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On the outskirts of the Flower Capital, at Cross Junction.
BOOM, RUMBLE!!!
A storm of thunder spears came crashing down like a torrential rain, sweeping out from not far where the Straw Hats were battling. The deafening explosions rolled across the land, and Zoro took a deep breath before muttering dryly:
"No matter how many times I see it… It still feels impossible."
"That kind of power… can it really come from a human?"
The distance from their position to the Flower Capital was at least a thousand meters, yet the barrage of thunderous spears showed no sign of weakening, no pause in their fury.
Layered atop the terrifying Qilin Thunderlight and the cataclysmic explosion from earlier… Zoro couldn't help but think, if not for the sheer size of Wano, the entire country might already have been sunk beneath the sea.
To witness such destructive might from afar was one thing, but to feel it firsthand was another entirely. It was like comparing lightning viewed from the ground to sitting in a plane as the heavens themselves exploded around you.
"The world has always said that a Marine Admiral is a being who can destroy nations on their own… so keep pushing forward, mosshead. That guy is bound to stand in our way someday."
For once, Sanji didn't bicker back. The pressure Rowen exuded was simply too great.
From the very first time he appeared in East Blue, taking on missions as an Inspector, Rowen had carried with him a crushing presence, one that hadn't lessened in the slightest, no matter how much Sanji had grown stronger.
And that… was the most terrifying part.
Whether it was because Rowen's strength was bottomless, always beyond their reach, or because Rowen, too, had been relentlessly growing stronger all this time… both possibilities were enough to leave a man gasping for air, drowning in despair.
Shing!
A blade whistled past Sanji's ear, felling an Oniwabanshū assassin who had tried to sneak up on him. Zoro grinned, taunting as ever.
"Things like this… leave it to me, curly-brow."
"Not good! This lightning… it's the Marine Soryu (Azure Dragon)!"
Among the Oniwabanshū, someone finally recognized the source of the lightning and cried out in horror.
A name was like the shadow of a great tree, and the name Soryu (Azure Dragon) carried the weight of thunder. Rowen, the Thunder God, was hailed across the Four Seas as one of the most dangerous Marines alive.
The survivors instantly realized their mission had failed. There was no point clashing further with the Straw Hats. What mattered now was retreating to protect Kurozumi Orochi, their lord.
But just as they tried to withdraw, Sanji appeared before them, cutting off their escape.
"Sorry, sorry. That way's a dead end… and this way---" He exhaled smoke, his right leg spinning, friction igniting the air until it glowed red-hot like tempered steel. His eyes narrowed coldly. "---is death itself!"
'Diable Jambe: Hell Memories!'
Sanji's burning kick shot forward, wreathed in demonic flame.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!!!
The storm of explosions raged on for a full ten seconds. Then, abruptly, a crushing, formless pressure erupted outward, followed by Kurozumi Orochi's furious roar from the heart of the thunderlight.
"You… bastard!!!"
DOOM!
Something massive slammed into the ground, the impact shattering the earth with a quake that left even seasoned warriors stumbling.
"This feeling… eight tails, eight heads… all bound to a single body."
The Thunder God seal on Rowen's brow flashed brightly as he opened his eyes.
"The legendary beast… the eight-headed Orochi?"
Unlike the other mythical beasts, the defining feature of the Yamata no Orochi was its eight tails.
"Soryu (Azure Dragon)!!!"
From within the lightning storm, a colossal shadow let out a chorus of ear-splitting roars, serpent cries mingling with a bellowing voice. The monstrous form of Kurozumi Orochi loomed, charred and bloody from the barrage, yet still alive.
Zoan resilience. As long as the blow wasn't fatal, the body could recover. Even now, his burned flesh writhed, and beneath shattered scales, new transparent ones rapidly grew in their place, patching the gaps with terrifying speed.
And then--
"You looking for me?"
Shua!
A towering figure stepped through the air itself, a thunder spear hardened into a divine weapon in his grip. He appeared right before one of Orochi's heads.
All sixteen of Orochi's eyes went wide. The nearest pair filled with raw terror.
"So fast!"
So fast that he couldn't even react. For a fleeting second, Orochi regretted ever opening his mouth. But Rowen would never grant him the time to regret.
"Heaven-Resisting Thunder Cry, Third Form…"
Rowen raised his arm. The weightless spear stirred up a heaven-rending vortex of lightning, a thunder-dragon twisting and roaring around it. The sheer force seemed to freeze the world in place before all around was devoured by crackling light, torn to dust.
"Cloud-Dragon Slayer!"
CRACK!
At the last instant, Orochi jerked one of his heads back. The lightning spear slammed into the scales just beside his fanged maw, the impact ringing out with a clear, chilling chime.
"B… blocked it?! Kā hū hū hū hū!"
For a moment, Kurozumi Orochi froze. Then, he burst into wild laughter. The scale armor along his jaw had been pried open in chunks, like kernels being ripped from a cob with a screwdriver, yet Rowen's strike had not pierced through.
Seeing this, Rowen murmured with a touch of awe:
"Scale-armor type, huh…"
Zoan-types were already known for their tough hides. But those with scale armor were born as if clad in iron, one of the most formidable branches of the Zoan lineage.
And among the strongest Zoans, Kaido, Orochi, even Lirisk, the hardness of their scales was enough to drive ordinary men to despair.
But…
As Orochi roared with laughter, Rowen did not relent. His hand slid down the shaft of the thunder spear, fingers curling around the tail end. Then, like a pool player raising his cue, he lifted it into position.
"…Hm?"
Orochi blinked. A thought flickered through his mind: What is he doing?
The next instant, Rowen answered.
Crack!
With the howl of storm and thunder, Rowen's left hand gripped the spear tight. His right hand clenched into a fist, then hammered down on the butt of the weapon.
"Thunder God, NAIL!"
Bēng kā!!!
"Áó wū!!"
A shriek tore through the night as lightning roared. The spear drove forward like a colossal nail, punching deep into flesh until it burst through the back of Orochi's skull.
The fifty-meter serpent writhed in agony, thrashing and crashing through the forest, tearing earth and trees to shreds.
The world knew the saying: ten fingers are linked to the heart. But most forgot that skin was the body's keenest sensor of pain.
And with the peculiar facial structure of serpents, Rowen's strike had ripped half of Orochi's face raw, speared through his eye socket, and drilled into his skull.
"You… bastard!!"
Orochi glared at him with venomous hatred. Seven heads, fourteen eyes, all twisted with malice, all snapping open their jaws at once.
"…It's coming, huh?"
Rowen narrowed his eyes, body tensing. He knew Orochi wouldn't just sit there and take the blows. The counterattack was inevitable.
Mythical Zoans were more than strange beasts with immense bodies. Each one carried a unique ability, an edge that placed them on par with, or even above, Paramecia and Logia. That was why Mythical Zoans were rarer, more coveted than even the Logia fruits.
Redfield's Vampire fruit let him drink blood to restore youth. Marco's Phoenix fruit birthed undying blue flames that healed not just himself, but others. Kaido's fruit let him command the heavens, his massive frame soaring aloft while breathing cataclysmic firestorms.
Then what of the Eight-Headed Serpent?
Frost. Flame. Mire. Poison.
Rowen's eyes widened as seven of Orochi's heads stirred with different powers, each one spewing forth in unison.
All but the central head closest to Rowen. That one alone exhaled poison gas, while the other six paired off, twin blasts of icy wind, raging fire, and corrosive swamp-mist crossing paths, converging on him.
"…Four different powers?!" Rowen's breath caught.
"Wait, if they work in pairs…"
He looked down sharply, and sure enough, the limp head that had dangled lifelessly before now had its single eye glaring wide. Its jaws opened, vomiting forth a putrid green cloud of venom that surged upward, sealing off his retreat.
"Die, bastard!!!"
Orochi's frenzied roar shook the air. At this range, there was nowhere Rowen could run, his abilities covered the entire field, making up for the beast form's lack of refined martial arts.
After all, someone like Lirisk, who could still wield Rokushiki even in full beast form… was one-of-a-kind across the seas.
(End of Chapter)