Boom! Rumble!
Sabaody Islands.
No. 30 Red Tree.
Sabaody Land Park.
The sky was filled with flashes of light. The colossal python raised its head and roared. Nearby, the Feathered Serpent Hengkong of ancient legend unfurled its wings. An unprecedentedly fierce battle erupted, shaking the entire Sabaody Archipelago with the force of its impact.
Amid the clash of Admiral-level powerhouses, the entire No. 30 Mangrove Tree had been destroyed. The vast Sabaody Land Park lay in ruins, and even the massive Alchemang Tree had toppled. The scope of destruction continued to spread.
"Titan Clash!!!"
The Titanoboa bellowed, coiling its immense body like a spring, raising its head high. Its tail slammed the ground, splitting the earth below. The massive snake lunged like a javelin toward Yuuto, who hovered in mid-air.
"Lei Yanlong's Iron Strike!!!"
Yuuto didn't dodge. He punched, fists ablaze with thunder and fire, smashing into the Titanoboa's head.
Kaka!
Under Yuuto's Lei Yanlong mode, steel-hard scales, thick flesh, and rough hide shattered instantly. The python's skull cracked audibly, splintering beneath the thunder-fire assault.
"Get out!" Yuuto said lightly.
Boom!
The furious Titanoboa was thrown backward, its massive head crashing into the mangrove land. The shockwave tore through No. 28 Mangrove Zone.
"This… is terrifying~"
With a flash, Admiral Kizaru appeared beside Yuuto. Raising his hand, a brilliant lightsaber materialized.
"Amazon Cloud Sword!!!"
Kizaru slashed. Yuuto raised his right hand, unleashing thunder and fire, transforming it into a Thunder-Fire Sky Halberd. The elemental blades clashed, sparks and metal ringing continuously.
Whoosh!
The Phantom Beast Feathered Serpent spread its wings, generating a tornado of terrifying force. Its obsidian wings sliced through the air like heavenly blades, cutting the atmosphere itself.
Yuuto didn't falter. As his Thunder-Fire Fang Tian Halberd knocked back Kizaru, he swung backhand, aiming at the Feathered Serpent.
"Snort." The serpent sneered. Its wings struck like divine knives.
Click!
Yuuto's halberd snapped. Even his Thunder-Fire Armor was shredded by the winged assault.
"My wings are the strongest weapons in the world—not even Mihawk's Black Sword compares!" the Phantom Beast boasted.
"Then I look forward to testing them against Hawkeye's blade someday," Yuuto grinned.
"Face death!"
The serpent's expression turned cold. Its wings extended, fists wrapped in armored color, engaging Yuuto in brutal hand-to-hand combat. The sky exploded with power as the Archiman mangroves fell one by one.
The Phantom Beast was no weakling—sent by the Five Elders specifically to counter Yuuto. Behind Celestial Dragon Roswald, the fourth Admiral-level powerhouse also prepared to strike.
"Sky Wheel—Dazzling Sword!!!"
Erza activated her Sky Wheel Armor, hurling dozens of flying swords. Every strike missed the blurred figure.
"Change—Kuroba's Armor!"
Erza's figure flickered. In an instant, she closed the distance, striking with a sword imbued with Haki and magic. Still, it failed. A trace marked the ground, but the enemy remained untouched.
"Armor of Purgatory!!!"
She switched forms, bringing down her sawtooth blade with full cutting power. Boom! Rumble! The Red Tree Land tore under her blow—but the blurred figure remained unharmed.
"How… how is this possible?" Nami's eyes widened. Shock and disbelief contorted her face.
"Erza's attack should never fail! Unless… he's not human!" Mira said gravely.
"A ghost without a body?" Nami whispered.
The enemy wasn't just avoiding attacks—it distorted light, remaining almost invisible.
"Leave him to me!" Perona declared, ready to unleash ghost fruit and spirit dragon slayer magic.
"No. I've probably figured out his ability," Erza said firmly.
"What ability?" Nami and others asked.
"Distortion." Erza replied. "All my attacks—flying swords or slashes—are distorted. Even our vision is tricked. He bends light itself."
The old, distorted voice reappeared. The blurry figure solidified into an ancient, twisted man, nearly coffin-like in shape.
"That's right. I ate the Distortion Fruit and can twist everything in this world!" he said, raising his withered arm.
In the next instant, the air around him warped violently, surging toward Erza and the others.
"Change—Armor of Vajra!!!"
Erza switched to her strongest defensive armor, locking her shields together. Boom! The twisted force crashed into her Vajra Armor.
"Impressive. Let's see this move," the old man sneered, spinning his hands in opposite directions. Spiral of Pain!!! Space itself twisted violently.
Even Erza's Diamond Armor couldn't withstand it. Kaka! Boom! Her Vajra Armor shattered, her body severely damaged.
"Erza!!!" Mira and Nami shouted in panic.
"Leave it to me," Pluton Rayleigh said, leaping toward the twisted old man.
"You call yourself a new-era leader, but to me, everything is distorted. Your attacks are meaningless!" the old man boasted.
"I'd like to see about that," Rayleigh smiled, black-red Conqueror's lightning coiling around his sword.
Advanced weaponry and Haki could bypass the distortion. Invincibility didn't exist, and Rayleigh knew it. Erza, still mastering her own weapons, could not defeat him alone—so he stepped in.
But Erza was resolute. "Wait. Let me finish this!"
She shed her broken armor. Crimson hair tied up, red trousers, a white cloth around her upper body—the pure-hearted mode of Erza emerged.
Nami fretted. "Is she crazy? She's going to fight like that?"
"No problem," Mira nodded calmly, trusting her completely.
"Erza, this guy's an Admiral-level powerhouse. His Devil Fruit skill is at a terrifying level. Your attacks can't touch his distorted barrier!" Rayleigh warned.
"I'll cut through it!" Erza replied firmly.
The twisted old man sneered. "Yellow-haired girl… I will make you recognize reality. My next Spiral of Pain will tear you apart!"
Swish!
Erza vanished, reappearing before him. Her Demon Sword Red Sakura, powered by all her mana, struck the twisted barrier. This time, the distortion failed.
"How… how is this?!" the old man screamed.
Erza's attack split the twisted field. Blood surged; the Admiral-level powerhouse fell, beheaded.
"Erza, Queen of Fairies, lives up to her reputation!" Rayleigh sighed, nodding.
The Phantom Beast Feathered Serpent scowled. "A secret weapon from a hundred years ago… I still have to save the day myself!"
Yuuto stretched. "Then it's my turn."
"Nani?! Stop bluffing!" The Phantom Beast glared.
Yuuto opened his mouth, absorbing lightning and fire.
"Lei Yanlong's—Roar!!!"
Boom! Rumble!
The berserk thunder-fire storm unleashed devastation across the battlefield.
The Titanoboa, long thought defeated, rose again. "Now… now is what you've been waiting for!" It absorbed and transformed the elemental energy of thunder and fire, like a perfected creation of Vegapunk. Its core turned external energy into raw power.
But then…
"No! Why… can't I transform?!" the python screamed.
Boom!!!
Yuuto's thunder-fire roar pierced the Titanoboa's energy core, exploding the massive serpent into pieces.
The Feathered Serpent gaped, horrified.
Yuuto advanced, flames and golden thunder swirling into a storm.
"Lightning Dragon Mode—Dragon Slayer Mystery: Red Lotus Exploding Thunder Blade!!!"
Crash! The ultimate Lei Yanlong ability erupted. Thunder and fire raged uncontrollably, even Admiral Kizaru's eyelids twitched as he raised his sword multiple times before stepping back quietly.
Zoan Phantom Beasts shrieked and blackened under the assault.
Yuuto turned sharply toward Kizaru. He had held back until now. With Erza and Rayleigh on their side, he could unleash his full power.
Chi chi! Flames and golden thunder receded. Black-Red Thunder, Thunder Dragon King Mode, activate!!!
"Quick, fight, Kizaru," Yuuto said lightly.
"Ever been kicked at the speed of light?" Kizaru taunted, launching a blazing light-speed kick.
Yuuto chuckled. Thunder Dragon King's Bending Fist!
Click! Bones in Kizaru's leg shattered. The next instant, he flew backward like a shooting star, vanishing into the sky.
Yuuto blinked, eyes sharp.