Chapter 370: In an Instant

With such a lineup, plus Blackbeard's own strength, he could still carve out a place for himself even in the New World, where powerhouses gathered like clouds and the Emperor of the Sea suppressed everything.

But for Blackbeard, it was not enough.

Far from enough.

"With this level of combat power, we are still far from being able to intervene in the war between Marine Headquarters and the Whitebeard Pirates."

Blackbeard's expression was heavy.

Whitebeard was already terminally ill; the only reason he had held on until now was entirely due to Marco's top-tier medical skills.

Once engaged in high-intensity combat, regardless of victory or defeat, the only outcome awaiting Whitebeard was death.

Thus, after this war ended, one leg of the Four Emperors would inevitably collapse.

He naturally knew that the most rational decision before him was to abandon the quest for Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability, ride the momentum straight into the New World, seize the nest by occupying the magpie's spot, and tear off the largest chunk of flesh from the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Yet every time he recalled Whitebeard's formidable power, capable of triggering tsunamis at will and cracking the void itself, he found it impossible to suppress the desire in his heart!

As long as he obtained the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, under the boost of dual abilities, his combat power would surely skyrocket.

He might even have a chance to directly save face against that monster, Gao Wen!

Moreover, Redfield would inevitably appear at Marine Headquarters as well!

That fellow's plated Observation Haki posed a threat to him even greater than Gao Wen!

Thinking of this.

Blackbeard finally realized that he already had no retreat left.

He had to go to Marine Headquarters, whether he wanted to or not!

"Fortunately, with the intervention of the Straw Hat crew, the war at Marine Headquarters will become even more chaotic."

"Only in chaos do I have a chance to pluck chestnuts from the fire!"

Blackbeard grinned viciously and waved his large hand:

"Men!"

"Next stop, Marineford!"

"Let us go witness the doomsday of Marine Headquarters!"

……

……

……

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Impel Down, Level Six.

Infinite Hell.

The slaughter between Xiang Keluo and Barrett continued unabated.

Storms and Haki collided in the void; the scattered force shook this giant city that had stood at the bottom of the sea for hundreds of years!

Hiss!

Xiang Keluo's long tail swept across the void, flicking out an extremely sharp blade of air that instantly slashed and destroyed everything around!

Barrett, who had just reformed his offensive, was struck by the air blade, sent flying backward, and only stopped after smashing through several walls in succession.

"That hurt a little~"

Barrett rose from the ruins.

On his sturdy body, not a single scratch remained; there was only muscle like steel-cast iron and monstrous, formidable strength.

Clearly, this single slash, powerful enough to sever a Shanfeng and tear open the clouds in the high sky, had failed to leave even the slightest mark on him.

"You are quite good."

"Even in Luo Jie's era, you could be counted as a major powerhouse."

"Twenty years ago."

"I was not your match."

Barrett nodded.

He did not stint on praise for the strong, but the more he did so, the more it highlighted his absolute confidence in himself.

"I only realized it later."

"Back on Luo Jie's ship, neither Rayleigh nor Gaban truly regarded me as an opponent, while Luo Jie, as captain, had reasons why he could not fail!"

"The so-called draw with Dark King Rayleigh was nothing but a joke."

"It is just a pity that I realized it too late; by the time I truly became aware of this, that man had already ascended the Navy's execution platform."

"The Luo Jie Pirates had also disbanded, vanishing into history."

"But now..."

Barrett lowered his gaze, looking at his own hands, feeling the power surging continuously within his body; in his eyes, there was nothing but absolute confidence in himself!

This body had been imprisoned for too long and existed in an extremely weakened state, yet even so, the power truly displayed far exceeded Barrett's original expectations.

"I now truly possess the strength to fight Rayleigh of those years!"

"And after this body receives sufficient nutritional supplementation, I can become even stronger."

"Luo Jie..."

Luo Jie's face flashed through Barrett's mind.

In his impression, that man was the very synonym for invincibility!

Shiki had been defeated by Luo Jie's hand multiple times, Whitebeard could only match him evenly, and Garp of Marine Headquarters had chased Luo Jie for many years as both enemy and friend, yet never managed to defeat him.

Even Rocks, who was unrivaled and had personally slain a Marine Admiral, suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Luo Jie and Garp.

That man loomed in his heart like an insurmountable Dashan, but now Barrett possessed the confidence to face such a Gaoshan.

Since challenging Luo Jie was impossible, he would use the blood of this era's strongest to forge his own path to becoming the world's mightiest!

Barrett cracked his neck, his aura growing even more sharp, and said:

"That guy just now said your title is Hundred Plans Xiang Keluo, correct?!"

"I have heard of your name; you are the second-in-command of the Gao Wen Pirates and also Knight Gao Wen's most trusted deputy."

"With such combat power, you would be worthy of an Admiral's position even within Marine Headquarters, yet you are content to serve under another?!"

"I am actually somewhat curious: who is stronger, you or Knight Gao Wen?!"

"What foolish words are you speaking?"

Looking slightly disheveled, Xiang Keluo brushed aside the messy strands of hair on his forehead and shook his head helplessly:

"That monster Gao Wen should not even be included within the scope of discussion."

"He is an existence beyond convention; looking across the eight-hundred-year history of the World Government, perhaps no one has ever been stronger than him."

"Transcending the era, towering above history... the strongest in history!"

"That's right!"

"The strongest in history!"

"How about it, will you consider joining us?!"

"My promise still stands; moreover, there you could try to see for yourself the distance between you and that fellow."

Xiang Keluo shook his head, taking this merely as exaggerated talk spoken deliberately by Barrett to recruit him:

"You have never experienced that era, nor witnessed the unimaginable strength of Luo Jie and Whitebeard at their peaks, so naturally you do not understand what the title 'World's Strongest' truly signifies."

Xiang Keluo countered by asking:

"Then what do you think of me?!"

Barrett pondered briefly before voicing his evaluation:

"Passable; placed within the great era of twenty years ago, you cannot compare to top-tier powerhouses like Luo Jie, yet you are still sufficient to claim a place on these seas, no inferior to the likes of Big Mom or Wang Zhi."

"In short, you count as a notable figure."

Xiang Keluo could not help but retort:

"With such recognition from you, should I smile?"

"You are indeed worthy of pride."

Xiang Keluo froze for a moment, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly:

"You fellow are truly arrogant down to your bones."

Immediately, Xiang Keluo's expression turned Solemn:

"One month ago, I exchanged blows once with that monster Gao Wen."

"What was the result?!"

Xiang Keluo held up one finger.

Barrett suddenly realized:

"Lost by a single move? Seeing it that way, that fellow is indeed an opponent worth fighting; after leaving Impel Down, I will go to Marineford to find him."

"No!"

The corner of Xiang Keluo's mouth curled up:

"An instant!"

"I lasted merely an instant under his hand!"

Barrett's breath caught in his throat.

He had fought Xiang Keluo for a long time; although on the surface he could suppress the man before him, achieving victory would likely be impossible without a fierce battle lasting three or four days.