Chereads / One Piece: Ulquiorra Template / Chapter 120 - Chapter 119: Setting Course for Whitebeard!

Chapter 120 - Chapter 119: Setting Course for Whitebeard!

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Aizen with the Hogyoku, Yamamoto, Ichibē Hyōsube and Dangai Ichigo, all top-tier powerhouses in the Bleach universe. That level of power, equivalent to my third Resurrección, or 100% fusion!

At that level, Imu and the others would be defeated efficiently.

"You… you can devour souls too, can't you?" Big Mom, transformed into her monstrous form, dominated the sky, Zeus, Prometheus, and Napoleon, her Homies created from fragments of her own soul, orbiting her like loyal satellites.

She could absorb them to bolster her own power. Ian, in his released form, was the true embodiment of a Devil. His appearance in newspaper articles was merely a glimpse of his power. The sea of Homies swirling above, threatening to rain down destruction, was a testament to her immense soul power. Yet, it was this very power that allowed her to sense the danger emanating from Ian.

"Isn't devouring souls a Devil's prerogative?" Ian replied, his pitch-black spiritual pressure staining the very air around him.

He unfurled his own wings, ascending to confront Big Mom, dividing the sky into two distinct domains. However, the scale of their power was vastly different.

Ian effortlessly commanded over sixty percent of the sky, while Big Mom struggled to maintain her forty percent, her efforts clearly strained.

The atmosphere in Totto Land had grown heavy, devoid of its usual vibrancy. All the Homies had been devoured, either by Ian or Big Mom herself, and Ian's power continued to surge, visible only to them as streams of multicolored light converged upon him, the majority flowing towards the raven-haired Devil.

Big Mom finally understood the secret behind Ian's rapid growth. Devouring souls… In just two short years, he had risen from a relative unknown to a Warlord, and now, he surpassed even the Yonko.

"As expected of an unprecedented Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. Darkness, lightning, sand, snow… You command elements beyond your inherent abilities. And you can even steal the powers of others, can't you? That sand… that's Crocodile's power!" Big Mom exclaimed, her voice laced with a mixture of awe and fear.

She suppressed her shock. If her suspicions were true, then Whiskey Peak, Thriller Bark, Sabaody Archipelago, and even Totto Land itself, all locations teeming with souls, had been his hunting grounds.

It was no wonder he had targeted her. And Impel Down… he had slaughtered countless prisoners there. Who knew the extent of his power now?

She was aware of those soul-rich locations, but for some reason, her Soru Soru no Mi had a limit. Otherwise, she would have long since claimed the title of Pirate King.

"Ikoku Sovereignty!" Big Mom unleashed her most powerful attack. The atmosphere crackled and groaned under the weight of Napoleon, her emperor sword, imbued with the immense power she had possessed since childhood, even surpassing the giants of Elbaf.

Even the fabric of space itself trembled under the force of her attack.

The sea and sky churned, the world itself seemed to shudder, and space itself fractured as the shockwave, powerful enough to shatter islands, erupted outwards, lacking the refined sharpness of Mihawk's swordsmanship, but possessing a raw, destructive power that rivaled Kaido's own brute force.

Facing Big Mom's earth-shattering attack, Ian remained unfazed. He raised his right hand, and his Zanpakuto, which had vanished upon his transformation, materialized as a blade of pure moonlight. 

He swung it in a slow, deliberate arc, the sharp edge meeting Big Mom's devastating beam. A black crescent moon, blotting out the sky, erupted from his blade.

The full force of his swordsmanship, enhanced by the Slicing Fruit, was unleashed. Yet, the black crescent moon appeared minuscule compared to Big Mom's attack, barely a tenth of its size. The onlookers erupted in laughter.

"That Kid is clearly overexerting himself, He's completely outmatched!"

"Mama will turn the tables and crush him! Die, you Devil!"

Several of Big Mom's children, still standing, watched with expressions of hope. Perospero flicked his long tongue, while Oven sneered. Only Katakuri remained silent, his expression grim.

His advanced Observation Haki detected no signs of fatigue in Ian. His spirit and energy were at their peak.

That attack… was far more dangerous than it appeared.

As the black crescent moon collided with Big Mom's beam, the onlookers expected it to dissipate harmlessly. Instead, they witnessed a horrifying sight.

Big Mom's attack was cleaved in two, the severed halves crashing into the sea, creating massive explosions and towering waves. The earth-shattering roar reached even those far from the battlefield.

It was the full force of a Yonko's attack.

Ian's black crescent moon, though diminished in size and speed, continued its trajectory towards Big Mom. But to everyone's astonishment, Big Mom was gone. She had vanished.

She had fled, riding on Zeus, leaving only an afterimage behind. Her transformation and her powerful attack had been a distraction, a desperate gamble to create an opening for escape. She had even abandoned her children, a stark contrast to Whitebeard, who had risked everything to save Ace.

She had left behind a single parting message: "Run for your lives, my children! We'll meet again at Onigashima, Kaido's base!"

"Huh?!" Her remaining children stared in disbelief. Their mother, a Yonko, had fled, abandoning them to face the black-winged Devil. She couldn't defeat him, yet she expected them to escape?

This was the consequence of ruling through fear and blood ties, prioritizing power and control over nurturing and guidance.

She had created a brood of rebellious children, motivated by self-preservation rather than loyalty. Unlike Whitebeard, whose crew was bound by genuine familial bonds and a shared sense of justice.

