"Huh? Why did it suddenly get so dark?"
After leaving 'Drum Kingdom,' Roman's paper plane carried the Straw Hat Crew into a dense fog. In the center of the mist loomed a gloomy island, with a massive gothic structure at its core. From the sky, they could see an enormous sail behind the building.
"Isn't that the 'Thriller Bark'?"
Zoro took one glance before shutting his eyes, completely uninterested. After living with Perona for two years, he knew exactly how strong Moria was.
"Ah, this place… I remember we almost got wiped out back then. Good thing I saved the day~~"
Usopp, who had just been bandaged by Chopper, reminisced about the old days.
Back then, just one sentence from him could instantly boost the spirits of the Straw Hat Crew's four main fighters...
"If it's the 'Thriller Bark,' then the one we need to defeat is Moria. But—"
"Yohohoho! Everyone, I missed you all so much~~"
"Brook!!"
As the hatch of the paper airplane opened, sheets of white paper fluttered in the air, creating stepping stones. Standing on the rooftop of a gothic building, Brook leaped onto the paper path and made his way into the aircraft. The papers then flew back and reassembled into the hatch.
"Brook, did you defeat Moria?"
Hearing Roman's question, the afro-wearing skeleton gentleman nodded.
"Yes, Roman."
"But rather than saying I defeated him, it's more like Moria let me win."
"He asked me to get revenge for him. His subordinate, the 'Invisible Man' Absalom, was killed by Blackbeard..."
?! Wait a minute, how could Moria know about Absalom's death? Unless—
Roman furrowed his brows. Unless the Red the Aloof had read his memories, no one else should know about Absalom's fate. Even Nami only knew that the original owner of the Transparent Fruit had died, which caused the ability to transfer to someone else... When did this happen?
"Well, we're bound to fight Blackbeard sooner or later!"
Luffy cracked his knuckles. "But before that, I'm gonna beat up this 'Red the Aloof' guy first! Because the Pirate King is gonna be me!!"
"That's impossible. Even you can't beat the boss."
Paddo was the first to shake his head. After all, in the little raccoon's mind, the Red the Aloof was the strongest man in the world!—And to be fair, the Red the Aloof did have the strength to challenge for the number one spot, but he simply had no interest in it.
"Hehehe, you won't know unless you fight!"
You literally just got kicked away like a ragdoll not long ago...
Roman held back the urge to comment. Honestly, the Red the Aloof was definitely at the level of the Four Emperors. Unlike the brute force of Big Mom and Kaido, the Red the Aloof was a high-speed, high-power, highly skilled assassin. If you weren't careful, he could take you down in an instant!
"Anyway, that just leaves..."
"Roman, what's wrong now?"
Seeing Roman sigh while holding his forehead, Nami looked curious. With how strong the Straw Hat Crew had become, it was rare to see him make that kind of face.
"It's Sanji and Pudding. I've found them. But..."
Whoosh—
The paper airplane suddenly sped up, slamming the unsuspecting crew members against the back of the cabin!
"What's going on?!"
Pinned underneath Usopp, Chopper, Pato, and Carrot, Luffy looked confused.
Roman gave a short and direct reply.
"Sanji and Pudding's opponent is Big Mom."
?! Wait... A newlywed couple getting beaten up by the mother-in-law?!
"Then what are we waiting for?! Hurry, hurry, hurry!!!"
At Luffy's urging, the giant paper airplane accelerated to speeds beyond what a normal aircraft could achieve. White sonic booms exploded around them—only the ridiculous power of Devil Fruits could make something this absurd possible.
"I can see Whole Cake Island!"
"Over there—!"
Sanji, wearing his Raid Suit, was carrying Pudding as he dashed between the buildings of Whole Cake Island. Smoke trailed from his body, and he was barely managing to dodge. Let alone winning, even escaping was a struggle.
After all, Big Mom was different from the others. She naturally possessed a "steel balloon" level of defense, combined with her terrifying Devil Fruit powers. Even without Haki, she was still a top-tier fighter—without a doubt, the strongest "clone" ever created.
