Ash fell. It drifted over the sand. It hissed as it touched the rolling tide.
Nobody moved. The burning remnants of the meteor cooled.
Admiral Fujitora gripped his cane. His thumb pushed the guard up. Steel slid from the wooden scabbard. The click echoed across the beach.
"Arrest them," Fujitora commanded.
The beach exploded.
Marine soldiers charged. They raised their rifles. Before a single trigger pulled, Conqueror's Haki rolled over the sand. It did not come from a shout. It leaked from Zoro's left eye. A shockwave of pure, invisible willpower slammed into the Marine ranks.
Two hundred soldiers stopped. Their eyes rolled back. They collapsed, dropping their rifles, face-planting into the sand.
Only the Vice Admirals, CP0, Doflamingo, and Fujitora remained standing.
Fujitora let out a slow, weary sigh. "Such overwhelming willpower. It would be a terrible shame for the oblivious to be trampled beneath our feet."
The Admiral tapped his cane against the bedrock. Purple rings of gravity expanded across the beach. The two hundred unconscious marines were gently lifted into the air, surrounded by weightless bubbles. They floated safely out of the combat zone, drifting over the water before softly landing on the deck of the ruined Marine warship offshore.
"Fufufufu," Doflamingo laughed, flexing his fingers. "A true monster."
"Law," Luffy said. He stretched his neck. It popped. "Don't die."
"Mind your own fights, straw hat-ya," Law replied. He raised his hand. "Room."
The blue dome expanded.
Zoro vanished.
He moved faster than sound. Sand kicked up in a massive geyser where he had stood. He appeared instantly in front of Fujitora. He held Shusui with two hands. Pitch-black Armament Haki flowed down the blade. Red and black lightning violently sparked around the steel.
He swung down.
Fujitora raised his sword horizontally.
The blades collided.
The sky tore. A massive, jagged line of black lightning shot upward, cleaving the clouds above Green Bit in half. The sheer impact generated a shockwave that blew the sand off the beach, exposing the bedrock underneath. The ocean water blasted backward, creating a fifty-foot trench in the sea.
"Heavy," Fujitora murmured.
"Gravity," Zoro gritted his teeth.
Fujitora pushed his blade forward. A purple aura erupted from the steel. The gravity around Zoro multiplied instantly, skyrocketing to fifty times normal gravity.
The bedrock beneath Zoro's boots shattered, instantly pulverizing into fine dust under the crushing weight.
Fujitora waited for the swordsman's knees to buckle.
They didn't.
Zoro's posture remained flawless. His muscles didn't strain. He didn't even drop an inch. He grinned fiercely around the hilt of his sword.
"Fifty Gs? Is that it?" Zoro taunted, pressing his blade harder against the Admiral's. "The cook works out in heavier gravity than this before breakfast."
Fujitora's blind eyes widened slightly in surprise. Zoro didn't give him time to adjust. He twisted his wrists, sliding Shusui off the cane sword, and brought Sandai Kitetsu up in a vicious, sweeping uppercut.
Fujitora stepped back with elegant, practiced footwork. The cursed blade sliced a millimeter from his purple coat. Fujitora retaliated instantly. He seamlessly transitioned into a reverse grip, thrusting the cane sword forward like a spear.
Gravity Stinger.
A concentrated beam of gravity shot from the tip. Zoro tilted his head. The invisible beam grazed his ear, tearing through the jungle behind him and violently uprooting palm trees for miles.
Zoro stepped inside the guard. He clamped Wado Ichimonji down on Fujitora's blade, locking it in place, and swung Shusui horizontally toward the Admiral's neck. Fujitora expertly brought his wooden scabbard up, catching the black blade in a shower of brilliant orange sparks.
To their left, the Vice Admirals made their move.
Vice Admiral Momonga used Soru, blurring across the beach with his katana drawn, aiming directly for Zoro's exposed flank. Vice Admiral Bastille leaped high into the air, wielding his massive, serrated Shark-Cleaver, intending to split the swordsman down the middle.
They did not make it.
Dorry stepped in. He held his massive, dark broadsword. He didn't swing it; he simply slammed the flat of the blade into the ground like an iron wall. Momonga's Haki-coated katana struck the dark metal. It sparked harmlessly. The indestructible Uru metal absorbed the impact completely, not leaving a single scratch on the giant's weapon.
"What is this metal?!" Momonga gasped, his arms going numb from the feedback.
Above him, Bastille brought his Shark-Cleaver down with devastating force.
Brogy laughed. He raised his Vibranium shield.
The massive serrated blade hit the shield. The shield absorbed the attack, causing Bastille's arms to snap backward.
Dorry twisted his wrist, parrying Momonga away, and punched. His massive fist hit Bastille in the chest mid-air. The masked Vice Admiral folded. Ribs cracked. He launched backward like a fired cannonball, skipping across the ocean surface until he vanished over the horizon.
Two CP0 agents engaged the giants. They wore white masks. One had a weeping face, the other a smiling face.
The smiling mask agent leaped into the air. His body rapidly expanded, growing thick silver fur and massive, bulging muscles. A Zoan type: the Saru Saru no Mi, Model: Silverback Gorilla. He landed with the weight of a tank, pounding his chest before throwing a colossal, Haki-coated punch at Oimo.
Oimo swung his giant Uru mace. The gorilla's fist collided with the dark metal, creating a sonic boom that parted the clouds.
The weeping mask agent dashed toward Kashii. Kashii threw a massive horizontal swing with his axe. The weeping agent didn't dodge. He held out his hands. Paramecia powers flared: the Masatsu Masatsu no Mi—the Friction-Friction fruit.
The moment the giant Uru axe touched the agent, all physical friction was reduced to absolute zero. The unstoppable blade simply slid harmlessly off the agent's shoulder, throwing Kashii entirely off balance. The agent glided effortlessly across the bedrock like an ice skater, aiming a lethal finger-pistol at Kashii's knee.
The frontline dissolved into chaos.
Law walked backward. He tracked the pink feathers.
Doflamingo stood fifty feet away. He flicked his wrist. "Overheat."
A thick string of concentrated heat shot from his palm. It looked like a laser. It sliced the beach in half, melting the sand into glass.
Law did not dodge. He pointed his finger at a falling leaf to his right. "Shambles."
He swapped places. The flaming string pierced empty air. Law reappeared mid-stride. He dashed into the jungle.
"Running?" Doflamingo mocked. He flicked his fingers upward.
Ten invisible strings shot into the clouds, hooking onto the passing wisps. Doflamingo pulled. He launched himself into the sky, swinging like a pendulum over the giant canopy of Green Bit. He looked down.
"Five-Color Strings!"
He swiped his hand. Five razor-sharp threads ripped downward. They hit the giant canopy. Trees with trunks the size of skyscrapers fell. The forest fractured. Wood splintered. Dust rose.
Law stood on a massive branch. He looked up at the falling Warlord.
"Tact."
Law raised his finger. A jagged rock the size of a galleon ripped out of the ground. It shot upward, intercepting Doflamingo.
Doflamingo laughed. He kicked his leg. "Goshikito."
The string tied to his boot sliced the boulder into ribbons. Doflamingo descended through the falling rubble, diving straight at Law.
Law drew Kikoku. He coated the blade in Armament Haki. He met Doflamingo in the air.
Sword met string. Sparks ignited. The clash shattered the branch beneath them. They fell together through the foliage. Law swung horizontally. Doflamingo leaned back, kicking Law in the stomach with a Haki-coated boot.
Law coughed blood. He used the momentum. He pointed his left hand down. "Room."
He expanded a sphere. He pointed at Doflamingo. "Radio Knife."
He slashed. Electrical energy coated Kikoku. Doflamingo's eyes widened behind his glasses. He crossed his arms, coating them in pitch-black Haki. The blade hit. The electricity sparked, bypassing the Haki to shock his internal organs.
Doflamingo gritted his teeth. He grabbed the blade of Law's sword with his bare hand. Blood dripped.
"You rely too much on your tricks," Doflamingo whispered.
He pulled the blade forward, jerking Law closer. Doflamingo drove his knee into Law's chest. The impact broke a rib. Law fell. He crashed into the forest floor, kicking up a cloud of dirt.
Doflamingo landed lightly on a stump. He wiped the blood from his hand. He grinned.
Law stood up. He wiped his mouth. He gripped his sword tighter. The fight had just started.
On the beach, Luffy cracked his knuckles.
Three CP0 agents stood in front of him. They wore masks of an owl, a demon, and a blank face.
"Target: Monkey D. Luffy," the blank mask stated. "Execution authorized."
Luffy breathed in. He breathed out.
The owl mask agent raised his hands. Paramecia energy pulsed. The Garasu Garasu no Mi. The moisture in the air rapidly crystallized, forming a barrage of razor-sharp glass spears. With a flick of his wrist, the agent launched the deadly, invisible projectiles at Luffy.
Luffy didn't move. He coated his arms in black Haki and casually swatted the air. The glass spears shattered into harmless glitter against his iron-hard skin.
The demon mask agent charged. His body morphed mid-sprint. His jaw elongated, his skin turned into impenetrable, dark-green scales, and a massive tail sprouted from his spine. A Zoan: the Wani Wani no Mi, Model: Saltwater Crocodile.
He lunged, his massive, Haki-coated jaws opening wide enough to snap Luffy in half.
Luffy ducked under the bite. He grabbed the crocodile's upper and lower jaws with his bare hands, stopping the 4,000-pound bite force cold. Luffy grinned, pulled the crocodile agent forward, and slammed a Haki-infused forehead directly into the agent's snout. Bone cracked. The crocodile reeled backward, his eyes crossing in a daze.
The blank mask agent vanished using Soru.
He reappeared directly above Luffy, transforming instantly. His arms turned into massive, serrated green scythes, his eyes shifting into compound lenses. A Zoan: the Mushi Mushi no Mi, Model: Praying Mantis.
With terrifying, blinding speed, the mantis agent slashed his scythes in a cross-formation, aiming to decapitate the pirate.
Luffy placed a fist on the ground. "Gear Second."
Steam hissed from his skin. He vanished.
The scythes cleanly cut the bedrock where Luffy had been a millisecond prior.
The mantis agent looked up. Luffy was hovering in the air directly in front of him, his fist pulled back and completely blackened with Haki.
"Jet Pistol!"
Luffy punched. The fist collided with the mantis agent's chest. The dense insect exoskeleton shattered instantly. The shockwave blew a cone of pressurized air through the agent's back, parting the ocean behind him for two miles. The agent collapsed into the sand, unmoving.
The crocodile agent, nursing a broken snout, shifted back into his hybrid form. He glared at Luffy.
Luffy cracked his neck. Steam rolled off his shoulders. He settled into a fighting stance.
Zoro and Fujitora continued their deadly dance.
The clash of invisible force and gravity created a vacuum. Air rushed in. A cyclone formed around them.
Fujitora spun, his blade catching Shusui, redirecting Zoro's energy into the ground. The bedrock cratered further. "You cut well, swordsman. But you are fighting the very weight of the world."
"The world isn't as heavy as you think, old man," Zoro grunted.
Zoro pushed Fujitora's blade up. He drew all three swords. He put Wado Ichimonji in his mouth.
"Three Sword Style."
Zoro charged. Fujitora swung horizontally. "Fierce Tiger."
A wave of dense gravity slammed into Zoro. Zoro didn't fly back. He leaned entirely into the attack, crossing his blades and using advanced Armament Haki to cut straight through the gravity wave like a physical wall. The sheer force ripped the sleeves off his shirt, but he pushed through the center of the distortion, appearing instantly in Fujitora's guard.
"Onigiri!"
Fujitora blocked it. He held his blade vertically behind his back, his Observation Haki predicting the strike perfectly. The impact shook the island.
Dorry blocked a katana strike from Momonga. Brogy laughed as the friction-less agent slid around his legs. Oimo traded blows with the silverback gorilla.
The beach turned into a meat grinder.
Doflamingo swung a string whip at Law. Law swapped places with a falling leaf. The string sliced a boulder in half.
The battle lines blurred.
Luffy ignored the glass shards raining down on him. He used Soru. He bounced off Brogy's helmet, launching himself at the returning crocodile agent. He coated his fist in black lightning.
"Elephant Gun."
He punched. The force collided with the crocodile's armored scales. The scales broke. The agent plummeted into the bedrock, creating a sinkhole.
Doflamingo landed on a broken tree branch. He looked at the chaos. He looked at the destroyed beach. He looked at the giants who fought like demons, completely unfazed by Vice Admirals and CP0. He looked at Luffy, who bled steam and smiled.
"This is not a crew," Doflamingo muttered, the veins on his forehead throbbing violently. "This is an army of monsters."
He leaped from the branch, ignoring the rest of the battlefield, his eyes locking solely on Trafalgar Law.
"I'll dissect you first!" Doflamingo roared. He raised his hands, pointing his index fingers like pistols. "Tamaito!"
Dozens of high-speed string bullets tore through the air, piercing the sound barrier.
Law stood his ground. "Tact."
A massive wall of solid bedrock ripped out of the ground, acting as a shield. The string bullets hammered into the stone, tearing chunks out of it but failing to penetrate.
Doflamingo didn't stop. He vaulted over the top of the stone wall, his foot coated in pitch-black Haki and wrapped in concentrated strings. "Athlete!"
He brought his leg down like a guillotine.
Law raised Kikoku horizontally, locking both hands on the hilt.
The Haki-coated boot slammed into the cursed sword. The shockwave of their physical clash shattered the massive stone wall beneath them into dust.
Luffy dropped into a stance. Steam erupted violently from his skin.
Zoro locked blades with a smiling Admiral. Black lightning tore the ground.
Law pushed back against the King of Dressrosa.
Dorry, Brogy, Oimo, and Kashii raised their weapons, howling a war cry that shook the heavens.
The island of Green Bit fractured. The ocean boiled. The sky tore apart.
The battle raged on.