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Was Big Mom formidable?
Absolutely.
In a one-on-one fight, no one in the Marines dared to claim a certain victory over her. Even across the vast seas, not even Whitebeard hailed as the "World's Strongest," had full confidence in taking down Big Mom.
Otherwise, the Yonko's dynamic wouldn't have emerged. Whitebeard's protective nature, coupled with the presence of two other Yonko who were as unpredictable as himself, posed countless threats to the Whitebeard Pirates' extended family.
Totto Land, specifically Cake Island.
The battle rages on, albeit with three fewer Homies this time. Big Mom seethes with anger and despair.
"What have you done?!"
That black ball, originally intended for Rowen's demise, became the catalyst for defeating Prometheus. Big Mom's mind blanks out for a moment before erupting into a roar of agony.
"..."
A sonic boom carries an overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, causing Rowen's massive form to flicker unsteadily, appearing vulnerable.
With a grunt, Rowen dispels the Thunder God's Coffin, realizing its futility. In the next instant, he lunges forward with his thunder spears drawn.
Heaven-Defying Thunder Cry: Second Style - Seiryu's Roar!
If the Seiryu's Roar in its normal state is like a thin line, then under the Thunderous Titan mode, it's still a line, but one of staggering width!
A destructive aura spreads throughout the space, like a torrential river flooding endlessly, boundless and unstoppable.
"Get out of my way!!!"
Facing the onslaught, Big Mom doesn't flinch and punches forward.
Boom!
Before her lies a void, yet her fist rings out with a deafening toll.
Crack!
The air trembles under her immense brute force, and from the cracks, pale light emanates, swiftly extending upwards to clash with cyan lightning arcs.
Bang! Crackling!
To everyone's surprise, despite Rowen's razor-sharp strike, the fist's momentum remains intact and undamaged!
Instead, it's Rowen's Seiryu's Roar that seems to have struck an unbreakable diamond, merely leaving a small fissure.
Though small, it's enough to ensure Big Mom's safety.
"The Seiryu's Roar was countered?" Rowen furrows his brow as he realizes that he has underestimated Big Mom.
She's a monster much like himself, with peak mastery of Devil Fruit abilities and formidable physical prowess, independent of external aids.
And in terms of sheer defensive power and strength...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"I'll kill you!!!"
Big Mom stands on the shattered ice, her hands enveloped in thick Busoshoku Haki, resembling a blacksmith shaping iron, incessantly blocking Rowen's attacks as he descends from the sky.
The splattering of bright yellow sparks attests to the intensity of their clashes. With each collision, the icy ground beneath them shifts, yet despite Rowen's immense power and precision with the spear of lightning, he can only leave feeble white marks on Big Mom's fists.
Although a wicked aura brewed in her heart, and the Armament Haki surged unprecedentedly, it indirectly proved just how astonishing her defense was, earning her the moniker "Steel Balloon"!
At this moment, Big Mom forcefully threw the thunder spear aside, seizing the opportunity to retaliate. With her right hand clenched into a fist, she pulled it back, her body arching like a bow, and ruthlessly smashed forward.
"Danger!"
As long as one is proficient enough in Armament Haki, one can extend it away from the body to imbue distant attacks with its power. Whether there's a tangible medium or not, it works the same! This was the guidance Zephyr offered him while teaching him how to compress Haki with Military Wrist - Deep Gate.
So Rowen remembered it vividly.
In the early stages, like the female warriors of Kuja Island, they needed a tangible object like a "bow and arrow" as a foundation. Armament Haki was then applied to the arrows to enhance their attack power.
In the later stages, much like "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk, invisible vacuum slashes could also be imbued with Haki. However, the power of Haki in such cases was limited, and enhancing it was incredibly difficult, with each advancement increasing exponentially in difficulty, rendering it not worth the effort.
As a result, no one specialized in this area, researching how to better release Armament Haki from the body. Zephyr told him for no other reason but to remind him that when facing the true peak fighters of the sea, even his Elementalization wouldn't be foolproof, especially in long-range attacks.
