"Impossible?!"
"Could that legend… actually be real?!"
The moment that thought crossed her mind, disbelief flashed across Big Mom's face.
But in the very next second, Luffy—now transformed into a living rocket—had already arrived right in front of her.
"Nika, huh…"
Big Mom murmured softly, yet her hands suddenly erupted with dazzling lightning and blazing flames.
At the same time, a calculating glint shone in her eyes.
"If he truly is that Nika from the giants' legends… then capturing this brat might allow me to reestablish ties with the giants?!"
As a veteran Yonko, Big Mom had never once considered the possibility of defeat!
Even if her opponent wielded the power of the legendary hero from Elbaf!
"Don't get too arrogant, Straw Hat brat!!!"
Staring at the onrushing Luffy, Big Mom let out a piercing roar. She raised Zeus and Prometheus high above her head and swung them forward with overwhelming force.
In an instant, endless lightning and flames intertwined, forming a gigantic blazing sword. The intense light dyed the sky in interwoven shades of blue and crimson.
At that very moment, Big Mom's Conqueror's Haki erupted like a volcanic explosion, surging endlessly and condensing into the thunder-flame greatsword in her hands!
"Elbaf Spear · Ikoku Sovereignty!!!"
Big Mom tore at her throat as she unleashed a thunderous roar.
She lifted the massive sword high and viciously cleaved down toward Luffy, who was charging at her like a missile.
In that instant, the world itself seemed to darken.
Countless black lightning bolts tore through the void, filling the space around Big Mom and Luffy.
The sky flickered between light and shadow.
Even Luffy—still in rocket form—finally showed a hint of confusion, shock flashing across his face.
"So this… is the combat power of a Yonko?!"
Luffy pondered silently.
Without merging with the will of Nika, even in Nika form, he could still think clearly and freely.
BOOM!!!
A terrifying shockwave exploded outward like a world-ending tsunami.
Every living being on Whole Cake Island felt the impact, a testament to just how horrifying the clash between the two truly was.
The confrontation between Luffy and Big Mom didn't last long.
A few seconds later, pain flashed across Luffy's face.
The next instant, under Big Mom's full-powered strike, Luffy was forced back into his human form and slammed violently into the mountains behind him by the overwhelming force.
RUMBLE—RUMBLE—RUMBLE…
Whole Cake Island shook violently.
"Mother, did we win?!"
Seeing Big Mom knock Luffy away once again, her children watching from the upper levels of the island immediately lit up with joy.
After all, when Big Mom had been blown back earlier, they'd been worried sick.
Though they shared little in the way of genuine familial affection, the title of "Big Mom's child" alone was enough to let them thrive in Totto Land as figures above the rest.
If Big Mom were truly defeated, they would lose their greatest pillar of support.
But a single sentence from Perospero was like a bucket of ice water, dousing their hopes instantly.
"How could it end so easily?!"
"That guy isn't someone who goes down that easily!"
Despite his words, anxiety flickered in Perospero's eyes.
At this moment, more than anyone else, he desperately hoped Big Mom would win this battle.
Because just moments ago…
He had received an emergency call from one of his territories—Candy Island.
Candy Island was under attack by an unknown force.
And after making further inquiries, Perospero was horrified to discover…
Several other islands governed by his siblings were also being assaulted by mysterious attackers!
Counting them all, a total of thirty-four islands had been hit—none spared.
The only difference lay in the strength of the attacking forces.
Yet these attackers seemed to have thoroughly scouted Totto Land's military distribution—no island was able to withstand them.
Most crucially…
Because of the Tea Party, all island ministers were currently gathered on Whole Cake Island, unable to return to their territories in time.
At this point, if Perospero still couldn't guess who the attackers were, then his fifty-plus years of life would have truly been wasted.
Throughout Totto Land, the Territorial Sea Slugs formed a surveillance network that detected any unauthorized ships entering the waters.
Yet despite such an unprecedented large-scale assault, not a single alarm had sounded.
That meant only one thing…
The attackers weren't outsiders.
They were insiders—people who knew how to suppress Nen Wave BON!!!
All signs pointed to one conclusion in Perospero's mind:
The force attacking Totto Land was none other than the Straw Hat crew—the very same group that had suddenly turned on the Big Mom Pirates during the Tea Party!
"So they've been playing us from the very beginning?!"
"Damn bastards!"
Perospero cursed inwardly.
Thinking back on how they had scoured the seas, hunting rare ingredients to host a Tea Party welcoming the Straw Hat Pirates into Big Mom's ranks…
They looked like nothing more than clowns.
And yet…
Who could have imagined that someone would dare betray a Yonko crew?
Even if that someone was a crew whose bounties already surpassed those of the Yonko!
"Could it be… that they truly possess power worthy of those bounties?!"
Perospero, who had always believed the Straw Hat Pirates' massive bounties were merely punishment for unforgivable crimes, found his worldview completely overturned in less than an hour.
…
…
Meanwhile.
As Big Mom's crew wrestled with their own thoughts, Luffy had already emerged once more from the thick mountain wall.
