(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic, Thanks and appreciate all who support me)
(T/N: Enjoy!!)
<><><><><><>
In the Northern Seas, there exists a creature known as the Kun.
The Kunpeng is a mythical being of immense size—underwater, it is a Kun, and when it spreads its wings, it soars into the skies as a Peng, flying upwards for 45,000 feet.
Under its massive frame, even dragons would become food within its jaws. Once awakened, a creature of this legend holds a truly overwhelming power.
Arashi had fully awakened the Kunpeng Fruit, maxing out its potential. With each form it took, its power shifted accordingly.
Yet no matter the form, it always wielded terrifying strength, capable of devouring anything.
Inside its body was a realm of its own, where all impacts, slashes, and collisions—physical and non-physical—could be swallowed. This was a nearly invincible defence.
This was the true power of devouring. A true Kunpeng could open its mouth and swallow half a river.
Its devouring strength was boundless, like a black hole. Its body was even larger than the islands; to it, any creature was a speck of dust.
"Hahahahaha!" Luffy laughed, thrilled.
He bounced on the spot, his heart pounding louder and louder, and the sky seemed to beat like a war drum.
Suddenly, the ground twisted, folding up and transforming into a massive slingshot.
Luffy launched himself like a pebble, the slingshot snapping him into the air.
"Vmm!" He rocketed forward, a huge smile across his face as white flames erupted around him.
Black and red fire burst from his clenched fist. From far off, he threw a punch straight at Arashi.
"Boom Doom Thump Doom Boom!" With each beat of the drum, Luffy's fist grew rapidly—hundreds, then over a thousand meters in size, even larger than Arashi himself.
"Hahahahaha!" His laughter echoed through the skies. Arashi looked up at the massive fist, lips curling into a smirk.
"How interesting," he muttered. That punch was now even bigger than his own body.
He bent his knees slightly, lowering his body. The ground beneath him cracked and sank like a crater. As he punched forward, his fist grew.
At one centimetre, it expanded to 100 metres. At two centimetres, it reached 300 meters. At five, it exploded to a full kilometre.
His skin turned pitch black, smooth and thickly layered, tough and resilient.
Dark flames wreathed his fingers like ghostly shadows, dense and large as houses.
"Boom!" The two colossal fists, both a kilometre in size and wrapped in searing black-red fire, collided with immense force in a blink.
The air was ripped apart, violently swept away in every direction. Even legends like Silvers Rayleigh and Bartholomew Kuma were blown away by the trees around them.
Kuina and Zoro, locked in battle elsewhere, were also forced to stop and flee, only to be caught in the shockwave and hurled thousands of meters through the air.
At the same time, outside Zone 12, a group of Marine officers stared at the impact before them, throats dry and faces pale.
Behind them, the recently evacuated civilians trembled in terror.
"What... what were those giant fists? Are those giants fighting?" a civilian asked, voice shaking.
"No," another Marine cut in loudly.
"Even giants aren't that big." He had seen real giants—even Vice Admirals in the Marines from the Giant Tribe.
But the fists before them? Far larger than anything he'd ever seen.
"Keep evacuating the civilians! No one is allowed to enter the battlefield ahead!"
"Above all, protect the people!" Vice Admiral Joyce barked orders as he marched forward with grim determination.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Joyce!" The officers quickly responded, recognising him as the highest authority in the Sabaody Archipelago.
One brave soul took a deep breath and asked, "Sir, what exactly is happening in Zone 12? Why such a massive evacuation?"
Joyce looked ahead with furrowed brows. "I'm not entirely sure myself," he said gravely.
"But we just received a message from the frontlines. On that battlefield are Vice Admiral Kuina from the science division, the Pirate King's former first mate—Silvers Rayleigh—and Bartholomew Kuma of the Seven Warlords."
"As for the other two, they're too far away to see clearly." He paused, eyes flashing with awe as he stared at the red-black sky.
"But one of them is likely Admiral Arashi of Marine Headquarters."
"If anyone could possess such power, it'd be him." His expression grew darker. "But the other one…"
That man, who could fight evenly against Arashi, was no ordinary enemy. At minimum, he had to be on the same level as one of the Four Emperors of the New World.
Joyce couldn't identify him when even Rayleigh was reduced to a mere spectator.
