"Rooaaar!!"
A massive water dragon surged toward Onigashima, bringing with it waves as fierce as an avalanche, threatening to drown and crush everything in its path. It was like a raging river from the heavens, aiming to obliterate everything before it.
The sheer force of the water swept away buildings, uprooted trees, and even carved deep trenches into the ground. The earth trembled violently, shaking people to their cores, leaving them dizzy and deafened by the roar.
Against such an attack, an ordinary army would have been annihilated instantly. But the Beasts Pirates were different—their elite fighters, enhanced by artificial Zoan Devil Fruits, retained the durability and resilience of true Zoan users.
As the waves receded, a group of Devil Fruit-enhanced warriors—each with beastly traits—emerged from the water, weapons in hand, charging toward Yukimai, who had just transformed her mermaid tail back into legs.
However—
Artificial Zoan Fruits were still Devil Fruits. And that meant they were just as weak to seawater.
Meanwhile, Yukimai, a Silver Dragon Fishman, had been temporarily strengthened by a commander's power boost. Now that the boost had faded, she remained as formidable as any top-ranking officer in an Emperor's crew.
With a swift motion, she unsheathed a sky-blue flexible sword from her waist. Facing the staggering Beasts Pirates warriors, she didn't hesitate—she attacked!
Water followed her sword like flowing silk, dancing with every slash. The battle instantly turned into a one-sided massacre.
"Dance, Azure!"
Whoooosh!
With a single sweep of its massive trunk, a colossal elephant unleashed a thunderous blast. Everything in its path—ground, buildings, fortifications—was reduced to rubble in an instant. A rain of shattered rock and debris fired in all directions like a storm of bullets, tearing through anything in its wake.
Several Mink warriors were blown away, while samurai behind them were swept off their feet.
With just one casual swing of his trunk, Jack had created a battlefield of destruction akin to modern artillery fire!
The war zone was a chaotic storm of abilities—slashing strikes filled the air, Haki clashes roared like explosions, and attacks capable of sinking battleships rained down from all sides.
But—
"Watch out! Those two are coming back!!"
A desperate warning rang out, making everyone's faces turn pale.
No one hesitated—they immediately abandoned their fights and scrambled away from the area, creating a wide-open battlefield.
Because—
"Thunder!!"
"Ice Storm—"
Two massive figures clashed in midair, their battle unleashing a whirlwind of razor-sharp ice spikes, a storm so fierce it could shred a battleship in seconds.
Blinding white lightning erupted from Zeus, slicing across the sky like a giant scythe, relentlessly reaping everything in its path. Meanwhile, fiery explosions and scorching flames spread without mercy, consuming everything in their reach.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma~~~! Not bad, brat!!"
"Submit to me, or die!!"
Surrounded by flames and lightning, BIG MOM revealed her full battle frenzy.
With her mouth wide open, she roared, unleashing her life-stealing Soul Pocus and the overwhelming Conqueror's Voice.
But—
Neither Roman nor Nami were affected in the slightest.
As long as they could still sense each other's presence—
They feared nothing!
"Times have changed, old lady!"
Wrapped in a storm of ice and wind, the All-Purpose Knight charged fearlessly at BIG MOM, swinging a massive black sword streaked with Haki-enhanced patterns.
At the same time, the temperature around them dropped sharply, freezing every drop of moisture in the air. The extreme dryness caused the wind to tear violently through the surroundings. The drifting ice particles weren't ordinary snowflakes but diamond-hard shards of ice, capable of grinding stone to dust.
These ice crystals swirled around Roman's longsword, spinning at high speeds like countless chainsaw blades, forming a true diamond-crushing machine.
"Fusion Technique: Frostmourne!"
Even Aokiji would have to take notice of this strike! The sword carried Roman's full-powered Haki and swordsmanship, while the ice was Nami's precise elemental control at work.
The 'All-Purpose Knight' wasn't just a simple battle suit. Using the 'Jacket Ability,' Nami shared Roman's stamina and Haki, allowing her to unleash devastating large-scale attacks with ease. Meanwhile, Roman could focus entirely on offense and defense, leaving elemental destruction to Nami. Their seamless teamwork made them far stronger together than they would be alone.
"Emperor Sword: Shatterblade!!"
On the other side, facing Roman and Nami's combined assault, BIG MOM swung her flame-covered sword, Napoleon. At the same time, both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki surged around it, clashing directly with Roman's massive blade!
BOOM—!!!
A violent explosion of ice and fire erupted skyward, like a cloudburst bomb detonating in midair. Blazing flames and freezing ice shot out in all directions, while the scalding steam that followed was enough to melt flesh on contact. Those within hundreds of meters had no choice but to flee in panic.
"This is insane!"
"So this… is the power of outsiders?"
Unlike Kaido's battle with Luffy and Ace, which was a high-speed melee of raw strength, Armament Haki clashes, Conqueror's Haki bursts, and ultra-precise combat sense—where only the occasional black lightning arcs gave a glimpse of their terrifying power—Roman and Nami's fight with BIG MOM was completely different.
Every move they made summoned storms, fire, lightning, and ice. Each attack carried the force to destroy a city, making the samurai of Wano Country feel utterly powerless.
Against such overwhelming power, even the sharpest katana felt like little more than a toy.
"Ma~ma~ma~ma! Not bad! I'm liking you more and more, kid!!"
