The fighting began.
It had, after all, come to this point.
Actually, as of now, there was no conflict between the remnants of the Roger Pirates and Roa. They had never gotten in Roa's way. In fact, when Roa began his expansion in the New World, Shanks immediately took his Red-Haired Pirates and left that sea area without looking back, clearing the way for Roa.
But it couldn't be helped.
Roa had stated long ago that everyone in this world had to make a choice. Since these individuals chose to reject him, they chose to be his enemies. What more needed to be said to an enemy?
Almost the instant Roa said, "Let the fighting begin," four figures lunged directly at Roa.
Shanks, Rayleigh, Robin, and Hancock.
Rayleigh and Shanks' swords were wreathed in Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki. Robin and Hancock's long legs were wrapped in the same Haki.
As the four charged Roa, the Red-Haired Pirates' First Mate, Benn Beckman, had already drawn his gun and fired a shot at Roa.
Everyone's face held an expression of resolve. No matter how powerful Roa was, the combined strength of all of them might still be his match.
However, Roa was not alone either.
Just as Roa casually flicked away the incoming bullet—
"Oi, oi, oi, Rayleigh! What do you think you're doing to the Boss!"
A jet-black great axe slashed directly towards Rayleigh.
Rayleigh gritted his teeth slightly, instantly swinging his sword to meet the attack.
Boom!
The battle-axe and the sharp blade clashed in mid-air. The black lightning that burst forth made this already crumbling palace even more dilapidated.
Rayleigh's body stumbled back. He looked up, nearly gnashing his teeth at the axe-wielding man blocking his path. "Gaban! You bastard!"
"Hahahaha! Rayleigh! You're getting old!"
Gaban burst into laughter, swinging his great axe and charging Rayleigh again. "Now let me prove who the Second-in-Command of the Roger Pirates truly is!"
The King of the Pirates' left and right hands clashed at this moment.
Mr. Gaban!
Robin also gritted her teeth inwardly. Mr. Gaban was being controlled by that bastard Roa and was now forced to fight them!
But if we defeat Roa, will Mr. Gaban return to normal?
Thinking this, she accelerated her speed.
But someone was faster than her.
A bolt of lightning suddenly blocked Robin's path.
"100 Million Volts—Discharge."
Accompanying the lazy voice, brilliant lightning came straight at her.
Robin's pupils shrank. She didn't hesitate to deliver a powerful side kick with her right leg, which was wreathed in formidable two-color Haki.
The black lightning and the brilliant blue lightning intertwined, and a massive explosion roared forth.
The dilapidated palace finally shattered completely at this moment, and everyone began to plummet.
Hancock, who had been advancing side-by-side with Robin, subconsciously looked up.
Grandmother Nyon and Teacher Olvia are here too!
"Don't worry about us!"
The petite Gloriosa (Nyon) held Olvia, who was taller than her, and like a nimble monkey, she stepped on the falling palace fragments, leaping back and forth in the air.
"Now, focus on the fight!"
Gloriosa was practically gnashing her teeth. It had ultimately escalated to this point. That bastard Roa was simply bullying them with his power! What more was there to say? If he wanted to fight, they would fight!
"Roa!!"
Shanks stomped on a falling palace beam, launching himself directly towards Roa, who was standing on a Haki hand.
But, at that very moment—
"Hahahaha! What do you think you're doing to my most respected, most adored, most admired Boss!"
Two greatly extended arms whipped down from the sky like ropes, and both hands were clutching a jet-black war hammer. Blue lightning and black Haki lightning leaped across the hammer simultaneously.
Shanks abruptly turned his head, forced to redirect the strike that was meant for Roa.
"Divine Banishment!"
Black and red Conqueror's Haki lightning surged, and a massive Haki slash roared out, colliding violently with the descending hammer.
Boom!
Amidst a deafening roar that sounded like the sky itself was cracking, the massive war hammer was split by the strike and sent flying. Loki's enormous body also stumbled backward.
But similarly, Shanks, unable to gain leverage in the air, was violently slammed against the adjacent mountain wall, carving a huge hole in the solid rock.
However, the instant he fell, Shanks launched himself again, his blade aimed directly at Roa.
Roa raised an eyebrow slightly.
I can't see this guy's future.
Is this Observation Haki?
However, Observation Haki also has degrees of superiority.
