The massive wave surged forward, bringing with it a violent hurricane, whipping Big Mom's pirate cape as it flapped loudly in the wind.
"How is this possible? The same power as that old fool Whitebeard?!"
Memories of her battle with Whitebeard on the Rocks ship flooded her mind. Gazing across at the young man clad in lightning armor, Big Mom saw a faint shadow of Whitebeard in him.
This caused her to fall into a brief moment of disoriented reminiscence, standing still without making a move.
"Mama!"
Prometheus called out, snapping Big Mom out of her reverie and fearful memories.
"You... you're even more dangerous than the rumors suggested."
Big Mom's gaze turned sinister as she locked eyes with Zyhark. "Kid, are you trying to become the Pirate King as well?!"
Standing atop the towering wave, Zyhark looked like the incarnation of a true thunder god, exuding an overwhelming aura of power.
"You probably won't believe me, but I have no interest in your so-called pirate games."
The title of Pirate King may sound grand, but in the face of the World Government, which had ruled for centuries, it was still insignificant.
"Pirate games, huh? You've got some nerve saying that."
Big Mom lowered her eyes, shifting her attention from Zyhark to the roaring, towering tsunami.
"Do you really think this wave can defeat me?!"
With her hand coated in advanced Armament Haki, Big Mom grabbed Zeus, and as her soul energy surged wildly, Prometheus underfoot and the Emperor's Sword beside her also radiated terrifying power.
At that moment, the abilities of all three homies merged to the fullest extent, forming the massive figure of a woman made entirely of lightning.
"Motherly Cannon: Three Thousand Leagues!"
Just as the tsunami was about to engulf her small frame, Big Mom swung with all her might, unleashing a massive humanoid cannon shot.
Boom!
A colossal explosion echoed, and the entire tsunami shook violently.
Looking ahead, the center of the wave had been pierced through by the immense power, leaving a massive hole dozens of meters in diameter!
Standing atop Prometheus, Big Mom grinned as she leisurely passed through the overwhelming wave, letting the cascading water surge behind her, unbothered by the splashing tides.
Zyhark had expected this, and at almost the same moment, he drew his twin swords, turning into a bolt of lightning and charging forward.
"Twin Sword Style: Starburst Stream!"
The two blades created numerous afterimages as they sliced through the air, followed by arcs of electricity in their wake.
At this moment, Zyhark unleashed all the power and speed he had absorbed, pushing himself to the absolute limit, willing to trade injuries with Big Mom if necessary to deliver an overwhelming assault!
"Failed to take me down with your tsunami, so now you're going all out, huh?"
Big Mom was unfazed by the confrontation, swinging the Emperor's Sword rapidly as she engaged in a fierce clash with Zyhark.
Even though Zyhark's body defense had been enhanced by the wishing pool, he still couldn't gain much ground against the "Iron Balloon," the one with the greatest natural defense in the pirate world.
At least on the surface, Zyhark appeared to be suffering far more injuries than Big Mom.
Even so, he showed no signs of stopping.
"At this rate, you won't be able to break free, will you?" Zyhark kept up his intense barrage of slashes, speaking with a soft chuckle.
As he spoke, thunderclouds rumbled above, and ten massive bolts of lightning suddenly struck down with terrifying force!
"Mamamama! Nice try, but your aim is terrible. Are you reaching your limit?"
Big Mom sneered as she glanced at the lightning bolts that missed their mark by a wide margin.
Since she had realized Zyhark could absorb power, she had suspected his ability must have some kind of limit.
Now, these wildly off-target lightning strikes seemed to confirm her theory.
"You're right, I am approaching my limit."
Feeling the sharp pain spreading through his body, Zyhark didn't bother hiding the truth.
After all, with the Wishing Pool's twisted logic, there was no way it would grant him an unlimited, overpowered ability.
If it did, he would be the undisputed king of the seas, leaving no room for the likes of Kaido.
"But that time hasn't come yet!"
Zyhark endured a heavy strike from Big Mom's Haki-infused blade, but in doing so, he completed the final step of his Thunder God Tsunami technique.
"Still talking big at this point?!"
Sensing something amiss, Big Mom abandoned her plan to finish him off and quickly turned around. Her pupils shrank in horror.
The ten lightning bolts that had struck down earlier hadn't dissipated—instead, they had begun stirring the sea, creating ten massive water tornadoes that shot up into the sky!
Under Zyhark's control, the lightning dragged up more and more seawater, causing the size of the tornadoes to grow exponentially.
