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As Katakuri passed through the triangular maritime zone connecting the territories of the Beasts, the Thunder Emperor, and Big Mom, he subconsciously activated his Future Sight.
He saw a figure, towering and indomitable, step out from a raging torrent of lightning. A mountain-like fist rose to meet him... and then the vision abruptly cut off.
Katakuri massaged his throbbing temples. There were too many variables; the future was a chaotic blur. But one thing was certain: a battle of cataclysmic proportions was about to erupt right here.
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SPLASH!!
Waves crashed against the jagged reefs as a colossal figure came to a halt on the desolate island. Kaido glanced briefly at the singing ship a few nautical miles away, then snapped his head upward.
In the churning clouds above, Arthur stepped out from the lightning, moving slowly but with such intensity that the air currents around him shredded the cloud cover. Standing high in the sky, his eyes—burning with excitement—locked onto Kaido below.
It was as if the entire sky had solidified. All sound and color faded into the background.
A moment later, two opposing wills—one fueled by rage, the other by exhilaration—erupted, their combined battle intent pressing down on the ocean like a physical weight. The Queen Mama Chanter was pushed ten nautical miles away by the sheer force of the ripples generated on the sea surface. On board, everyone except Katakuri—Perospero, Oven, and Brûlée—shivered uncontrollably, paralyzed by the overwhelming pressure.
"Is this... the pinnacle? The gap is too wide!"
The observers on the bow clenched their fists, staring unblinkingly into the distance. Only Katakuri remained outwardly stoic.
"THUNDER EMPEROR!! Because of you, people are looking down on me! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!"
Kaido's voice escalated from a low growl to a deafening roar. The veins in his neck bulged to the point of bursting, and his already bronzed face flushed a deep, angry red.
A terrifying aura, so dense it felt solid, rose from his mountain-like body, rolling toward Arthur in waves of murderous intent.
On the desolate island, the flat, rocky ground began to tremble violently, as if an earthquake were imminent. Ripples spread outward from the island's edge across the sea.
"GET DOWN HERE AND DIE! TODAY—"
"Too much talk. You're just here to help me loosen up!"
Arthur ruthlessly cut off Kaido's roar. Stepping on the air, he abruptly punched downward.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The air exploded under his feet with a thunderous crack. A shockwave blasted outward in all directions, shattering the cloud layer completely.
Arthur leaped from the high altitude, carrying unstoppable momentum. In an instant, he crossed a thousand meters, descending upon Kaido's head like a teleporting god.
Like drawing a massive bow, his fist was the arrow. All his strength converged into that single point as he smashed down.
A dull sonic boom detonated, and rolling waves of air fled the impact zone like a terrified flood.
As time passed, the constant electric stimulation had made his physique stronger and stronger. Perhaps, aside from Kaido, no one else on the sea could match him in raw physical power.
And now, facing the man who stood at the absolute peak of physical might, Arthur held nothing back.
"Hmph!"
Two jets of white steam shot from Kaido's nose like a bull. In a contest of pure physical strength, Kaido feared no one. His feet rooted into the earth, his mountain-like body unmoving, he raised a massive hand and swung it horizontally to meet Arthur's fist.
The two strongest physiques in the world collided.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A deafening explosion rang out, clearly audible even ten nautical miles away. Arthur felt a force of extreme power transmit through his fist and up his arm. His blood began to boil, and he was instantly knocked back a hundred meters.
The last time they traded blows, he hadn't felt this. Kaido, too, had been getting stronger without realizing it.
"Hahahahahaha! Now that's satisfying!"
Arthur laughed wildly. While his Devil Fruit development might be ahead of the entire world, his physical arts and Haki still had plenty of room for improvement.
Shaking out his arm, Arthur flew back in. The air currents generated by his extreme speed ripped rocks from the ground and sent them flying as he closed in on Kaido once more.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Another explosion rang out. Arthur and Kaido exchanged fist for fist, a contest of pure brute force.
"Waaaaaaaaah! Thunder Emperor! Trying to match me in physical strength? Even you are looking down on me??" The mercurial Kaido opened his mouth and wailed, but in the next instant, his expression twisted into a mask of murderous rage.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
His raised fist descended like a collapsing mountain, momentum unstoppable, smashing toward Arthur.
The displaced air had nowhere to go, gathering frantically around the two combatants. Their hair stood on end, whipping upward. A moment later, the airflow exploded outward in all directions, sweeping up countless rocks into a storm.
RUMBLE!!!
The two engaged in a frenzy of violence, fists colliding with fists, brawling from one end of the island to the other. As they fought, it became harder and harder to stop, the release of pent-up excitement fueling their growing power.
The ground beneath their feet shattered like glass, revealing deep trenches. Cracks crisscrossed every corner of the desolate island.
With every punch that landed, shattered boulders were pulverized into dust and blown away by the gale.
The dense web of cracks on the island grew deeper under the terrifying force, allowing seawater to pour in, turning the single island into an archipelago of broken landmasses!
In the distance, on the Queen Mama Chanter, the four members of the Charlotte Family—except for Katakuri—were pale, terrified by the sheer scale of the power on display.
The fear the Big Mom Pirates held for their mother came from her ability to steal lifespans, the lack of control over their own lives and deaths, and her insatiable craving for sweets.
But the terror they felt watching Arthur and Kaido came from raw, overwhelming power.
People who have never seen a monster can never truly describe what one looks like. But once they see one, they are horrified by the "monstrous" reality of its strength.
"Big brother Katakuri... do we really... have to wait here until they're done? We'll die..." Brûlée's voice trembled uncontrollably.
Perospero and Oven swallowed hard at the same time, staring in horror at the fierce collision in the distance, their hearts pounding.
"Don't be afraid. The battle is about to end!" Katakuri covered one eye with his hand. In his other eye, a vision of a terrifying attack played out.
The veins on his forehead bulged involuntarily, his expression one of shock, as if he had witnessed something impossible.
"If I had the Thunder Emperor's invincible power, I could definitely protect my siblings from being drained of life by a mindless Mom!"
The thought flashed through his mind and vanished.
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BOOM!!
Arthur was once again blasted back hundreds of meters by Kaido's punch, his entire body numb from the impact.
Without using his Devil Fruit abilities or Haki amplification, relying solely on his physical body was not enough to contend with Kaido. Arthur completely abandoned the idea of beating Kaido with brute force alone.
He dropped his hands, panting, frowning as he watched Kaido roar and charge toward him...
"Realizing the gap is enough."
Arthur raised his hand, a smile spreading across his face. A current of electricity gathered in his palm. He controlled the microscopic positive and negative electrons, dispersing them into the air within his grasp, gradually condensing them into a mass of "plasma"!
The light grew brighter and brighter. Constrained by electromagnetic force, the plasma condensed into a sphere of light.
Then, with terrifying speed, it fired a beam of searing white light.
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