Shanks' eyes widened slightly at this moment. Although Roa was right in front of him, he could not perceive Roa's presence!
As the two figures passed each other, Roa stretched out his hand. He casually brushed past the blade and grabbed Shanks' wrist.
Then, Roa flung the man in Loki's direction. "Go ahead and test your abilities thoroughly, Loki."
"I'd be delighted!"
Loki laughed heartily, his right hand gripping the war hammer swinging back powerfully. Utilizing the terrifying weight of the hammer, his right arm instantly swung out for several thousand meters, nearly slamming into the mountain wall on the other side of the basin.
"Gomu Gomu no Heavy Hammer!!"
Then, the right arm suddenly rebounded. Aided by the elasticity of rubber, and Loki's own massive strength, the war hammer, Iron Thunder, that he wielded now transformed into an unstoppable super siege cannon!
"Hmm, not bad."
Roa nodded slightly. This fellow had some brains; he had figured out the most common usage Luffy employed, just minutes after eating the fruit.
Faced with this attack, even the powerful Shanks' pupils constricted.
Then, in the next instant, he swung his sword heavily at the air.
The roaring Haki shockwave struck the air, causing it to violently burst, and simultaneously generated a recoil force.
This force allowed Shanks' body to shift upward, perfectly avoiding Loki's attack with almost impeccable timing.
The soaring hammer slammed heavily into the mountain wall behind him. The massive mountain wall offered no resistance whatsoever and was instantly punched through, leaving a hole tens of meters in diameter.
"What!"
Loki exclaimed in surprise.
Because Shanks had already landed on his arm and, using the rebound of his arm, was accelerating towards him.
Watching this scene, Roa found it slightly amusing.
Loki's body was a bit too large. The Giant Race naturally suffered from a disadvantage in reaction speed, and Loki extending his limbs made this disadvantage even more pronounced. If the opponent were ordinary, Loki, who had mastered Life Return, would handle it with ease.
But right now, Loki was facing Shanks, and a Mythical God, fully-armed Shanks, who was likely no less formidable than the Roger of old!
Shanks, leaping off Loki's arm, rose into the air. The blade wreathed in black and red lightning chopped down heavily in the next instant.
"Come on, bastard!"
Loki roared, throwing his head back. His neck immediately extended several hundred meters. Then, his jet-black head bounced back like a siege projectile. "Gomu Gomu no Headbutt!"
Boom!!
The black lightning that shot into the sky once again shattered the void with a massive explosion, causing the entire Amazon Lily (Nine Snake Island) to tremble slightly.
Shanks was immediately jolted and sent flying upward, soaring obliquely into the sky.
But at the same time, Loki was knocked down by Shanks' single strike, crashing to the ground. The earth cracked beneath his large backside.
Just as he was dizzy, the arm gripping the war hammer finally rebounded. Loki subconsciously looked up, and the war hammer slammed heavily into his face.
"Waaah!"
Accompanied by a shriek, Loki was sent flying by his own hammer.
"Hahahaha!"
Roa couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight. It seemed he was still somewhat unaccustomed to his newly acquired abilities.
"Roa!"
Just then, a figure launched toward him with an angry shout.
It was Hancock.
The world's most beautiful woman's face was etched with obvious fury, as she delivered a cavalry flying kick toward Roa.
"Boss!"
On the ground, Colon looked up, seeing this. Anxiously, he was about to jump up to provide support when Bege grabbed his arm.
"Idiot! Don't do anything stupid!"
Bege said with a hint of gravity. "You don't think this woman can scratch a hair on the Boss, do you?"
"That may be true, but we can't just stand by and watch Big Sister Hancock attack the Boss!" the hot-blooded young Fish-man said.
"Fool!"
Bege lowered his voice. "It doesn't matter what anyone else does, but for a great beauty like this, just let the Boss play with her himself!"
"Why though!"
Colon seemed to have completely failed to inherit the romantic tendencies of his self-proclaimed "Apostle of Love" father, looking utterly bewildered.
But someone understood.
Enel, who was constantly turning into lightning to kite Robin, narrowed his eyes.
Hiss, is that it?
Did I do something stupid?
Not good, I need to make amends quickly!
Thinking this, Enel transformed into lightning again, instantly flashing in front of the Red-Haired Pirates.
"Yeah hahahaha! Scum, are you ready to die?"
"Watch out!"
First Mate Benn Beckman's voice was strained. "This guy is a Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit user. He's tough to deal with!"
Although he was merely a cadre under Roa with a relatively low presence. That was only because too many monsters were gathered around Roa. It didn't mean this guy wasn't strong!
"Does 'watch out' even help?"
Enel's lips curled up.
"I'll help you, Enel!!"
Just then, Bege, who decisively left Roa's side and transformed into a giant castle-man, arrived with heavy footsteps.
Not only that, but the giant steel ship in the sky was also lowering its altitude.
Figures darted down from the ship's deck. They were several Disaster Knights, a dozen Devil Giants, and some Mink Tribe assassins.
The area beneath the mountain wall had completely devolved into a chaotic battlefield.
A moment earlier.
"Roa!"
Roa turned his head, meeting a long, beautiful leg. The right foot, wreathed in formidable two-color Haki, was aimed straight at Roa's face.
"This face of mine is a treasure of the world, you know."
Roa raised his hand.
A massive, jet-black Haki hand instantly materialized, grasping Hancock completely.
"What!"
The peerless beauty's expression abruptly changed.
I can't move!
Can Haki actually be used this way?
And the intensity is this high!
The Haki hand pulled Hancock closer to Roa. Roa raised his hand, and under Hancock's almost fire-spitting gaze, he gently stroked her left cheek. "Humans are such superficial creatures, aren't they? Even I can't be an exception."
"If it were anyone else who dared to attack me, I would have crushed them into a meat paste by now."
"But, looking at you right now, I only feel my heart quicken."
"Be grateful for that magnificent face of yours, Hancock."
"Take your filthy hand off me!"
Hancock, who had never touched a man, felt a blaze of anger, wishing she could kick Roa to death.
"Oh!"
Roa's eyes lit up. "Keep it up, Hancock. I like that look of disdain and revulsion very much."
That Kalifa wouldn't dare show a disgusted look in front of me anymore.
She's just a plain, unremarkable black-stockinged older sister now.
Thankfully, there is a successor!
"You dirty pervert!!"
Even as he was being insulted, Roa did not forget to observe the battle below.
Rayleigh and Gaban were trading blows. It must be said that Gaban held the absolute advantage, having already beaten Rayleigh until he was drenched in sweat. There was no helping it; their strength was very close in their prime, Rayleigh perhaps slightly stronger, but only marginally. But now, Rayleigh was old and frail, while Gaban, having been enhanced by Roa, was virtually back to his peak. A significant difference in strength existed between them.
However, on the other side, Loki, still unfamiliar with his abilities, was being put through the wringer by Shanks. Even with Life Return to compensate for the sluggishness brought on by his massive size, facing Shanks, who had foresight and Observation Haki, Loki was indeed a little too slow.
Shanks had already left quite a few cuts on his body. At this rate, defeat was only a matter of time. He was still too young; by human standards, he was still under twenty years old.
"Damn it!"
After being slashed on the back again by Shanks, Loki shouted in frustration. "This fruit is completely useless!"
Only being able to stretch his body made him an easier target for agility experts like Shanks.
"If you feel too slow, why don't you try turning your body into a pump to accelerate the blood flow, thus increasing your body's speed?" Roa said with a smile.
Although he didn't understand why accelerating blood flow would increase one's speed, one should never question the logic of anime. The principle of Gear Second was precisely this.
"Huh? Blood acceleration? How can my blood vessels withstand that kind of pressure—"
Loki suddenly paused. "Oh right! I'm a rubber man now!"
Thus, in the next instant, Loki's skin instantly began to turn red, and white steam started to rise from his skin's surface.
"Oh?"
Roa chuckled. "Life Return is coming in very handy now."
Luffy needed to use his hand or foot as a pump to accelerate blood flow to activate Gear Second. But Loki, who could use Life Return, didn't need to. A single thought was enough.
"Oh, oh! I feel so strong now!" Loki suddenly shouted with laughter.
Shanks, observing from afar, slightly frowned. Roa, why does he seem so familiar with this fruit?
"Now,"
Loki grinned at Shanks. "Maybe I can use this!"
Whoosh!
In the next moment, his massive body vanished instantly.
Shanks' pupils suddenly constricted.
So fast!
Boom!
The giant war hammer slammed down violently. Shanks could only leap up, swinging his sword to meet the attack.
Boom!!
