Two supreme slashes, worthy of standing at the pinnacle of the world, collided and exploded in the skies above Whole Cake Island!
The overwhelming Conqueror's Haki of Rayleigh, Roger, and Harald burst forth at once. In that instant, the clouds tens of thousands of meters high seemed to have been struck by a nuclear blast, violently blown apart into a massive hollow!
Immediately after, the frozen sea created by Valthior cracked and shattered. Thick layers of ice broke apart one after another, merging with the surging currents below and turning into a chaotic ice flood.
The ground of Whole Cake Island itself seemed unable to withstand the overwhelming force. Layers of earth rose and fell, rocks tumbled, the island trembled violently, and black lightning screeched everywhere.
Aboard the Oro Jackson, Spencer's eyes rolled back as he dropped to one knee, gripping the mast with one hand while gritting his teeth.
"This… this is… what a terrifying... Conqueror's Haki..."
He was nearly knocked unconscious on the spot. As for Doringo, Shanks, Buggy, and the others, they couldn't resist this force at all—they had already collapsed on the deck, completely unconscious.
Bullet grabbed Shanks and Buggy in both hands and tried to run toward the cabin, but in the end, even he couldn't withstand the crushing pressure. His footing slipped, foam spilled from his mouth, and he collapsed right at the cabin entrance.
On Whole Cake Island, every member of the Big Mom Pirates had fainted—even Katakuri was no exception.
On the other hand, Sommers and the others standing on Harald's shoulder were shielded from most of the Haki by Harald himself, so they didn't lose consciousness.
To be fair, that guy Garling might act like dead weight sometimes, but he did have some real strength—at least far stronger than Spencer. Even after being cut into two halves, he remained conscious under the clash of Conqueror's Haki, though his eyes were filled with disbelief as he stared at the three figures clashing in the sky.
With that single, ferocious exchange, Roger, Rayleigh, and Harald had effectively cleared the battlefield of Whole Cake Island. No bystanders were even qualified to watch their fight!
Near the ruins of the castle, Gaban raised his axe with his left hand, resisting the wave-like surges of Conqueror's Haki spreading outward. His expression was grim.
"So this is the King of the Giants? His strength is truly terrifying…"
Not far away, Valthior remained much calmer. A massive skeletal frame encased and protected him, as if the Haki had no effect at all. A look of excitement spread across his face.
"Since Rocks died, Harald is clearly the strongest man on these seas. Incredible… truly incredible!"
Charlotte Linlin gazed at Harald with a mesmerized expression, letting the aftershocks of Haki whip through her flowing pink hair as she muttered:
"This… is the power of Elbaf. The power that bastard Rocks was obsessed with… If I could obtain it, who on the seas could stand in my way?"
For a fleeting moment, Charlotte Linlin even felt the urge to propose marriage to Harald.
But deep down, she knew it was impossible.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. The clash of Haki between the two sides tore through the heavens and the earth, but after only a brief stalemate, it exploded once more, transforming into raging currents that spread outward in a circular shockwave, affecting nearly the entire sea.
Neither side gained the upper hand from that exchange!
With a thunderous boom, Harald landed heavily on Whole Cake Island. His enormous body caused the already shattered ground to crack further with spiderweb fractures. The moment his feet touched down, he spun swiftly, his greatsword sweeping horizontally toward Roger and Rayleigh.
Roger and Rayleigh reacted instantly. Neither chose to block the sweeping strike. Instead, they split high and low, letting the blade pass between them before charging straight at Harald.
At the same time, not wanting to hold Harald back, Sommers and the other two quickly leapt away from his shoulder.
Sommers landed beside Garling and reattached his upper and lower halves. Garling's injuries healed rapidly as a result.
"Why didn't you attack with me just now!?" Garling asked, his expression full of resentment.
Sommers had already prepared his excuse.
"You were too fast—I couldn't react in time. Next time for sure!"
