Chapter 135: Return

The smoke gradually dispersed, revealing the pitch-black abyss without a single trace of anyone.

Luffy’s figure was nowhere to be found.

The surroundings grew eerily quiet. No humans, zombies, or desolate beasts uttered a sound; everyone simply stared into the massive, bottomless black chasm, searching for any sign of Luffy.

Despair gripped some, while joy flickered among the zombies and desolate beasts.

After all, so much time had passed without a glimpse of Luffy, making the reality almost too tragic to bear.

"It can't be! He was able to recover every time before, why wouldn't he be able to now? He'll be fine!"

Zhao Liying rushed forward, desperate to plunge toward the spot where Luffy had vanished. She felt no fear of death—not the slightest bit. If Luffy died, they would all die. She had to be brave just this once, tears streaming down and soaking her face.

Zeng Hongsen charged forward as well, his eyes bloodshot. That classmate of his, that friend of his, that brother who had protected him all the way here, helping him grow and conquering his fear of the apocalypse—how could he possibly die? In his heart, Luffy had already attained the status of a god; he would never perish.

Many others dashed forward, defying life and death.

This was the power of friendship and love.

They fought with their tears and their very lives for a bond forged through shared trials of life and death—a connection exceedingly rare and precious.

Old Zhang stood frozen to the spot, utterly bewildered. He could not comprehend what spell these people were under, that they would charge forward so recklessly, completely disregarding their own lives. It was neither foolishness nor recklessness, but rather a testament to a group of deeply loyal and affectionate souls.

"Ah—!" Zeng Hongsen roared at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing without anyone stopping him.

Zhao Liying dashed forward with a tear-stained face, her teeth tightly clenched.

The Little Dragon Maiden's sword gleamed with a chilling frost, her tears drying in the wind against her cheek as she pressed on.

Liu Yanmeng, Ma Bi...

"What are you all doing here?"

Suddenly, a figure descended from the skies, carrying Qin Bailing and landing right in front of everyone. "Do you all want to die? Get back inside, every last one of you!"

"Huh..." Zeng Hongsen froze in his tracks.

"Ah!" Zhao Liying crashed straight into Luffy's chest, staring in blank astonishment.

"Oh..." The Little Dragon Maiden looked utterly bewildered.

"Tsk..." Liu Yanmeng stood in stunned silence.

***

"How is this possible? How is this possible? How is this possible? HOW?!"

The Tier 8 Zombie King stared at the suddenly materialized Luffy, its mind blown once, twice, infinitely over. How could such a thing happen? They had unleashed their ultimate, life-exhausting powers, yet somehow failed to obliterate this guy.

"Damn it... Is this human a ghost? How can this even happen? You bastard... Go to hell!"

The Tier 8 Shark King shook with rage as it gripped its trident tightly. How could this human be so utterly repulsive? No matter how he was beaten, he simply refused to die, and now he had even brought someone else back with him.

"Uh... Squad Leader!" Zeng Hongsen was completely at a loss, utterly failing to understand how the boss had suddenly rescued the squad leader.

"Alright, all of you head back inside the formation. I'll handle these monsters. From this day forward, zombies and desolate beasts will no longer pose a threat to the Jiuzhou Safe Zone; they will only come to pay homage."

Luffy said calmly and solemnly, taking a step forward.

"Understood!"

The Little Dragon Maiden turned and walked back toward the safe zone.

Qin Bailing was somewhat dazed by his words, never expecting Luffy to be so domineering. She turned to walk away as well; though she had originally intended to help Luffy, seeing everyone else turning back, she had no choice but to follow them.

Zhao Liying had no idea how Luffy had returned completely unscathed, nor how he had managed to rescue the squad leader along the way. It was truly miraculous.

The others were equally baffled.

"No need to wonder. Let me wipe them out first."

Luffy walked forward step by step.

Hearing Luffy's words, the Tier 8 Zombie King burst into wild, disdainful laughter. Beaten to that state just moments ago, he still had the audacity to boast, demanding that zombies and desolate beasts come pay homage to humans? He must have lost his mind and forgotten the lesson he had just received!

"A mere human cockroach, daring to utter such arrogant words. Today, I'll bury you here for good!"

The Tier 8 Zombie King harbored a bone-deep hatred for this human leader. Since he was seemingly unkillable through normal means, it was time to unleash a fatal, ultimate technique to finish him once and for all.

"Then let's both unleash our ultimate moves. I refuse to believe he can survive this." The Tier 8 Shark King said with absolute grimness. To have attained his position, he naturally possessed formidable strength. With countless aquatic creatures in the oceans, the mutation had allowed the sharks to rule supreme over a territory. Naturally, conflicts arose when other sharks contested the waters, and he had clawed his way to kingship through a sea of slaughter. His ultimate technique was forged with his very lifeblood and possessed terrifying power.

Similarly, the Tier 8 Zombie King had endured hellish trials to reach this pinnacle. Moreover, he had discovered a terrifying secret: he was not the most powerful zombie in existence; deep within the zombie abyss lurked beings far mightier than him, who simply chose not to show themselves in human territory.

He, too, had mastered a dreadful ultimate technique through endless carnage.

It was a move to be used only in moments of mortal peril or extreme fury.

Today, he had encountered a freakish human who simply refused to die. This technique was capable of obliterating everything; no matter how abnormal this human youth was, he would undoubtedly perish beneath it.

Of course, the user would also be left half-dead—that was the price to pay.

"Boom!" The Tier 8 Shark King thrust his trident forward, a massive surge of water roaring toward Luffy. This was the charge-up phase for his ultimate technique.

"Boss, watch out!" Zeng Hongsen cried out in alarm.

"Swish..." Without even lifting his head or glancing at the Tier 8 Shark King, Luffy lazily raised a hand and flicked it forward. That formidable attack was instantly deflected, sent flying backward.

It crashed right back toward the Tier 8 Shark King.

"How is this possible?" The Tier 8 Shark King bolted aside in sheer panic, completely unprepared for the fact that the youth—who moments ago had seemed utterly defenseless, repeatedly resurrected from their assaults—could casually flick away his ultimate attack with a single wave of his hand.

Wasn't this youth a bit too bizarre?

The Tier 8 Zombie King nearby furrowed his brow as well, utterly clueless as to how the youth had managed it. To casually bat away such a devastating attack with a mere wave of the hand...

That was something he himself could never achieve.

"Boss is mighty!"

Ma Bi shouted excitedly. His legendary, undefeated boss had returned.

Hope reignited in everyone's hearts, filling them with excitement.

"Are you two really this weak? You call that an attack? Are you trying to scratch an itch for me? Hurry up and pull out your trump cards, or you won't even get the chance to use them."

Luffy looked indifferently at the two Tier 8 kings, not taking them seriously in the slightest. His gaze was like that of a god looking down upon mere corpses—the quintessential disdain of the powerful toward weak enemies.

"How did he become so strong?" Qin Bailing had been skeptical when she heard Luffy's earlier words, but witnessing it with her own eyes left her utterly shocked. That was the attack of a Tier 8 monster, yet he had deflected it as effortlessly as brushing away dust.