Zou's massive trunk swept across the battlefield like a heavenly pillar.
Before Aramaki could fully reform his body, Zou's second strike came crashing down, pulverizing him into countless fragments of wood once again.
Aokiji immediately shot into the air.
"Ice Age!"
A torrent of freezing air surged toward Zou's trunk, attempting to lock it in solid ice. The overwhelming cold, powerful enough to freeze the sea itself, only managed to coat the elephant's rough skin with a layer of frost before Zou violently shook its trunk, instantly shattering the ice into countless pieces.
"Oh dear, this is becoming a little troublesome..."
Before Aokiji could finish speaking, Zou's trunk swept across once again.
Bang!
His body exploded into countless glittering ice crystals that scattered across the battlefield.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kizaru continuously fired dense barrages of laser beams.
Explosions echoed nonstop as the attacks scorched Zou's trunk with blackened burn marks.
However, against a creature as enormous as Zou, those marks were barely noticeable.
Kuma also attempted to use the power of the Paw Paw Fruit to repel Zou.
Unfortunately, Zou's colossal body was simply too immense. It exceeded the effective range of Kuma's ability, making the technique impossible to complete.
"Dog Biting Crimson Lotus!"
Akainu transformed his right arm into a gigantic magma hound that lunged forward and clamped its jaws around Zou's trunk.
The scorching magma immediately burned the elephant's thick hide.
A sharp sizzling sound echoed through the battlefield.
The intense pain forced Zou to release a thunderous trumpet.
Enraged, it swung its trunk even more violently, sending Akainu flying across the frozen sea.
Akainu's expression remained completely composed.
Without the slightest hint of panic, he severed his solidified arm from his body.
Even so, the gigantic magma hound did not disappear.
Instead, it remained attached to Zou's trunk, continuing to burn and restrain the colossal elephant.
Taking advantage of the opening, Aramaki finally completed the reconstruction of his body.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he slammed his palms together.
Instantly, countless gigantic vines burst through the frozen sea.
They coiled tightly around one of Zou's enormous legs while greedily draining moisture from its body.
The sight left both the Giant Tribe and the Mink Tribe in stunned silence.
Despite possessing ordinary human bodies, the five Navy Admirals were directly confronting a colossal creature over thirty-five thousand meters tall.
Their overwhelming strength was on full display.
In the distance, Loki slowly climbed back to his feet.
His injuries had recovered somewhat, and his expression remained cold and emotionless.
Golden solar flames ignited around his body before condensing into a brilliant spear within his grasp.
Without hesitation, Loki charged toward the Admirals, wrapped in blazing solar fire.
Kuma immediately noticed him.
With a flash, he appeared directly in Loki's path.
Raising one palm, Kuma calmly blocked Loki's spear with the paw pad in his hand.
Loki roared and poured more strength into his thrust.
It accomplished nothing.
The spear failed to pierce Kuma's defense.
Instead, Kuma casually swung his palm.
Bang!
The tremendous force instantly launched Loki backward, sending him tumbling through the air in a thoroughly miserable state.
Before Loki could fully steady himself, Kuma had already appeared before him again.
He repeatedly swung both hands.
Dozens of miniature paw-shaped air bullets rained down.
Each one exploded violently upon impact.
Successive blasts battered Loki's body from every direction, shaking his internal organs so violently that he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Throughout the assault, Kuma's face remained completely expressionless.
When the barrage ended, he calmly raised one hand and gently pressed it against himself.
A crimson paw-shaped bubble emerged from his body.
Without hesitation, Kuma pushed it directly into Loki's abdomen.
At first, Loki paid it little attention.
After enduring countless attacks from those bubbles, he assumed one with a different color would make little difference.
He was wrong.
The instant the crimson bubble entered his body, unimaginable pain exploded throughout every inch of his being.
Exhaustion swept over him like a tidal wave.
It felt as though countless needles were piercing every bone and muscle simultaneously.
More unbearable than the pain itself was the overwhelming humiliation.
He had thrown away his pride to obtain Joy Boy's power.
Yet after all that, he had been beaten down repeatedly by Akainu and the other Admirals.
Now, even Kuma was treating him like nothing more than a toy, knocking him around effortlessly.
His dignity had been completely crushed.
Unfortunately for Loki, no one on the battlefield cared.
The Navy had no interest in the so-called Prince of the Giant Tribe.
The Giant Tribe and the Mink Tribe were locked in a desperate struggle for survival.
No one spared him even a glance.
No matter how loudly he roared in anger, he remained nothing more than a ball being tossed around by Kuma.
Clang!
Pedro's Haki coated claws collided with the descending blade of Vice Admiral Momonga.
The impact rang across the battlefield.
Using the recoil, Pedro kicked off the ice and transformed into a silver streak of lightning, circling behind Momonga before slashing toward his heart.
Momonga, a master swordsman with exceptional Haki, was naturally prepared.
With a simple flick of his wrist, he swung his blade backward without even turning around.
Although he reacted later, his sword moved faster than Pedro's claws.
Caught off guard, Pedro was forced to abandon his attack.
He desperately tilted his head.
The pitch black blade sliced past his scalp, severing one of his fluffy white ears before continuing on.
Pedro let out a furious roar.
His body flipped several times before landing heavily in the distance.
Blood slowly flowed down the side of his face.
Covering the wound with one hand, his expression darkened.
Momonga calmly twirled his sword before turning toward Pedro.
His voice remained cold.
"I've heard you're the King of the Mink Tribe. Is this truly the strength of a king?"
In the original timeline, Momonga had already ranked among the Navy's strongest Vice Admirals.
In this timeline, because of Lloyd's influence, he had experienced even more life and death battles than before.
As a result, his strength had reached an even greater level.
Facing Pedro in his Sulong form was far from difficult.
Those words struck Pedro like a heavy slap across the face.
Lightning crackled wildly around his body as he clenched his teeth.
"A mere Vice Admiral dares to look down on the Mink Tribe..."
Momonga merely sneered.
He slowly ran a hand across the edge of his blade before raising his eyes toward Pedro.
"I only look down on you."
"As for the Mink Tribe..."
"I feel sorry that someone like you became their king."
"Bastard!!"
Pedro completely lost control.
The ice beneath his feet shattered as he exploded forward, wrapped in crackling electricity.
Facing the furious charge, Momonga calmly used Shave.
His figure instantly disappeared.
Pedro arrived a fraction of a second later, striking nothing but empty air.
Blinded by rage, his judgment had begun to fail.
Even his Observation Haki had become unreliable.
He frantically searched for Momonga's location, completely unaware that his opponent had already appeared high above him.
Momonga pointed his sword downward.
The cold gleam of the blade flashed brilliantly.
Its tip aimed directly at Pedro's head.
He intended to drive the sword straight through him.
At that critical moment, another silver figure burst into the battlefield.
It was Sicilian, Captain of the Musketeers.
With a furious roar, Sicilian thrust out his claws and intercepted Momonga's sword in midair.
The immense force behind the strike overwhelmed him.
He and Pedro were both smashed heavily onto the frozen sea below.
Momonga landed gracefully nearby.
A moment later, Vice Admiral Onigumo arrived beside him.
Looking somewhat apologetic, Onigumo said,
"Sorry about that. That guy's pretty fast. I couldn't keep him under control."
=≠=
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