Chapter 122: Chidori — Heaven’s Thunder Call

A profound silence fell before the giant screens scattered across the world. The inescapable net meticulously woven by the Navy had been shattered by the Ghost Hunter with devastating speed and force.

Not a single officer among the entire fleet had managed to delay Shu Mingyuan even for a moment. It was worth noting that the force deployed by the Navy—ten warships—carried twice the destructive potential of a Buster Call.

"Is this the true power of the dreaded Ghost Hunter? Even the Navy is helpless against him."

"This man is terrifying. How is he able to walk on the sea as if it were solid ground? Isn't he a Devil Fruit user? Why doesn't he sink?"

"Haha, the World Government has lost all face today. One truly cannot underestimate the Ghost Hunter... He has absolute dominance while facing an entire fleet! It seems his ability to traverse the ocean freely plays a major part in this."

Through the live broadcast from the surveillance Den Den Mushi at Impel Down, countless people gained a visceral understanding of the strength of "Ghost Hunter" Monkey D. Shu Mingyuan. While many were baffled by his ability to walk on water, they now understood one thing clearly: to challenge him at sea was a recipe for a catastrophic defeat.

The ten ruined warships were the most direct evidence.

Out on the ocean, the ten wrecked ships were sinking one by one. The surviving Navy soldiers scrambled for lifeboats or relied on their own abilities to swim toward Impel Down. Warden Magellan had already ordered the deployment of rope ladders to rescue the men in the water.

"Heh, Magellan, I don't recall giving you permission to save them."

Shu Mingyuan stood motionless upon the surface of the sea. Surveying the vast number of soldiers struggling in the water, he raised one hand high toward the sky. A bolt of electricity erupted from his palm and shot into the clouds, striking the Ark Maxim hovering high above with pinpoint accuracy.

"That is... lightning! What is that brat trying to do?"

Magellan looked up at the current surging into the clouds, his heart skipping a beat. Recalling the man's bizarre abilities, a wave of intense unease washed over him.

"Everyone, get out of the water! Immediately! Use Geppo if you can, and get to Impel Down if you can't!"

He roared the order, but the sense of impending doom only grew—it might already be too late.

*Hummm!*

Violent currents crackled across the surface of the Ark Maxim. After a brief moment of silence, a dazzling, ten-meter-wide pillar of lightning erupted from the ship.

The flash of light pierced the void, the immense electrical discharge burning the air and filling it with the pungent smell of ozone.

"Chidori: Heavenly Thunder Summoning!"

As Shu Mingyuan pressed his palm into the sea, the massive pillar of lightning plummeted from the sky. Under the shocked gaze of the entire world, it crashed into the ocean!

This was the ability he had mastered after comprehending the ultimate secrets of the Lightning Release. Even without consuming the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he could use the Chidori to draw down and command the lightning stored within the fruit’s power. The only drawback was that he lacked the elemental body of a true Logia user.

The lightning surged through the sea for three full seconds before fading. The violent current instantly dissipated, creating a high-voltage web across a radius of ten thousand meters and a depth of one hundred meters. The sea became a literal ocean of lightning, with electricity dancing frantically across the surface. In a single breath, the scene turned horrific.

Thousands of Navy soldiers, previously visible on the surface, convulsed under the brutal discharge, their eyes rolling back as they lost consciousness and sank into the deep. The dense crowd of heads on the sea was wiped out in an instant. The only ones left alive were those who had heeded Magellan’s warning and used Geppo to remain airborne, narrowly escaping the strike.

Every other soldier caught in the water was hit; none were spared.

Destroying the ships, summoning the thunder, annihilating the enemy—all done in one fluid motion. Shu Mingyuan’s strategy was clear: by exploiting the conductivity of the sea, he could unleash large-scale attacks against which those without immense physical prowess had no defense. In the Calm Belt, a breeding ground for massive Sea Kings, those who sank into the depths had no hope of survival; they would become nothing more than fodder for the beasts.

"Thousands of marines... gone in an instant?"

The onlookers felt a chill run down their spines. The man's combat power was truly terrifying. Beyond his bizarre abilities, he seemed to possess an endless arsenal of techniques, and now he could even call down lightning from the heavens.

At Marineford, the Navy Headquarters, in the office of the Fleet Admiral.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku watched the scene unfold, his vision darkening as he nearly fainted. Thousands of elite Navy soldiers had vanished into the vast sea in the blink of an eye. These were the future pillars of the Navy, and they were gone just like that. The resources and efforts invested in their training had all been washed away.

The situation had spiraled into a total defeat for the Navy. Not only had they failed to capture their target, but ten warships had been destroyed, with fewer than thirty men remaining from the entire force. Even if they eventually managed to kill the Ghost Hunter, the Navy’s reputation would plummet, turning them into a laughingstock for every pirate and criminal across the seas.

In time, the number of pirates would only grow, and the chaos would become uncontrollable. This was the exact scenario the Navy dreaded most, yet it was exactly what had come to pass.

Ten warships, led by five Rear Admirals and five Vice Admirals, had been utterly routed by the Ghost Hunter.

"Ghost Hunter... what a Ghost Hunter!"

Sengoku slammed his fist into his desk, shattering the wood made from the Adam Tree. He had severely underestimated the man. The Ghost Hunter’s true threat lay in his complete lack of fear toward the ocean. With his ability to ignore the sea, the powerful Navy officers could never unleash their full potential against him. It was this confidence that allowed Shu Mingyuan to disregard the traps set by the Navy.

What did it matter if one was a Logia user? Could they fight him on the open water?

Shu Mingyuan felt fortunate that he hadn't acted impulsively and consumed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit back on Sky Island; otherwise, facing so many high-ranking officers today would have left him in a dire position. In this world, his lack of fear for the ocean was his greatest asset.

"Sigh... Kuzan, perhaps only you can go to Impel Down yourself. Only your abilities can truly counter him. Once his advantage is neutralized, killing him will be as easy as turning over one's hand. This operation cannot tolerate another failure!"

Sengoku suppressed his rage and let out a long breath. He turned his gaze toward one of the tall men sitting in the high seat of the Admirals, his tone brooking no argument.

"Ah-la-la, this brat? He does seem rather troublesome. Very well, I shall make the trip."

As the man spoke, the air seemed to freeze and crack. His body shattered into shards of ice, and in the next moment, the fragments reformed at the doorway.