A colossal rock hand came crashing down.
The looming shadow that followed bore an overwhelming pressure, filling the Straw Hat crew's eyes with impending doom.
It was as if the air had been squeezed out of existence, leaving them gasping for breath.
This… was a slap far beyond the strength of any Giant—at least ten times more terrifying!
Yet, with nowhere to run, the Straw Hat crew refused to sit idly by.
Amidst Nami and Vivi's screams—
Luffy's arms tensed as he prepared his Gomu Gomu no Gatling.
Zoro drew his three swords, his face more serious than ever before.
Sanji's leg muscles tightened, the cigarette between his lips crushed between clenched teeth.
Usopp steadied his long-range rifle, though his hands trembled slightly.
This was their first encounter with the raw power of the New World.
An attack beyond reason—just like the engulfing shadow above, it descended upon them with the crushing force of a falling mountain.
And yet, not a single one of them backed down.
"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"
"Sanzen Sekai!"
"Concasser!"
Boom! Boom!—
The Straw Hat fighters unleashed their strongest techniques against the massive rock hand.
Bang! Bang! Bang!—
Luffy's fists blurred, a flurry of punches hammering into the rock palm, sending shards of stone flying in all directions.
Zoro's Three-Sword Style Sanzen Sekai followed, carving three deep gashes into the rock surface.
Sanji's Concasser kick landed next, but all it left behind was a shallow crater barely a few meters wide before he was knocked back by the oncoming force.
Usopp fired shot after shot with his fastest reload speed, but against such a behemoth, his bullets were utterly ineffective.
Despite their combined assault, the rock hand remained unstoppable.
"No effect…?"
"How is this possible…?"
"Damn it!"
Watching the enormous rock palm continue its descent unhindered, a sense of helplessness crept into their hearts.
The sheer size of it was enough to drive them to despair.
"It's over…"
Luffy's failure to break through deepened Nami's panic.
Chopper, lying exhausted on the wooden platform, was too drained by the heat to move. Vivi, biting her lip, watched in sheer terror.
The massive rock hand pressed forward, carrying its unrelenting power.
"Bari Bari no—!"
At the critical moment, Bartolomeo, struggling to his knees, activated his ability.
A transparent, semi-circular barrier materialized above them, like an overturned bowl sealing them inside.
The rock hand slammed down upon it.
BOOM!
Before the Straw Hats could even react, an earth-shattering impact exploded in all directions.
The deafening roar rang through their ears, shaking them to the core.
Dust and debris erupted like a tidal wave, creating a sandstorm that blotted out the sky.
At the same time, the ground quaked violently.
For an instant, the colossal rock palm, pressed firmly against the barrier, along with the swirling sandstorm, blocked out all light, plunging the Straw Hats into complete darkness.
However—
Thanks to Bartolomeo's Barrier-Barrier Fruit, they had successfully blocked Pica's overwhelming attack.
"I thought we were dead for sure…"
In the darkness, Nami collapsed onto the ground, her legs giving out.
"Haha! Rooster-head, your ability is amazing!"
Unlike Nami, who was still shaken, Luffy was already grinning, praising Bartolomeo's power without a care in the world.
"Heh heh! As long as I can form a barrier, there's nothing in this world I, Bartolomeo, can't block!"
Luffy's praise made Bartolomeo swell with pride.
And indeed, since obtaining the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, no attack had ever managed to crack his defense.
His ability seemed almost invincible.
"Don't celebrate too soon. We're not out of danger yet."
Zoro's voice cut through the air, bringing everyone back to reality.
Click.
Sanji flicked open his lighter, the small flame illuminating the crew's tense expressions.
"What do we do now?"
By the dim light, Usopp gazed up at the rock palm pressed against the barrier, his face grave.
No one had an answer.
Even if they removed Bartolomeo's barrier, with the sheer size of that monstrous rock giant, it could cross a hundred meters in a single step.
Running away was a pipe dream.
Especially with Chopper incapacitated and both Nami and Vivi lacking mobility.
If not for these factors, their first instinct would have been to flee rather than attempt to block the falling palm.
Outside the barrier—
The impact had blasted away all sand and rubble in the vicinity.
With the dust cleared, the ground revealed a vast, thick layer of deep-red rock beneath.
Pica's massive stone giant stood upon the crimson rock, slowly withdrawing its hand as he eyed the transparent barrier with intrigue.
"A Devil Fruit user… To think they actually withstood my attack!"
Pica was incredulous, his already sharp voice turning even more piercing.
Inside the barrier—
Still trapped, the Straw Hats stared tensely at the enormous stone giant before them.
While Bartolomeo's barrier gave them temporary safety, it did nothing to change their passive position.
Pica was, after all, one of the highest-ranking officers of the Donquixote Family. He quickly regained his composure, his gaze coldly scanning the Straw Hats sealed within the barrier.
Moments later, his eyes locked onto the side of the semi-circular barrier, and an idea took shape.
"It was just one blocked attack."
Pica sneered before swinging his hand sideways at the barrier's edge.
Boom!
This sudden lateral strike sent the barrier flying off the ground, flipping it violently.
And the Straw Hats, once safely inside, now suffered the consequences.
That once-protective barrier had turned into a blunt force weapon, smashing into them with full force.
In an instant—
The entire crew was sent flying into the air.
Even though Bartolomeo retracted his barrier in time, the crew still suffered varying degrees of impact, scattering blood through the air as they were sent flying.
One by one, they crashed to the ground, landing separately in different spots.
Fortunately, the soft sand beneath them prevented any further injuries.
Even so, none of them could immediately stand.
Only Luffy, thanks to his rubber body, was able to shrug off most of the damage and rise to his feet instantly.
"Are you guys okay?"
Luffy glanced at his scattered crewmates, his face filled with both worry and anger.
Before he could receive a response, a massive shadow once again loomed over them, blocking out the sky.
"Too weak… all of you…"
Pica's taunting voice echoed from within the colossal rock giant.
Facing Luffy's furious gaze, the rock titan raised its arm amidst the deep rumbling of shifting stone.
The contrast between both sides was unmistakable—an elephant against ants.
In terms of both size and power, the disparity was overwhelming.
A gap so vast that it could easily drive the Straw Hat crew into despair.
"Perish like the insects you are...!"
Pica sneered coldly.
Just then, a shockwave carrying the silhouettes of a man and a woman descended from the sky, landing precisely in front of Luffy.
As the two figures came to a steady halt, the soft sand beneath them formed a shallow imprint of a paw print.
The newcomers—Maude and Perona.
"Huh?"
Seeing Maude and Perona descend from the sky, everyone present was stunned.
"Phantom Sniper... Impossible!!!"
Pica, who was certain Maude should be at the Sabaody Archipelago, reacted as if he had seen a ghost.
Dressed in his signature black attire, Maude gazed up at the towering crimson rock giant, a subtle smirk appearing on his lips.
"As prey, you're more than qualified."
"....."
Pica remained eerily silent, seemingly unable to process the situation.
Phantom Sniper.
The title Maude had recently gained infamy for.
The moment Pica laid eyes on him, he had instinctively called out that name.
But…
Wasn't Phantom Sniper supposed to be at Sabaody?
Why was he here?
Pica was utterly baffled, his mind filled with questions.
Then, he finally processed Maude's words upon arrival.
"Prey?"
A surge of fury erupted within Pica, sweeping away all confusion as his gaze locked onto Maude, filled with murderous intent.
"Bacardi Maude, don't get ahead of yourself!!!"
His high-pitched voice screeched across the desert sky.
Maude smirked coldly, his right hand slowly moving to grip the hilt of his sword, inch by inch drawing out Shusui.
As the blade emerged, an overwhelming aura radiated from him, rippling outward like flowing water.
"Perona, stand back."
Maude's eyes remained steady, his blade held horizontally before him.
The Haki he summoned was already primed for battle.
"Oh."
Perona obediently responded, floating backward.
Having been forcibly brought here by Maude, she had already resigned herself to playing the role of a fighter. Yet, upon seeing that the enemy was merely one individual—albeit a rather large one—she was relieved that she wouldn't have to exert much effort.
Drifting past Luffy, Perona continued floating further back without pause.
