Less than a breath after the sonic boom shattered the morning air, Sanji collided with the Wolf-Whale Sea King about a kilometer from the shore.
CRASH!
"OWWWOOOO!"
The massive Sea King cried out in agonizing pain.
Its massive forehead sizzled and smoked as the intense heat of the Diable Jamble seared its flesh.
Before the beast could even process the pain or react, Sanji was already moving again. He used the recoil from the impact to launch himself high into the air, spinning like a fiery top.
"I'm not done yet!"
He forcefully pushed one leg backward, the air exploding behind him as he used Geppo to propel himself downward like a missile.
"Tête de Cuisson!"
WHAM!
Another heavy flaming kick slammed directly into the Sea King's massive pupil.
The excruciating pain provoked a furious, deafening roar from the 150-meter-long sea beast.
In a blind rage, it opened its jaws wide and snapped viciously at Sanji's location.
SNAP!
The jaws clamped shut on empty air as the beast's speed was simply too slow.
Sanji had already used Geppo to ascend to a height far beyond the Wolf-Whale's reach.
Hovering high in the sky, Sanji took a moment to assess the situation.
His expanded field of vision allowed him to spot the main threat: the massive Marine fleet approaching about five kilometers behind the sea beast.
Exhaling a slow stream of cigarette smoke, his expression turned cold.
"I have no time to play with an appetizer," Sanji muttered. "The main course is waiting."
His legs ignited with an even brighter, hotter flame.
"Diable Jambe... Double Spectre!"
Sanji unleashed a dense barrage of kicks.
To the naked eye, it looked like a hundred fiery legs were raining down from the sky.
The spectral attacks blanketed the sea beast below, each strike imbued with Haki.
BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!
The attacks were overwhelmingly powerful.
The Sea King lasted only three seconds under the bombardment before its eyes rolled back into its head.
Its massive struggles grew increasingly sluggish until it stopped moving entirely.
He spin one last time, his leg glowing with a dark, reddish hue as he infused it with Ryuo.
"Loup Shoot!"
BOOM!
The impact sent a shockwave through the water.
The colossal beast was blasted downward, sinking rapidly into the dark depths of the sea, its fate unknown.
To be fair, if the creature had initially hidden in the depths, it might have stood a chance against Sanji.
However, Sanji's initial two attacks were deliberately restrained, merely intended to enrage the sea beast so it wouldn't flee.
Once it engaged, it was doomed.
The final strike caused a massive internal damages—if it didn't die, it would be paralyzed for life.
Witnessing the Sea King's instant defeat, deafening cheers erupted along the shores of Water 7.
"YEAAAH! Sanji is invincible!"
The pirates on the beach went wild.
Gin and Cabaji, the officers of the Buggy Pirates, showed expressions of pure astonishment.
Buggy who had already sparred with the Straw Hats, merely nodding in approval.
But his crew was floored.
Gin's lips twitched as he watched the smoking figure of Sanji land on the beach.
"Sanji's current strength... it has improved many times over compared to a few months ago."
Gin thought back to their fight at the Baratie.
If back then, Gin and Sanji were arguably evenly matched at six-to-four odds, now Gin admitted he wouldn't even have a one-in-ten chance of winning against him.
Cabaji, the acrobat swordsman, glanced nervously at Zoro who was yawning nearby.
If that cook, who is only the fourth-strongest in their crew, could easily defeat a Sea King... then how powerful Zoro have become?
...
Five Kilometers Away: The Marine Fleet
The sea was covered in white sails. It was a terrifying sight.
Five Marine Vice Admirals stood at the helms of five massive warships.
Behind them were ten Rear Admirals commanding medium-sized ships, and thirty smaller warships directed by Headquarters Captains.
The massive main fleet slowly advanced toward the shores of Water 7 like a creeping wall of justice.
At that moment, the entire vanguard noticed the battle that had just occurred five kilometers ahead. The towering splash of the defeated Sea King was visible to everyone.
Though the details were unclear from this distance, the fact that a giant Sea King was defeated in seconds by a single man was undeniable.
A ripple of unease went through the lower-ranking soldiers. They realized that this mission was far from a simple cleanup operation.
Standing at the bow of the lead ship was a Vice Admiral with a distinctive mustache and a mohawk.
This was Vice Admiral Momonga, the tactical leader of this Buster Call.
He stood straight, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes fixed intently ahead.
"Stay focused!" Momonga barked.
He picked up his Den Den Mushi and softly issued orders to the fleet.
"Main ships and medium warships, advance another four kilometers. Await the Admiral's command and prepare to initiate the Buster Call bombardment."
"Small warships," Momonga continued, his brow furrowing slightly, "prepare to dock and commence landing operations."
The other four Vice Admirals—Onigumo, Doberman, Strawberry, and Yamakaji—gave identical instructions from their ships.
Yet, as they gave the orders, each Vice Admiral silently pondered the strangeness of the situation.
'Why did Fleet Admiral Sengoku only permit us to command but not to engage the high-value targets?'
'And what is the purpose of the landing operation? In past Buster Calls, the goal was total annihilation via cannon fire. There was never any mention of grounds assaults.'
Though they had their doubts, they knew well that as soldiers of Justice, their duty was simply to follow orders.
...
After defeating the Sea King, Sanji lit a cigarette and walked back to the group.
"Sanji! That was amazing!" Luffy cheered.
"So cool!" Chopper yelled.
Aside from Zoro (who pretended to be asleep) and Ray, everyone else showered Sanji with flattery.
Though pleased by the praise, Sanji knew this was no time for complacency.
He walked up to Ray and Luffy, his face serious.
"Ray, Luffy," Sanji said earnestly. "The Marines have deployed a massive force this time. I counted the sails. I estimate at least 10,000 troops are attacking."
Ray nodded calmly upon hearing this.
"Eleven thousand," Ray corrected.
"Each large warship carries 1,000 men—five ships mean 5,000. Medium ships hold 300 each—totaling 3,000. Small warships accommodate 100 each—thirty ships add another 3,000."
"Eleven thousand marines in total," Ray concluded.
However, Ray wasn't particularly concerned about the numbers.
To him, numbers were just details.
No matter how many small fry were there, it was just a matter of swinging his sword a few more times.
The real question was: Where was the enemy Admiral?
With just these five Vice Admirals in the distance, the Marines were no match for the Straw Hat Pirates at all.
Not to mention they had someone like Buggy on their side.
Ray glanced at the clown.
Buggy was a "teamfight cheat code." His ability to fly, detach limbs, and carry bombs made him perfect for crowd control.
He could probably disassemble the enemy warships mid-battle if he wanted to.
If the Marines wanted to capture two notorious pirate crews relying solely on Vice Admirals, they were dreaming.
Suddenly—
Fwoosh.
The temperature dropped.
Ray, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji simultaneously felt a bone-deep chill envelop them.
The moisture in the air crystallized instantly.
The sea surface a kilometer out stopped moving, freezing rapidly into thin sheets of ice that spread toward the beach.
"Is it him?" Zoro asked, his hand going to his swords. "Aokiji?"
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji immediately activated their Observation Haki to the fullest.
They locked onto a massive, cold presence approaching rapidly across the water.
They enveloped their bodies in Haki, ready to jump him together.
But Ray raised a hand to stop the three of them.
"Stand down," Ray said calmly. "Leave him to me."
BOOM!
With that, Ray launched himself off the sand.
He flew toward the sea surface a kilometer away like a silver bullet. His right fist was already wreathed in Haki, and terrifying red lightning crackled around it.
Wherever Ray flew, the air pressure cracked, and the seawater beneath him surged and parted in fear.
Out on the ice, Admiral Aokiji noticed Ray's approach.
The tall Admiral sighed, his breath turning into mist.
"Arara... coming straight for me, huh?"
Aokiji hardened his right fist into ice, wrapping it in Haki.
In an instant, the two forces collided midway between the fleet and the shore.
CRACK-BOOM!
Fist met fist.
The thick ice beneath Aokiji's feet shattered into dust.
The shockwave blew the water back for hundreds of meters, creating an intensely impactful visual spectacle that stunned everyone watching.
Buggy, watching from afar with a pair of binoculars, dropped them into the sand.
His jaw dropped—literally—falling to his chest in a comical display of shock.
His eyes popped out of his skull!
"EHHHHHHHHHHH?!" Buggy shrieked.
Trembling like a leaf in a hurricane, he turned to Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.
He pointed a detached shaking hand toward the red lightning in the distance.
"Is... is that...?!" Buggy stammered, sweating buckets. "Ray... has he already mastered Conqueror's Haki infusion?! That red lightning! That's the stuff the Emperors use!"
Luffy picked his nose, looking unimpressed by Buggy's panic.
"Well, it's Ray. It's only natural he can do that."
Then Luffy sighed helplessly while crossing his arms. "Man, I wish I could do the coating thing. I have Conqueror's too, but my control is still bad. I can only knock people out with it."
Buggy chuckled, "Don't worry, you're still young. You'll learn it eventually… HUUUHHHH??"
Buggy suddenly grabbed Luffy by the shoulders and began shaking him violently.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! YOU'VE AWAKENED CONQUEROR'S HAKI TOO?!"
"Yeah," Luffy said nonchalantly.
Buggy released him and staggered back, clutching his heart.
The clown was extremely displeased and his internal monologue went into overdrive.
'Why?! Why does everyone around me have it?! First Shanks, now Ray, and even this rubber-brained kid?! I was on Roger's ship too! I am a legendary pirate! Where is my red lightning?! This is unfair!'
He had thought this battle would be the perfect opportunity to showcase the great Captain Buggy's power and astonish the world.
But... what kind of spectacle could he possibly create to rival the visual impact of splitting the sky with red lightning?
'I'm going to look like a fucking side character at this rate!'
Buggy gritted his teeth.
'No! I refuse! I definitely have the talent for Conqueror's Haki. Maybe it's just shy! Maybe I'll show it off to them any moment now! Yeah, that's it, that must be it!'
The ever-optimistic Buggy quickly bounced back from his existential crisis.
He slicked back his blue hair and placed his hands behind his back, striking the pose of a grandmaster.
"Ahem," Buggy cleared his throat loudly, trying to look cool. "Well, naturally. Conqueror's Haki is... common among people of our caliber."
He pointed dramatically at the thirty small warships approaching the beach.
"Since Ray is hogging the spotlight with the big guy," Buggy declared loudly, "I, the Great Captain Buggy, will graciously handle the small fry!"
He grinned wildly, knives appearing between his fingers.
"Watch closely, rookies! Let's start by giving those thirty Marine ships a taste of what a real Pirate Legend's shock and awe looks like! GYAHAHAHA!"
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