"I've got a bad feeling… this isn't a fight we can take part in…" Maffey muttered, a cigar clenched between his teeth as he struggled against the overwhelming tide of Haki.
Gunko, however, remained calm.
"Sommers, go construct the Pentagram formation. Be ready at any moment for the arrival of the Five Elders.
After a brief pause, she continued:
"The rest of you, come with me and help Harald gain the advantage. It's obvious—if Harald wins here, victory will be ours!"
Not gonna lie—Gunko might not talk much usually, but when it counts, she sees things clearly.
Whether Valthior and Gaban win or lose against Charlotte Linlin doesn't really matter. On the contrary, if they can help Harald gain even a slight advantage—and then quickly expand it to defeat Rayleigh and Roger—then the tide of this war will tilt in their favor!
Once Harald is free to act, no one can stand against him!
Besides, their objective from the very beginning was to crush the Roger Pirates. And as the captain, Roger is naturally the primary target!
Before anyone else could respond, Gunko flicked out an arrowhead from her hand, shooting it rapidly toward the battlefield as her figure flashed forward.
Garling stood up and followed without hesitation.
"In that case, let's kill that bastard Rayleigh first!"
If it weren't for his pride, he would've already begged—please, I'm begging you, just kill Rayleigh first, alright!?
Maffey clenched her cigar, her expression full of helplessness.
"You guys are way too confident… ah, whatever. I'll go crazy with you just this once!"
The moment her words fell, she opened her mouth and fired a laser beam toward the battlefield. At the same time, her body slid forward, chasing after Garling and Gunko.
Sommers smacked his lips, black smoke flickering beneath his feet as he began constructing the pentagram formation.
Logically speaking, Gunko and the others weren't strong enough to take part in a fight at Roger's level. But the problem was—the Holy Knights possessed near-immortality. Once they charged in, they completely ignored Harald's attacks and focused only on harassing Roger and Rayleigh, tying them down.
And clearly, Harald had already been given permission before the battle. His attacks were wide and unrestrained, showing no concern for the Holy Knights at all. With a single slash, he cut off Maffey's arm, his blade grazing past Rayleigh's sword in the same motion. Immediately after, Gunko lunged at Rayleigh, her arrowhead trying to forcibly manipulate the direction of his attack.
This reckless, life-risking style of entanglement actually produced immediate results. With these few interfering, the flawless coordination between Rayleigh and Roger began to crack. Seizing the opportunity, Harald launched a fierce assault directly at Rayleigh, forcing him into a desperate and disheveled state.
Roger moved to support from the side, but in the short term, he couldn't turn the situation around.
Just like that, the battle began shifting in favor of Harald and the Holy Knights.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Valthior and Gaban were suppressing Charlotte Linlin. Even working together, they still held an overwhelming advantage over her. But it had to be said—her nickname "Iron Balloon" wasn't for nothing. Her defensive power was absurdly strong, and with the home-field advantage, she had access to massive amounts of soul power, constantly healing her injuries.
For the time being, even Valthior and Gaban couldn't bring her down.
After several exchanges that left Charlotte Linlin heavily wounded, both Valthior and Gaban noticed the shift happening on Roger's side.
The two exchanged a glance, and Valthior spoke first:
"Gaban-senpai, I'll leave Linlin to you. I'm going to go deal with my 'blood-relatives.'"
"Got it!" Gaban replied immediately.
Valthior didn't waste another second. With a powerful push off the ground, his Susanoo-cloaked form surged toward the other battlefield.
Sommers, who had just finished constructing the pentagram formation, immediately noticed his movement. As he stepped forward to intercept, he raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, hey, Valthior… this is the perfect time to switch sides. If you join us and deal with the Roger Pirates—"
Before he could finish, Valthior's Susanoo raised its axe and brought it down toward him in a crushing strike.
"Sorry, Sommers. I've got no plans to end my pirate game just yet!"
...
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