In essence, this technique was similar to Crocodile's desert-based sandstorms, but the scale and the damage it inflicted on Devil Fruit users were on a completely different level!
For the first time since the battle began, Big Mom's face showed fear.
In the world of pirates, the sea was the ultimate nemesis of all Devil Fruit users!
"You little brat, are you trying to die?!"
Big Mom, enraged, unleashed her full Haki, her Emperor's Sword casting countless afterimages as she desperately tried to escape Zyhark's grip.
However, after setting up such a deadly trap, Zyhark wasn't about to let her go so easily.
Gritting his teeth and enduring the bone-crushing weight of each strike, Zyhark made it clear that he was determined to keep Big Mom locked in place!
Before long, the gaps between the massive water tornadoes had closed, forming an impenetrable wall of water that gradually closed in on them.
"Don't forget, you're a Devil Fruit user too! This will only end in both of us going down!"
Realizing there was no escape, Big Mom stopped trying to dodge and focused all her energy on slashing at Zyhark.
"Don't forget, I have my Homies! Even in the water, I still have the upper hand!" she threatened, though the hint of panic in her voice was unmistakable.
Although she couldn't be certain that Zyhark was immune to the sea, the calm, almost indifferent look on his face, combined with the presence of that blue-haired girl who had summoned the tsunami earlier, set off alarm bells in her instincts.
Zyhark didn't respond to Big Mom's threats.
It wasn't that he didn't want to—he simply couldn't spare the energy to speak while enduring her relentless attacks!
Finally, the seawater walls closed in, swallowing both Big Mom and Zyhark.
The moment the seawater touched her, a bone-chilling cold washed over Big Mom as her Haki dispersed, and all the strength in her body was drained away.
In her last moment of consciousness, Big Mom's eyes darted around, preparing to call for Prometheus and Zeus. But then, she witnessed something that filled her with absolute terror.
Electricity surged as Zyhark moved freely through the water, swiftly closing in on her.
Zyhark... it was Zyhark!
That brat, even though he was a Devil Fruit user, wasn't affected by the seawater?!
How was this even possible?!
Though Big Mom had suspected something, seeing Zyhark move unhindered through the water with her own eyes caused an uncontrollable wave of fear to rise within her.
Even the world's strongest man, Whitebeard, couldn't pull off something like this!!
There wasn't much time for her to process this shocking revelation.
Zyhark, having instantly appeared by her side, swung his twin blades, effortlessly cutting Prometheus and Zeus in half as they tried to save Big Mom.
Lightning erupted, sending the two Homies flying far away, carried by the current.
The Emperor's Sword, now drenched and weakened, trembled in fear as Zyhark glanced at it. It quickly reverted to its inanimate form and slipped back into Big Mom's pirate hat.
"Big Mom, I'm sorry, but this battle... is mine."
Zyhark's lips moved as he whispered the words, slowly raising his hand in front of Big Mom's wide, panic-stricken eyes.
Zzzzt!!
From deep within the stormy clouds above, the rumbling sound of thunder, signaling victory, echoed across Totto Land.
The clouds parted, revealing a massive, black lightning spear that seemed large enough to pierce the heavens themselves.
"300 Million Volts: Black Flash—Thunder God Spear!"
The black lightning shot through the sky, distorting the very space around it with its terrifying energy, as the entire sky seemed to darken in its wake.
Pouring every ounce of his strength into this final attack, Zyhark's Thunder God Spear blasted through the seawater, striking Big Mom's iron-clad body head-on. The force carried her down into the depths of the ocean!
With the spear gone, the towering walls of seawater collapsed, crashing back into the sea with a deafening roar.
The sea, once turbulent and chaotic, gradually began to calm down. About a minute later, a terrifying energy burst from deep beneath the surface.
Boom!!!
Black lightning spread across the ocean, creating massive sprays of water hundreds of meters high, crashing down around Zyhark.
After waiting for a while, Big Mom's limp body floated to the surface, her eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
"Man, her body really is unbelievable… even after all that, she's still alive…"
Seeing her chest rise and fall ever so slightly, Zyhark couldn't help but curse at how absurd her "Iron Balloon" defense was.
"I wonder if Aqua has taken care of things over there. With Kanna and Escanor around, there shouldn't be any major problems."
Zyhark extended his Observation Haki toward the divided Cake Island, intending to check on the battle at the coastline.
But just as he began to relax after defeating Big Mom, a new surge of tension gripped him.
