The Battlefield of Unzan Port.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers clashed within the harbor city. The air was a cacophony of cannon fire, gunfire, desperate war cries, and the screech of grinding metal. Every few seconds, terrifying sword beams tore through the lines, and shockwaves from immense clashes swept across the field, obliterating anyone caught in the crossfire.
A Chess Soldier hacked the head off a Stone Statue Knight, only to be tackled a second later by a mechanical lion that ripped its head clean off. Nearby, a King Chess Soldier swung its blade, cleaving a five-meter-tall stone giant in half, before being pounced upon by a silver-clad demon descending from the sky.
Homies battled against animated constructs. Both were fearless soldiers who knew nothing of death, charging in endless waves until every last unit was dismantled.
"Get out of my way!"
With a furious roar, a massive sword beam erupted into the sky, nearly shearing the very air in two. It instantly bisected a dozen animated constructs hovering above; gargoyles, stone birds, and even a heavy metal griffon.
Boom, boom, boom, boom...
Debris rained down from the sky, kicking up a choking cloud of dust.
"Lion-headed, eagle-winged... a legendary griffon, is it? Truly, they've animated every freakish thing they could find!" Smoothie gripped her longsword, eyeing the griffon that lay in two pieces on the ground, still twitching. With a casual flick of her wrist, she lopped off its head.
Following this, Smoothie reached out with a massive hand, snatched a nearby pirate from the Chris Pirates, and squeezed. As the man's agonizing screams filled the air, she drained every drop of liquid from his body, absorbing it into her own until only a withered, husk-like corpse remained on the ground.
With every soul she drained, Smoothie's physical stature grew. Soon, ten shriveled corpses littered the battlefield, and Smoothie herself stood nearly ten meters tall, a towering titan of a woman.
"What kind of joke is this? What is that ability?"
"She's growing larger... is she even human?"
"That's Sweet Commander Smoothie! A monster with a bounty of 932 million berries. This isn't an opponent we can face!"
The surrounding pirates and soldiers of the Chris Pirates retreated in terror, their faces pale with shock. Only the animated constructs, lacking the capacity for fear, continued to charge at her, only to be effortlessly diced into piles of stone and scrap metal.
Suddenly, Smoothie felt the world grow dark. A massive shadow eclipsed the sunlight above her.
She looked up, her eyes widening in genuine surprise. Hovering over her was a black behemoth, a giant dragon some thirty to forty meters in length. Its body, black as refined metal, gleamed menacingly under the sun.
"A dragon?!"
The gust of wind kicked up by the creature's sheer size caught her off guard. It was an incredibly realistic metal sculpture; even without being animated, it was indistinguishable from a living beast. It was truly breathtaking.
ROAR—
The black dragon let out a deafening cry, diving straight down toward her, its dark, gaping maw snapping shut with intent to crush.
In a heartbeat, Smoothie's expression hardened. She held her sword with both hands and swung with all her might, unleashing a colossal, razor-sharp crescent of energy that seemed to cut the sky itself.
BOOM!
The massive blade of energy surged through the black dragon's body. The beast instantly lost all momentum, crashing from the sky like a falling mountain. Its heavy metal frame slammed into the earth, creating a massive crater, with fissures spiderwebbing outward for hundreds of meters.
As the dust settled, the forty-meter dragon lay in two clean halves, the cut surface as smooth as a mirror.
The ranks of the Chris Pirates fell into a stunned, deathly silence, eyes bulging in horror, while the Big Mom Pirates erupted in cheers.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the area nearby. Plumes of scorching fire and roiling black smoke shot into the sky, and the ground trembled violently. A tidal wave of earthen energy rippled outward; dozens of Chess Soldiers were tossed into the air like ragdolls, landing with such force that their bodies shattered upon impact.
"This is..."
Smoothie's face darkened, her gaze narrowing at the source of the blast. She remembered that sector; a unit of over three hundred Chess Soldiers had been stationed there. Now, all that remained was a charred crater over ten meters wide and the mangled, scorched remains of her troops.
"I've told you time and again not to drain just anyone's moisture. What if you happen to suck up someone with a terminal illness? That's going to be a real headache for you!"
A figure emerged from the settling dust, dressed in a sharp, light-blue three-piece suit. His blue hair was swept back, and his handsome features were every bit as striking as Cavendish's.
"Arlan..."
Smoothie's expression shifted as she locked eyes with the newcomer.
"Thank goodness! It's Arlan-sama!"
"Whoa! Long live!"
"I never imagined Arlan-sama would take to the field himself!"
The ranks of the Chris Pirates roared with jubilation, their morale skyrocketing at the sight of him. As the Vice-Captain of the Chris Pirates and the High Minister of the Clifford Kingdom, Arlan's presence acted like an adrenaline shot for their forces. Conversely, the Big Mom Pirates felt the weight of dread; their volcanic morale plummeted in an instant.
"Smoothie, you're so big now. I have to crane my neck to look at you, that's terrible for my posture," Arlan said, walking closer and looking up at the titan with a weary, nonchalant expression.
Smoothie's face turned stony. Damn it. We are enemies now. How am I supposed to answer that? Am I supposed to tell him I grew this big so he couldn't 'conquer' me?
Don't be ridiculous. I, Sweet Commander Smoothie, have never been conquered by you, even at my normal size!
An awkward silence settled over the battlefield. The two stood in a deadlock, enemies by duty, yet meeting on the field of war. Neither knew quite what to say.
After a long pause, Arlan spoke. "Come with me. The Big Mom Pirates cannot win this."
His tone was calm, yet it carried a strange, underlying concern.
Smoothie shuddered. She looked at him deeply for a moment before shaking her head. "I will never betray Mama. And I certainly won't betray my family!"
Her voice hardened as she glared at him. "Do your worst! I am the 14th daughter of the Charlotte family, the Sweet Commander with a bounty of 932 million berries, Charlotte Smoothie!!!"
A powerful pressure flared from her body, almost tangible, vibrating the air and kicking up a whirlwind that scattered the debris and dust at her feet.
Huuu…
Arlan let out a long, heavy breath. His gaze sharpened, and he lowered his voice. "Very well. Let's bring this fight to an end."
"Either I fall by your hand, or you fall by mine!"
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