With a sharp breath, he gave the next command. "All officers, listen up! Move the civilians back another entire zone! Ensure that the fight up ahead doesn't harm a single person!
"I don't care if you drag, carry, or lift them—get every civilian to safety! We cannot allow even one innocent life to be lost!"
At his order, the officers straightened. "Yes, sir!" they shouted, and Marines sprang into action, continuing the mass evacuation.
Joyce remained where he was, gazing solemnly at the scene before him. Beneath the blood-red sky, the crushing pressure was beyond even his reach.
That intense Conqueror's Haki made one clear: Arashi's opponent was no ordinary foe.
"Could it be Red-Haired Shanks?" he muttered. "Or maybe even Kaido… but why would someone like that be here?"
His thoughts swirled with confusion, and his face grew more and more grim.
No one expected the peaceful Sabaody Archipelago, quiet for years, to be the centre of such a cataclysmic battle.
Fists collided again. Under the sundered sky, red and black lightning danced wildly through the air.
"Hahahahaha!" Laughter rang out again, and then, in an instant, two more fists swelled and clashed again.
"Boom!" Another shockwave erupted, and the battlefield was engulfed in chaos.
Their fists were larger than the bodies that threw them. Sparks flew as they locked eyes, power crackling in the air.
"You carry power that could destroy the world!" Luffy shouted.
"You're a truly dangerous man!" "Maybe you're the more dangerous one," Arashi replied, smiling.
Battle-lust gleamed in his eyes. It had been long since he had fought like this—unrestrained, at full strength.
Joyboy's awakening brought them to equal ground. Their Haki, Devil Fruits, and power were nearly identical.
"If I can't beat you… This kid's in real danger," Luffy said, his face darkening.
"It's been 800 years. This fruit finally chose a new inheritor… and I won't let you be the end of him."
"Then you'd better give it your all!" Arashi grinned. "Because I'm not some no-name weakling!"
Luffy laughed back, his chest drum pounding louder. His giant fists suddenly retracted with a sharp snap.
Then he bolted forward, leaping into the sky. Midair, he kicked out—his slender right leg rapidly enlarged, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki. Arashi raised his hand.
"Boom!" The ground within a ten-kilometre radius shook violently, gusts roaring outward.
There was no doubt—this was Joyboy's strength coursing through Luffy. Every punch and kick carried the force of an explosion.
As he caught the blow, Arashi opened his mouth wide. "Huff!"
A black vortex formed, radiating terrifying suction. "Kunpeng—Devour!"
In an instant, the ground split and shattered, flowers, stones, and debris all flew upward, sucked toward him.
Luffy, directly in front, was locked in by the pull. "I… can't move!" he yelled, struggling furiously.
But it was no use. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Arashi.
"You bastard—are you trying to eat me!?" Luffy shouted.
His arms and legs shot outward at once, stretching across kilometres to grab hold of distant buildings, anchoring himself in place.
"You're kind of like a rubber snake, Joy Boy!" Arashi laughed heartily.
"I'm the freest person alive! I decide how I fight!" Luffy shouted.
"Is that so?" Arashi smiled faintly. He lowered his stance and slowly clenched his fist.
Crackle! Black and red lightning burst out, and his punch flew forward in the blink of an eye.
Boom! Luffy's stomach caved in and twisted as he was launched backwards at high speed.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Luffy groaned. "You pack a punch! Even I felt pain from that one!"
Then, his body suddenly stretched, transforming into a snake-like form that slithered through the air, limbs flailing wildly.
In an instant, he closed the distance and crashed into Arashi, wrapping tightly around his legs and waist. The absurd way of fighting caught Arashi off guard.
"A cheating little snake, huh?" he mocked. "I'm a dragon! A dragon!!" Luffy yelled furiously.
Raising his fists in rage, he hammered down on Arashi's head. Coiled around Arashi like a snake, Luffy unleashed a flurry of punches like a raging storm.
Hearing Luffy call himself a dragon made Arashi burst out laughing.
"So you imagine yourself as a dragon to attack like that?" he chuckled.
Suddenly, Arashi's body trembled and started expanding at an incredible rate.
Within seconds, he had doubled in height, reaching a full kilometre tall—and he was still growing. 1,500 meters... 2,000... 2,500... 3,000 meters.
His head pierced into the clouds. A towering god-like figure had appeared above the Sabaody Archipelago, drawing gasps of awe and disbelief from countless onlookers.
