Just imagine a stone giant, over three hundred meters tall, standing on a mountaintop, raising an irregular rock sphere more than a hundred meters in diameter and hurling it. The mere sound of the wind friction was a thunderous rumble, an awe-inspiring display of power.
A colossal rock of that size flying toward you was like a meteorite falling from the sky, a feeling of an entire mountain descending with an overwhelming sense of oppression. Even Cross had never encountered anything like it, and it made his breath catch in his throat.
But in the next second, Cross snapped back to attention and roared, "BABYLON!!!"
The moment he spoke, a brilliant flash of lightning erupted, illuminating the skies above Minion Island.
The cloud-shaped face high above took on a look of solemn authority. A thick bolt of lightning descended from the dark storm clouds, accompanied by a deafening clap of thunder. Like a spear of judgment from the heavens, it pierced straight through the giant rock above Cross's head.
Crack—!!
In the very next second, the gargantuan, hundred-meter-wide rock sphere developed countless cracks, instantly shattering into pieces. It exploded with a massive boom.
Suddenly, countless broken rocks of all sizes flew in every direction, raining down on Minion Island like a storm of stones. They hit the ground with a series of continuous, rumbling sounds, shaking the entire island.
In the blink of an eye, the island became a chaotic wreck. Many of the abandoned buildings were destroyed, and a number of surviving pirates were caught in the downpour. The unfortunate ones were crushed to death.
To be honest, Pica's attack was indeed powerful. For a weak person, a hundred-meter-wide boulder dropping from hundreds of meters in the air would cause unimaginable, devastating destruction. Its range of destruction could even rival one of Cross's ultimate techniques.
However, for a monster like Cross, this attack was all flash and no substance. He could have simply launched a Flying Slash Attack to cut the massive rock in two.
"Overheat!"
Suddenly, Doflamingo attacked from below. A thick pillar of scorching hot string shot from his palm and headed straight for Cross.
Cross nimbly dodged in mid-air, then swooped down, rapidly closing the distance to Doflamingo.
Clang—
The flaming blade of his sword met five sharp, thin strings, releasing a ringing sound of clashing metal.
The two then engaged in a high-speed airborne battle, their figures crossing back and forth. The air was filled with the clang-clang-clang of metal, with shockwaves spreading out, and even the red and black lightning of clashing Conqueror's Haki arcing wildly through the air.
"Bullet String!"
"Scorchfang!"
"..."
Before long, the two exchanged blows simultaneously.
Doflamingo raised his hand, shooting thin, bullet-like strings from his index finger. The barrage of strings hit Cross, pushing him back several meters.
At the same moment, Cross's left arm took the shape of a spear. The limb, burning with intense flames, extended at incredible speed. It moved like a black streak of lightning, plunging into Doflamingo. The strike sent the Warlord flying back, coughing up blood.
Boom—!!
Clearly, Cross's attack was far more threatening. Doflamingo plummeted from the sky like a cannonball, smashing into the ravaged town with a tremendous crash that sent a pillar of dust soaring into the air.
"Doffy!"
The mountain-like stone giant's bloodshot eyes glowered, but a high-pitched, feminine voice came from its mouth, completely at odds with its colossal body.
Cross rubbed his chest and abdomen, which were a little sore, but the sound of Pica's voice made him laugh. He couldn't help but mock, "Shut up, you high-pitched sissy! Your voice is even more laughable than your attacks. Are you trying to kill me with laughter?"
"Amphitrite Cross, I'll kill you!"
Pica was enraged. The burning fury nearly consumed his sanity, and he swung a massive fist without a second thought.
The giant, over three hundred meters tall, had a fist the size of a mansion. The whistling wind from the punch alone was enough to be suffocating.
"One Sword Style: Shinka: Flying Edge!!!"
But Cross scoffed, raising his hand and unleashing a single slash. A crescent-shaped, fiery Flying Slash Attack instantly flew toward the giant.
Boom—
Pica's movement of the stone giant came to an abrupt halt. The fiery Flying Slash Attack cut his entire right arm in half, and it then exploded, turning into a cloud of flaming rubble that scattered in every direction.
Following up, Cross flew forward, gripping Shusui with both hands and bringing it down with a fierce slash on the stone giant's head.
"One Sword Style: Shinka: Divine Cremation!!!"
A massive fiery slash erupted, its immense heat twisting the air. The attack crashed down with incredible force onto the stone giant's head.
BOOM!!!
A torrent of flames burst forth. The stone giant Pica was controlling couldn't withstand the power of the strike. Its head was instantly obliterated, and the mountain-sized upper body was torn apart by the raging heat, leaving only its two thick, pillar-like legs standing on the mountaintop.
In that moment, countless flaming rocks rained down, resembling a beautiful meteor shower, falling with a thunderous rumble all over Minion Island, once again bringing devastating destruction to the once-pristine island.
"Tch, he got away again!"
Cross grimaced in frustration. He sensed that Pica's voice had vanished from the stone giant and reappeared in the town on the opposite side of the mountain, having clearly dodged his attack.
But even though Cross was annoyed, he wasn't too surprised. As long as Pica's ability was connected to the earth, it was difficult to kill or seriously injure him directly.
So, Cross prepared to fly down to continue his pursuit of Pica and Doflamingo.
But just then, Cross had only flown a few meters down when he noticed that the threads of the "Birdcage" that enveloped Minion Island were beginning to gradually disappear.
"Huh... the Birdcage... is disappearing..."
Cross was a little confused. He looked at his left hand with a skeptical expression, wondering to himself, "You've got to be kidding me. Did that punch I just threw... knock Doflamingo unconscious?"
"No, no, that can't be right. Doflamingo isn't that weak!"
Even though Doflamingo's strength hadn't reached its peak from ten years later, and his String-String Fruit hadn't yet reached its "Awakening" state, that didn't mean the guy was weak.
On the contrary, he possessed all three types of Haki, and his String-String Fruit was developed to a near-perfect degree, combining offense, defense, control, flight, and healing. He was just one step away from "Awakening" and fully worthy of the title of a great pirate. There was no way he'd be taken out in a single hit.
Suddenly, a realization flashed through Cross's mind. His expression changed, and he exclaimed in a tone of alarm, "Damn it, that bastard is trying to escape!"
——————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanPiece [remove the parenthesis ( )]
There are 100+ advance chapters available for you to read!