In such situations, although Armament Haki might not be powerful, it was more than sufficient to touch Logia Ability users' tangible forms, reminding them to be cautious and not suffer an unexpected failure, just like the current situation with Big Mom's punch.
Unstoppable!
Rowen quickly made a judgment. He wasn't an adept at defense to begin with, and the Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder Thunder Fruit) wasn't suited for defense either. Facing Big Mom's furious punch, infused with a mixture of Armament Haki and her full body strength, Rowen was startled to find himself unable to evade it.
"Interesting! Is this the Pirate King version of 'no blood, no fun'?" Having exhausted his Homies and suffered significant blows himself, yet finding Big Mom's threat level not diminished but increased, Rowen's blood boiled with excitement.
Given his current size, there was no way for him to dodge. This punch sealed off his escape route, but...
"Boom!"
Rumble!
"What?!"
Burning with rage didn't mean losing rationality. Big Mom widened her eyes in astonishment as she watched the Thunder Giant shattered by her own punch, her vigilance undiminished.
She knew the power of this punch, and it definitely couldn't achieve such a significant effect on its own. With her hands crossed in front of her chest, Big Mom resisted the terrifying electric baptism from the explosion while expanding the range of her Observation Haki.
Buzz!
"It's behind me!"
Suddenly, a numbness surged at the back of Big Mom's head, and her entire body was covered in goosebumps stimulated by the sharp Killing Intentions. Without hesitation, she swiftly turned around in place, her chubby right hand reaching backward.
Crack!
Hiss!
At the point of contact, there was indeed the scorching sensation and numbness of thunder coursing through her. Faced with the ambush, without enough time to prepare, her right palm instantly charred black, and the flesh of her hand got mangled.
But at this moment, she couldn't care less. Instead, her eyes widened in shock as she stared dumbfoundedly at the Thunder-Lightning Human, who stood a head taller than herself.
"Men should be versatile, capable of both grandeur and subtlety!"
Even with a large physique, which could potentially make one an easy target, Rowen had long been prepared for such an obvious weakness. His fighting style had always been centered around the idea of "only I can hit you, but you can't touch me."
Naturally, he wouldn't overlook this point; it's just that he hadn't had the capability before.
Grinning mischievously as his ten-meter Thunder Giant incarnation, Rowen released the meteor spears from his grasp.
With a swift motion of his right hand forward, guided by an instinctive intuition, the scattered thunder from his exploded body suddenly condensed back into form, emitting a scorching white light as a thunderous beast materialized.
Thunder Cloud - Qilin!
Tsunami - White Whale!
Big Mom, truly deserving of her Yonko status, was both astonished and vigilant as she remained focused on the battle. At the first sign of the gathering thunder, she decisively unleashed her Soul-Soul Fruit Awakening power, commanding tons of ice mass to her aid.
With a resounding "bang," a white canopy abruptly rose from the icy field created by Aokiji, positioning itself in front of the Qilin.
The immeasurable amount of ice mass, upon leaving the ground, transformed into a kilometer-long White Whale, its humanoid face grinning wickedly as it collided with the Qilin.
It was Awakening versus Awakening!
Meanwhile, Rowen, having released his grip, didn't retreat. Empowered by the Thunderous Titan mode, he seized the opportunity to exchange blows with Big Mom.
Both parties having used their trump cards needed a breather, but the Thunder-Lightning Human's speed was unmatched by the Soul-Soul Fruit.
Retracting his right hand, planting his feet firmly, and twisting his hips to channel all his strength through his spine, Rowen directed his entire force into his left hand.
Awakening Technique - Military Wrist Supreme Fist - Thunder God's Eight Gates Cannon!
If there's something that can't be solved with one punch, then let's go for eight!
Rowen learned from Zephyr; that while he couldn't unleash all his power at once in Military Wrist - Deep Gate, he could release it in batches.
"You!"
Big Mom was astonished by the speed with which Rowen launched his ultimate move but quickly regained her composure, summoning a layer of pitch-black armor to shield her chest.
No matter how fast the attack, as long as she could block it, there was no threat! Big Mom firmly believed in this principle.
Bang!
Then, the cannon punch struck, sending a colossal figure flying.
(End of this chapter)