The massive explosion of black lightning surging into the sky caused the entire Amazon Lily to tremble ceaselessly.
Shanks was immediately sent crashing to the earth by the strike, carving an immense hole in the ground.
At the same time, the staggering Loki bounced back. With a body so massive, he was now seemingly stepping on air, constantly soaring higher into the sky.
"Hahahaha! Not just Soru, I can use Geppo too!"
Although his strength was immense, his body size should normally prevent him from using these two techniques. But now, he could!
Thunder erupted on the war hammer. Loki descended towards the ground like a meteorite.
Boom!
The war hammer slammed heavily into the earth. The ground instantly cracked, and lightning surged from cracks in all directions. In the next moment, everything within several thousand meters was utterly pulverized.
Mountainsides collapsed, buildings shattered, and the unlucky people nearby who hadn't evacuated in time were instantly swallowed.
"Bastard!!"
Gloriosa, watching the battle tensely from the top of the mountain wall, was nearly weeping blood.
"Hahahaha!"
Loki roared with laughter. "What a perfect ability for me!!"
Paired with Life Return, his speed was a massive step up from before!
"Not only that,"
Roa said, looking at the laughing Loki with interest. "You could also try inflating your bones with air to expand your body, or inflating your muscles to increase your strength."
"Oh! I can do that too!"
Loki's eyes immediately lit up. "Boss, you're a genius!"
As he spoke, he took a deep breath. A massive amount of air was sucked into his stomach, which instantly swelled into a sphere several hundred meters in size.
Then, Life Return activated again. The air in his stomach instantly shifted to his left arm.
His left arm instantly swelled to the size of several hundred meters.
"Hahahaha! Now, even facing that bastard Bullet won't be scary, will it!"
Black Haki and black lightning simultaneously coated the colossal left arm.
Then, this arm suddenly slammed toward one side.
Shanks, who had barely managed to fly out and avoid Loki's descent, hadn't even caught his breath when this mountain-sized fist came crashing down toward him.
"…"
I cannot let this strike land!
Otherwise, the entire Amazon Lily will be torn to pieces!
The black and red lightning on Shanks' beloved sword, Gryphon, surged unprecedentedly! The man instantly launched himself, flying upward like a crimson meteor against the current.
"Hah!"
Compared to Loki's colossal, hundreds-of-meters-sized fist, Shanks was minuscule, like an ant.
But now, the ant was swinging a blade at the giant elephant.
Boom!!
Heaven and earth shattered in that instant.
In the sky, the air itself was blasted into a massive vacuum zone by the collision between the two.
The residual shockwaves alone caused the ground below to crumble. The violent impact almost swept away everything in the basin.
Houses were destroyed, rivers were severed, and forests were uprooted.
Then, the massive, mountain-like fist was finally knocked upward.
But at the same time, Shanks was slammed deep into the earth by the punch.
The two had fought to a virtual standstill.
"I'm not done yet!!"
Loki let out a strange cry. "In the muscles, you say!"
Life Return activated again!
The air originally injected into his left arm's bones began to diffuse into the muscles all over his body.
Loki's body visibly expanded.
"How about adding Haki reinforcement?"
Roa said with a smile. "Further increase your body's toughness!"
"Great idea!!"
Loki readily agreed.
Consequently, black patterns began to spread across the surface of his body.
Finally.
Thump!
This was the sound of Loki slamming onto the ground.
Thump.
This was the sound of Loki being flung up and then crashing onto the ground again.
The behemoth, whose body was covered in black patterns and had swelled to over a hundred meters in height, was bouncing like a rubber ball, continuously smashing into the earth and springing back up.
Each crash made the earth sink, and each bounce made the air tremble.
"Ooh!! This power!!"
Loki laughed heartily. "I'm so strong now!"
Roa also nodded in satisfaction.
Even without Awakening, Gear Four made the Rubber-Rubber Fruit incredibly powerful, especially for a master martial artist like Loki. This fellow's current strength was likely no less than that of his father, Harald, and perhaps even stronger.
However, it was a good thing this fellow had mastered Life Return early on; otherwise, even Gear Second and Gear Third wouldn't be easy to master, let alone Gear Four.
"Straw Hat!!"
Loki kicked off the ground with both feet, his body instantly launching into the sky, his roar echoing over the island.
"Again!!"
I feel like with my full power now, I could sink the island below!
I definitely need to test it out quickly!
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