The lightning-laced aerial slash shot down with terrifying speed. But Big Mom's face didn't so much as flinch.
Her blazing eyes stayed locked on the clouds—on the figure of Tachibana Kyūjō, standing far above.
She looked at him not as an opponent… but as prey.
And then the slash struck her directly in the chest.
A deafening clang rang out like steel striking steel—no, not steel. It was her body. Her chest absorbed the impact without so much as a stagger.
Kyūjō's massive lightning slash had run its course. The glowing arc finally faded into the air, vanishing like a phantom between sky and sea—its unfinished will dissolved, unfulfilled.
Her head still wreathed in fire, her pupils glowing blood-red, Charlotte Linlin—Big Mom—truly resembled a demon descended from hell.
"Hey, Marine brat! How long are you gonna hide up there?!"
"Get down here and fight me!!"
Her roar echoed across the ocean, shaking the skies. A wave of Haoshoku Haki surged outward like a physical force, tearing apart the clouds in front of Kyūjō as if they were mist.
Every pirate in her fleet could now see him—clear as day.
Yet Kyūjō only offered a calm, faint smile.
Without acknowledging her Haki or her rage, he turned his back and walked casually through the sky with Geppo, as though none of this mattered in the slightest.
Big Mom's fury and curses were ignored like wind.
That slash earlier? It had only one purpose:
They were still too close to Malt Island—no more than a few dozen kilometers.
Far too close for a battle between monsters like them.
Even the shockwaves from their clash could generate tsunamis that would wipe the island off the map.
And Big Mom—being a Devil Fruit user—relied on her Homies like Zeus to fly. When her stamina ran low, she'd eventually need to touch solid ground.
And what was the nearest piece of land?
If their battle continued here, that island would be reduced to rubble.
And as its current guardian, Kyūjō would never allow that.
Watching the Marine brat slash at her and then fly off like nothing happened—
Big Mom. Was. Furious.
With a snarl, she yanked a chunk of cloud from Zeus's body and twisted it mercilessly.
"ZEUS!! You better chase that brat down RIGHT NOW!!"
"Or I'll tear you apart myself!!"
The thundercloud yelped in pain, tears welling in his cartoonishly large eyes.
But he didn't dare complain.
Trembling, he stabilized his form and surged through the sky, carrying Big Mom's enormous body after Kyūjō at full speed.
But if he let Big Mom fall?
He wouldn't even live long enough to regret it.
So Zeus endured. He gritted his cloudy face and flew faster than ever before, shouting between pained sobs:
"Ma-Mama! Don't worry, I'll catch him! I promise! I swear!!"
Big Mom snorted, finally calming—if only slightly.
But just moments later… her face darkened again.
"…Why does it feel like we're getting farther away from him?"
Far ahead, Kyūjō had been quietly listening the entire time.
With Infinity Perception, he could hear everything—even the tragic sobs of Zeus behind him.
He gave a small smile and, in silent pity, offered two seconds of mourning for the poor cloud.
He slowed down—just a little.
Eventually, he reached an uninhabited island—silent and still, untouched by man.
Kyūjō touched down first, landing lightly in the center.
Unlike Big Mom, who could fly using her Homies, Kyūjō needed solid ground beneath his feet to truly fight.
He could fight in the air using Geppo—but at most, for 12 hours straight. And that was with full support from his enhanced Breathing Technique: Version 3.0.
For long-distance travel, sure—Geppo worked fine.
But in a real battle?
On solid ground, he could fight almost endlessly.
His stamina, his recovery, his endurance—everything would rise to peak efficiency.
He could use a strategy he called:
"Break Them Slowly Until They Beg."
He didn't mind battles that lasted days.
Ten days? Two weeks? Depending on the opponent—it was possible.
But if he stayed airborne against someone like Big Mom?
He'd have to finish the fight quickly.
And that… wasn't realistic.
Someone like Big Mom? You don't defeat her in a few minutes.
Even Edward Newgate—Whitebeard, the man once known as the strongest in the world, would have been locked in a drawn-out war against another Yonko like her.
The title of Yonko wasn't just for show.
They were the emperors of the seas.
Their strength—absolute.
Sure, power levels varied between them. Some were stronger than others. Some were more skilled in certain aspects.
But to completely crush any of them in a short battle?
Impossible. Get full chapters from NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Unless… maybe Imu-sama—that mysterious being at the top of the world—intervened.
(Are the Gorosei stronger? Who knows...)
Kyūjō's thoughts were interrupted by a thunderous quake.
Big Mom's massive frame crashed down onto the island like a falling meteor. With Napoleon gripped in her giant hand, she leapt off Zeus's back and stomped onto the earth.
Without a word, she raised her greatsword and brought it crashing down on Kyūjō!
Kyūjō reacted instantly.
He unsheathed his blade—
Black Sword: Thunder Dragon
—and swung upward to meet her strike!
A violent shockwave erupted from their clash.
The island shook. Trees were ripped from the earth. The very terrain cracked and split for kilometers in every direction.
But Kyūjō stood firm.
He kept the ground beneath him intact.
His obsidian blade locked against Napoleon's monstrous size.
Between their weapons, a tiny gap was visible.
The swords weren't even touching—only the air between them clashed.
A test of pure, overwhelming force.
This Marine brat was actually matching her strike for strike?
That pissed her off even more.
He was young. Too young. And yet… he wasn't backing down.
Looking at him up close, she suddenly cracked a wide, terrifying grin.
"Marine brat, you're stronger than I thought!"
"How about this instead—why not leave the Marines?"
"I could give you one… or two… or maybe more daughters to marry~"
"And if you want, you could even build your own little harem~"
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