As Arashi's massive body expanded, Luffy was forced off, flung through the sky like a leaf in the wind.
Arashi looked down, bent over, and reached out his massive hand, grabbing Luffy and locking his grip tight.
"So... huge!" Luffy gasped in shock. Even as the wielder of the Nika Fruit, it was nearly impossible to grow that large.
Such a colossal being was far beyond imagination. Suddenly, Luffy shrank and dashed across Arashi's palm, escaping his grasp.
Like an ant, he leapt high from the joints of Arashi's fingers.
"Hahahahaha!" Luffy laughed mid-air. "You are gigantic!" he praised.
His arms stretched out again, growing massive. In moments, they were the same size as Arashi's arms, crackling with black and red lightning.
"Persistent little guy," Arashi murmured. The two were equals now—neither able to overpower the other in a short clash.
Then, Arashi swung his fist. His enormous punch tore through the clouds and smashed forward.
BOOM! Electricity surged, and waves of shock rippled through the air.
Thunder exploded above the Sabaody Archipelago, whipping up fierce winds. Even the surrounding ocean began to churn violently.
Boom boom boom boom boom!
The sound of repeated collisions thundered in the skies. Luffy and Arashi clashed head-on once again.
This time, Luffy's expression turned serious, his eyes sharp. He was using everything he had, but Arashi's strength was just as immense.
The battle remained deadlocked, with no clear victor. "Hurricane!" Arashi roared, unleashing a torrent of wind blades.
They surged forward to slice through everything in their path. Luffy pulled back his fists, stretched his arm, and yanked down a cloud overhead.
He turned it into rubber and used it as a shield. The wind blades struck the rubber cloud and bounced back toward Arashi.
"This is the most fun I've had in a fight!" Arashi laughed, waving his hand to disperse the blades. Then he clenched both fists.
Despite how unusual Luffy's fruit power was, every close-range blow still hit like a real punch and close-quarters combat, true hand-to-hand battle, was his favourite kind of fight.
"This is what real men do! Let's keep going!" Arashi looked up at Luffy, now as small as a mosquito.
But in that moment, he froze. The fists he had just tightened suddenly loosened. Luffy's smile was still there, but it had become stiff.
The light in his eyes faded quickly. At last, his pupils vanished, leaving only white. The powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki he had emitted suddenly disappeared.
His body began drifting like a falling leaf, slowly accelerating toward the ground.
"Is it over?" Arashi sighed quietly. He wasn't surprised. Joy Boy had already died.
The current Luffy…was no longer the emperor-level force that awakened the Nika Fruit. The fact that he had lasted this long was already impressive.
"It's been so long… since I felt this excitement," Arashi murmured. As he spoke, his enormous body gradually shrank back to normal.
His gaze swept across the horizon, and soon, he saw Rayleigh holding Luffy,
Having caught him mid-fall.
"Straw Hat... it seems I can't have you after all, Rayleigh," he said with a sigh.
Rayleigh's sharp eyes stared at Arashi. "Do you have to push it this far?"
Arashi smiled faintly and stepped forward. Just then, Bartholomew Kuma suddenly moved. In an instant, he appeared before Rayleigh.
The two locked eyes. Rayleigh's eyes flickered. Kuma raised his right hand and thrust it forward.
Boom! In the blink of an eye, Rayleigh disappeared—along with the unconscious Luffy. Arashi paused, eyes narrowing as he looked toward Kuma.
"Bartholomew Kuma. I respect you, but don't mistake my respect as permission to play tricks in front of me."
Kuma's expression was grave, eyes focused, but he said nothing.
Arashi stepped forward again, voice cold. "You should explain yourself."
"I sensed... no intent to harm from him," Kuma said, his voice trembling at first, then turning steady.
"You don't get to make decisions in my place," Arashi replied firmly. Kuma was silent.
To whisk away the Straw Hats one by one in front of this man was undeniably bold and reckless. "You must pay the price," Arashi said coldly after a pause.
"I'll pay any price," Kuma said solemnly.
"Is it worth it?" Arashi asked.
"You could've been my most trusted ally." He looked up and sighed. Kuma's face turned slightly solemn.
"I appreciate your trust and recognition," he said sincerely. Arashi shook his head and turned to look at the other side, where Zoro stood with Kuina.
