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Though the face before him bore a smile, in Zoro's eyes it radiated boundless authority. Confronting this man, his heart churned with conflicting emotions.
They stood on opposite sides, playing opposing roles; calling them enemies would not be an exaggeration.
And yet, when Zoro had arrived at Marineford, it was this very man who had protected him—and even taken him in as a student.
For two years, Arashi's direct instruction had been rare, but Zoro had benefited greatly. Marineford offered no shortage of opponents and battles, and it was that constant combat which fueled his rapid growth.
Now, was he truly to raise his sword against the teacher who had once guided him? Taking a deep breath, fire ignited in Zoro's eyes as his lips curled into a feral grin.
"My goal is to be the world's number one!" His voice boomed like thunder, a battle declaration from a young swordsman who had chosen his path.
"Is that so?" Arashi smiled faintly and nodded.
"Well, you're not wrong. But the man who sits on that throne right now—" his voice was calm, yet brimming with absolute confidence "—is me."
"Then, in a little while, I'll see for myself how much you've grown over these two years."
His gaze swept over everyone else present.
"This is perfect. Everything ends today. From here on, I won't waste time playing cat and mouse with you so-called pirates and revolutionaries."
Though his tone carried a smile, it was utterly condescending.
Dragon and the others heard the contempt in his words, yet none grew angry. Instead, their expressions grew heavier—for the man before them had the strength and confidence to back it up. The world's strongest man.
Once, he had been deeply connected to many of them.
"Well then," Arashi smiled, "let's begin."
The moment those three simple words were spoken, black-and-red lightning erupted. A ferocious wave of Haki blasted outward like a hurricane, condensing into a sharp slash that shot toward Zoro.
"What?!" Zoro's pupils shrank. "A slash like that—without a sword?!" On instinct, he swung his blade.
The lightning-formed slash met his sword, the impact instantly forcing him back, his feet dragging across the ground.
"Was that just his aura? Is this the strength that makes you undefeatable?!" Zoro gasped, eyes wide with shock. He could feel it—the man before him was even stronger than he remembered.
"Young swordsman, he is not someone you can face alone."
In an instant, Dragon appeared before him, his form shifting like a twisting gust of wind.
"Dragon," Arashi chuckled. "It seems we haven't fought since that meeting more than twenty years ago."
Dragon nodded, his expression solemn as lightning flickered overhead.
"That's right. You have a fearsome reputation, but I wonder—do you truly possess the strength of Garp in his prime?"
Arashi clenched his fists, sharp cracks echoing from his joints. His aura surged, pressing on the space around him until it seemed to warp and collapse.
At the same time, black-and-red lightning arced across his fists, vibrating violently.
"Facing you is immense pressure," Dragon admitted in a low voice. "You've even surpassed him at his peak. But this is the fate we must face."
As his words fell, the wind howled, and massive tornadoes spiraled around the city walls.
"Fate? Things like that are meant to be broken!" Arashi laughed, lightning crashing down with terrifying force.
Kizaru and Kuma had already, without realizing it, distanced themselves to avoid the crossfire.
"So… are you ready?" Arashi's eyes glinted coldly. His voice dropped into a low, chilling register.
"This may be your final battle in this world."
Hearing this, Dragon, Ace, Zoro, Sabo, and the others grew grim. He was not bluffing—Arashi truly intended to end them here.
"Then let's see, Arashi!" Dragon declared. "We'll find out who the final victor is."
After twenty years, the two had exchanged only a few words, yet the atmosphere shifted instantly.
The wind screamed, lightning split the heavens, and their eyes locked—black-and-red sparks of Haki clashing between them.
The next moment, Arashi grinned. His figure flickered. Dragon's pupils contracted. Spinning, his right hand wreathed in wind, he threw a punch.
Almost at the same instant, Arashi reappeared—his right fist clenched, wrapped in black-and-red lightning so dense the space around it seemed to collapse.
"Quick reflexes. Now let's see how strong you really are!" Arashi laughed, his fist blazing with Haki.
"Meteor Fist Shower!"
For an instant, Dragon swore he saw a giant meteor descending from above Arashi's head.
Grim and focused, he hurled his punch. Their fists collided.
In that instant, the color drained from Dragon's face.
An unfathomable force crashed down on him, truly like a falling meteor.
The ground beneath his feet shattered. A deafening explosion followed.
The city wall collapsed, leaving a gaping void where the gate tower had stood.
Arashi hovered in midair, fist extended, the scene frozen in the eyes of all who watched.
"Dragon!" Ivankov screamed, face pale.
"Mr. Dragon!"
"Commander-in-Chief?!"
"How can this be?! Such terrifying power!"
The Revolutionaries were shaken to their cores. Dragon was feared not only for his cause, but for his strength. Without overwhelming power, he could never have earned such a reputation.
And yet, in a single exchange, he had been broken.
Was the gap between them truly this vast?
Amidst the billowing smoke, Arashi hovered, black-and-red lightning crackling around him, his presence overwhelming.
"Don't underestimate him! He's the world's strongest for a reason!" Zoro roared, his face hard.
Clenching his third sword in his mouth, he charged forward. With a leap, he soared into the air, blades gleaming.
Behind him, a purple-blue phantom aura erupted: a three-headed, six-armed demon with crimson eyes, locked onto Arashi.
"Three rivers, six seas, nine provinces, and all living things—beneath them all lies the netherworld! And in that realm, I alone reign supreme!"
As Zoro's voice rang out, his aura surged to its absolute peak, stunning all present.
This presence rivaled even Arashi's unleashed Conqueror's Haki.
"Ashura Bakkei: Thousand Hands of Death!"
The demon's arms blurred into countless afterimages, swords multiplying into a storm of steel.
Arashi's eyes narrowed. A rare moment—Zoro invoking his poem, a sight before which even gods and demons might tremble.
The flurry of slashes descended. Yet Arashi remained calm. He raised his leg, black-and-red lightning coiling around it.
"Rankyaku."
A simple Rokushiki technique. But in his hands, it carried unimaginable might.
The air vibrated violently. In an instant, the countless phantom slashes collapsed into one.
Zoro froze in midair.
Pain flashed across his face. His eyes widened with disbelief.
That move—so ordinary in others' hands—was utterly monstrous in Arashi's.
They were not even in the same dimension of strength.
Blood trickled from Zoro's mouth as his body hurtled backward.
"Zoro!"
Luffy sprinted forward, leaping high, arms stretching to catch him. But the moment he made contact, his face contorted.
"Such weight! Like catching a falling mountain!"
His arms groaned and bent like springs under the pressure, barely halting Zoro's momentum.
Arashi glanced at them and smiled faintly before turning to Ace.
"If you lose this fight, I'll personally escort you to Impel Down—to reunite with Whitebeard. Ace."
Ace's expression wavered, but he quickly smiled. "That wouldn't be such a bad way to end it."
Arashi returned the smile with a nod. "The path you chose—see it through to the end."
Their smiles vanished. The reunion was over. In an instant, they moved. Black-and-red lightning split the sky.
Arashi raised his hand, seized a bolt of lightning, and forged it into a bolt of thunder. "Try my new attack!~"
At the same time, Ace leapt into the air, flames spreading in a rippling ring.
Arashi thrust his hand upward, and a brilliant light erupted, unleashing a massive pillar of thunder.
"Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!" (Dragon Strike Heaven-Shaking Lightning Cannon)
"Enryūo no Hōkō !" (Roar of the Flame Dragon King)
With a mighty roar, Ace thrust his hands forward. A colossal torrent of fire burst forth like the breath of a dragon.
Flame and lightning collided with a deafening boom, exploding into dazzling brilliance.
The two forces intertwined—thunder against fire—and the roar that followed shook the heavens themselves.
Everyone watched in awe, entranced by the towering red and blue pillars piercing the sky. Then, in an instant, both figures vanished.
"Thunder Fist!" Arashi bellowed, his fist lashing forward.
"Fire Fist!" Ace roared in return.
Two enormous fists—one blazing with lightning, the other with fire—clashed violently once more.
Ripples tore through the air as black-and-red lightning spread across the sky, casting a terrifying aura over the Lulusia Royal Palace.
Countless onlookers collapsed, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure of their clashing Haki. Even those a thousand meters away were struck unconscious by the aftershock alone.
"You've grown fast, Ace. You've even picked up some of Roger's style from back in the day," Arashi laughed.
As their fists collided, it seemed as though space itself split apart, their blows never quite touching.
"Oh? And what was that man like back then?" Ace asked, brow arched.
Now, he could face the memory of his late father without fear.
Arashi fell silent, his eyes fixed on Ace's face. For a fleeting moment, he saw Roger—the man he had once fought in his youth.
"He was just like you are now," Arashi said with a grin.
Even after more than twenty years, he remembered it clearly: the commanding, cheerful, and wise man with the great moustache—magnanimous and larger than life.
"And what about you back then?" Ace pressed.
Unlike Roger, whom he had never met, the man before him was someone Ace had regarded as family since birth.
"I was just like you are now—standing against me," Arashi chuckled.
"Oh?" Ace blinked, confusion flickering across his face.
But Arashi was already moving, his body flickering forward with blinding speed.
He threw a punch. Ace spun and countered.
Their fists collided with a deafening crack, as if space itself twisted and collapsed around them.
Moments later, Ace was sent hurtling backwards, his body smashing through the city wall with thunderous force. He crashed into the royal palace, leaving devastation in his wake.
"Ace!"
A voice cried out just as Arashi tilted his head, dodging a punch from Luffy charging in from the other side.
Arashi caught Luffy's wrist and yanked. The rubber arm snapped back, pulling Luffy straight into his grasp.
"Huh?" Luffy blinked, startled.
