Kamiyabushi!
Hearing that word sent Big Mom into a trembling rage — in the dead of summer, cold sweat drenched her body. That bastard whose nose hairs were longer than his beard was dead, so why was someone wielding this very technique to intimidate her just a few years later? Was Roger's era truly never going to end?
This behavior was nothing but the objectification of pirates like her — silver medalists, crushed by the dominant forces! How were pirates who never claimed the title supposed to live in peace?
This world was suffocating pirates at every turn! When would pirates finally rise up?
In short, Shanks's cry of "Kamiyabushi" triggered Big Mom's PTSD, plunging her back into the terror of being dominated by Roger.
Back then, Roger had raided her kingdom in Totto Land. He had copied the contents of the Red Poneglyph hidden there and stolen several Devil Fruits.
And Big Mom had never dared to reclaim her pride. The memory burned like a fresh wound — all that power, all those children, all those territories, and she still couldn't touch that man. It was a humiliation she had buried deep, but never truly forgotten.
Hearing Shanks's voice now, she momentarily saw that man — the one with no distinguishing feature except his absurd nose hairs — standing before her, swinging his blade.
But as the cold sweat broke out across her back, something felt off. This Kamiyabushi didn't feel as powerful as she remembered. Was this a knockoff?
Looking more carefully, the man before her wore a straw hat, and beneath it flowed wild red hair. Oh — it wasn't Roger. Then there was nothing to worry about.
Big Mom relaxed. Seeing Shanks neutralize her Mikata with Kamiyabushi didn't bother her — she hadn't used her full strength, and this red-haired brat was already struggling. That was the gap between them.
Now at ease, she studied Shanks's somewhat familiar face more closely.
"Red-Haired brat — you were the apprentice who followed Roger around, weren't you? Mamamamama, you've grown so much!" she said, sounding like one of those relatives who visit during the holidays.
Shanks feared Big Mom's next line would be "I even held you when you were little," so he quickly replied: "Even if you play the old captain card, we're still beating you today!"
Big Mom's grin widened. The kid had some nerve. She couldn't beat Roger, but she could certainly handle this greenhorn.
"Then show me what Roger's protégé can do!"
Her voice fell, and her aura surged. A wave of powerful Haki crashed toward them like rolling surf, pressing down on everyone present and making their hearts skip a beat.
"Since you've come to challenge me, let's see what you brats are made of!" Big Mom declared, unleashing her Conqueror's Haki in full.
This kind of Conqueror's shockwave didn't significantly affect those with strong willpower. Even Big Mom couldn't use it to shake Buggy's resolve.
But in battle, competing with Conqueror's Haki was part of the fight. If your Haki was crushed before the real battle began, you'd already lost a step.
Without coating, Conqueror's Haki was like cosmetic skins in a video game — no real power boost, but seeing the opponent's flashy display while you had a plain white base left you at a psychological disadvantage.
Big Mom's Haki swept in like a cyclone, shifting the colors of heaven and earth. Dust and gravel on the ground scattered in all directions, the force like a mountain collapsing before them — a colossal avalanche bearing down, ready to crush them.
None of them would let Haki shake their determination. Even if their Conqueror's was outmatched, they would still fight — this was merely the opening act. The real battle had yet to begin.
Buggy and the others pushed back their own Haki, but against Big Mom's overwhelming tide, theirs looked pitifully weak — barely enough to form a protective shell around them, like a candle guttering in a storm.
Shanks couldn't understand why the gap in Conqueror's Haki between people was so vast. He didn't believe his heart was narrower than Big Mom's.
Rayleigh, one of his teachers, had told him Conqueror's Haki was innate and couldn't be trained. So why was the difference so enormous?
Could Rayleigh have been wrong? Impossible — that was the Dark King Rayleigh. Everything he said was absolute truth.
While Shanks was still wrestling with this, Enel felt rather awkward. Four companions, and he was the only one without Conqueror's Haki.
They were all putting on a grand display of willpower, and he couldn't find a way in. Five people on the battlefield, yet it felt like there was no room for him at all.
"Mamamamama — is this all the spirit you have?" Big Mom laughed and intensified her aura.
Buggy and the others felt like they were standing on a tiny raft in a raging sea, waves towering above them, ready to smash them to pieces. The ocean churned and roared, enormous swells threatening to grind them to dust.
For a moment, Buggy, Shanks, and Doflamingo all struggled to breathe. As Big Mom's aura peaked and her massive body walked slowly toward them, Buggy's group could barely stay standing.
The closer she came, the greater the pressure — enough to break a person's body. This middle-aged woman wore a smug grin, savoring every moment of crushing these young upstarts.
After all her years on the seas, this was a small pleasure — watching the defiant young learn their place. What she wanted most was to see them groveling at her feet — especially that apprentice from Roger's ship.
"You brats want to challenge me? You're a hundred years too early!"
But how could Buggy and the others possibly submit? "Damn you, you old hag!" the red-nosed kid snarled through gritted teeth, clenching his jaw and thrusting his chest forward.
As though trudging through mud, he forced one difficult step forward. Though agonizing, the step was resolute.
"Don't underestimate me, you bastard!" Buggy roared. The fire in his heart burned. He was to be the future jester among Inazuma's Fatui Executives — how could he bow before an old hag like her?
Two heavy, resolute footsteps slammed into the ground. Instantly, two flames that had seemed on the verge of being extinguished blazed with renewed fury — so fierce it could have burned all of Whole Cake Island to ash. The pressure around them cracked, as though even Big Mom's aura couldn't suppress these two any longer.
Buggy and Shanks locked eyes. In each other's gaze, they saw unwavering resolve.
[
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