Charlotte Linlin's eyes erupted with unprecedented excitement and fury.
Rather than retreat, she threw her head back and let out an earsplitting laugh, full of hunger for power and absolute disdain.
"Interesting! What an interesting marine! A power like this is worthy of becoming part of mama's collection!"
She rose sharply.
In an instant, the blazing sun Prometheus and the thundercloud Hera responded to her will, wrapping around her arms as two swelling, apocalyptic masses of fire and lightning.
"Cognac: Hahaba!"
BIG MOM did not dodge.
Instead, she swung Napoleon, her pirate hat transformed into a gigantic sword, straight toward the incoming "dumpling."
Fire and lightning intertwined along the blade, forming a sword aura over a hundred meters long, as if slicing the sky itself in two.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!
Sword aura and water sphere.
Flames and the deep sea.
Thunder and towering waves.
Two utterly different forces, each capable of erasing an island, collided in mid-air.
For a moment, the whole world seemed to lose its sound.
Then-
A white shockwave erupted outward in all directions, tearing apart the overcast sky in an instant!
The ocean beneath exploded like a nuclear blast; thousands of meters of seawater were vaporized or hurled aside. A tsunami hundreds of meters tall rose and was then shredded to mist by the second shockwave.
Several outer ships of the BIG MOM Pirates were instantly torn apart like paper toys.
The pirates aboard didn't even have time to scream before they were swallowed by the raging waters.
Even the Queen Mama Chanter was forced backward, its hull groaning under the pressure.
But when the smoke cleared, that mountainous figure, BIG MOM herself, still stood firmly on the bow.
Cracks marred the deck beneath her feet.
But she, unbelievably, had tanked the attack head-on.
Her crazed grin, however, had faded somewhat, replaced by a heavier, predatory gaze, like a beast locking onto its prey.
On the other side
The "Abyssal Slumber", had half its body blown apart, but only wavered slightly.
Then, as endless seawater surged in like living tissue, its body reformed in moments.
As if it had never been damaged at all.
"Pretty Good."
On the Endless Sheep's deck, Renzo reclined lazily on his sofa while Monet carefully poured him another cup of hot tea.
He watched the cataclysmic clash in the distance as if reviewing movie special effects, his tone carrying a hint of amused praise.
"But just throwing balls gets boring. Too repetitive."
He gave the seawater giant a new, vague command:
"Go stretch a bit. Standing still all the time must be tiring."
"Uuuhhhnn… as… you… command…"
As if answering him, the Abyssal Slumber let out a deep, whale-like groan filled with endless drowsiness.
It slowly raised its other arm.
This time, seawater gathered in its palm and condensed, not into a water sphere, but into a colossal, ancient-looking, almost crude trident.
"Oh oh oh! A legendary sea god's weapon?!" Potts shouted excitedly.
"No," Renzo sipped his tea.
"That's the After-Meal Toothpick."
"…"
Holding the so-called "toothpick," the giant took slow strides toward BIG MOM's fleet, each stide sending ripples across the sea, as if the ocean moved aside for it.
"MEN! STOP THAT MONSTER!!" Perospero shrieked.
Countless candy, biscuit, and juice projectiles shot toward the water giant like rain.
But when they struck its body, they disappeared into the sea like pebbles thrown into a lake, causing nothing more than a few splashes.
Not even slowing it down.
"Mamamamama~~! Are you trying to scratch my back with that level of attack?!"
BIG MOM's patience snapped.
She decided to take matters into her own hands.
"Soul Pocus!"
Her eyes glowed a sinister red as she locked onto the Abyssal Slumber, unleashing her greatest pride, her Soul-Soul Fruit's deathly extraction ability.
"Life or Treat?!" (Offer your lifespan, or be turned into a snack?!)
A terrifying rule-like force, one that reaped life itself, engulfed the seawater giant.
But then-
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Nothing happened.
The giant continued its lazy march forward, its vortex-like eyes containing no fear, no will, not even life, only a bottomless, devouring emptiness.
"What… is happening?!"
For the first time, BIG MOM showed true shock.
Her power… had failed?!
"Hey. Fat Hag."
Renzo's lazy voice drifted across the battlefield, reaching BIG MOM's ears as clearly as if he whispered beside her.
"You're trying to take the lifespan of seawater that has no mind, no will… not even the concept of existence unless I give it?"
"Did the hunger fry your brain?"
"It doesn't even consider 'being alive' worth the effort. So how could it have something as high-maintenance as 'lifespan'?"
The words stabbed into BIG MOM's heart like the cruellest possible insult.
Humiliation.
A humiliation she had never tasted before.
A Yonko, and her proudest, most absolute power over life and death-
Reduced to a joke by this man?!
"HAIIIROOOOYOOO!!"
BIG MOM roared, her fury shaking the sky.
Abandoning her soul extraction, she launched herself like a cannonball from her ship,
Napoleon blazing with flame and lightning as she cleaved toward the giant's head!
The seawater giant, as if receiving Renzo's intent, raised its massive "toothpick" in a slow, half-asleep motion, as though this fight were nothing but a chore.
BOOOOOOM!!!!
The two titans collided on the sea before G-5, brutal, primitive, colossal.
Every impact shook the heavens and earth.
The Abyssal Slumber's movements were sluggish, but each strike carried the weight of the entire ocean: heavy, unreasonable, unstoppable.
BIG MOM fought like a demon, her sword blazing across the sky as fire burned the heavens and thunder split the sea.
The two forces clashed evenly, neither able to overpower the other.
On the Endless Sheep, Renzo watched the godlike battle with a satisfied expression.
He lifted a slice of Monet's freshly plated rainbow frosting mille-feuille, crafted by Sanji.
Sweet but not cloying, wonderfully layered, the texture exquisite.
"Mmm…"
He squinted his eyes in bliss, enjoying the view like a fireworks show while savoring his afternoon tea.
"This toy… is pretty fun."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu