Undeniably, the quality of life for the civilians living in Totto Land is far better compared to those in non-affiliated countries, or even some of the affiliated ones.
At the very least, under the protection of one of the Four Emperors, they don't have to worry about pirate invasions or exploitation from the Navy, allowing them to live quite comfortably.
And the cost for this? Merely offering a portion of their soul's essence every year.
In the turbulent world of pirates, especially in the ever-changing New World, this level of treatment is considered quite good for civilians.
Of course, that is, unless you're unlucky enough to encounter Big Mom when she's gone mad.
When her hunger pangs strike, Big Mom wouldn't even spare her own sons, let alone mere civilians.
Just like now, as she desperately craved Zyhark, she didn't care if the person in front of her was one of her own people; she would grab them and drain their soul with ease!
Thud.
Two withered corpses with twisted expressions were casually thrown to the ground.
As Big Mom reached out to grab a terrified child, Zyhark finally snapped out of his shock and raised his hand, unleashing a bolt of lightning.
Zzzzzzzt!
Electric sparks scattered everywhere, but apart from shattering the ground beneath Big Mom's feet, it left no visible damage.
Disregarding Haki for a moment, purely based on physical defense, Big Mom—known as the "Iron Balloon"—surpassed even Kaido of the Beasts!
"This kind of sneak attack is not even enough to tickle me, Zyhark."
Big Mom's attention was now fully drawn to him, her expression wild with glee.
To her, Zyhark was now as enticing as a delicious cake, something she was desperate to claim.
Whoosh!
Before her words even finished, Big Mom's massive form vanished, leaving only a faint afterimage.
"Mama Raid!"
By the time she reappeared, her massive fist, engulfed in flames, was already crashing down toward Zyhark!
The terrifying punch seemed to smash right through Zyhark's head, splitting his body in half from top to bottom in an unstoppable force!
But in the next second, arcs of electricity surged, and Zyhark's body swiftly reformed, his face reappearing in the currents.
Below him, the crackling electric currents held back Big Mom's descending fist.
Such a direct attack naturally couldn't escape the perceptive abilities of Zyhark's Observation Haki, and he had preemptively used his Logia powers to avoid the strike.
"I wonder if at this distance, it will still just be a tickle?"
Zyhark slowly raised his right arm, charged with lightning, and formed a pistol shape aimed at Big Mom's massive face, which was now just inches away.
"200 Million Volts: Black Flash!"
Zzzzzzt!
The black lightning, infused with advanced Ryuo Haki, hit Big Mom without any surprise. With the paralyzing effect of the electricity, the destructive internal damage characteristic of advanced Ryuo was brought to its full potential.
In an instant, Big Mom's iron-like body was engulfed in black lightning.
The excruciating pain surged through her, and despite her resilience, Big Mom couldn't help but let out a low, pained growl as she trembled violently under the continued assault of the black lightning.
"You damned brat! Don't think you can hurt me like this!"
Big Mom's face twisted in fury as she forcibly resisted the black lightning's erosion, reaching out with her other hand to grab Zeus.
Enveloped in both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, she was ready to unleash an attack even more powerful than Zyhark's Black Flash.
But Zyhark wasn't about to let her get away with it. Utilizing the speed advantage of his Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit), he struck Big Mom with yet another Black Flash.
Zzzzzzzt.
The ravaging black lightning completely broke through Big Mom's defense, causing her eyes to roll back as her pink hair stood on end.
Even with this, Zyhark's attacks only managed to "break through her defenses"—he still couldn't inflict a fatal wound on Big Mom.
So, while enduring the double Black Flash, Big Mom moved, furiously unleashing a "Conqueror's Heaven Thunder."
Boom!
The moment the terrifying energy erupted, the already shattered ground disintegrated into dust.
A bottomless cylindrical tunnel penetrated straight through Butter Island, extending down to the deep sea!
"What an unreasonable power… I can't even tell who's supposed to have the Rumble-Rumble Fruit anymore…"
Zyhark, already retreating to the sky, gazed down at Big Mom standing beside the tunnel, his thoughts filled with genuine awe.
The combat prowess and intelligence Big Mom displayed at this time far exceeded what she would be twelve years later, even more exaggerated than Zyhark had initially expected.
But still...