Luffy, as if unaware of her presence, kept his gaze locked onto Maude's back.
"This is Usopp's master…"
The rest of the Straw Hat crew also focused on Maude's back, each with different expressions.
"Master!!!"
"Idol!!!"
Usopp and Bartolomeo, completely disregarding their injuries, sprang up excitedly.
Their shouts overlapped.
"Maude…"
Still lying on the sand, Nami stared blankly at Maude's back.
Moments ago, she had been consumed by panic and helplessness.
But now, an inexplicable sense of calm washed over her.
She couldn't quite explain it.
All she knew was that… she was no longer afraid.
Sanji and Zoro, gritting through their injuries, forced themselves to stand.
Both scrutinized Maude with a keen, analytical gaze.
Even catching a mere glimpse of him was enough to feel an overwhelming sense of pressure.
And that was just from looking at his back.
Standing directly in front of him… they could hardly imagine what it would feel like.
"Seeing is believing…"
Sanji and Zoro exchanged subtle glances, their minds in sync.
This was also Vivi's first time seeing Maude.
Her eyes trembled slightly.
From him, she could "smell" the distinct scent of blood.
This was clearly a man who had taken countless lives.
Unnoticed, Maude's presence had already dispelled the shadow of death looming over the Straw Hat Pirates.
And their reactions did not escape Pica's notice.
His bloodlust surged.
This mission was supposed to eliminate Usopp and the entire Straw Hat Pirates, yet he had never anticipated that Maude, from halfway across the world, would show up at the perfect moment.
If not for that damn barrier…
He would have already crushed them into pulp.
If that had happened, even if Maude arrived, all he would see was the crew reduced to nothing but a gory mess.
"Damn it, I was so close…"
Pica gritted his teeth.
But now that things had reached this point, there was no turning back.
"Bacardi Maude! Since you're here, you can die along with them!"
Pica steeled his resolve, controlling the rock giant to clench its massive fist before raising its arm for a devastating punch.
Seeing the rock titan's movement, the Straw Hat crew's faces tensed in alarm.
They had already experienced firsthand the terrifying power of this colossus.
"Die here? If you think you can pull it off…"
Maude gazed up at the giant, his lips curling into an icy smirk.
The moment the rock giant flexed its arm, Maude swung his sword.
Hakoku—Slash!
Shusui traced a semi-circular arc through the air.
A blinding crescent-shaped shockwave erupted from the blade's trajectory, slicing upward through the rock giant's torso.
Ssshh—!
The attack effortlessly cleaved through the entire rock colossus, the shockwave continuing its ascent toward the blazing sun above.
In an instant, a residual white slash mark ran through the rock giant's entire form.
Then—just like that—the colossal figure, standing hundreds of meters tall, suddenly split in two.
"W-What!?"
"What kind of technique is this!?"
Hiding within the rock construct, Pica's heart trembled.
With just a single Hakoku slash, Maude had severed control over half of his rock giant's body.
However—
Maude's attack wasn't over yet.
"You're on the right side…"
His eyes gleamed red as he swiftly withdrew his blade, then launched another Hakoku at the right half of the rock giant's body.
In the blink of an eye—
A cylindrical shockwave, like a comet streaking through the sky, struck the right side of the rock giant's head.
With overwhelming force, it shattered the massive stone skull—dozens of meters in diameter—into countless fragments.
The Straw Hat crew stared in shock at the sight before them.
Even Usopp, who had unwavering faith in Maude's strength, was so stunned his eyeballs nearly popped out.
He knew Maude was strong—unbelievably strong.
But he had never imagined this level of power.
Two simple swings of the blade—
And that enormous rock giant was reduced to this?
"This… is a slash?"
Zoro's disbelief was evident as he gazed at the rock giant's bifurcated torso and the pulverized remains of its head, obliterated by Hakoku's shockwave.
In his life-or-death battle against Mihawk—
He had never seen such a devastating slash.
No—
It wasn't that Mihawk couldn't unleash such a strike.
It was that he had been too weak to warrant Mihawk using an attack of this magnitude.
Zoro fixed his gaze firmly on Maude's back, a storm surging in his heart.
"So this… is the world of the strong…"
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