Meanwhile—
Staring up at the colossal eight-armed magma giant—towering half a body above even his own steam behemoth—Hale Nock felt a chill ripple through his core.
Appearances could be deceiving, sure. But when something that massive and condensed stands over you, it's never weak.
Still, he hadn't survived the New World this long on reputation alone. In this sea, only true strength mattered.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. His enormous steam fists, wreathed in Armament Haki, fired off one after another as he charged at Sakazuki.
But the magma titan simply extended five of its arms. With thunderous crashes, five magma hands seized the incoming steam fists.
Hiss—!
Suddenly, the captured steam fists erupted with blinding white vapor, cloaking the magma giant in a boiling fog.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A barrage of explosions hammered the field, the shockwaves forcing the magma giant to stagger back several steps.
Across the battlefield, the steam giant flicked its right hand, conjuring a gigantic steam sword—hundreds of meters long—into its grip.
At the same time, Hale Nock unleashed a torrent of Conqueror's Haki, the pressure bearing down on Sakazuki like a tidal wave.
In a blink, he was upon the magma giant, leaping high and bringing the sword down in a mountain-cleaving arc.
But a magma hand burst through the steam and clamped around the giant blade.
BOOM!
A violent shockwave scattered the mist. The magma hand yanked the sword downward, while another hand shot up and locked around the steam giant's neck in midair.
With a single, brutal motion, the magma giant slammed the five-hundred-meter steam titan into the ground—like a parent disciplining a child.
The earth trembled violently.
Across the island, people fled in terror—not just from the clash of titans, but for another reason entirely…
"Run!"
"Get off the island, now!"
"When Boss Nock really lets loose, his moves don't care who's in the way!"
"Forget the treasure—save your skins!"
The magma giant's hand pinned the steam giant to the ground. The other six arms, swirling with Haki, rose high—then crashed down in a merciless barrage.
The island shook as if in the grip of an earthquake. People stumbled and fell, scrambling to flee the devastation.
On the battlefield, the steam giant's limbs were smashed apart and sent flying.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Severed from the main body, the limbs detonated in midair, jarring the magma giant for a split second.
Hale Nock, pinned beneath, seized the opening.
"Explosive We—!"
But Sakazuki had already sensed the surging, unstable energy building inside the steam giant.
He instantly understood and acted—eight magma arms clamped down, locking the steam giant's now stick-like body in a death grip.
With a mighty heave, he flung the steam giant skyward.
At the same time, all eight magma arms detached from his body, their bases flaring with explosive energy, rocketing the steam giant high into the heavens.
RUMBLE—!
A deafening boom split the sky. The clouds were swept away, a gaping hole left in their wake as the shockwave rippled outward.
On the ground, the fleeing masses clutched their ears, blood trickling from burst eardrums.
Sakazuki's body shrank and condensed, six jet-like cylinders forming on his back.
With a roar of magma, he launched skyward, the magma giant streaking into the clouds.
As he ascended, eight magma arms reformed. Four gripped the other four, tearing them free—each transforming into a massive magma greatsword.
High above, where the earlier explosion had left a void, thick white steam coalesced.
Suddenly, three steam giants—each over a hundred meters tall—burst from the vapor, wild and mindless, energy surging violently.
They charged at the magma giant from three directions.
Sakazuki wielded three magma swords, cleaving through the oncoming steam bombers.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
All three detonated within a hundred meters, the blasts rocking the magma giant and halting his ascent.
At that instant, Hale Nock—his five-hundred-meter form reassembled—came plummeting down, steam jets blazing from his back.
He shot toward Sakazuki at blinding speed.
Sakazuki's remaining magma sword twisted, morphing into a massive spear, and hurled it straight at the steam giant.
Hale Nock's right arm, clad in Haki, batted the spear aside. It spun away—then suddenly erupted in a blinding red blast.
BOOM—!
Compressed magma detonated, knocking Hale Nock off course. He grunted, unfazed by the explosion.
He barreled into Sakazuki, wrapping the magma giant in a crushing bear hug.
Hiss—!
Steam jetted from every pore of the steam giant. He shrank rapidly, enveloping the magma giant in a dense, scalding shroud.
Hale Nock's voice rang out, cruel and triumphant:
"Perilous Steam Slaughter!!"
Above the clouds, the massive white steam mass kept spawning new steam giants, each one hurling itself into the heart of the vapor—followed by thunderous explosions.
The steam cloud expanded, growing ever larger, as wave after wave of steam giants detonated within.
Scorching shockwaves rippled outward from a thousand meters above, the chain of explosions lasting for minutes on end.
Even distant islands felt the sudden, unnatural heat.
"What's going on?"
"It's so hot all of a sudden…"
"Yeah, you feel it too?"
"Something's not right…"
Over Garnor Island, the sky was blotted out by the enormous white steam mass.
Hale Nock reformed, panting, his gaze fixed on the several-meter-wide magma ball at the center of the steam. A flicker of retreat flashed in his eyes.
He was out of options.
This wasn't the kind of fight that dragged on for days and nights. This was a battle of all-out, explosive power.
If even his ultimate move couldn't finish it, what hope did he have?
Perilous Steam Slaughter—devastating in large-scale war, a slaughterhouse for armies. But against a single monster like this…
It was useless.
With a blast of compressed steam at his feet, Hale Nock made his decision—retreat.
A piercing whistle of steam echoed across the sky as he rocketed away.
But behind him, the magma ball erupted—scorching magma and concussive force trailing in its wake.
The pitch-black magma sphere, coated in Armament Haki, shot after him like a meteor.
Moments later—
Hale Nock's Observation Haki screamed a warning as the magma meteor closed in. His eyes widened in panic, and he tried to accelerate—but it was too late.
Dozens of steam shields materialized behind him, but the meteor smashed through them like paper.
In his terrified gaze, the blackened meteor crashed into his back—
CRACK—!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?
🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?
✍️ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?
✨patreon.com/GoldenLongCRACK—!