The clash between Simon and his opponent was fierce. Facing him stood Senior Pink a cadre of the Donquixote Family and the user of the Swim–Swim Fruit.
He wasn't yet the eccentric man who would one day wear baby clothes or the tragic lover he would eventually become. Now, he looked sharp and composed: dressed in a crisp black suit, sunglasses concealing his eyes though not the sharp gleam behind them. A cigarette hung loosely from his lips, its thin trail of smoke curling upward, adding a certain reckless charm to his presence.
As his hands began to move rhythmically, the solid ground beneath them shimmered like rippling water. Waves of distortion spread outward as though reality itself had become fluid. Without hesitation, Senior Pink dove straight into the undulating surface, his body slipping through it like a fish through the sea. In an instant, he was charging toward Simon from below with blinding speed.
Simon's eyes narrowed. When the enemy burst out from the earth, arms raised high like a cannonball ready to explode, Simon crossed his arms over his chest and growled, "Tekkai!"
The Iron Body technique enveloped his frame, muscles tightening with an unyielding density.
Their fists collided with the force of two boulders crashing together, the impact echoing like thunder across the field.
Senior Pink sank back into the ground, vanishing before Simon could counter. Simon's brow furrowed. The man wasn't particularly strong, but he was frustratingly elusive impossible to strike once submerged. His only option was to defend and wait for an opening.
The moment of thought proved costly. Senior Pink suddenly emerged behind him like a phantom, seizing Simon by the shoulders and hurling him over with terrifying speed.
The world spun. With a bone-shaking crash, Simon's massive frame smashed into the earth. The impact left a crater, but Simon, being a fishman, shook it off. His kind were born with resilience that no ordinary human could match.
As Simon stood, dust swirling around him, the enemy lunged again, arms wide to grab him for another throw.
This time, Simon was ready. His figure blurred "Soru!"
In a flash, he disappeared. Senior Pink's hands grasped nothing but air.
Simon reappeared to the side, his fingers forming into a sharp spear. "Shigan!"
His strike pierced through Senior Pink's chest. Blood sprayed as the man staggered backward, clutching the wound. Yet even then, Senior Pink didn't fall. With desperate strength, he lashed out with a kick but Simon met it with a counterpunch. The sound of bone snapping echoed sharply.
Still, the stubborn fighter didn't collapse. Using the recoil of the blow, he hurled himself backward and sank into the ground once more, disappearing from sight.
"Coward!" Simon roared. "Is sneaking all you can do?"
No answer came.
Simon leapt high into the air, spinning as his right leg whipped downward. The sky filled with slicing arcs of compressed air, a storm of razor-sharp kicks that crashed down like rain.
"Tempest Kick: Barrage!"
The explosions that followed shook the battlefield, the ground quivering beneath the relentless assault. But even after the dust settled, there was no trace of his enemy.
The battlefield quieted.
Elsewhere, Dortai had already finished his own fight. Rising from the waves, he hauled up a bloated figure Machvise, another Donquixote officer, wielder of the Ton-Ton Fruit.
Machvise's attacks were simple but devastating. He could control his own body weight, becoming light enough to float or heavy enough to crush. Yet against Dortai, who had mastered the Six Styles, he could do nothing but flail uselessly.
Their duel had left the terrain pitted and broken, but they had hardly exchanged real blows.
After several cautious feints, Dortai lured Machvise closer to the shore. The fishman raised his arm, gathering his strength. The sea answered his call water surged upward, coiling into a towering column.
"Fishman Karate: Ocean Strike!"
The water crashed down with the fury of a falling mountain. Machvise's eyes went wide. In the instant the seawater touched him, his fruit power failed. He plummeted helplessly into the surf. Dortai dove after him, hauling the unconscious man to land.
The crew had once heard their captain Eli Winters explain that Devil Fruit users should be captured alive whenever possible. He possessed the strange ability to extract their powers directly from their bodies. The idea had stunned everyone at first, but given their captain's otherworldly strength, it hardly seemed impossible.
Carrying the limp Machvise, Dortai joined Simon. "How's your side?" he asked.
Simon scowled. "That guy swims through the ground like it's water. I hit him hard, but he vanished before I could finish the job."
Dortai nodded thoughtfully. "Then just wait. Using a fruit drains stamina. Once he's worn out, he'll come crawling back up."
Simon sighed. "Fair point."
A thunderous explosion drew their gaze Big Pan had just shattered another of Pica's colossal stone constructs. The giant man rested his dragon-headed staff across his shoulder, sneering. "The Donquixote Family really loves hiding, huh? Boring!"
"Curses, you brute!" Pica's shrill voice rang from a pile of rubble. "I'll crush you!"
