Chapter 326: Locke: This round! I carry the whole field!

"Shiki!!"

Rocks shouted in a low, angry voice.

The sound was like a thunderclap, his terrifying aura surpassing any previous time, but there was an eerie, fleeting emptiness of a paper tiger, as if it were just an illusion.

Whitebeard, because of ridiculous family bonds, feared the spread of war and was unwilling to act—so be it.

Shiki!

This ambitious guy would absolutely not stop for such a ridiculous reason.

He...

Was absolutely a pure pirate, brutal and vicious, viewing human lives as stepping stones!

On this point.

Rocks' judgment was indeed accurate.

But ah—

Golden Lion! Shiki! Ambitious, with a lion's heart to swallow the world!

How could he be content to stay under someone else forever!

If Rocks didn't die!

He could never be completely liberated. Could a lion that lived under others still be called a majestic lion?

He!

Golden Lion! Shiki!

Was a lion born to swallow the sea!

Not!

A ridiculous circus lion toy tamed by others!!

Driven by the power of the Float-Float Fruit.

Just as Rocks was overjoyed, thinking he was saved, Shiki merely hovered in mid-air.

Three inches off the ground!

Not moving at all.

He kept staring at a ruin under his feet, as if he could see a flower inside it.

As for the rest?

Don't talk about the effort of lifting buildings to smash them over; he didn't even move a single grain of sand, as if he were in another void, seeing nothing and hearing nothing.

He took the phrase 'standing by and watching' to the extreme.

'Bastards!'

'A bunch of ungrateful wolves!!'

Although he had expected it in his heart, seeing this scene, Rocks couldn't help but be filled with rage.

Especially when he was in a life-and-death crisis, hanging by a thread.

"All of you!"

"All of you, attack!"

"Whether it's taking out these two annoying little bugs or burying these disgusting things on the ground, I will give you unimaginable treasures! Rewards!"

Rocks feigned confidence, shouting loudly as usual.

Unfortunately...

The Emperor-level powerhouses, who were originally led by the mission like cattle with rings in their noses, clearly had new ideas.

Although...

They didn't have Whitebeard's heroic compassion.

Nor did they have Golden Lion's vast ambition and spirit to swallow the sea.

But!!

As Emperor-level powerhouses, they undoubtedly had their own pride. If one were truly a loser, one wouldn't be qualified to cross that threshold separating the mundane.

The Black Pearl, which they originally viewed as protection, had become their shackle after they grew strong. While the Rocks Pirates were powerful externally, they were also binding everyone, making them afraid to leave.

But with Rocks around, they could only be parts in a machine.

In other words...

Shallow water is hard to raise a dragon; the 'Black Pearl' ship under their feet could no longer carry their future!

Stop!

They stopped simultaneously!

The few Emperor-level powerhouses, regardless of their closeness to Rocks, all chose to stop.

Following Golden Lion's example, they stood by and watched!

A group of people standing there.

It was as if they had collectively been cursed by Medusa, petrified by a gaze.

Some elite officers wanted to give it a shot.

Wealth is sought in danger!

Turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!

But as soon as they made a move, Blue Kite flicked his hand, and thousands of wind blades scraped their flesh clean, turning them into grim white bones. Those with stronger strength just lasted a bit longer in the wind vortex!

They were Devil Fruit users and didn't dare to go and block Rocks like Garp and Roger, fearing the same influence, but blocking a few cannon fodder was absolutely no problem!

Without Emperor-level strength, it was impossible to break through the World Government's defense line and cause an impact on the battlefield.

Even for a quasi-Admiral, there was no exception.

—

"Listen!"

"You brats! This is a mission! A mission beyond any other!"

"The higher the difficulty, the greater the reward!"

"I stake my honor as 'Rocks D. Xebec'! Anyone who attacks! Regardless of success, there will be rewards! If you can succeed, no matter how small, there will be Devil Fruit rewards!"

"The limit—is uncapped!!"

"It is all the treasure I, Rocks, have saved in my life, all the treasures left from conquering the sea!!!"

A cornered beast's struggle, roaring with his last bit of strength.

Attempting at the last moment to mobilize the Rocks Pirates again, this terrifying giant beast, driving them to his side, just like every time before, to turn into a flood and crush everything for him!

Shiki, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe... they remained as immovable as mountains.

But a certain guy with a monster-like physique made a move, contrary to everyone's expectations!

Hmm...

Of course, it wasn't Kaido!

That idiot had been hammered hard by Admiral Black Cloud and hadn't fully recovered yet. It was dangerous even for him to appear on the battlefield alone, and he had been moving with BIG MOM. Where would he get the confidence to step into this Shura field?

It was—

"Esdeath!"

An arrogant voice rang out like thunder.

Before others could react, a surging cold tide suddenly turned into an undercurrent and struck.

"Mahapadma!"

Ultimate ice swept through, freezing the molecules of all things, forcibly locking their movement trajectories and causing an alternative time-stop effect.

"One instant—"

A rare trace of paleness appeared on Esdeath's cold, noble, and beautiful face.

Multiple Emperor-level powerhouses.

Even though only Blue Kite had used his full strength to block, and others were just symbolically slacking off, the massive amount of power was still an overwhelming force that could not be ignored.

One instant!

Being able to freeze for one instant! That was already Esdeath's greatest effort! ===== CHAPTER 328 =====