapidly,

but a second before reaching Shanks, they were torn to shreds by a sudden eruption of Wave Breath.

Shanks's eyes were still covered by the cloth strip.

But,

the Bodong Shijie that should originally have been perceived only through his Mind's Eye had now appeared in the real world.

With Shanks at the center, Wave Breath dense to the extreme spread outward,

as if draping a veil of hazy black gauze over the real world.

Dark Heaven… Wave Eye!

(End of chapter)