He didn't believe he would lose!
"Triple Sword of the Precipice!"
The ground cracked open, and three massive molten swords shot up toward the sky, colliding with Big Mom, creating a small, devastating mushroom cloud.
As the sea breeze swept by, it revealed Big Mom standing on top of Zeus, enveloped in searing flames.
"Mama, are you okay?" Prometheus dispelled the protective fire ring and looked at Big Mom with concern.
"Well done, Prometheus," Big Mom praised with not a scratch on her.
"Hehe, of course I'm more useful than that useless Zeus!" Prometheus beamed with pride.
"What can I do? The opponent is a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user!" Zeus retorted in frustration.
To be fair, after all the battles alongside Big Mom, this was the first time Zeus had ever felt so stifled.
In the New World, everyone could use fire attacks, so until today, Zeus had always been held in slightly higher regard than Prometheus.
"Enough of this nonsense. Let's deal with that brat first, then you can argue all you want."
With a fierce look from Big Mom, the two squabbling companions instantly quieted down.
On the other side, Zyhark was also analyzing Big Mom's combat abilities.
Aside from Haki, her main methods of attack were lightning and flames—abilities that closely matched those he already possessed.
In other words, whether it was the Rumble-Rumble Fruit or the Sword of the Precipice, it would be difficult to inflict fatal damage on Big Mom.
It was as if their abilities countered each other.
In a contest of Haki, Zyhark knew that, despite absorbing a significant amount of power, he was still not a match for Big Mom.
However, Big Mom had one fatal weakness.
After confirming this, Zyhark wasted no more time, turning into a bolt of lightning and leaving Butter Island, flying toward the vast ocean.
Yes, rather than focusing on breaking through her Iron Balloon defense, it would be much more efficient to use the sea's power!
"Trying to run? Zeus, chase him down!"
Confident in her advantage, Big Mom didn't hesitate. Desperate to capture Zyhark, she immediately commanded Zeus to give chase.
...
On Cake Island, the central battlefield was a scene of devastation.
"Super Slash (Micron Slash)!"
The golden battle axe slashed downward at a sharp angle, aiming directly at Katakuri.
Katakuri remained calm, having already foreseen the attack's trajectory through his Observation Haki. His entire body turned into mochi, allowing the axe to miss, much like how Zyhark had evaded Big Mom's punch earlier.
"A Special Paramecia with future sight… just as Zyhark had described," Escanor admitted, even though it was now the afternoon. He had to acknowledge just how difficult an opponent Katakuri was.
The strange and unpredictable abilities made it tricky for someone like him, who had only recently arrived in the world of pirates and had yet to master even basic Armament Haki.
"Hand Clap Mochi!"
While lost in thought, huge mochi palms coated in advanced Ryuo smashed into Escanor from both sides like swatting a mosquito.
Katakuri held his palms together with a serious expression.
Just like Escanor, Katakuri also found his opponent's overwhelming strength to be surprising.
If not for his future sight, Katakuri figured he would have already been defeated by now!
"What strength…" Katakuri furrowed his brows, cutting off his train of thought.
Crack, crack.
The mochi-covered palms were slowly being pried open by terrifying brute force!
Strong, muscular arms pushed the mochi apart, revealing Escanor's arrogant side profile.
"Such a powerful attack… As a response, I shall give you a small gift."
"Arrogant Burst!"
Breaking free of the mochi palms, Escanor casually tossed a miniature sun forward, then raised his hand to ignite the terrifying energy within.
Hum!
The small sun exploded, scattering dense fireballs toward Katakuri.
Escanor's idea was simple—since he couldn't counter Katakuri's ability to foresee the future, he would just launch attacks that couldn't be fully avoided, even if Katakuri knew they were coming!
Boom, boom, boom!
A series of explosions rang out across the battlefield.
From the billowing black smoke, a figure was sent flying backward.
Special Paramecia abilities are, after all, not quite the same as Logia. As Escanor had hoped, Katakuri couldn't fully avoid the attack!
After crashing through several buildings on Cake Island, Katakuri braced himself, digging his feet into the ground to halt his momentum.
Finally, after sliding for tens of meters, he managed to stop.
A breeze blew by, sweeping away his damaged scarf.