After the first clash, the battlefield was split into two extremes.
On one side, a frozen wasteland stretched out, howling winds roaring through the ice-covered terrain. The cold was so intense it could freeze flames solid. Ice defied gravity, swirling and condensing in midair, ready to crash down at any moment.
On the other side, a raging inferno blazed endlessly. The ground was scorched black, and the sea itself seemed to boil. Sparks and lightning crackled through the flames as Zeus rained down bolts of electricity, turning BIG MOM's surroundings into a fiery storm of destruction.
"Tsk… If she suddenly shouted 'Dragon of Thunder and Fire,' that would be way too much."
Inside the All-Purpose Knight's helmet, Roman couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark. Meanwhile, perched on the knight's shoulder, Nami kept adjusting the swirling papers carrying her stored abilities.
"If she does, we'd better be careful. BIG MOM has a move called 'Thunder Fire Strike,' right? It wraps both flames and lightning around her fists or weapon for a devastating blow. But don't worry—I'll redirect as much of the electricity as I can."
Uh… That's not really what I meant…
Forget it, better focus on the fight.
BIG MOM had Zeus to control lightning and Prometheus to command fire—essentially giving her two Logia-like allies in battle. But with the All-Purpose Knight continuously supplying power, Nami could fully unleash the abilities stored in her paper charms, perfectly countering Zeus and Prometheus.
BIG MOM had her steel-balloon-like durability, while the All-Purpose Knight's steel bones, rubberized muscles, and diamond armor evened the playing field. Their Armament Haki and Observation Haki were equally matched, and both had near-identical foresight abilities.
That left only one real disadvantage:
"Conqueror's Haki infusion, huh…"
Roman glanced at the nick on his sword. Though it instantly repaired itself with his ability, there was no doubt—he was still slightly weaker when it came to Conqueror's Haki.
But…
"In this world, nothing is absolute!"
"Ma~ma~ma~! What are you mumbling about—"
As BIG MOM charged forward, Napoleon raised high, Roman met her head-on. His massive shield slammed forward while an ice wall rose from the ground, thick and immovable like eternal permafrost.
"Emperor Sword: Crushing Blade!!"
BOOM!
The impact wasn't deafening, but it was incredibly deep, like an underground explosion failing to fully break the surface.
Napoleon, charged with both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, crashed down onto Roman's shield. The ice wall shattered instantly, sending shockwaves through everything within a hundred meters. Buildings trembled, trees shook, and the battlefield quaked under the sheer force of their clash.
Then, without a sound, it completely collapsed into dust—not even a single intact leaf or a fragment the size of a fingernail remained! The shockwave from the impact sent wood chips, stone slabs, and weapons flying, before they too turned to dust and scattered through the air.
"Fusion Technique: Wall of Sighs!"
As the intense tension in the Straw Hat Grand Fleet's ranks reached its peak, and the chaotic Haki surge gradually settled, everyone could finally see—BIG MOM's 'Napoleon' was pressing hard against the giant shield in the left hand of the all-powerful knight.
Yet, the shield, covered in a glass-like blue glow, didn't budge at all. Not even the slightest tremor or shake. It was as if BIG MOM's devastating slash was nothing more than a gentle breeze against it.
"It stopped her attack?!"
"That's great! If that's the case, our chances of winning—"
"No way!!"
"Mom's attack was blocked with one hand…?!"
Both sides were stunned.
For the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, morale soared! The earlier despair from losing 2,000 fighters in a single strike vanished. If even the 'strategist' of the Straw Hat Crew could withstand an attack from a Four Emperors—(most people didn't realize this was Roman and Nami combined)—then…
Wouldn't that mean their captain could take on Kaido?!
After all, in most pirate crews, the captain was always a level above everyone else.
With this realization, the samurai of Wano, who had been oppressed for 20 years, trembled with excitement. So there really were such powerful warriors beyond the sea! It seemed their 'closed borders' policy had only made them blind to the world.
Unfortunately, they didn't know the Straw Hat Crew was an exception. After all, not every pirate crew 'accidentally' picks up a self-destructive time traveler at the start, then gathers an entire team of top-tier talents…
Meanwhile, the daughters of the Charlotte family were in complete shock!
They knew better than anyone just how strong their mother was. When she was furious, even Katakuri wouldn't dare to take a direct hit from her sword! There were probably fewer than ten people in the entire world who could withstand that slash.
But those were all legendary figures who had been famous for decades—there was no way a newly-rising 'strategist' of the Straw Hat Crew should be one of them!
It didn't make sense…
"Damn it! Kid, what kind of ability is that?!"
What kind of ability?
One of the most broken abilities in the world.
If even Oden—who had returned from training with Whitebeard and Roger's crew—couldn't cut through this shield, then BIG MOM might as well give up now.
Roman pushed forward with his shield, forcing 'Napoleon' away from BIG MOM's grip. In that brief moment when her defense was wide open, he swung the giant sword in his other hand straight at her massive chest—
A piercing shriek rang through the battlefield!
"AAAAHHH! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!"
Tch, tough as hell!
Even though Roman's attack, infused with advanced Haki, bypassed her steel-like skin and struck her internally, all it left was a white mark.
And judging by BIG MOM's loud, furious voice, all it really did was make her feel pain.
Forget it. I'll just wear her down slowly…
(End of Chapter)
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