The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

"Blind man... so he's successfully taken over?"

"Admiral, that sounds pretty impressive."

As he spoke, he abruptly changed the subject, taking a few steps forward with undisguised provocation, and pointed a finger directly at Gern.

"If that's the case..."

"Then I'll reluctantly challenge you, Tianzhen!"

"After all, you are now recognized by everyone on this sea as the strongest naval officer!"

"If I succeed..." Huang Mu said, enunciating each word clearly.

"I want your position!!"

Hearing Huang Mu's arrogant and ignorant remarks, Gern didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, only slightly frowning.

"Oh?" A cold, undisguised sneer escaped his throat.

"You? Challenge me? Ha."

That dismissive "ha" was like igniting the fuse of an explosive!

"Hey! Shouldn't we be starting now?!"

Huang Mu completely disregarded rules and etiquette. With a roar, the ground beneath his feet shattered, and he charged forward instantly, relying on his powerful physical skills!

His right fist clenched, and Armament Haki instantly covered and hardened it like flowing metal.

With a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, it blasted straight at Gern's face without any fancy moves.

He wanted to prove in the most direct and domineering way that he had the strength to take his place!

Unfortunately... just as his full-force punch was about to touch Gern!

A massive black shadow, exuding an aura of ferocity.

With even greater speed, it suddenly appeared in front of Gern, completely blocking the path of Wildwood's attack!

The person who arrived was none other than Douglas Barrett!

Barrett grinned maliciously, looking down at the charging Wild Sheep from his high vantage point.

"Hey! Get out of the way!! Or I won't be responsible!!"

Wildwood's roar didn't stop, and he punched Barrett squarely and without reservation into his chest!

A muffled thud rang out, and a visible gale spread wildly in all directions!

However, Barrett remained completely unmoved despite taking the punch head-on; not even the muscles in his chest caved in!

On the contrary, the force of the punch caused Huang Mu's arm to go numb, and he was horrified!

Barrett lowered his head, his imposing eyes fixed on Huang Mu, whose expression had slightly changed.

He grinned widely, revealing an even more ferocious and mocking smile.

"A guy who barely... touched the threshold of general rank..."

"He actually dares to dream of challenging Gern?"

"Who gave you this unrealistic courage?"

"Is it your pathetic... Logia-type ability?"

Faced with Barrett's merciless and incisive taunt, Aramaki was instantly filled with resentment and extreme anger, his entire face contorted in rage.

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all sorts of flowers began to grow uncontrollably from the ground beneath Huang Mu's feet!

It should be noted that Huang Mu was originally a policeman in the Kingdom of Taya in the South Sea. After a major injustice involving a woman, he angered the powerful and was imprisoned by the country he was protecting.

Ultimately, his strength reached the ears of the World Government, so he was pardoned and recruited into the Navy as an "outstanding individual".

This experience made him deeply aware of the sorrow and despair of being powerless and helpless, and it also completely warped him.

They believe that so-called justice is utterly vulnerable in the face of absolute power.

Only the power and authority that one possesses oneself can be the most real and perfect reliance in this world!

That is why, when he relied on the power and ability of the Logia-type Forest-Forest Fruit...

After defeating former Admiral Zephyr and two Admiral candidates, Momousagi, Chaton became even more convinced of his beliefs!

He saw a shortcut to the pinnacle of power: defeating the so-called strongest, "Tianzhen."

He can rise to the top in one step!

"You bastard!!!" Huang Mu roared like a wild beast, his eyes bloodshot. "Who do you think you're mocking?!"

"Sensen Kuangmu Random Attack!!"

In a fit of rage, Aramu unleashed the full power of his Devil Fruit ability, instantly transforming his arms into two giant battering ram-like wooden arms.

The fist was covered with dense Armament Haki, and its speed was ridiculously fast, like a storm, as it bombarded Barrett's body!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!!"

A dense, drum-like series of impacts resounded wildly across the training ground!

Wood chips and sparks flew everywhere as the powerful collision of wood chips and a domineering aura clashed!

however.

Despite the frenzied barrage of shots, Barrett remained motionless, his sinister grin unchanged.

The so-called wooden fist struck his body, which was covered with top-level Armament Haki, and apart from producing a dull thud, it couldn't even make him take half a step back!

You should know, since joining Gern's ranks and becoming one of the "Calamities," what kind of monsters have Barrett's daily opponents been?!

In the name of the Heavenly Tremor, the only king-level being in the vast ocean, Gern!

It's Hawkeye, the world's greatest swordsman!

Enel is a combination of speed and destructive power, who transforms into lightning!

It's a tyrant bear with bizarre moves that can deflect everything!