As soon as Zoro noticed the gaze, his body tensed. "Kuina," he said, "are you sure Luffy and the others are okay?"
Kuina nodded. "My teacher would never lay a hand on kids like you."
Zoro took a deep breath, his expression complicated. He'd been completely overwhelmed in the duel earlier.
He realised just how massive the gap in strength between them truly was. His confidence took a serious hit.
After over a decade of training… The distance between them only seemed to grow, and the only move that might stand a chance against him was the one technique taught to him by that man.
"If I could fully master that slash…" The thought struck Zoro hard. He clenched his fists. "When that day comes, I might not lose to Kuina again!"
"But… what is this man truly after?" As he thought this, his eyes met Arashi's.
There was no fear—only confusion and doubt.
"Roronoa Zoro," Arashi said with a faint smile, "Are you planning to send him away too?" he asked Kuma.
Bartholomew Kuma stood silently. His face was unreadable. Seeing him unmoving, Arashi smiled again and stepped forward.
But at that moment, Kuma vanished. He reappeared right in front of Zoro and slapped his palm across Zoro's face with lightning speed.
Smack! A loud sound rang out. Zoro's expression froze, a look of confusion spreading. Then, with a soft pop, he vanished.
Whoosh! A breeze swept across the area, kicking up dust. Kuma stood motionless. He glanced at the stunned Kuina, then slowly turned to meet Arashi's cold gaze once more.
"I'll bear all the consequences," Kuma said. Arashi's cold expression finally softened a bit.
He took a few steps forward. As he passed by Kuma, he paused, now standing behind him.
"Well then," he said quietly. "I hope you meant what you said."
Kuma said nothing. He knew fhe consequences of his interference,
especially in front of this man. But to him… it was worth it.
As Rayleigh had said, this world needed to leave behind some seeds.
After personally witnessing the changes in Luffy, the bond between these young crewmates, and the kind of trust where they would entrust their lives to one another, he felt it was all worth it.
"Master was furious. But he trusts you... and respects you a lot." Kuina's gentle voice echoed beside him.
Kuma's body trembled slightly, then he let out a heavy sigh. "I let him down."
He recalled the first time he and Arashi met and spoke. Truthfully, Kuma had also come to recognise this man.
Perhaps, in the whole world, no one understood him quite like Arashi.
As they spent more time together, he was surprised to discover that the man known as a legendary warrior was, unexpectedly, kind and easygoing.
Even the young girl under Moria dared to joke freely with him. What struck him most was Arashi's compassion toward ordinary people.
If he were a superior, he'd be someone worth dedicating everything to and fighting for. As a friend, he was just as reliable.
Kuma fully understood why so many powerful figures gathered around Arashi.
Powerhouses like Bullet, the wild Crocodile, Buggy, Rosinante, Smoker, and others followed him willingly.
There was no doubt: Arashi possessed tremendous charisma. He was a hero in the eyes of many, a living symbol of justice.
It even felt like his path was more righteous than Dragon's. Somewhere deep inside, Kuma couldn't help but compare the two men.
"Whoooosh!" The wind roared past his ears. Zoro, stunned, realised he was lying inside a bubble. The scenery on either side flashed by rapidly.
In just moments, he was already above a vast ocean. Carefully, he sat up, afraid the bubble might pop.
Then, he saw the endless blue sea and the black dots of ships sailing across it. "What the hell is going on?!"
The wind howled as Zoro grew anxious. He stayed tense, watching the bubble speed across the waves.
After an unknown amount of time, a massive Gate of Justice came into view below, along with rows of Marine battleships bearing anchor symbols.
The bubble soared past the gate, over the huge inner harbour of the fortress, and toward a dense cluster of buildings.
The altitude kept dropping. Finally, it was only about ten meters from the ground.
Pop! The bubble burst.
Zoro let out a scream as he fell straight down, crashing hard into a training field.
When he pulled himself up, what greeted him was a group of all-too-familiar figures dressed in Marine uniforms.
"Long nose?! Pigeon guy?!"
"Roronoa Zoro?!"
"What are you doing falling into Marineford?!"
If you want to support me, join my patr**on. Have 10 advanced Chapters for you guys.
patr**n.com/saitamablast > OP:COI NOVEL TIER (PLEASE DONT SUBS THROUGH IOS PLATFORM)