Aside from slightly heavier breathing, there wasn't the slightest trace of exhaustion on his face.
It was clear—Big Mom's attack had dealt him almost no real damage.
It couldn't be helped.
The power of Nika completely transcended conventional Devil Fruit abilities.
To the top-tier warriors of the pirate world, it was nothing short of dimensional suppression!
"Heh~ You're pretty strong!"
Facing such a formidable opponent for the first time, an excited grin spread across Luffy's face.
Since entering Gear Fifth, it had been a long time since he'd felt this kind of "evenly matched" exhilaration!
Of course, that balance was only temporary.
Because stronger opponents also drew out even greater power from Luffy!
"The real fight starts now!"
Luffy's eyes sharpened. Without the goofy grin brought on by Nika's will, the white flames dancing behind him made him look cooler than ever.
Crackle—
Pitch-black lightning erupted around Luffy, releasing overwhelming pressure as it surged toward Big Mom.
His Conqueror's Haki was fully unleashed.
Since Big Mom had shown such sincerity, it was only polite for Luffy to respond in kind.
"Shish!"
Luffy stomped his feet hard against the ground, instantly turning the earth beneath him as soft and elastic as a waterbed.
Layered waves rippled through the ground toward Big Mom.
"Hm?!"
A flicker of confusion crossed Big Mom's face.
Though she couldn't understand this ability, given Luffy's strangeness, she immediately stepped on Zeus and flew high into the sky.
What she didn't expect, however…
Was that Luffy suddenly swung his fist—fully coated in Conqueror's Haki—and smashed it straight into the ground beneath him!
"Gum-Gum · Mole Pistol!!!"
Before Big Mom could react, a gigantic fist erupted from the earth beneath her feet, overflowing with immense Conqueror's Haki.
"What?!"
Big Mom's eyes widened in shock.
She hadn't expected Luffy—this time not even underground—to still be able to attack her in such a way.
Fortunately, she was already on guard.
"You think I'll fall for the same trick twice?!"
With a furious roar, Big Mom swung her thunder-flame greatsword once more, slashing straight at the massive earthen fist.
The blade cleaved it cleanly in half.
Even wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, it couldn't survive a second against Big Mom's full power.
But upon hearing her words, Luffy broke into a wide grin.
The next instant, boundless Armament Haki surged from his body, replacing the Conqueror's coating on his fists.
Smiling broadly, Luffy shouted:
"Who said it was the same move?!"
In the next moment, he flung both arms far behind him.
Under the effect of "fist inertia," his entire body shot upward, parallel to the ground.
Luffy roared:
"Gum-Gum · Mole Pistol—"
"Infinite Gatling!!!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!
Once again, Luffy unleashed his classic technique—Gum-Gum Gatling!
But in Gear Fifth, instead of punching his opponent directly, he slammed his fists violently into the already rubberized ground beneath him.
"Oh no!"
Big Mom's expression changed drastically as she instantly realized what was coming.
She stomped hard on Zeus's head, commanding the Homie to fly even higher.
But moments earlier, she had descended too close to the ground to counter Luffy's Mole Pistol.
Now, escaping in time was far from easy.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—
As expected.
Before Big Mom could fully ascend, hundreds—thousands—of massive fists erupted from the surging ground.
Each was wrapped in jet-black Armament Haki, an awe-inspiring sight.
BAM!
One of the pitch-black fists smashed directly into Zeus beneath Big Mom's feet.
Armament Haki alone couldn't kill Zeus, a being born of natural elements.
But Luffy's Haki was anything but ordinary!
"Ugh… M-Mama…"
Struck head-on, Zeus looked as if his throat had been seized. His body distorted violently, stretching like rubber.
Yet before the impact could even finish, countless fists surrounded Big Mom and her Homies from all directions.
Under their horrified gazes, the fists fell one after another like a preprogrammed barrage, relentlessly pounding Big Mom's body.
Big Mom—known as the "Iron Balloon"—now looked like an actual balloon under Luffy's Nika-powered blows…
A balloon being ruthlessly kneaded!!!
Under the storm of punches, Big Mom's massive body was sent flying absurdly high into the sky—until she vanished from sight altogether.
Having done all this, Luffy placed a hand above his eyes like a baseball player who'd just hit a home run, squinting as he looked into the heavens.
"I can't believe I can actually do something like this!"
He exclaimed in amazement.
Meanwhile, Big Mom—completely dazed by the barrage—slowly regained consciousness.
But when her awareness returned and her vision focused, she was stunned to discover…
She had arrived in a weightless expanse of star-filled space!
Beneath her feet was a gigantic blue planet she had never seen before.
"W-Where… is this place?!"
Despite her immense strength, the illiterate Big Mom blinked in utter confusion.
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly rang out behind her:
"As expected!"
"As long as I want to do it, I really can do anything!"
Luffy—once again transformed into a massive rocket—hovered behind her, his face filled with excitement, novelty, and astonishment as he grinned ear to ear.
(End of Chapter)