Occasionally, when the mood strikes, I'll spar with him to keep him constantly on guard against Kizaru's deadly laser attacks!

There's even that naval hero, Garp, whose fists are still terrifying despite his age!

Barrett has fought and sparred with almost every powerful creature on the high seas that can be considered top-tier!

His combat experience, resilience, and adaptability to top-tier opponents have been honed to an unbelievable level!

Therefore, the seemingly ferocious attack of the Wild Shepherd...

To Barrett, it felt as weak and ridiculous as tickling!

"Is that all there is to it...?"

Barrett's imposing voice flowed out slowly.

He looked down at Huang Mu, who was still attacking frantically, and the mockery in his eyes was gradually replaced by a coldness that came from looking at the weak.

"So, even after you're angry, you're still this weak?"

Chapter 527 Lord Gern is a Little Greedy

"Even after getting angry, he's still so weak?"

In short, coupled with an absolute sense of powerlessness, Huang Mu's rationality was completely consumed by rage!

He held nothing back, determined to use even greater force to save face...

"Don't get too cocky!! The abhorrent is palpable!!"

Wildwood erupted with surging life energy, its arms plunging forcefully into the ground.

The next moment, countless thick vines and twisted tree trunks burst forth from the earth as if they were alive, growing and intertwining wildly, while his own body also swelled and deformed rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a giant tree-man that was over ten meters tall!

His torso and limbs were formed by a grotesque wooden structure, and his massive body cast a suffocating shadow.

Then, wielding a giant wooden fist formed from countless hard trees.

Manipulating the wildly dancing plant tendrils around it, it launched an overwhelming attack on Barrett!

"Crush them!!!"

Huang Mu, transformed into a tree-man, raised his enormous hand, which was made of countless intertwined trees and covered the sky, and slammed it down on Barrett, who now appeared "tiny" below!

Faced with this terrifying blow that could smash a warship to pieces, Barrett didn't even use his other hand.

He simply raised his right hand, covered in dark armor coloring, fingers spread, and gently lifted it upwards towards the massive wooden hand that was crashing down.

"Boom!!" A muffled sound rang out, but the expected scene of Barrett being slammed into the ground did not occur.

Because Barrett single-handedly held off what was supposed to be an attack.

The immense impact didn't even bend Barrett's arm by the slightest bit!

"Hehe, to be honest..."

Barrett looked up at the horrified face of the treant, and his tone was filled with utterly dejected disappointment.

“You’re not even… as interesting to me as Enel, that lightning kid who’s always yelling about ‘God’.”

Wildwood was shocked. Before he could process this highly insulting comparison, he heard Barrett's voice, like a demon's whisper, ring out again.

“Because…” Before he could finish speaking, Barrett’s right hand, which was supporting the giant hand, suddenly clenched its five fingers tightly!

"Snap! Boom!!"

With a sickening cracking sound, Barrett crushed a large chunk of Wildwood's massive wooden hand!

At the same time, the ground beneath Barrett's feet exploded.

In a flash, he was right in front of the Treant Wild Shepherd's "chest"!

Then, the right fist that had just crushed the wooden palm threw out a simple, direct, and unpretentious punch!

"Boom!!!!!"

This punch landed squarely on the trunk of the tree-man that Huang Mu had transformed into!

He didn't use any Devil Fruit abilities; it was simply the purest and most concentrated physical strength and Haki!

He's a much bigger threat than you!!!

Barrett's roar and punch erupted simultaneously!

"Crack... Crack... Boom—!!!"

Under the incredulous gaze of Huang Mu, his wooden body, starting from the point of impact...

Countless spiderweb-like cracks appeared and then quickly spread all over his body!

Immediately afterwards, the massive tree-man form could no longer be maintained and disintegrated in a violent explosion!

........

In no time, the billowing smoke and dust were instantly dispersed by the ferocious and domineering aura emanating from Barrett.

Barrett's right hand was gripping Abandoned Shepherd's head tightly, dragging him out of the broken wood chips and pits like a dead dog.

Huang Mu's head and face were covered in blood and dust. His previous arrogant and domineering demeanor had vanished, replaced by a disheveled appearance.

Upon seeing this scene, Ain and Binz, who were standing next to Zephyr, gasped almost simultaneously, dumbfounded.

One punch!

Just one punch!

Barrett then used his purest power to completely shatter Aramaki's proud Logia-type ability and gigantic form!

The difference in strength is not just vast, it's like heaven and earth!

The chilling title and the renewed understanding of its power involuntarily surfaced in Ain's mind.

'This is... one of the strongest combatants among the direct descendants of the 'Calamity' under Senior Gern.'

What is the true power of 'The Devil' Douglas Barrett?!