The voice was high-pitched and grating, a strange contrast to Pica's hulking, armored form.
"I'm not a brute! I'm a kung fu panda, you rock-faced moron! And your voice is unbearable!" Big Pan barked back, face twisting with irritation.
That insult hit a nerve. Pica loathed being mocked for his voice. With a furious roar, he clasped his hands together. The ground beneath Big Pan cracked open, two massive stone arms shooting up to grab him.
Big Pan didn't flinch. With a swing of his staff, the stone arms shattered like glass but fragments quickly reformed, reaching for him again. This time, Big Pan vanished with a "Soru," reappearing right before Pica's true body.
"Too slow!" he shouted, bringing his staff down hard. The impact obliterated Pica's rocky shell, forcing him to retreat once more into the earth.
"You think you can hide?" Big Pan grinned darkly. He slammed his staff into the ground. A pulse of invisible energy rippled outward, turning the surrounding boulders into dust.
"Eight Desolate Staff Technique Resonance!"
Pica spat blood and crashed from a collapsing stone, his armor shattered. Big Pan twirled his staff and scoffed. "You can't hide forever, coward."
"I'm not done yet!" Pica shrieked. The ground convulsed violently, splitting apart. Massive slabs of rock rose and fused, forming a giant hundreds of meters tall.
Even from afar, Delos Filina and the others stopped in awe. The sheer size of the creature defied imagination an instinctive fear of enormity chilled the air.
Simon and Dortai regrouped with the sisters, carrying their captives. Senior Pink had disappeared entirely.
Filina conjured a vast cloud beneath their feet, lifting the group and their prisoners high into the air, retreating from the battlefield. None of them were worried about Big Pan. Among the crew, only Eli Winters surpassed him in strength.
Meanwhile, the citizens of Nordis watched in terror as the stone giant loomed over their kingdom. Some cried, others cursed Eli's crew for provoking the Donquixote Family and bringing ruin to their land.
From within the giant came Pica's piercing voice: "I'll crush you flat!"
The giant's foot came crashing down. Big Pan darted aside with a "Soru," then launched himself upward with "Moon Step," soaring to the creature's chest. Ignoring its flailing arms, he drew in a deep breath, his staff pulsing with black Armament Haki.
"Eight Desolate Staff Technique Martial Destruction!"
The strike landed squarely in the giant's chest. A thunderous explosion followed. Cracks spidered outward until the entire stone colossus shattered from within.
Pica coughed blood, his armor broken, body battered and bleeding. If not for coating himself in Armament Haki, he would have been reduced to dust.
Big Pan landed before him, smirking. One swing of his staff and Pica was out cold. He slung the unconscious officer over his shoulder and sat down, yawning. "All done. Oh? What's this another little rat?"
One pulse of his Resonance, and another unconscious body joined the pile.
Not far away, Eli Winters was finishing his own fight. Doflamingo once smug and untouchable now looked desperate, bruised, and humiliated.
Eli grinned. "Hey, old man Doflamingo, looks like your crew's not holding up so well."
For the first time, Doflamingo's smile faltered. His underlings were down, his pride in tatters. Panic crept in. Creating a clone from his strings, he turned to flee.
"Running already?" Eli chuckled. He obliterated the clone with one slash and pointed at the real Doflamingo. "Spatial Lock."
The Donquixote captain froze midair, body rigid, terror flashing in his eyes. Before he could react, Eli appeared before him and kicked him hard into the ground.
With a thud, Doflamingo's head was pinned under Eli's boot.
"Kill me and the World Government will come for you!" Doflamingo spat, trying to mask his fear.
Eli raised his foot, pretending to consider it. Hope flickered in Doflamingo's eyes until the boot came down again, grinding his face into the dirt.
"You don't get it," Eli said coldly. "You're not in a position to threaten anyone."
"Then do it!" Doflamingo snarled. "Kill me, and the World Government will erase you!"
Eli smirked. "When you're strong enough, even the World Government can't touch you."
With that, he pressed harder until Doflamingo passed out cold.
Moments later, the rest of the crew gathered around. Seeing everyone safe, Eli smiled. "Good work, everyone. Especially you, Filina impressive teamwork with Fiona. You've both improved."
Filina flushed with pride.
"Now," Eli said, grinning, "let's get back to the Voyager and celebrate."
He opened a shimmering portal. The crew, their captives in tow, stepped through and returned to their ship. The prisoners were dropped into seawater tanks, and soon the sound of laughter and clinking glasses filled the air.
As for the Donquixote ship and its treasure, Eli trusted King Kimi of Nordis to handle the aftermath.
For now, after such a fierce battle, all they wanted was a hearty meal and a well-earned feast.
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