Momonga twisted midair and landed between Dalmatian and Onigumo. He glanced at the distant Pedro, who was howling at the sky like a beast, and frowned.
"What's wrong with that guy? It's like he's gone berserk… Could the effects of the Drums of Liberation really go this far?"
Dalmatian chewed on the cigar hanging from the corner of his mouth and said,
"No. He looks completely different. Most likely, this is some kind of hidden racial trait of the Mink Tribe."
A cold gleam flashed through Onigumo's eyes. He raised his eight swords into a fighting stance and said in a chilling voice,
"Whatever his race, anyone who stands against justice is a lowly species!"
Pedro's ears twitched. He seemed to catch the phrase "lowly species" from Onigumo. Nearly consumed by madness, Pedro's gaze snapped to Onigumo. His claws extended, growing over half a meter long—razor-sharp like a row of blades.
"DIE!!!"
With a roar, Pedro turned into a blur of blood-red light and lunged at the trio with even greater speed.
Onigumo rushed forward to meet him. All eight blades slashed out at once, but Pedro's claws deflected them with ease. Then Pedro opened his jaws and went for a bite. Onigumo's pupils contracted—he twisted his body in time to avoid it, but a lock of hair wrapped around one of his sword hilts got caught in Pedro's jaws.
Before Onigumo could react, Pedro swung his head and flung him away like a ragdoll.
...
The moment Onigumo was thrown, Dalmatian and Momonga moved in. Two powerful slashes landed squarely on Pedro's body.
Blood, dark red and thick, burst from Pedro's chest and sprayed outward. But at that moment, both Dalmatian and Momonga's Observation Haki flared in alarm. They didn't follow up. Instead, they retreated to avoid the dark red blood splattering from Pedro.
Despite the heavy wounds, Pedro only paused for a few seconds before diving back into a berserk frenzy. He turned toward the nearest target—Dalmatian—and launched a flurry of strikes like a raging storm. The ice beneath them cracked and shattered.
...
Far above, at the top of Zunesha's head—ten thousand meters above the frozen sea—Joy Boy sat with arms crossed. Despite the distance, he could clearly sense the battle raging below.
He murmured to himself,
"So… Blood Lion Form. Pedro, it seems you won't be by my side when the new world dawns."
Just then, Zunesha let out another deafening trumpet, shaking the heavens. Joy Boy looked down and saw a massive surge of magma shooting up along Zunesha's trunk. A gigantic magma hound's head emerged from it and smashed into Zunesha's eye.
No matter how large the creature, the eyes were always a weak point. Even for a colossus like Zunesha, over 35,000 meters tall, it was no exception.
Howling in pain, Zunesha thrashed its head wildly. Joy Boy quickly leaned forward and patted the elephant's head. Ripples of white energy radiated outward, calming the rampaging beast.
Once Zunesha settled, Joy Boy stood and said flatly,
"We can't waste time here any longer."
With that, he vanished.
...
The magma twisted on Zunesha's trunk, and Akainu's figure rose from within. He threw a massive magma punch toward the diving Joy Boy.
The punch exploded, and Joy Boy met it head-on with his fist, grinning.
"I'll admit it—you're a fine soldier. It's a shame you serve the rotten World Government."
Akainu showed no emotion at the jab. He merely replied,
"Shameless coward. A scumbag like you, hiding here and watching your subordinates die—what right do you have to talk about justice?"
With a roar, magma surged from Akainu's shoulder and engulfed Joy Boy.
Joy Boy shook his head in disappointment. His slender arm compressed suddenly, gathering strength in an instant.
Then—BOOM.
A terrifying force erupted from his fist. Akainu's expression shifted, and he was blown away like a fiery meteor crashing down to the ice.
...
BOOM!!!
Akainu smashed into the frozen sea in a pool of magma. As his body reformed, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Joy Boy didn't pursue. He remained atop Zunesha's head. Then he began pounding his chest—and the sound of the Drums of Liberation grew louder, booming like thunder through the skies.
Zunesha raised its trunk and let out a wild trumpet. Its four pillar-like legs began to move, each step creating massive waves.
A creature of Zunesha's scale moving at full speed triggered a natural disaster. Tsunamis surged around it.
...
Now it was Aokiji's turn to act. He dashed across the battlefield, constantly releasing waves of Ice Age to freeze the incoming tsunamis.
Akainu bellowed,
"Stop it! It's heading toward the Red Line!!"
Aramaki responded first, his face grim.
"I won't allow the Holy Land to be defiled!"
Vines erupted from Aramaki's body, coiling around him until his form expanded—growing into a towering 3,000-meter-tall treant.
Though still dwarfed by Zunesha, this was the largest form Aramaki could take.
He roared,
"Rookie! Reinforce the ice under my feet!"
Aokiji flashed to his side, pressing his hands to the ice and reinforcing it with thick layers.
Aramaki surged forward in a tidal wave of foliage and raised his colossal arms. He slammed them down on one of Zunesha's legs—actually managing to slow the beast's charge.
Gritting his teeth, Aramaki pressed his entire body against the leg, doing everything he could to halt the advance.
"Kill this beast now!"
He didn't need to say it twice. Akainu, Kuma, and Borsalino attacked in unison, unleashing wide-range devastation against Zunesha.
...
Aokiji straightened from the frozen ground, his pupils glowing a deep ice-blue.
He looked at Aramaki, who was desperately holding Zunesha back, and murmured,
"You're not the only one who can get bigger, Aramaki."
He opened his eyes wide—and an intense cold engulfed him, swelling outward until the frost dispersed—
—and in his place stood a towering Ice Giant, matching Aramaki's size.
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+150 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg