Sanji, as if processing inferior ingredients in a kitchen, delivered each kick with the clear sound of cracking bone and the enemy's muffled groans.
One after another, pirates were cleanly and decisively kicked away by him, arcing through the air before crashing heavily into the sea.
"Is this all you've got, daring to disturb the ladies' peace? You're nothing but a bunch of clueless bugs!"
However, the allure of Pluton was like a fatal poison, driving these pirates completely mad.
They seemed oblivious to the fate of their comrades, and more ships, like sharks smelling blood, relentlessly closed in, even attempting to throw grappling hooks to forcibly board the ship!
Roars, cannon fire, and shouts intertwined, and the sea surface completely boiled over.
"For Pluton! Charge!"
"Whoever gets it will be the ruler of the world!"
"This is... endless!" Nami frowned, looking at the increasingly chaotic situation before her.
She took a deep breath, raised her right hand high above her head, and her whole body began to burst with dazzling electrical light, emitting a heart-stopping crackling sound.
"Since you want it so badly... then feel the wrath of a 'God' with your own bodies!" Her voice carried a hint of coldness, "Descent of Ten Thousand Thunders!"
Rumble—!
In an instant, the previously clear sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds, and thick lightning dragons crashed down like divine punishment!
Blinding white light instantly engulfed several pirate ships, and violent currents frantically jumped and tore between the pirates and their vessels!
"Ahhhhh—!"
Piercing screams rose and fell, and a peculiar smell of burnt protein instantly permeated the air.
The pirates, who had just been so ferocious, were now completely blackened, their hair standing on end, emitting wisps of smoke, and they plunged into the sea with splashing sounds, like dumplings, losing all signs of life.
The sea surface suddenly fell into a dead silence, with only a few remnants floating in the waves, proving the madness of the recent attack.
Nami let out a soft hmph, smoothing her hair that had been ruffled by the sea breeze: "Finally, some peace."
Around the pluto battleship, a brief, lightning-purified tranquility temporarily settled.
The lingering aftermath of the recent battle had not yet completely subsided, and the people on the deck looked at the floating, charred debris on the sea, which still occasionally shot out a tiny spark or two, and couldn't help but swallow collectively.
Usopp, holding his trembling knees, exclaimed with a quavering voice, "Al...although I've seen it many times...every time I see it, it's super terrifying! Nami, your lightning is simply a crowd-clearing artifact!"
"That's right, that's right!" Chopper's eyes sparkled as he hugged Nami's leg, both scared and adoring, "It's even more amazing than my Monster Point! It solved everything in an instant!"
Even Zoro raised an eyebrow, sheathing his sword, and unusually commented, "In terms of speed for clearing out small fry, besides Captain's unreasonable Haoshoku, no one can compare to you, Navigator."
Sanji immediately spun and approached Nami, his eyes turning into hearts: "Miss Nami~ Every one of your lightning strikes is so elegant and powerful! You are the goddess of thunder who illuminates our path!"
Nami gave a somewhat smug hmph, tossing her orange hair: "Good that you know how powerful I am! Next time, think carefully before you try to slack off, okay?"
In this somewhat relaxed atmosphere, the pluto battleship continued to cut through the waves.
However, the weather on the Grand Line is unpredictable; it changes in an instant.
The horizon ahead was rapidly swallowed by dense dark clouds, the wind began to howl, and huge waves, like mountains, rolled in layer after layer—a fierce storm descended without warning!
In an instant, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and torrential rain poured down, drastically reducing visibility.
If it were an ordinary ship, it would probably have capsized and disintegrated under such terrifying natural power long ago.
But the pluto battleship displayed its astonishing performance as an ancient weapon.
The massive hull remained incredibly stable amidst the strong winds and giant waves, as if sailing on a calm lake; waves powerful enough to overturn giant ships crashed against its hull, only to helplessly turn into scattered white foam.
"So... so stable!" Chopper, who had originally covered his eyes in fear, found that the ship barely swayed violently at all, and couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise.
"Super—stable!" Franky excitedly slapped the ship's side, "Is this the power of Pluton!"
This unprecedented stability allowed them the unique experience of "admiring" the scenery in a raging storm.
Everyone gathered at the relatively sheltered hatch or looked out through the reinforced glass windows at the scene outside:
Dragon-like lightning snaked down from the dark clouds, huge whirlpools formed on the sea surface only to be broken by even larger waves, rain furiously washed the deck—everything was filled with destructive natural power, inspiring awe.
However, just as the might of heaven and earth was at its most rampant, the keen-eyed Robin suddenly frowned slightly and raised her hand, pointing towards the densest part of the storm:
"Everyone, look over there... don't those things flying in the storm seem a bit off?"
Everyone followed her refer to direction and gazed intently.
In the gaps between the downpour and lightning, several blurry black dots were vaguely visible, piercing through the gale and torrential rain in a very unnatural way, rapidly approaching them!
Those were definitely not seabirds, nor were they blown-away debris; they were more like purposeful... flying objects!
"What are those things?!" Luffy pressed down his straw hat, stretched his neck, and a look of extreme curiosity appeared on his face.
Just as everyone was looking on with doubt and surprise, those black dots became clearer and clearer in the violent wind and rain, stubbornly piercing through the thunderstorm and steadily hovering in the sky, while the pluto battleship, relying on its unshakeable stability, slowly sailed out of the most violent area of the storm.
When the ship's hull completely broke free from the entanglement of dark clouds and torrential rain, and the warm sunlight once again spilled onto the deck, the sight before them made everyone gasp and instantly hold their breath!
Before them, in the clear blue sky, a massive island majestically floated!
Below the island were jagged broken rocks, as if it had been violently torn from the earth by some terrible force and lifted into the air.
Soil, trees, and even architectural debris were clearly visible; it floated there, defying all logic, tens of thousands of meters high, casting a vast, suffocating shadow.
And even more astonishingly, in front of that floating island, a powerful golden figure stood in mid-air!