"Did Rayleigh never teach you not to get distracted in battle?" Arashi said coolly.
His other fist slammed down, striking Luffy square on the head. With a resounding boom, Nika Luffy was driven into the ground.
"Or did you think your awakened Nika Fruit made you invincible?" Arashi bent his knees and leapt lightly into the air.
Clenching his right fist, he dove. "If so, you are gravely mistaken, Monkey D. Luffy! Taste your grandpa's Fist of Love!"
In a flash, Arashi appeared above him. His fist, brimming with terrifying power, came crashing down.
"Galaxy Impact!"
A shockwave ripped through the air, engulfing the entire Lulusia Royal Palace in an instant.
Cracks spidered across the palace walls, nearby structures collapsing into dust.
Arashi's strike landed, leaving a massive crater in the ground. Luffy took the blow head-on, his head snapping back as blood sprayed from his mouth.
The ground caved in beneath him, collapsing into a bottomless pit.
From the rubble nearby, a hand broke through. Stones blasted aside as Dragon rose slowly to his feet, his grim gaze locked on Arashi.
"Those are all the old man's techniques… as expected of his greatest student," Dragon said, his deep voice heavy with emotion. "I imagine he must see you as the pride of his life now."
Arashi chuckled. "You were supposed to be his greatest pride, Monkey D. Dragon."
Dragon fell silent. His son had turned against him, and his grandson had become a pirate. The old man's feelings must have been complicated beyond measure.
For a fleeting moment, Dragon felt gratitude toward Arashi. Without a disciple like him, how much grief would the old man have endured?
But this student was terrifying. Only when standing before him could one truly grasp the dread of his power.
Dragon rose from the rubble like a gale, planting himself before Arashi once again.
Glancing around, he saw that only Sabo had yet to act—but clearly, Sabo was no longer qualified to join this battle.
Though Arashi stood alone, he was mightier than an army.
"Don't fight him alone—attack together!"
"Even the Five Elders could never have imagined this." Dragon's face darkened. "His strength has reached the very peak of this world."
Facing Arashi was like staring at an insurmountable mountain.
"His power has reached another summit entirely. The gap between us is of a different dimension." Luffy spat blood, forcing himself back to his feet.
"Hahahaha! He's strong—like a monster! Just like two years ago," Ace growled, returning to the fight.
"I know his strength better than anyone," Zoro said, raising all three swords as he stepped forward.
"His hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, Haki, Devil Fruit—everything has surpassed its limits. His power is beyond imagination."
And this was only Arashi—one man. Behind him stood countless powerful Marines.
"To be honest, I know you all well, and I hesitate to use my full strength against you," Arashi said calmly. "But if ending this once and for all requires it… then so be it."
Black-and-red lightning flared around him, heralding the next clash.
Dragon and the others braced themselves against the crushing pressure of his killing intent.
Suddenly, Luffy's eyes went wide. "Where'd he go?!"
In an instant, Arashi had vanished.
"Don't lose focus, Luffy!"
Zoro's swords flashed, unleashing a slash—purple-red, hundreds of meters long—that tore through the air.
Arashi reappeared, spinning midair to dodge.
"Sharp as ever, my dear student," Arashi said, eyes fixed on Zoro.
His hand went to his sword. With a flash, he drew.
Lightning crackled as he flickered above Zoro, blade descending in a single, unadorned slash.
Zoro's pupils shrank. He raised all three swords to block.
The collision rang out with an earth-shaking roar.
The shockwave blasted Luffy off his feet, sending him skidding across the ground.
"So scary!" Luffy shouted.
Zoro coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth after the clash.
"You want to be the world's strongest swordsman? You're still far from it, Zoro," Arashi said with a light chuckle.
With a flick of his wrist, his longsword spun effortlessly, his casual mastery even more terrifying than his raw strength.
He thrust his blade backwards. A sharp pop split the air, releasing a shockwave that shot straight at Ace.
Ace barely reacted in time, his body erupting into flames as the shockwave pierced through him like a spear.
Landing heavily, sweat dripping down his face, Ace realised: had he not transformed, that strike would have carved a hole clean through him.
"The pressure you're giving me isn't enough. Is it because I'm too strong?"
Arashi shook his head, almost sighing in boredom.
"But aren't you being a little too arrogant?"
Suddenly, countless blades of wind swept in from behind, each sharp as steel.
Arashi's eyes narrowed. With no time to dodge, he stood his ground.
"Tekkai."
His body hardened like forged steel. Metallic clangs rang out as the wind blades struck harmlessly.
Dragon's face grew even darker. He spread his hands, and in an instant, a raging storm howled to life.
A hurricane swallowed the entire Lulusia Royal Palace.
Buildings were uprooted, ripped apart, and shredded to pieces.
Arashi looked up at the terrifying sight and laughed lightly.
"Disaster-level destructive power. So this is the technique that made you the World's Most Vicious Criminal?"
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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