Unlike Doflamingo's sunglasses, this scarf wasn't part of his body, and in the recent explosion, it had been destroyed.
With a dark expression, Katakuri wiped the blood off his hideous fangs.
In the face of such a formidable enemy, he no longer cared about maintaining his image. He stared intently at the man who was slowly emerging from the smoke.
"It seems you have your own form of arrogance."
Escanor, having observed Katakuri's refusal to let his back touch the ground, stood tall and spoke, "I am Escanor. Now, tell me your name."
"Katakuri."
Katakuri retrieved his trident and plunged it into the ground, dark red lightning erupting from his body, making him look like an Asura from hell.
"Good. I'll remember that. You're the man who's about to be defeated by me."
Under Katakuri's surprised gaze, Escanor arrogantly raised three fingers.
"Katakuri, I will defeat you in three minutes."
The arrogant sun declared his victory at that moment!
...
Compared to the intense clash of true men happening here, the battle between King and Cracker seemed much more harmonious.
"Damn it! You bastard! If you've got guts, come down here and fight me fair and square!"
"How can a coward like you be the trump card of the Baratie crew? Don't make me laugh!"
Cracker, wielding a giant sword, hurled curses at King, who was hovering in mid-air.
His Biscuit Soldiers were formidable in combat, but his opponent remained airborne the entire time, completely negating his advantages.
Whenever Cracker attempted to give up and go support other battles, a homing missile—far more powerful than ordinary cannon fire—would rain down, blocking his path.
This sneaky, cowardly fighting style drove Cracker mad with frustration—even though he wasn't exactly known for fighting honorably himself.
In the sky, the sound of engines hummed.
Wearing the second-generation suit, King remained expressionless, ignoring Cracker's insults.
In video games, hit-and-run tactics were entirely normal, and he wasn't about to be provoked by mere words.
As long as he continued this harassment, keeping Cracker busy, the rest of his comrades—who were much stronger—should soon defeat their opponents and determine the outcome.
When that happened, his mission would be complete.
For someone like him, an ordinary person who couldn't even defeat small-time pirates, this was already a decent accomplishment.
However…
Through the projection screen of his suit, King silently observed the spitting-mad Cracker below.
The once-timid expression in his eyes gradually turned resolute.
His comrades would likely face enemies even stronger than Big Mom in the future.
When that time came, would he still be limited to just playing a supporting role, leaving everything to Zyhark or Aqua?
After enduring several major battles, King had finally realized just how much trouble his weakness had caused. Quietly, he clenched his fist.
No! I'm part of the Sea Restaurant too!
This enemy must be defeated by me!
When the engine of the second-generation suit finally stopped, it signaled the first step King had taken toward becoming stronger.
Whoosh!
The suit's thrusters roared to full power, spewing hot jets of air.
It wasn't because of his enemy's taunts but out of his determination to contribute to his crew that King descended from the sky!
"Hahaha, finally can't resist coming down to die, huh?"
Seeing the robot speeding toward him, Cracker was overjoyed, clapping his hands twice.
A Biscuit Soldier, as hard as iron, began to form.
Now, let me show you the consequences of trying to play dirty with me!
Cracker hid inside the Biscuit Soldier, and as soon as King landed on the ground, countless Biscuit Soldiers formed around him, sealing off any possible escape routes!
Just a moment ago, Cracker had been loudly declaring that he wanted a fair fight, but now he had summoned a horde of Biscuit Soldiers for a gang-up attack.
It's safe to say that Cracker truly understood the meaning of double standards.
In battle, the result is all that matters, not the process. For Cracker, there was no guilt in this strategy.
On the contrary, being sneaky and devious was entirely in line with the Big Mom Pirates' way of doing things!
As he hid inside the Biscuit Soldier, Cracker grinned smugly. But in the next second, the smile on his face froze.
The robot King was piloting stood still, unmoving as the Biscuit Soldiers slashed at it.
Although the suit was made of Wapometal, which was incredibly durable, the blades coated in Armament Haki eventually caused some damage.
Watching the red warning lights flash on his screen, King remained expressionless, calm as ever.
He was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
And then, just as the second-generation suit's defenses were about to reach their limit...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The water bubbles King had fired earlier finally took effect, bringing a rainstorm down over the battlefield!
(End of Chapter)
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