"Hiss…"
Loki let out a low hiss as pain spread through his body, as if a thousand Giants had struck him at once. With a sudden leap, he flipped out of the deep pit and landed firmly on the snow-covered ground.
Boom!
He pushed off hard, soaring out of the crater before crashing down again with immense force.
Bang!
The impact shook the surrounding ground.
Compared to Loki's towering and sturdy frame, Shirogai appeared small, almost like a sparrow. Yet he stood calmly, smiling as he looked up at the Giant with clear admiration.
"Heh, your body is seriously tough."
The punches he had just delivered, even someone like Kaido would need a moment to recover from. Loki's durability was clearly on that same monstrous level.
"A reputation well earned. No wonder Red Hair holds you in such high regard. With strength that surpasses most of the world's strongest, you're qualified to stand before me."
Loki's single eye sharpened. The earlier mockery in his gaze disappeared, replaced with seriousness.
"But tell me, is this your own strength, or the power of a Devil Fruit?"
He remained wary. After all, Shirogai had climbed out of that crushing blow completely unharmed.
Even if Red Hair's personality was questionable, his strength was unquestionable. As one of the Four Emperors, anyone he respected could not be ordinary.
Still, Loki could not accept it.
That someone could overwhelm him purely through physical strength alone.
He, a Giant famed for unmatched power, had been forced on the defensive. After dozens of blows, his arms had gone numb. After a hundred, even Armament Haki barely held his body together.
"Devil Fruits can enhance the body," Shirogai said lightly. "Like the Strength-Strength Fruit."
As he spoke, he slowly lowered his slightly swollen fist and pressed it against the ground.
…
The instant his fist touched, everything went silent.
"What…?!"
Loki's pupil shrank as he felt the surge beneath him. Without hesitation, he leapt into the air.
Boom!!!!
The land exploded.
Miles of ground burst upward, snow and soil mixing into a violent storm of debris. When it settled, a massive crater remained beside the trunk of the Treasure Tree Adam.
Its enormous roots were torn apart, sinking into the earth.
Shirogai hovered calmly in midair, standing as if on invisible ground. He looked at Loki, who now clung upside down to the tree.
"See? That's what happens when the Strength-Strength Fruit combines with my own power."
Loki's expression darkened as he stared at the destruction below.
"This guy…"
Then he clicked his tongue.
"Hey! You've got no manners. Why are you trying to destroy someone else's home?"
Despite his rebellious nature, he had no intention of letting the Treasure Tree Adam be destroyed. Too many lives depended on it.
Yet this man acted without restraint.
That arrogance ignited something deep within him.
"You've angered me."
A black-purple aura surged from Loki's eye, spreading like venom across his entire body.
"A feeling I haven't had in a long time…"
Covered in that eerie energy, Loki dropped from the tree, laughing wildly.
"God King! Come and witness the power of the one who ends worlds!"
Boom!
The energy wrapped him completely as he fell like a massive cocoon.
Crack!
Just before impact, it split open.
"Heh, interesting."
Shirogai narrowed his eyes slightly.
Swish!
A dark blur tore through the air.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss…"
A massive one-eyed bat appeared, its wings stretching wide, horns curved sharply forward. It moved at incredible speed, crashing toward Shirogai.
Strange black-purple waves spread from its body, distorting the air and locking down the space.
"Die! Die!!!"
"Endless pain! Endless despair!!!"
"No escape! Everything must perish!!!"
The madness flooded into Shirogai's mind, a storm of rage and terror attempting to paralyze him.
"Abyss Sun God, Terror Bat!"
The creature lunged, claws coated in Armament Haki, tearing into Shirogai's body.
Crack!
His form shattered instantly, scattering across the ground.
"…Something's wrong!"
Loki froze.
That wasn't flesh.
It felt like stone… no, like wax.
"I think you're underestimating me, Prince of the Giants."
Shirogai's voice came from behind him.
"Gods should fall from the sky."
Crack!
An overwhelming force slammed down.
Loki's body was dragged to the ground, pinned in place, unable to move.
"Damn it… gravity?! Is this the Gravity-Gravity Fruit?!"
"You got it right," Shirogai replied with a faint smile. "Now guess what comes next."
He raised his hand toward the sky.
"I've heard giants and meteorites make a great combination."
Buzz!
High above Elbaf, a blazing meteorite formed, tearing through the sky.
West Village
The Giants stared upward in horror.
"A meteorite!!!"
"Oh no… that's not Loki's power!"
"Is this the strength of God King Shirogai?!"
Even Elder Arlulu looked stunned.
Nami placed a hand on her forehead, clearly exasperated.
"Shirogai, you're going too far. Do you plan to destroy the entire island?"
Shirogai glanced at her with a small smirk.
"Relax. I've got control."
Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, meanwhile, stared with sparkling eyes.
"That's so cool!!!"
Rumble!!!
The meteorite crashed down with overwhelming force, slamming directly into the massive bat.
Flames and debris exploded outward.
Creak… creak…
"Awooooo!!!"
From within the inferno, a distorted purple-black figure began to expand, twisting and growing larger.
Then it burst out.
"Abyss Sun God, Resentful Wolf!"
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