"Sanji~~~"
Luffy, now in Gear Fourth, had already smashed through the side of the paper airplane, flying straight toward Big Mom. Meanwhile, Roman began slowing down and reducing the size of the aircraft, cutting down on the amount of paper—because...
"Nami, I'll go help Luffy in a bit. You take control of the plane and get everyone else away from here."
As Roman put on The White Knight armor, he transferred control of the paper plane. Against a top-tier tank like BIG MOM, sheer numbers didn't mean much anymore. If you couldn't withstand her powerful attacks or break through her steel-like skin, you were just asking to be beaten.
"Roman, how about we use 'that move'?"
Hearing Nami's suggestion, Roman waved his hand dismissively.
"No need. This is just a clone. Let's save that move for the real one."
"Alright then, let's see if her skin can withstand my blade!"
Zoro immediately got fired up at the thought of a strong opponent.
"If BIG MOM is the enemy, count me in."
Jinbe stood up as well.
Meanwhile, Luffy was already charging toward the enemy at full speed.
"Rubber… King Kong Gun!"
Right from the start, Luffy went all out. As he threw his punch, the air itself seemed to shatter layer by layer. He shot across the sky above Whole Cake Island, and the buildings beneath him split apart like butter under an invisible force.
BIG MOM took notice and didn't hesitate. She grabbed her pirate hat, Napoleon, and wrapped it with Prometheus' flames.
"Emperor Sword: Burning Blade!"
The massive longsword Napoleon blazed with intense heat and light. The ground below didn't even need to be touched—it was torn apart, leaving behind a glowing river of molten lava. Carrying scorching winds, the blade paused in the air for just a moment before slashing down at Luffy with incredible force.
Boom!!
Luffy's fist collided directly with BIG MOM's sword. A blinding explosion of flames erupted in all directions, the searing heat twisting and dancing in the air. Sparks and fire scattered like an erupting volcano, golden flames bursting forth as they fell. Even a single stray ember was enough to burn a gaping hole into the buildings below.
Crack!
At the same time, the ground beneath BIG MOM suddenly shattered. Shockwaves and tremors spread rapidly in every direction, creating massive cracks like a spider web. Within moments, hundreds of meters of buildings were reduced to rubble.
"You brat! You dare interfere in my family matters?!"
BIG MOM roared in fury, but Luffy stood his ground.
"Sanji is my crewmate—my family! Why wouldn't I interfere?!"
"You're asking for death!!"
As the burning sword swung down once more, Luffy didn't back down. Ever since mastering advanced Armament Haki, he wasn't as afraid of fire-based attacks. And BIG MOM's other attack method—Zeus—was pretty much useless against him.
"Rubber… King Kong Gatling!"
Luffy might have seemed small compared to BIG MOM, even in Gear Fourth, but the sheer number of his rapid punches couldn't be ignored!
"Oww! Ow, ow, that hurts!!"
Even though this was just a clone, relying only on her "iron balloon" defense wasn't enough to completely shrug off Luffy's attacks. But despite her yelling, her booming voice and the way she immediately swung her sword again made one thing clear—
It only *hurt*, nothing more.
"This is way too tough!"
After a fierce round of attacks, Luffy had to leap back mid-air to dodge BIG MOM's furious counterattack.
At that moment, Zoro and Jinbe had already rushed past him.
"Plum Blossom Skin!"
Jinbe crossed his arms tightly in front of him, coating them with Armament Haki! He forcefully blocked BIG MOM's longsword, while Zoro placed his two swords on his back and then slashed forward like a tiger's claw! The light flowing from his three blades became even more fierce and sharp, making it impossible to look directly at them. The blade energy extending from his swords stretched out like a long rainbow, carrying an overwhelming and unstoppable force.
"Three-Sword Style: Black Extreme Tiger Hunt!"
Slash! Slash! Slash!
"Ahhh—!"
