"Michael?"
"That's right, it's me." Michael floated in midair, looking at Kaido—the strongest creature—who had transformed into a massive azure dragon before him. "Speaking of which… this should be our first time meeting, right?"
"I'm quite surprised myself…" Kaido's enormous dragon head looked especially ferocious. "I never expected someone I had never even met to repeatedly disrupt my plans—so much so that even my daughter and my adopted children have left my side…"
"I must reiterate, Yamato, Ulti, and Page One have absolutely nothing to do with me." Michael shook his head, the smile on his face tinged with mockery. "Sometimes, as a father, you really ought to reflect on whether you even deserve that title."
"Reflect? No, no, no. All I need to do is rip off those smug angel wings behind you and then take Yamato back with my own hands."
"Oh? So that's what you're thinking?" Michael blinked. "Looks like after hiding and accumulating strength for so long, you must have prepared quite a few trump cards… otherwise, how would you dare to speak to me like this?"
"Trump cards are nothing more than chips one uses when fighting to the death…"
"How about we change locations?" Michael pointed toward Onigashima in the distance. "You once ruled Wano there… seems like a fitting place to become your burial ground."
"Burial?" Kaido sneered. "I don't think so…"
"Trust me, I've even prepared a huge surprise for you."
...
"To be honest, are young people today really only at this level?"
Red the Aloof let out a sigh, turned his body, and once again evaded Enel's "30 Million Volt—Thunder Beast."
He then shook his head, looking at the four Logia users before him with some disappointment in his eyes.
"Hey, who the hell is this half-old-looking guy?" Smoker wrapped himself in smoke while clearing out the small fry, shouting to the others, "Isn't his strength a bit too ridiculous?"
"I think I heard Garp-sensei mention a name before." Stella transformed into a cloud of calamity—lightning and ice crossing over one another, covering a huge portion of the battlefield.
"Baroric Redfield, also known as Red the Aloof… a figure from the same era as Roger and Whitebeard. A solitary man, but one who could stand on the same level as Roger and Golden Lion."
"But according to Garp, this guy wasn't strong enough to leave a lasting name in history." Crocodile's eyes were fixed on Red the Aloof, ready to strike with a sneak attack at any time.
"That old man Garp wasn't bullshitting, was he?" Enel's face remained calm, but his eyes were filled with wariness. "No matter how you look at it, this old guy is way too strong!"
"So you're Garp's subordinates or students?" Red the Aloof swung his umbrella-sword again, forcing back the lightning-transformed Enel.
"Even I must admit—Garp's evaluation of me was very accurate… at least, that's how I truly was back then."
"Just witnessing Roger and Whitebeard in their prime crushed my spirit so badly that I willingly hid myself away in Impel Down to end my days…"
"Is there anyone in the world more cowardly than me?" Red the Aloof laughed wildly. "Hahahaha! Yet Garp still acknowledged my strength! Otherwise… do you think that old fossil would bother mentioning my name to you?"
"Desert Spada!" Crocodile growled.
Sand turned into blades that slashed toward Red the Aloof—but were blocked by the umbrella he used as a sword.
"You are indeed strong."
"But what use is strength… when you're alone?"
"Your fleet has already fallen into disarray under our destruction."
Crocodile shoved both hands into his pockets, his golden hook suspended at his side by a stream of shifting sand—like a scorpion's raised stinger.
"Hmph. I must admit, Logia fruits truly have their power infinitely amplified on a battlefield like this… but just as the four of you support each other, I didn't come alone either."
Red the Aloof finished speaking, then unleashed two more flying slashes. Taking advantage of the four Logias blocking or dodging, he dove downward toward the pirate ship below.
"You've shown me the power of Logias…"
"So, in return…"
"We'll show you the power of Paramecia Devil Fruits!"
As his voice fell, the pirate ship exploded.
A gigantic mechanical platform was revealed.
Powered by some unknown mechanism, it floated upon the sea.
Standing atop this platform were two men.
Douglas Bullet.
Byrnndi World.
"Hey, you're the one people call the World Destroyer… let me see the limits of your fruit!"
"And you—so-called 'demon's heir'—just how terrifying of a monster can you become?"
The two men exchanged a smile.
Then—
"Medium Bullet—activate!"
With a shout, strange matter flowed from Bullet's body.
In an instant, it swallowed the entire platform.
Moments later, a fusion robot over ten meters tall appeared before everyone.
Inside the robot, World's voice echoed.
"Multiplication! Tenfold!"
The instant the words sounded, the fusion robot rapidly grew.
From just over ten meters, it surged to more than one hundred meters tall.
Large enough to stare the four Logias in the eye.
Under the eerie matter secreted by the Clank-Clank Fruit, the massive robot even showed a faint smile.
"Round two… begins."
"Marines."
...
"Holy crap! What the hell is that thing?"
Shu thrust out his hand, knocking down the pirates around him.
All the blades, bullets, and weapons near him rusted into flaky iron dust before even touching him…
Having awakened the Rust-Rust Fruit, he now completely ignored most materials capable of decaying—unless they were sealed entirely in Armament Haki.
"That's Douglas Bullet's Clank-Clank Fruit…" Hina was continually conjuring massive black spears from thin air, piercing distant pirate ships like hedgehogs. "Hina once read about the Clank-Clank Fruit… if nothing goes wrong, this Paramecia is powerful enough to cause a natural disaster!"
"I wanna know what fruit could multiply Bullet like that!" Marigold hefted her massive hammer, cheeks flushed as she stared into the distance. "I really wanna see who's stronger—him or me!"
"You should sit this one out…" Sandersonia wiped the fresh blood from her dagger. "I'm done here. Now all that's left is… Hawk Eyes."
"That man… is interesting enough."
Hawk Eyes' voice rang out, accompanied by the clash of metal.
It was the sound of Moria's massive blade striking against the black blade Yoru.
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Fanfic is finished. 583 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg