“Boom… BOOM…”

  A thunderous crash.

  The ice beneath them kept cracking and caving in.

  Terrifying bursts of lightning fred, so bright that no one could look directly at them.

  “Puri… pa…”

  One after another, thick bolts of bck-red lightning leaped and fshed in the air.

  Two figures, utterly unmatched in size but each brimming with momentum, locked in a stalemate.

  “Boom… BOOM…”

  All around them, the ice shattered. At some point, dark storm clouds had gathered overhead, swirling and churning.

  “Vice Admiral Garp—”

  “How is this even possible?”

  “That eldest son of the Kukulkan family… Is he really that strong?”

  “Thor, the ‘God of Thunder.’ If I recall correctly, he’s only seventeen at most?”

  “Tsk! He’s basically a younger Fallen Angel El all over again!”

  Unavoidably, the duo’s fierce csh drew the attention of others nearby. Watching this harrowing scene, the surrounding Marine officers—and in the distance, the elite Marines currently locked in battle against the Fallen Angel Pirate forces—were all astonished. One by one, mouths fell open. Many could scarcely believe their eyes.

  “And it’s not just him—the oldest daughter, too…”

  “No doubt about it, that has to be that legendary power!”

  “Gulp! ‘Phoenix Girl’ Sif—does she truly have an immortal body?”

  “That’s the Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Phoenix. Combined with Lunarian racial traits, she basically nullifies damage and can constantly regenerate!”

  “So young, yet so strong, able to block Admiral Sengoku’s shockwaves, even brushing off his attacks!”

  “Unbelievable…”

  Meanwhile—

  On another side of the battlefield, scorching heat rolled outward.

  Much of the ice instantly evaporated into vapor. Over a broad area, the frozen surface melted back into seawater—some spots even boiling. People felt their scalps tingle with horror.

  “BAM!!!” / “Cng!!!”

  A towering golden Buddha stood steadfast, colliding again and again with a massive figure wreathed in fmes. Because the ice beneath them was being melted and evaporated by that intense heat, even Sengoku in his Buddha form had to shrink his body down to a more manageable, three-or-so meter “human-Buddha” size—sacrificing some power and defense for greater agility.

  “Oh? So you’ve shrunk yourself? Fufu~?”

  In her hybrid beast form, Sif’s turquoise fmes danced behind her head. Locking her gaze on the shrunken Buddha form of Sengoku, she said:

  “Bde Wing: Twin Sovereigns!!”

  “Huhuhu…”

  All four of her wings fpped at once. Wave after wave of searing fmes turned into “bullets” fired at terrifyingly high temperatures, shrieking through the air.

  “Swish… swish…”

  The golden figure twisted and darted about, evading the oncoming barrage of fme bullets. Narrowing his eyes, Sengoku gred at the Phoenix Girl, Sif:

  “An immortal body, is it? Truly a terrifying creature…”

  He shivered inwardly. Indeed, anyone of that race was a thorough-going monster. If it were only Fallen Angel El, that unstoppable freak, it might be one thing—but now even El’s children were this extreme. It was enough to leave one uneasy.

  “Bzing Dragon King!!”

  Sif’s blue fmes roared as they engulfed her ornate sword. In a single motion, she swung the bde from a distance at Buddha Sengoku, hurling forth surging fmes more fearsome than magma. They formed an immense, vividly lifelike dragon. Standing as tall as a normal giant, Sif’s technique produced a fming dragon scaled up to inconceivable proportions.

  “Pshh, pshh…”

  Even from a considerable distance, other Marine powerhouses and allies of Hajrudin, the Ace brothers, etc., felt an intense wave of heat, forcing them, almost by instinct, to shift their fights farther away.

  “Rooaaar—!”

  At once, the fme dragon twisted the air, cwing ferociously, howling toward Sengoku with horrifying heat.

  “Buddha Impact!!”

  Sengoku sprang into the air, a huge halo gathered in his grip. Infused with formidable Haki and crackling bck-red lightning, he struck without conceding an inch.

  “Boom… BOOM…”

  A violent shockwave collided with the colossal fme dragon. Boundless azure fire burst outward in all directions.

  “Huhuhu…”

  Searing waves of heat greedily evaporated the thick ice, melting it away and churning it into bubbles. People felt their scalps prickle. Fortunately, all of the strong fighters—both Marine and Fallen Angel alike—had backed off from this area early on. Otherwise, all would have been dragged into the devastation.

  “So this entire race is just inhuman monstrosities?”

  Even the Admiral known as Bck Arm Zephyr had to widen his eyes in utter shock. Forced to exhale a fresh bst of freezing air, he re-froze the watery surface, trying to maintain this fragile battlefield.

  “As a mother, I’m proud to see my children do so well…”

  Not far away, Gerd—holding her scythe and brimming with heroic fir—spoke with a gentle smile:

  “But Admiral, do you have the spare capacity to mind them now? Seems you’ve underestimated me!”

  “Zeus, Hades, Prometheus… Merge!”

  “Yes, Gerd-sama!!”

  At Gerd’s command, the thundercloud Zeus and the sun Prometheus immediately swooped down, penetrating and merging with Hades.

  “Zizi jiji…”

  “Pili pa…”

  “Singing Light Three-Month Scythe!!!”

  Lightning fred, fmes roared. Thunderclouds and sun fused with the “Bloody Crescent” scythe, melding perfectly. Light sparkled, emanating dreadful heat.

  “Sha—”

  Zephyr pounced with a stomp, turning into a swift blur that closed in on Gerd’s fnk.

  “Ice Sphere!!”

  Both hands exuded biting cold, unleashing formidable columns of ice aimed at freezing the giantess Gerd.

  “Singing Light Ssh!!”

  However, Gerd only wore an amused look. She suddenly swung her luminous scythe:

  “Boom… BOOM…”

  The ice columns, den with bitter cold, were vaporized in an instant. Meanwhile, the savage ssh weirdly extended at lightning speed, nearly skewering Bck Arm Zephyr right then and there. He narrowly sidestepped it.

  But next—

  “Gachichichi… Die, Marines!”

  In that moment, the conjoined faces of Zeus, Hades, and Prometheus appeared on the “Singing Light Three-Month Scythe,” opening wide an enormous mouth. Under Zephyr’s frightened gaze, they let out a roar:

  “Singing Light Rocket Cannon—Gann!!”

  “Crr… crr…”

  Beams of brilliant light formed one after another, each sporting a menacing, personified face, leering wickedly as they rained down in an unrelenting bombardment aimed at the horrified Bck Arm Zephyr. Their auto-tracking locked onto him fully.

  “Ice Wall!!!”

  In that dire moment, chilling air surged. A stupendously thick ice barrier rose up. Yet in the blink of an eye, the unstoppable barrage smashed it, punched through, and evaporated it…

  Bleam