A single wave-splitting slash sounded the horn of battle.
That golden arc of sword light was deftly deflected by Gol D. Roger, who parried it with his blade Ace. With a thunderous boom, the attack crashed into the distance, detonating on impact and sending a thick cloud of sand and dust billowing into the sky.
Tengetsu Ares bent his knees low, his legs coiling with force before he launched like a cannonball from its barrel, whistling through the air!
With his massive frame, he looked like an eagle soaring with wings outstretched, gliding across the sky.
His face lit with excitement as he shouted,
"Come on!!!"
"Let's fight to our heart's content!!!"
Under the golden sunlight, his bronze skin seemed gilded in molten gold majestic and awe-inspiring.
The moment Ares charged forward like a bolt of lightning, Kaido didn't hesitate either. With a splash, he jumped from the ship into the sea.
"Boss Ares, wait for me!!"
The island had no port. To prevent the pirate ship from running aground or smashing into underwater reefs, they had no choice but to swim ashore.
Swimming through the sea was just part of daily life for pirates. Bathing, washing, sparring much of it happened right in the ocean.
Meanwhile, under the power of the Golden Lion's Float-Float Fruit, the pirate ship itself floated through the air, slowly drifting toward the beach.
When Ares landed with a loud boom on the sandy shore, his feet sank deep into the sand and gravel. His towering, muscular body radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure.
From Roger's crew, a towering figure, five to six meters tall with a plump, rounded build, rushed forth wielding a massive steel trident.
It was the Fishman warrior Sunbell. (Artist, please provide an illustration of this guy.)
Though his body bore no visible muscle definition, his sheer size was comparable to two small houses. When he charged, it was like a high-speed truck thundering forward.
"Bloodhand Ares! I'll be your opponent today!"
Sunbell gripped his steel trident tightly, aiming the razor-sharp tips straight at Ares's heart like an enraged war pig.
Whoosh!
With a burst of force from his arms, the fishman's famed superhuman grip, combined with his massive frame, caused the air to scream as his weapon pierced forward.
The sheer power was tremendous!
Faced with this strike, Ares calmly raised his arm. In the motion of that reach, the "Crimson Armament" had already activated.
"Too slow."
Ares uttered the words coolly, his expression flat as he stared at the approaching Fishman.
His crimson hand seized the tip of the trident in a firm grasp.
The overwhelming force brought the charging weapon to a complete stop in mid-air.
From elbow to wrist, Ares's left arm flared red as muscle fibers seemed to break through the surface of his skin, bulging unnaturally. The tightly defined cords of muscle were like interlocking steel plates mechanical, precise, and terrifying.
Sunbell's face showed a cocktail of rage, shock, and panic.
He was stunned.
"He caught my weapon barehanded... Why isn't his hand shredded by the blades?!"
A flash of cold resolve passed through Sunbell's eyes as he roared, pouring every ounce of strength into his grip.
"I don't believe it! In a contest of arm strength, how could a human possibly beat a Fishman?!"
Fishmen were renowned for their immense natural power a gift of birth and bloodline that gave them crushing grip strength.
And yet...
Ares could feel the sudden spike in force coming from the trident, but his crimson arm held firm, unmoved, the weapon frozen in place.
He grinned and replied,
"So what if you're a Fishman…"
"Human potential is limitless."
"Who decided…"
"That our arm strength must be inferior?!"
As he spoke, Ares's arm tensed, muscles flexing even tighter. The crimson sheen gave his already intimidating physique a terrifying edge his power visibly pulsing beneath the skin.
This strength wasn't innate.
It was forged through countless days and nights of brutal training and merciless self-discipline.
With a sharp twist of his wrist, the entire trident began to rotate against Sunbell's resistance.
The spin was unstoppable.
"W-What kind of strength is this…?"
The giant Fishman's eyes were wide with disbelief as a blush of humiliation crept up his blue cheeks.
Ares was twisting his trident like it was nothing but a lump of dough wrenching it into a spiral like a twisted pretzel.
His eyes were ice-cold as he stared at the enormous fishman before him, a full meter or two taller than himself. Ares clearly held nothing but contempt for the bloated, rounded figure.
"You Fishmen were given incredible gifts by the heavens," Ares said, voice low.
"But talent alone… is just a head start. If you don't train hard, all you're doing is standing slightly ahead at the starting line."
Raising his right arm, Ares aimed a punch straight for Sunbell's chest and added coolly,
"I've got no interest in weaklings like you."
And then, with fierce disdain, he shouted,
"This strength… isn't even worth getting excited about!"
"Now get lost!!"
Boom!
The punch landed squarely.
The air cracked. Sunbell's expression twisted in agony as a shockwave jolted through his entire body. Blood spurted from his mouth as he was sent flying.
"Sunbell!!"
A towering giant from Roger's crew caught the airborne fishman in his arms.
Sunbell's lips were bloodied as he looked up at the man holding him.
Through gritted teeth, he gasped, "Silka…"
"That guy's strength… is insane."
The giant Silka gazed solemnly at Ares.
"I know," he muttered. "But…"
"In this world… no one is stronger than the giants."
"Leave him to me."
He let go of Sunbell and began stretching his arms and fingers.
A chorus of crack-crack echoed through the air as his joints loosened, every sound a warning of the strength he was about to unleash.
Each step he took toward Ares was deliberate. Measured. Menacing.
Silka stood over thirteen meters tall about the height of a four- or five-story building.
He dwarfed Ares by three times in height and many times in mass.
"The Giants, huh…"
A spark of excitement flashed in Ares's eyes.
Of course he knew the legends. Giants were famed across the seas for their unmatched strength and physical prowess.
The warrior nation of Elbaf was hailed as the strongest in the world.
The blood in Ares's body began to surge faster, his heart pounding not from fear, but from exhilaration.
A wild smile spread across his face as he stared up at Silka.
With complete sincerity, he declared,
"I've always wanted to see for myself what the strength of a Giant is really like!"
Each of Silka's steps hit the ground like rolling thunder.
He halted five meters from Ares.
His massive eyes locked onto his opponent. He chuckled darkly,
"I'll show you firsthand…"
"The true meaning of…"
"Giant Strength!!!"
He raised a titanic arm, then swung his fist down in a punch that felt like a collapsing mountain.
The wind howled.
Air pressure exploded outward in white ripples around the giant's knuckles.
"Bring it on!!!" Ares roared, his blood practically boiling from excitement.
"Crimson Armament, Red Dragon Claw!"
His right arm, wrapped in crimson Haki, surged forward like a red dragon launching from the clouds, claws outstretched.
The smoke trailing his strike twisted like a serpent.
The Red Dragon soared.
Two titans. One clash.
And the battlefield trembled.
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