Loki snorted coldly and said, "You can try."
With that, he let out a roar, his body heating up rapidly until it turned into a radiant crimson-gold hue. Joy Boy yelped, hastily withdrawing his fist from the searing heat.
Even with the protection of white vapor and Haki, the skin on his hand was visibly burned red, wisps of black smoke curling from his fingers.
Loki glared at Joy Boy and roared again, "I am the sun!!!"
Boom!!!
An overwhelming blaze erupted from Loki's body, engulfing him in a deep-red fireball, making him look like a miniature sun.
Fortunately, Dorry and Brogy were well aware of Loki's abilities. The moment the battle began, they had already led the giants and the Mink Tribe away to avoid being caught in the devastation.
Even so, the intense heat made them all unbearably uncomfortable. The Minks, covered in fur, suffered the worst—many of them already showed signs of their fur spontaneously igniting.
The Apollo Fruit's abilities alone seemed to combine elements of the Flame-Flame Fruit and the Heat-Heat Fruit. Moreover, as a Mythical Zoan, it provided far greater physical enhancements than a standard Zoan. Given that Loki was a giant, the amplification of his strength reached a terrifying level.
So much for the idea that "there are no useless Devil Fruits." Like humans, Devil Fruits were born unequal. Some were destined to be at the top the moment they appeared.
...
Faced with Loki's sudden explosion of power, Joy Boy chose to temporarily retreat. He pushed off the elastic ground, leaping backward at high speed.
As he landed, the crimson fireball enveloping Loki gradually separated from him. Raising his arms, Loki held the burning sphere high above his head.
Joy Boy tilted his head and grinned. "Loki, are you surrendering with that pose?"
Enraged by the taunt, Loki's fury burned even hotter, his hair—a mass of golden flames—whipping wildly. The veins on his arms bulged, and the fireball in his hands began emitting an even more dazzling light. Everything in its glow was instantly vaporized.
Joy Boy furrowed his brows and clenched his fist. Instantly, the entire island radiated with white light.
At that moment, Loki burst into maniacal laughter and bellowed,
"Let everything be destroyed! Solar Flare!!!"
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!!!
The fireball exploded, scattering countless beams of destructive energy in all directions, indiscriminately attacking everything around it.
...
When the blinding light finally faded, an aerial view revealed only a vast expanse of white mist and the sound of seawater rushing back.
After a long while, the mist cleared completely, and the island—once shaped like a straw hat—was nowhere to be seen. It had been utterly evaporated by Loki's Solar Flare.
The sea continued to bubble, releasing steam, with the occasional scorched fish floating to the surface.
Suspended above the ocean, Loki's sun-marked body had dimmed significantly. He stared coldly at the boiling sea below before glancing to the side.
Joy Boy was floating there, casually holding his glowing white straw hat.
Placing it back on his head, Joy Boy grinned. "That was a close one."
...
Splash!
From the depths of the sea, the giants emerged, their bodies reddened by the heat. However, most of the damage had been mitigated by Joy Boy's abilities. The high-temperature water barely fazed their thick skin—at most, it was an uncomfortable experience.
For powerful warriors like Dorry and Brogy, it was nothing more than a hot bath.
The giants spread their arms, revealing the Minks they had protected in their embrace. Unlike the giants, the Minks couldn't withstand high temperatures, so they had been carefully shielded.
Seeing this, Loki's expression darkened. His ultimate attack had done nothing but evaporate seawater.
He had just been shouting about "destroying everything," and now he was the one humiliated.
Taking a deep breath, Loki ascended even higher. He had no intention of falling into the sea and losing his powers—he had had enough of that feeling.
Joy Boy didn't stop him, simply watching as Loki climbed higher before following suit.
But Loki had no intention of fighting honorably. Before Joy Boy could fully rise, Loki flashed forward, clasped his hands together, and smashed them down onto Joy Boy's head, sending him plummeting toward the ocean below.
Splash!
Giant-sized, Joy Boy crashed into the sea. Loki hadn't expected him to fall so easily—after all, both of them were Devil Fruit users. The first to touch the ocean lost.
Gazing down at the gradually calming sea, Loki scoffed.
"And this guy thinks he can overthrow the World Government? What a joke."
Then he glanced at the giants and sneered, "Look at your so-called Joy Boy. Not just anyone can be the Sun God!"
...
But none of the giants or Minks showed the slightest anger at his words. Instead, they looked at him with amused, mocking expressions, as if he were some kind of clown.
Loki's fury spiked. "What's with those looks?!"
Dorry and Brogy exchanged glances, then turned their heads upward to look at Loki.
"Idiot," they said in unison. "You're celebrating too soon."
Loki raised an eyebrow. "What?"
The moment he spoke, the calm sea suddenly erupted into towering waves. A massive hand emerged from the depths.
Loki's eyes widened in shock. "This is..."
Smack!
Before he could react, the enormous hand grabbed him, leaving only his head exposed.
Loki struggled wildly, his head thrashing as he roared, "Damn you, Joy Boy! Get out of the water! Stop with this nonsense!"
...
Splash!
A colossal figure slowly rose from the sea. Water dripped from Joy Boy's massive form, cascading down like waterfalls.
Seeing this, Loki was dumbfounded.
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+160 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg