The island that had fallen from the sky crashed down upon the sea with overwhelming weight.
BOOM!
The impact was so violent that it made the entire ocean tremble. Colossal waves surged in all directions—liquid walls over a hundred meters tall advancing like enraged sea monsters toward the Marines.
"Terrifying… the power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi is greater than I imagined…"
Borsalino, Admiral Kizaru, commented with a crooked mouth, his casual tone contrasting sharply with the destruction before his eyes.
When a wave of that magnitude approached, it was as if a massive canopy covered the sky and the sun, plunging everything into shadow. Even so, compared to the fact that an entire island had just been hurled at them, it almost seemed… merciful.
On the frontline warships, the sailors were completely terrified. Faced with power akin to natural disasters, ordinary humans had no way to resist.
"If only Admiral Kuzan were still here…"
Someone muttered, letting out a deep sigh filled with helplessness.
Issho, Admiral Fujitora, held his sword at his side, gathering an absurd amount of gravitational pressure into the blade before unleashing a single strike.
The slash cut through the air like an invisible bolt.
Along its path, an overwhelming horizontal gravitational force collided with the giant wave.
BOOM!
The wave, over a hundred meters tall, was instantly split in half. Its structure collapsed, and the direction of its flow was completely altered. That colossal mass of water came to an abrupt halt before surging backward, crashing once more toward the sea and distant Onigashima.
Seeing that, Luffy broke into a wide grin.
"To control gravity so freely… that's an insane power too."
As he spoke, he rotated his arm and threw a punch at the very space around him.
BOOM!
Invisible cracks spread through the air like shattering glass. In the next instant, the retreating waves were torn apart by vibrational force, and the entire ocean collapsed.
The sea fractured.
The scene eerily resembled the devastation of the Marineford War.
"It's going to capsize! The ship's going to flip!"
Warships began to tilt dangerously. Sailors screamed as they slid across the decks, unable to keep their balance.
Aramaki, the Admiral known as Ryokugyu, narrowed his eyes with a grim expression.
"The Gura Gura no Mi… in his hands is even more terrifying than it was in Edward Newgate's…"
He had witnessed the Marineford War. He knew exactly what that fruit was capable of.
But now… it was different.
Whitebeard had been old back then.
The current impact was more brutal. More direct—and more uncontrolled.
"The Gura Gura no Mi… and the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi…"
With those two abilities combined, Luffy became virtually invincible at sea.
"This is… problematic."
Meanwhile, the massive network formed by tree roots—created by Ryokugyu—functioned like a colossal slingshot. The meteors that had been drawn in were launched back with immense force.
Luffy neither dodged nor retreated.
He simply punched the air again.
BOOM!
The meteor was pulverized instantly, turning into a rain of incandescent debris that fell into the ocean.
At the same time, Ryokugyu transformed completely.
His body took the form of a colossal tree. Trunks swelled, branches multiplied uncontrollably, and massive roots spread in all directions.
They descended along the hulls of ships, plunged into the sea, and absorbed water, expanding even faster.
Within seconds, the entire visible surface of the ocean was covered by a dense network of intertwined roots, forming a living platform.
These roots also connected to the Phantom Island.
"Don't underestimate the Marines… Straw Hat!"
Ryokugyu's voice echoed, mixed with the creaking and growth of wood.
All the ships—and even Onigashima—were connected by his ability.
The covered area exceeded ten kilometers.
BANG! BANG!
Luffy clapped, smiling.
"As expected of an Admiral… you're a real monster."
Then, he began to descend slowly, landing atop the skeletal castle.
Behind him stood the eight members of the so-called Heartless Legion.
Below, more than twenty thousand pirates had gathered, forming a massive army.
At the front line, ten giants wielded colossal weapons, facing the Marine fleet.
On Kizaru's warship, a Rear Admiral lowered his binoculars, panting.
"It's… the Beast Pirates of Kaido!!"
Shock spread rapidly.
"It's the Three Great Calamities! King the Wildfire! Queen the Plague! Jack the Drought!!"
"The Tobiroppo are here too! Who's Who! Sasaki! Black Maria! Ulti! Page One!!"
"And those giants… they're the Numbers! The ancient giant race of the Beasts Pirates!!"
Incredulous voices echoed across the fleet.
"Why are the Beast Pirates here?!"
At the center of the fleet, Tsuru lowered her binoculars with a grave expression.
"Even before Big Mom… the Straw Hats have already formed an alliance with Kaido?"
Beside her, Sengoku calmly chewed his crackers, eyes half-closed.
"This is not good…"
"You can still eat at a time like this?" Tsuru grumbled.
"Want some, Tsuru?"
On the Five Elders' command ship—
Topman Warcury watched everything with a cold expression as the Den Den Mushi transmitted every detail of the battle.
"The Gura Gura no Mi and the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi…"
At his side, a God's Knight spoke irritably:
"And he still has the Gomu Gomu no Mi… If he wants to escape, no one can stop him…"
Warcury snorted coldly.
"That storm earlier… was the Dragon."
Then he gave the order:
"Do not forget the objectives of this operation."
"Mission 1: eliminate Straw Hat!"
"Mission 2: capture Monkey D. Dragon alive—or kill him!"
"Mission 3: capture Charlotte Linlin—or eliminate her!"
"The absolute priority… is Luffy."
"No option for capture."
"At any cost… he must die here!"
On the front line—
Kizaru scratched his head.
"Well… orders are orders."
His body began to shine intensely.
WHOOSH!
A beam of light streaked across the sky instantly.
In the next moment, he was already in front of Luffy.
A leg wrapped in golden light swept toward the pirate's face.
BOOM!
An explosion echoed.
All the Marines held their breath.
When the smoke cleared—
Luffy had blocked the kick with a single hand.
"Charging straight at me like that is a bit reckless, don't you think, Kizaru?"
Behind him, King drew his sword.
The blade took on an irregular shape, lined with serrated teeth.
He attacked.
The strike passed through Kizaru, cutting him in half.
But the Admiral's body turned into photons, splitting into beams of light that shot toward the ground.
Luffy lowered his arm and said calmly:
"Go down and join the battle. I don't need protection."
"Yes, sir, Luffy!"
Without hesitation, King leapt from the castle.
The other seven followed right behind him.
---
(End of Chapter)