Morning broke swiftly the next day, the first light of dawn stretching across the horizon.
Far from Dressrosa, hundreds of kilometers away, thunder rumbled through the sky as lightning continuously tore down from the heavens, like divine punishment descending upon the world.
This was the center of the battle between three of the "Five Emperors."
Thankfully, they were clashing above open sea; had this taken place on Dressrosa itself, the island would have long since been reduced to rubble beneath their might.
After a night of relentless combat, the three of them no longer looked as spirited as they had at the start. Weariness now showed faintly in their expressions.
By now, both the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates had arrived in the area.
From the deck of the Queen Mama Chanter, Big Mom's crew stared toward the distant battlefield, barely restraining themselves, they were itching to jump in.
The tragic events on Whole Cake Island had already been recounted in painful detail by Perospero, and the crew was united in rage.
Even if it meant their deaths, they swore they would tear a piece of Arima's flesh as vengeance.
On the other side, the Beasts Pirates had just received troubling news from their base.
Three intruders, two women and one man, had broken into Onigashima and kidnapped one of the All-Stars, Queen the Plague.
As if fate was mocking them, the culprit now stood right before their eyes. King gritted his teeth as he glared at Arima, hatred burning in his chest.
He turned to Jack. "Get ready. We're joining the battle soon! This time, I'll tear Arima apart bone by bone!"
Jack, ever the hothead, was already itching to fight. If not for King restraining him earlier, he would have charged in headfirst long ago.
On the battlefield, Arima noticed both pirate crews gathering. He knew he was about to face the combined assault of countless top-tier powerhouses of the seas.
Yet, he only smiled. "Well now, your subordinates have arrived. Should I wipe them out for you?"
His taunt instantly enraged both Kaido and Big Mom. Harsh as they might be toward their own crews, those people were still theirs. How could they let an outsider touch them?
That would be an unbearable humiliation, especially for Big Mom, whose core crew was made up of her own children. The thought of them being harmed by Arima was intolerable.
The two Emperors roared in fury and unleashed Conqueror's Sea, combining their powers once more to blast Arima into the depths below.
They paused briefly to catch their breath, but only moments later, Arima shot back up from the sea, completely unscathed.
"What?!"
Big Mom's eyes widened in disbelief. Even she would have suffered grievous wounds under that attack.
"Hahaha! This brat's even more of a monster than I am! Let's see just how hard those bones of his really are!"
Kaido barked a laugh, leaving the stunned Big Mom behind as he dove from the sky into his ship's cabin.
Moments later, he emerged holding his spare iron club and launched himself back into the fray.
"Hah! My club still feels the best in my hands! Arima, I'm gonna smash your bones to dust!"
Red-and-black lightning crackled around the club as Kaido's swing tore through the air like thunder itself, bearing down on Arima.
Arima met the attack head-on.
The two forces collided evenly, blow for blow, neither gaining the upper hand.
Spotting the stalemate, King transformed into his Lunarian form, spread his wings, and launched himself from the deck into the fight.
His move was the signal, the other Beasts Pirates followed, leaping into battle.
Across the water, the Big Mom Pirates saw the Beasts crew take the initiative and refused to be outdone. They too joined the fray.
Seeing the enemy forces swarming toward him, Arima didn't panic, instead, he grinned.
The newly arrived pirates unleashed their powers in every direction, each showcasing their unique abilities. For the first time, Arima found himself momentarily overwhelmed.
These weren't ordinary fighters. Most of them were long-renowned powerhouses, and more than a dozen had bounties exceeding one billion berries.
With such opponents entering the battle, the danger around Arima skyrocketed. A single mistake could mean death. He had to push himself to his absolute limit just to keep up.
As his Haki consumption doubled, fatigue began to set in. His stamina was reaching its limit.
Just as Kaido and Big Mom's forces believed the end was near, Arima suddenly pulled out a bottle of deep-blue liquid. Without hesitation, he downed it in full view of everyone.
Within a few breaths, his strength was completely restored.
He grinned. "Come on then, show me what else you've got!"
Kaido laughed darkly, tightening his grip on his club. "Heh… so that's your secret. No wonder you're so damn cocky! Let's see how long you can keep this up!"
He cloaked his club once more in Conqueror's Haki, knocking aside his own men as he charged forward, slamming another devastating blow toward Arima.
At this point, flashy techniques no longer mattered, only pure, crushing power.
A strange pattern began to repeat: every time Arima neared exhaustion, he would pull out another vial of that blue liquid, drink it, and dive right back into battle, renewed.
The chaotic clash raged on until late into the night. The pirates began rotating in shifts, attacking one after another, hoping to wear Arima down through sheer endurance.
Meanwhile, the Navy remained silent. They had received the intelligence report CP0 risked their lives to send back.
Even among the high command, unease spread. One man, just one, was keeping entire pirate fleets at bay, including two of the Five Emperors.
Sengoku quickly adjusted his strategy.
He picked up the Den Den Mushi and called the Gorosei.
"Hello? Sengoku, what's the situation? Have you captured Arima yet?"
The bespectacled Elder's tone was cool and detached.
Sengoku reported honestly, "Arima is engaged with both the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates.
He's using some kind of deep-blue potion to recover his stamina instantly. The battle is still deadlocked."
"Oh? Could it be the 'Energy Steroid'? Or perhaps a drug derived from the Ope Ope no Mi? The Heal-Heal Fruit, maybe?"
The Gorosei exchanged confused looks. None of them could identify what kind of substance Sengoku described.
The Elder finally spoke again. "I'll contact Charlotte Linlin and Kaido myself. The three of you will cooperate to take Arima down.
His existence poses too great a threat to the World Government, greater even than Rocks once did. This time, he must die."
With that, he took out a special golden Den Den Mushi and called Big Mom and Kaido. The three sides struck a secret deal and formed a wartime alliance.
Once the news reached Sengoku, he put aside his doubts and ordered the Marine fleet to move at full speed toward the battlefield.
By now, only a dozen or so combatants remained standing, the rest were either critically injured by Arima or utterly spent. None of them had ever fought with such desperation before.
After such prolonged, brutal combat, even Arima was nearing his limit, both body and soul trembling from exhaustion.
Yet amid the pain, he could feel something awakening within him, his Tenseigan was on the verge of full activation, and his Rinnegan was but one step away from completion.
Arima murmured to himself, 'Let the storm rage on…'
---------------
Guys do leave some power stones and reviews.
🤞pa treon . com / plotplanner🤞
Remove all the spaces in between and then search.
If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to 30 Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.