"That lunatic..."
On Green Bit's shore, Doflamingo looked up at the towering figure that seemed to pierce the clouds. His expression turned grim.
Facing that enormous fist, he instinctively wove a vast spiderweb of threads before him.
But the moment it touched that pitch-black Armament Haki fist, several meters wide, the web shattered instantly.
He was almost smashed into meat paste.
Ryokugyu stared coldly at Sadgeo.
"After all, he broke through a Buster Call blockade by himself. I won't underestimate him!"
With a raise of his hand, his body instantly transformed into a massive wooden giant.
Countless trees surged wildly, growing in a frenzy as they twisted toward Sadgeo's huge body.
Meanwhile, the Straw Hats were struggling against the crew of the Dark Sun Pirates.
"What is wrong with Sadgeo's crew?!"
Nami held up her Clima-Tact, barely dodging the attack of a female dog Mink.
"Exactly! Why are there giants too?!"
Chopper scrambled away in panic. A giant's fist smashed into the ground, leaving a fist-shaped crater with every blow.
"A group gathering this many races... It's almost like one of the Four Emperors, Big Mom..."
Law was panting, but while holding Caesar, he was still handling the Fish-Men's attacks with relative ease.
Sanji stepped through the air and joined Ryokugyu and Doflamingo in fighting Sadgeo.
"I don't want to team up with a Marine and a Warlord, but if the enemy is this guy, then there's no helping it!"
"Diable Jambe!"
"Grill Shot!"
A flurry of kicks landed like scratches, unable to deal any real damage to the false Joy Boy.
Facing their siege, Sadgeo showed no fear at all.
His Armament Haki began to flow across his body, tearing free from the trees that kept growing and constricting around him. Black-red light flashed in his eyes.
After traveling for some time and receiving the loyalty, or perhaps the expectations, of various races, Sadgeo's destiny-like identity, similar to Joy Boy's, had been quietly growing.
Or rather, his Conqueror's Haki, the power that represented his spirit, had risen alongside the expansion of his crew.
Roaring black-red lightning seemed to turn solid as it swept outward in every direction.
The three surrounding him all looked grave.
"This Conqueror's Haki is almost at that threshold!"
Among them, Ryokugyu had the broadest experience and the greatest strength. He could clearly feel how powerful that Conqueror's Haki was.
Then, in the next instant, his pupils suddenly shrank as if he had seen something terrifying.
Black, strange matter slowly appeared around Sadgeo's body, spreading outward.
"That's!"
Cold sweat appeared on Doflamingo's face, but he still forced out his usual laugh.
"Fuffuffuffuffu!"
"So it's finally appeared? The experimental subject's other powerful ability!"
"The power of the most vicious Devil Fruit in the world, the Dark-Dark Fruit!"
As darkness spread, the trees that had been wrapped around the giant's body were swallowed one after another.
The moment they touched the black smoke, Ryokugyu and Doflamingo both felt their bodies change.
Their Devil Fruit powers, which had once felt as natural as instinct, vanished without a trace.
"Hahahahaha!"
Wrapped in darkness, Sadgeo flashed his white teeth in a huge grin.
"Taking down a Marine Admiral and a Warlord who colludes with the government here counts as an unexpected bonus!"
As for Sanji, he was currently at the level where even fighting Vergo would crack his bones. Sadgeo did not take him seriously for the moment. He was merely collateral.
Facing the three of them, now stripped of their Devil Fruit powers and drastically weakened, Sadgeo chose to strike with overwhelming force.
Then he blew air into his giant fist again, swelling it until it was as large as an island. Flowing Armament Haki wrapped around it as he raised it high into the air.
"Gum-Gum..."
"Giant Island Pistol!"
Faced with that colossal Armament Haki fist blotting out the sky, Ryokugyu and Doflamingo, now left with only Haki and physical techniques, and Sanji, who could not help much, all broke out in cold sweat.
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you kidding me?!"
"Damn it...!"
As for Nami and the others, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Snot and tears flew everywhere.
The enemies they had defeated had already been dragged back onto Noah by the Fish-Men left guarding the ship.
"Lord Sadgeo's strength is not something these people can resist!"
After dragging their companions back from the island, the Fish-Men returned to Shirahoshi's side to keep protecting her.
Shirahoshi stood by the ship's edge, gazing out with deep worry.
Just as that massive fist, powerful enough to destroy half the island, was about to fall...
A black figure appeared on Noah's bow at some unknown moment.
He sat there with one leg crossed over the other, slowly lifting his gaze.
"You're really showing off, Sadgeo."
...
"The winner of Block C has been decided!"
"The victor is..."
"Lucy!"
"And now, the tense and thrilling final preliminary match is about to begin, the battle of Block D!"
With the Donquixote Family's attention tied down at Green Bit, many things had changed.
The lost Zoro had finally been found. Dressed in a black suit with a fake mustache, he entered the arena.
Rebecca, wearing only a few scraps of clothing with most of the weight concentrated in her boots and helmet, looked as if no one knew what she had come to do. She stepped onto the stage with a nervous heart.
At the same entrance path, there was another female swordsman.
She walked faster than Rebecca, her steps far more firm.
"That's..."
Before Rebecca could think much about it, she entered the Colosseum with an unsharpened sword, dressed in an outfit that looked almost like swimwear.
"Zoro, you can do it!"
The moment she entered, she heard an excited voice from the spectator seats.
Zoro suddenly heard his own name and gritted his teeth, nearly choking on a mouthful of water.
That idiot!
But soon, he had no time to pay attention to Luffy outside the arena.
Because a familiar figure had entered the Colosseum.
"Long time no see, Zoro."
Hearing that voice, Zoro turned his head in disbelief and looked at the black-haired woman holding a sword.
"...Kuina!"
"Why are you here?!"
Zoro was shocked. He never expected to meet her here.
And more than that...
"I remember the thing you treated like your life was supposed to be white. Why did it turn black?"
Kuina looked down and smiled knowingly.
"I don't know why it turned black either. Maybe it's because Teacher Ozz used it too many times."
Kuina looked at the Wado Ichimonji at her waist, its blade faintly black after being repeatedly soaked in Ozz's Haki.
"After Teacher Ozz's guidance and training, I'm not the same person I used to be, Zoro!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The tides are shifting, and secrets linger in the dark... Step into the shadows early on P@treon, where the next chapter awaits before the world sees it.
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"