The third day of the Great Battle of Scree...
Three days of relentless, sleepless carnage had left every fighter battered and spent. The battlefield was locked in a tense stalemate—no side able to press their advantage.
Far off, the once-roaring magma eruptions had finally ceased. Even the endless extraction from below could no longer keep up.
The eight-hundred-meter-tall magma giant stood broken, its upper body shattered, molten rock leaking from its ruined torso and slowly hardening into jagged stone.
Overhead, the blizzard had vanished. The half-frozen sea, no longer fed by a constant chill, melted back into rolling waves.
Of all the combatants, Blizzard Frank—never as tireless as the other five—had been forced to drop out on the second day, his stamina exhausted.
Suspended in the sky, the three aerial fighters looked a sorry sight.
Golden Lion was covered in wounds, his once-mighty form ragged and bloodied. Blizzard Frank bore scorch marks and blackened burns across his body. Whitebeard's breath was shallow, his aura faded, his strength rapidly waning.
The three on the ground fared better.
Both Kong and Garp, supreme masters of physical combat, still radiated power, their injuries minor compared to those above.
Yet, despite their strength, they had no easy way to challenge the trio who ruled the skies.
Nearby, Sakazuki sat cross-legged on the ground.
Behind him, a gigantic magma hand gripped a Sea King. Formalities forgotten, he sliced off a huge hunk of flesh and devoured it, gnawing and gulping with animal ferocity.
As he ate, he pondered how to break the deadlock. Before long, his body had rounded out, his hunger sated.
"Life Absorption."
Before their eyes, Sakazuki's wounds began to close, his form tightening as stamina and strength returned.
Glancing up, he saw the three airborne fighters also snacking on fish.
With a grunt, Sakazuki grabbed two more slabs of meat and strode over to Kong and Garp.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Vice Admiral Garp."
He handed them the meat and shared his plan.
Kong's eyes lit up at once. "No time to waste, Sakazuki."
Garp, mouth stuffed with meat, grunted his agreement between bites.
Sakazuki nodded, stepped forward, and fused his feet into the ground.
He looked up at the three still floating above.
"Meteor Volcano."
His arms transformed into smoking magma, which he thrust skyward.
Countless magma bombs erupted from his hands, shooting into the depths of the clouds.
The three in the sky watched the barrage disappear into the clouds, unconcerned.
But when Sakazuki himself melted into a pool of magma and rocketed upward, a flicker of unease crossed their faces.
Golden Lion tore another bite from his fish, scoffing, "Damn magma brat—what's he scheming now?"
He tossed the bones away, eyes narrowing as he stared at the reddening sky.
Whitebeard also gazed upward, his expression grave.
Beside them, Blizzard Frank had lost all trace of his earlier mania. He quietly gathered wind and snow around him, keeping a wary eye on the ground below.
He'd learned his lesson the hard way—after nearly getting his head blown off by one of Sakazuki's infinitely-extending Dark Hounds, he knew he was outclassed. In this kind of top-tier showdown, support was all he could manage.
Without warning, the sky turned blood-red.
Countless crimson dots broke through the clouds, densely packed—like a sky full of stars, but each "star" was a massive magma fist.
Golden Lion and Whitebeard frowned as the rain of fists plummeted toward them.
Both readied their defenses.
But when the magma fists were still hundreds of meters away, they all exploded at once, scattering in every direction.
Countless thin, fiery red lines wove together, forming a massive net instantly coated in surging Armament Haki.
From afar, it looked like a giant bowl descending, trapping the three within.
Golden Lion and Whitebeard exchanged a look, instantly grasping Sakazuki's intent. Both snorted in disdain.
Whitebeard's left hand surged with power as he punched upward.
CRACK!
The air shattered, a violent shockwave blasting straight at the "bowl's bottom."
BOOM!
The descending net cracked, but the next wave of exploding magma fists immediately patched the breach.
Just as Whitebeard prepared to strike again, a surge of danger prickled his skin.
Every hair on his back stood on end as Frank's warning rang in his ears:
"Watch out!!!"
On the ground, Kong and Garp stood precisely where Sakazuki had fused with the earth.
Two pillars of magma erupted, shooting skyward—carrying the two men straight into the clouds. By the time Frank shouted, they were already behind their targets.
Whitebeard spun, channeling his power into his left hand and swinging backward.
CRACK!
The shattered air collided with Garp's pitch-black iron fist, the two locked in a deadly stalemate.
But Garp was pressing the advantage.
Whitebeard's right hand twisted his naginata, sliding his grip to the end.
Haki and Devil Fruit power surged together as he swung in a sweeping arc, slashing at Garp.
CLANG!
CRACK!
Blade met fist, and a split second later, his power detonated.
Garp grunted, muscles bulging, veins pulsing as he forced Whitebeard back.
Beside them, Fleet Admiral Kong's arms glowed with Haki, blasting Golden Lion and Frank away at close range.
High above—
Sakazuki's form reconstituted, Red Lotus Mode blazing. In his hand, a magma spear wreathed in Conqueror's Haki.
His lower half erupted in molten fury, propelling him toward Whitebeard with a howling shockwave.
Golden Lion unleashed several sword slashes to intercept, but Kong was on him in a flash, forcing him away.
The sword auras struck Sakazuki, but shattered instantly against his advance.
Locked in a contest of brute strength, Garp's veins bulged as he clamped down on Whitebeard, refusing to let him move.
A shadow flickered in Whitebeard's eyes. Haki flooded his back as his power surged.
CLANG!
A titanic force crashed down, driving both Whitebeard and Garp downward.
SSSSSS!
The sound was like red-hot iron branding flesh.
Sakazuki's magma spear pierced through Haki, stabbing deep into Whitebeard's back.
The spear glowed red-hot as endless magma funneled into its tip.
With a roar, magma erupted from Sakazuki's back, driving him deeper into the wound.
CRACK!
Whitebeard unleashed his power at the point of impact.
The magma spear in Sakazuki's hand shattered from the vibration, but the condensed, superheated tip remained lodged inside Whitebeard's body.
Magma surged, and a new spear formed in Sakazuki's grip. He prepared to finish the job—
But suddenly, Sakazuki snapped his head to the right, golden eyes blazing as he locked onto a streak of light barreling toward him.
A laser, meters thick, tore through the sky, slicing across the battlefield and engulfing Sakazuki in a blinding flash.
"Singing Light Cannon!"
At the prow of a ship, a tall, striking woman lowered her gleaming sword, her voice bold and commanding.
Two Homies spiraled from the blade, dancing around her in the air.
The Big Mom Pirates had entered the fray!
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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