King stomped the ground fiercely with both feet, shattering the stone beneath him and sending chunks of rock flying in all directions.
He shot straight up into the sky like an arrow fired from a bow, his black feathers cutting sharp, deadly lines through the air as he charged right at the pink pillar of fire.
"Do not even think about it!" King scoffed coldly.
His right hand moved with lightning speed to grab the handle of his sword, his palm squeezing tight.
Right as he reached the highest point of his jump, King's massive sword left its case with a sharp clang.
In a flash, pitch-black Armament Haki wrapped around the giant blade like a living creature, flowing over the metal as if it had a mind of its own, making the sharp edge shine with a cold, deadly glow under the sunlight.
"Imperial Flaming Wings!" With a furious roar, King unleashed a perfect, flaming slash in mid-air. This single, massive strike covered the entire sky in its attack path.
"Boom—!"
The pink pillar of fire and the flaming black slash slammed into each other in mid-air.
The crash let out a deafening roar that sounded like millions of bombs going off all at once, or as if the Thunder God himself were beating his massive war drums in the clouds, completely shattering the quiet sky.
A massive ring of energy exploded outward, wiping out everything in its path.
Within a radius of several hundred meters, the clouds were blown away like dust caught in a hurricane, instantly cleared by the massive shockwave.
King's slash perfectly sliced the fire pillar right in half.
The split flames, looking like two angry giant snakes, carried endless heat and destruction as they scraped right past both sides of Onigashima and plunged deep into the sea.
As they hit the water, they kicked up massive, boiling waves that crashed and spread violently in all directions.
King floated steadily in mid-air, his black wings creating faint ripples in the wind with every slow beat.
His stare, as sharp as arrows cutting right through the fog, locked straight through the slowly clearing smoke.
In his eyes, a mix of caution, determination, and a tiny hint of excitement locked onto the empty sky above as he whispered.
"Finally showing yourself..."
Right at that moment, a beautiful glowing pink Dragon circled above the clouds, looking like it had just flown out of a dream.
Its scales shined with a magical glow in the bright sunlight.
Each scale looked like a perfectly cut gemstone, throwing off blinding pink reflections.
Standing right on top of the Dragon's head was Ron, his posture straight and his hands calmly locked behind his back.
His white cape snapped loudly in the sea breeze, looking like a war flag waving in the wind.
Wrapped in his blowing clothes, he gave off a heavy quiet authority that demanded total respect.
Marco, Jozu, and the others stood lined up on either side of him.
Their faces were tight and completely serious.
The coming war with the Beasts Pirates had pulled their nerves as tight as bowstrings, leaving absolutely no room for mistakes.
King's pupils shrank slightly, a quick flash of surprise passing through his eyes.
Yet, strangely enough, he felt a sense of relief wash over him, as if a heavy weight had just been lifted off his chest.
'So that is how it is...' he thought to himself, his mind racing.
On the battlefield, as the most careful and serious fighter in the Beasts Pirates, he knew perfectly well that an unseen enemy was the most dangerous kind.
Now that the enemy had chosen to step out into the light instead of hiding in the shadows waiting for a cheap shot, it actually made him feel a lot better.
"Scum of the Eternal Divine Kingdom..." King's voice was low and icy, like a freezing wind blowing straight out of the underworld.
He raised his massive sword high once more, the tip pointing right at Ron.
The sharp blade shined with a freezing cold light under the sun.
"Since you dared to show your faces, do not even think about leaving here alive!"
Even though his tone stayed as cold as ancient ice, the corner of his mouth beneath his mask slowly curled up, showing a tiny, hidden smirk.
The flames on his black wings began to burn wildly.
The boiling fire danced out of control as it suddenly spiked the temperature around him, twisting the very air itself.
Standing on the Dragon's head, Ron looked calmly down at King from high above.
Their stares locked in mid-air, sparking invisible lightning in that split second.
"Let's go. Our battle begins right now." Ron's voice was perfectly steady and firm.
The pink Dragon let out a clear, ringing roar that echoed across the sky before diving straight down like a falling star!
Just before hitting the ground, the Dragon's massive body seemed to burst into countless glowing pink lights, before quickly shrinking and turning back into a human shape.
Ron landed smoothly on the burned dirt of Onigashima, his boots touching the barren ground scarred by the flames of war.
Standing right in front of them were the fully prepared Calamities and Tobi Roppo of the Beasts Pirates.
Each of them had eyes as fierce as starving wolves ready to pounce, giving off a terrifying, heavy energy.
"Calamities!"
A roar packed with endless anger and pure hatred exploded like thunder, shattering the heavy, quiet staring match.
Diamond Jozu stepped forward like an angry demon god crawling out of hell.
His eyes were blood-red, looking as if they were burning with eternal fire—the physical proof of his inner rage.
His muscles tightened like thick steel cables, ready to snap forward like arrows shot from a bow.
His already unbreakable skin had now completely turned to solid diamond, throwing off blinding, beautiful light under the sun.
The glow sparkled like millions of crushed diamonds, acting like tiny mirrors that focused the sunlight into burning rays hot enough to set the air on fire.
"The debt from last time—today you will pay it back a hundred times over!" Jozu's voice was a low growl, each word seeming to be squeezed out through tightly clenched teeth.
Before his words even finished echoing, Jozu instantly turned into a blinding streak of light.
His speed was so extreme that only a blur could be seen flashing past.
His diamond fist was covered in a thick purple-black energy that twisted around it.
This massive power, combined with Jozu's extreme speed, aimed directly at the Calamities.
Closing in, Jozu locked onto Jack and threw a world-crushing punch right at him!
This punch held all his strength and fury, as if he intended to completely shatter Jack into pieces.
"YOU LOOKING TO DIE?" Jack snarled as he stepped forward to meet the challenge.
His smile was full of total disrespect and mockery, acting as if Jozu were nothing but an insect.
His thick arms instantly swelled, his already massive muscles bulging even more, looking as if they were ready to burst right out of his skin.
"Let me show you what a true user of the Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Mammoth can do!"
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