Chapter 4: The demon-slaying order rises
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The sound of gunfire faded into silence.
Spandine cautiously peeked out from behind the lifeless body of the subordinate he had used as a shield. The man was already cold, sacrificed without hesitation. Spandine, however, had managed to survive through his despicable tactics.
Panting heavily, Spandine's gaze locked on Roja, who was steadily approaching. Each step felt like a hammer blow to his chest, his heart pounding in sheer terror.
Spandine's face turned pale, his once-arrogant demeanor crumbling. His lips trembled as he shouted, "W-What kind of power is this?! Who... who are you?! How could someone like you exist in the West Blue?!"
Roja's calm approach only heightened the panic in Spandine's eyes. The man thrived on preying upon the weak, but faced with overwhelming power, his cowardice consumed him.
Roja stopped in front of the towering Tree of Knowledge, his hooded figure casting a shadow over Spandine, who had collapsed on the ground.
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You've checked in at the Tree of Knowledge and unlocked: Wood Release - Birth of the World of Trees!]
Spandine scrambled backward, his hands fumbling in desperation until they grasped the cold, metallic surface of a Golden Den Den Mushi.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" he screamed. "If you move even an inch, I'll press this button!"
Olvia, clutching Robin tightly, froze at the sight of the golden snail. Her face paled as she shouted, "Roja! That's the button to activate a Buster Call! If he presses it, the entire island of O'Hara will be obliterated!"
Hearing Olvia's words, Spandine smirked, his cowardice replaced by a twisted sense of confidence. "That's right! Now kneel and beg for mercy, or I'll annihilate this entire island with the Navy's full might! Ten warships, five vice admirals—do you have any idea what you're up against?!"
Roja's expression remained unreadable beneath his hood. Slowly, he raised his hand.
"Bakudō #4: Hainawa (Crawling Rope)."
A glowing cord of light materialized out of thin air, wrapping around the Golden Den Den Mushi and snatching it from Spandine's grasp before he could react.
Spandine stared in disbelief as his last shred of leverage disappeared from his hands. His confidence shattered, and panic returned with full force.
Olvia breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived. Her eyes widened in horror as Roja calmly pressed the button on the Golden Den Den Mushi.
"Are you insane?!" she screamed. "You just activated the Buster Call! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
Spandine's shock turned to manic laughter, his face twisted in glee. "You fool! You pressed it! You've doomed yourself and this entire island! The Buster Call is absolute! Enjoy your destruction!"
Far off the coast, ten Navy warships sprang into action. Cannons roared as waves of cannonballs tore through the sky. Slashes from the vice admirals crackled with deadly precision, cutting through the air.
"Meteor Volcano!"
"Ice Age!"
Akainu and Aokiji unleashed devastating attacks, their destructive powers descending upon O'Hara. The sea churned as magma and ice turned the sky into a chaotic storm of fire and frost.
Olvia and Robin clung to each other, their eyes shut tightly. The end seemed inevitable.
Spandine cackled wildly, savoring his supposed victory. "Do you see now? This is what happens when you cross me! The Buster Call cannot be stopped!"
But Roja remained silent, unmoving. Slowly, he knelt and placed his hand against the earth.
"Wood Release: Birth of the World of Trees."
The ground trembled, and the Tree of Knowledge itself seemed to awaken. Its ancient roots erupted from the soil, weaving together into a colossal defensive wall. The barrier stretched for miles, encircling the island in a protective embrace.
The first wave of the Navy's attack collided with the root barrier.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Explosions echoed as magma, ice, and cannonballs slammed against the wooden fortress. Yet, the barrier held strong, its vitality regenerating and absorbing the overwhelming force of the assault.
As the smoke cleared, Spandine's laughter ceased. He stared at the living fortress in disbelief.
"The Tree of Knowledge... it's alive?! What kind of power is this?!"
Onboard the Navy warships, Aokiji and Akainu exchanged uneasy glances. Their most powerful attacks had failed.
Akainu's molten fists crackled as he growled, "Whatever's protecting this island is defying the will of the World Government. It must be destroyed!"
With a roar, Akainu unleashed another attack.
"Great Eruption!"
A massive fist of molten lava shot through the air, the searing heat distorting the space around it. The ground quaked as the attack collided with the wooden barrier.
"Boom!"
The magma sizzled and roared as it struck, but the roots of the Tree of Knowledge absorbed the energy, regenerating just as quickly as the damage was inflicted.
Roja stood at the heart of the island, his cloak billowing in the wind. A faint smile tugged at his lips, hidden beneath his hood.
"This... is only the beginning."