Three slashes landed fiercely on BIG MOM, the cutting sound tearing through the air like a tiger's roar echoing through the mountains, shaking everything within a hundred miles! But—
"Hey, hey, this is way too tough..."
Zoro let out the same frustration as Luffy. BIG MOM's body was unbelievably strong—so strong that even the giants' swords had shattered when they tried to cut her at the age of five. It was as if she was born with a natural steel body! After decades of battles, her body had only grown tougher, making even Luffy and Zoro feel a little helpless.
Forget it, just keep hitting her!
Luffy, Roman, Zoro, and Jinbe surrounded BIG MOM, clashing against her like they were hammering metal. They couldn't deal much damage to her, but with four of the main fighters of the Straw Hat Crew attacking at the same time, even the real BIG MOM wouldn't have an easy time, let alone a clone! As the fight continued, the four Straw Hats started getting used to her attack patterns, their teamwork growing more seamless. Before they knew it, they were starting to push BIG MOM back. But if they wanted to actually defeat her… it was hard to say how long that would take.
"Pudding, you stay here and rest. I'm going to help Luffy and the others."
Inside the paper plane circling over Whole Cake Island, Sanji quickly patched up his injuries and was about to rejoin the battle. But Pudding grabbed his arm—
"Wait, Sanji!"
"Nami said that both Whole Cake Island and 'Mama' are just illusions created from memories by a Devil Fruit power. If that's true, then I might be able to help."
...?
"Whoooosh—"
Luffy exhaled heavily mid-battle, and the next second, he went flying backward like a deflated balloon.
"You only lasted ten minutes? Are you an Ultraman or something?"
Roman couldn't help but complain, but with Luffy down, the pressure on him, Zoro, and Jinbe suddenly increased. They weren't in danger of losing, but things definitely weren't as easy as before. Were they really going to be stuck in this cycle of Luffy using Gear Fourth, running out of energy, recovering, and repeating?
"Hang on, I'm coming to help!"
Sanji used Moonwalk to soar toward them, and BIG MOM lifted her huge, round face.
"Ma ma ma ma~~ I spared your life because of that delicious cake and planned to make you my chef. And now you come back just to die?"
"Then I'll grant your wish!"
"Thunderbolt!!"
With a command from BIG MOM, Zeus transformed into a massive lightning bolt, twisting into a terrifying thunder dragon. With a deafening roar, it crashed down toward Sanji!
"Not happening!"
Roman instantly stepped in front of Sanji, raising his shield.
"More More: 50x Barrier Shield!"
Crackle—!
Electricity filled the sky, thousands of silver lightning snakes wildly dancing. Though some of the thick bolts struck Roman, he didn't even bother to react to the damage.
"Heavenly Fire!"
Since lightning didn't work, BIG MOM reached out and summoned roaring flames, as massive as a warship! The fire instantly formed into a giant pillar, surging forward like a blazing sun, engulfing everything in its path toward Roman and the others.
"Fish-Man Jujutsu: Water Heart – Flowing Shoulder Throw!"
A massive surge of water shot into the sky like a dragon, colliding directly with BIG MOM's flames! The crashing waves and raging fire clashed with a thunderous roar before both forces vanished together!
"Jinbe, you—"
Just as BIG MOM raised her sword, Napoleon, preparing to strike herself, a figure suddenly leaped forward, blocking her attack with three swords.
"The cook actually wants to take the spotlight for once—"
Swish!
Taking advantage of his crew blocking BIG MOM's attacks, Sanji used Moonwalk to fly right in front of her face. Reaching back with one hand, he pulled—
"Mama,"
Sanji lowered Pudding, who had been hiding behind him, with one arm around her. Her delicate hand landed on Big Mom's forehead.
"You're just a 'memory' trapped in place."
"You ungrateful girl, you dare—"
"Let me set you free!"
As Pudding activated her Devil Fruit ability, the once terrifying and unstoppable Big Mom suddenly froze. The light in her eyes quickly faded, like a machine that had just been unplugged.
Memory Erasure!
Boom~~
(End of Chapter)
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