Wait a minute... what is this terrifyingly oppressive aura?
He looked up sharply toward the distant horizon.
Even though the sun had already set, casting a dark veil over the sky, Zyhark could still see it clearly.
Amidst the clouds, the silhouette of a massive dragon with blue scales came into view, rapidly approaching!
That was...
One of the Four Emperors, Kaido of the Beasts!!
Back on the most brutal battlefield of Cake Island...
"Finally, at the last moment, I managed to take him down."
"No wonder Zyhark always said monsters like me aren't that rare in this world... what a ridiculously strong man."
Escanor sat on the ground, leaning his back against the golden battle axe embedded in the earth.
With the sun setting, he had reverted back to his scrawny, timid form, clutching his chest as he breathed heavily, filled with lingering fear.
Not far from him, Katakuri lay sprawled in the rubble, his arms spread wide in defeat. His eyes rolled back, with only the tattered remnants of his scarf covering part of his face.
The invincible myth of the Big Mom Pirates, their commander Katakuri, had finally been defeated, his once-proud back having touched the ground.
"I wonder how Aqua and King are doing."
Hearing distant explosions, the frail Escanor hesitated for a moment, then mustered the courage to lift his battle axe onto his shoulder and set off.
His first encounter was with King, who was on the same side of the island.
The damaged second-generation suit stood silently amid the sea of broken biscuits, its metallic surface reflecting the weak moonlight.
This technological marvel from Baratie had finally fallen in the battle against the Big Mom Pirates.
King, with his blonde hair flowing, stood calmly beneath the wrecked suit, arms crossed, with no visible injuries. However, his expression betrayed his exhaustion.
Water Bubbles had nullified Cracker's Devil Fruit powers, but that hadn't been enough to shake his core strength as a commander.
In the end, though, King had still managed to defeat him.
When Escanor arrived, there were still many members of the Big Mom Pirates gathered around.
"That man… wasn't he Katakuri's opponent?"
"How is he here? Did Katakuri lose?"
"That's impossible! No way!"
The mere sight of Escanor crushed what little courage the pirates had left.
Already terrified by the deafening roar of King's engine earlier, they had no intention of trying to fight anymore, and immediately turned to flee.
"King-san, thank goodness you're okay!"
The cowardly Escanor quickly hid behind King.
"Phew, I'm so glad you showed up, Escanor, right on time!"
King, whose heart had been pounding in his chest, let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Little did Escanor know that the man standing before him, who seemed so calm and composed, was even more anxious than he was!
With Katakuri, Cracker, and the fallen Perospero and Daifuku by the shore, the core members of the Big Mom Pirates had been defeated.
The battle between the Seven Warlords and the Four Emperors had ended in a decisive victory for the Baratie!
"Wait, did you forget about me?!"
Aqua, who had been frantically dodging slashes and flaming punches, shouted in frustration, her eyes welling up with tears.
Having run from morning till night, the once-elegant goddess was now covered in dirt, her once-pristine face and goddess skirt stained beyond recognition.
In reality, if she weren't so terrified of death, of pain, and lacking any sort of battle strategy—combined with her habit of flaunting her divine status at every opportunity—this whole situation could have been avoided.
Even if you ignored Smoothie, who was just scraping by, Aqua could have easily defeated Oven, whose abilities were entirely countered by hers.
In the end, it was Meowth and Kanna, arriving aboard the Endless Dream, who teamed up to save the foolish goddess and defeat Smoothie and Oven.
Soon, the victorious crew gathered together.
Meowth had initially planned to check on Zyhark across the sea, but Aqua, lounging on the deck and sipping ice-cold cola, interrupted him.
"Don't worry, that idiot Zyhark won't lose. If we go over there, we'll probably just distract him."
Had the foolish goddess finally figured something out?
No, she just didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.
Having placed their full trust in their captain, the crew turned the Endless Dream around and began exploring (looting) the shattered Cake Island.
Their main goal, aside from acquiring a large amount of treasure, was, of course, to find the Red Poneglyph.
After all, after fighting tooth and nail for so long, leaving without their target would be a huge loss!
Confident in Zyhark's ultimate victory, the crew had no idea what kind of enemy he was currently facing.
As the sea breeze gently blew across the calm ocean, a massive blue dragon descended from the sky, transforming into a hulking, muscular man with horns.
Kaido, standing on fiery clouds, wielding a massive spiked club, his Haki flaring wildly, approached Zyhark.
"Sasuga, Zyhark…"
(End of Chapter)
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