A wave of disillusionment washed over them, their faith in their mother shattered. The Yonko, rulers of the New World, figures so powerful that even the Marines and World Government hesitated to confront them, had been defeated and forced to flee.

Just how strong was Ian? The Yonko represented an insurmountable force, an unyielding power in the world of One Piece.

And now, Ian had single-handedly dismantled one of their crews, forcing even Big Mom herself to retreat. His power was undeniable, his strength absolute.

He was a force to be reckoned with, a power unto himself.

The ramifications of this event would ripple throughout the world, sending shockwaves through every corner of the Grand Line and beyond.

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"Let's go." A calm voice broke the silence, snapping Tashigi out of her daze.

Ian, his appearance returned to normal, stood on the deck of their small ship, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Tashigi, still reeling from the events she had witnessed, couldn't help but feel like she was trapped in a dream.

he… defeated a Yonko crew? Just like that?

The surviving pirates, their eyes wide with terror, lay scattered across the battlefield. Even the most hardened criminals were shaken to their core by Ian's power.

It was a difference in magnitude, a chasm between heaven and earth.

A single individual had decimated their entire crew, yet he had spared their lives, choosing to leave them in their humiliation rather than finish them off. They had stared death in the face, ready to meet their end, yet they had been spared. A mixture of relief and bewilderment washed over them.

On the shattered remnants of Whole Cake Island, Big Mom's surviving children grappled with the aftermath of Ian's devastating attack, the world-shaking event that had sent their mother fleeing in terror.

They debated their next course of action. Should they join Big Mom at Onigashima, uniting the forces of two Yonko to seek revenge against Ian? Or should they urge her to return and rebuild their shattered empire, the thirty-five islands of Totto Land?

"Ian-san… are we really just going to leave them?" Tashigi stood behind Ian, gently massaging his shoulders, a conflicted expression on her face. Both of them had altered their appearances.

Ian, utilizing the transformative powers of his Mythical Zoan Nine-Tailed Fox form, combined with Bentham's mimicry abilities, had subtly altered his features.

They only revealed their true forms when confronting Yonko, avoiding unnecessary attention from Garp and Zephyr, who would undoubtedly drag them back to Marine Headquarters if they discovered their activities.

That would inevitably lead to a confrontation, and Ian had no desire to clash with those legendary figures, resorting to underhanded tactics. 

"Let them live. It'll give the Marines something to do. Besides, I told you, not all pirates deserve to die. Whitebeard and Shanks, for example, sail the seas for their families, their freedom, their dreams. Being a pirate is merely a means to an end."

"They've even done more good than the Marines in some cases, protecting innocent civilians from harm. There are good people among the pirates." Ian chuckled, shaking his head.

"Also, let's bypass Kaido's territory for now and head to Whitebeard's." Ian's casual remark sent a shiver down Tashigi's spine. Her eyes widened, and a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. "Ian-san, are you serious?"

If anyone else had uttered those words, she would have dismissed them as a joke. But this was Ian.

his battles, each one was a world-shaking event, resonating throughout the Grand Line. Coming from him, those words carried a different weight.

Ian glanced at Tashigi, then looked up at the sky, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Whitebeard has held the title of 'Strongest Man in the World' for two or three decades now, hasn't he? As someone who's traveled this sea, it would be a shame not to cross paths with him."

Tashigi's eyes widened, and another bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. "But… that title… there's no need to challenge him. If you do, the entire world will be thrown into chaos…"

If Ian attacked Whitebeard, knowing his personality, he wouldn't back down. While Ian was undoubtedly powerful, perhaps even equal to Whitebeard, his actions would have devastating consequences. Whitebeard's death would destabilize the world, leaving countless innocents vulnerable.

The Yonko were not to be trifled with. While Whitebeard was considered the strongest among them, the other three were formidable forces in their own right, ruling the New World with an iron fist.

Ian, noticing Tashigi's fear and concern, chuckled, his tone softening. "What are you so worried about? You heard Big Mom. She's gone to Kaido's territory. He owes her a favor, remember? He wouldn't have come to Totto Land to warn her about me otherwise. And look how that turned out. I came to her instead."

"Do you really think I want to face two Yonko and their crews alone? Even if I could defeat them, I'd be severely injured. Besides, Whitebeard and Kaido have a history. If it weren't for his concern for his family, Whitebeard would have clashed with Kaido long ago."

He was referring to the incident twenty years prior, when Orochi had colluded with Kaido to kill Oden. In Ian's opinion, if Oden had maintained closer ties with Whitebeard, Rayleigh, Roger, and the others, Kaido wouldn't have dared to attack him. 

Perhaps they could have even eliminated Orochi, the true mastermind behind Oden's demise. Big Mom, driven by fear, had abandoned her children and fled. She was no different.

He hadn't even had a chance to utilize the dozen Totto Land islands he had prepared, hoping to unleash a devastating attack akin to Fujitora's meteors.

"Oh, I see… So, we're heading to the next Yonko's territory?" Tashigi's fear subsided, relieved that they weren't planning to confront Whitebeard directly. She admired the benevolent Yonko and didn't wish him any harm.

However, as she turned away, a flicker of apprehension remained in her eyes. She feared for the safety of everyone involved, both pirates and civilians. She had seen a unique sense of justice in Ian, a righteousness unbound by affiliations. That was why she had abandoned her Marine identity and followed him.

If Ian had a choice, he would have avoided Whitebeard entirely.

But now… he had no other option.

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