Paw-Paw Ambush!
The smoke slowly dissipated, but the flames on the Battlefield were still burning, and the air was filled with scorching ash.
Ace clasped his hands together, flames swirling and dancing at his fingertips like snakes, reflecting on his face, which was slightly tired from the battle.
He raised his head, a confident smile playing on his lips. "Hmph... it seems I've won."
In the air, the swirling pink dragon slowly contracted, its scales dissipating like flowing light. Luffy slowly returned to human form, just as everyone thought the battle was over and the dust had settled—
Luffy free-falled through the air, his pupils suddenly contracted, as if he had seen some unimaginable threat!
"Sanji, get out of the way!!"
A roar, as powerful as thunder, tore through the Battlefield!
Sanji's hand, which was about to light a cigarette, suddenly trembled. Before he could even turn around, a terrifying sense of oppression came from behind him!
He instinctively turned his head, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a huge hand covered with fleshy marks, carrying the silent aura of death, descending like a shadow!
"Sanji!!"
Nami and Usopp gasped almost simultaneously as they lunged at him to push him away.
"Bang!"
The giant, fleshy hand left a blurry afterimage in the air, accompanied by an eerie low hum, and Sanji's figure vanished instantly, leaving a distorted ripple in the air.
"Sanji--!" Nami screamed in despair.
"Damn it!!" Luffy's anger instantly boiled over. He roared and his body suddenly exploded, the Pink Dragon scales covering his entire body once again!
He roared to the sky, his claws wrapped in Armament Haki, and charged towards the enormous figure with a furious howl.
"Give Sanji back!"
Kuma remained expressionless, raising his other hand towards the charging Luffy.
"Pressure Cannon!"
"Boom!!"
The air was compressed into a huge cannonball, which blasted towards Luffy, who was rushing towards him, at a speed that was imperceptible to the naked eye!
The Shockwave whipped up a massive sandstorm across the entire Battlefield, Luffy flying backward and snapping several Mangrove in half!
Nami and Usopp stood back to back, cold sweat trickling down their foreheads. Nami gripped the Clima-Tact tightly. "Sanji... where did he go?!"
Usopp looked flustered but tried to suppress his fear. "I... I didn't see him either! He just vanished!"
Don't think too much about it!
Nami's gaze was fixed ahead. "This monster... even Luffy is being overwhelmed. We need to find a way to protect ourselves!"
Kuma slowly turned his head, his lifeless gaze falling on Nami and Usopp.
The giant hand rose again, distorting the air around it.
"Pressure Cannon!"
"Boom!!"
Usopp tackled Nami hard, and the two tumbled to the ground. The air cannon grazed their heads, shattering the rocks behind them and unleashing a terrifying Shockwave.
"This guy... is too strong!" Usopp was sweating profusely.
On the other side of the Battlefield.
Luffy roared as he charged out of the explosion's smoke and dust, his Armament Haki Dragon Claws emitting a fiery pink light as he aimed straight for Kuma's neck!
"Give Sanji back...!"
Kuma deftly sidestepped, dodging the fatal blow, and then delivered a powerful Paw-Paw Palm strike to Luffy's abdomen.
"Ursus Shock - Miniature!"
"Bang!!"
Luffy's body flew out like a cannonball, crashing through several Mangrove, spitting out a mist of blood, and landing heavily, causing the soil to explode and scatter everywhere.
"Cough... Damn it..." Luffy forced himself to stand up, his gaze fixed on the massive figure.
Seeing this from afar, Ace was enraged. Flames erupted from beneath his feet, and he shattered the ground with one stomp, transforming into a fiery meteor that shot into the sky, heading straight for the Kuma.
"Luffy!!"
His roar echoed across the Battlefield, and flames rolled like a tsunami, illuminating the surrounding ruins ravaged by the battle.
Just then--
"Buzz!!"
An indescribable sense of oppression suddenly descended!
The Conqueror's Haki, like a raging tsunami, slammed into Ace's mind, causing him to shudder and freeze in his breath!
"What?!"
The flames instantly went out of control and were forcibly dispersed. Ace was struck as if by a heavy hammer and crashed back to the ground, leaving a trail of Scorched Earth several meters long!
Before he could react, six sharp, cold lights, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, attacked!
"Swish! Swish! Swish--!"
Six beams of light, like the sharp teeth of a shark, rushed towards us!
"Fish-Man Karate - Shark Skin Slash!!"
With a swift movement of his Hachi arms, a web of death shimmered in the cold light, carrying years of pent-up anger and hatred, he aimed straight for Ace's neck!
"Arlong... Chu... Kuroobi... I've come to avenge you!!"
Blood-red flames burned in Hachi's eyes, and every strike was imbued with a killing intent that seemed capable of tearing the heavens and earth apart.
Just as the blade was an inch away from Ace's throat,
Who do you take me for?!
Ace roared suddenly, his eyes flashing with a dark red, Haki light!
"Boom!!"
Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body like a volcano, the shockwave sweeping around and so intense that even the ground cracked like a spiderweb!
Hachi's six swords were simultaneously sent flying by the Impact the Haki, clattering to the ground!
His entire octopus was lifted up by an invisible pressure, his body tumbling dozens of times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground, his six arms trembling uncontrollably!
"Wh... what?!" Hachi Ba struggled to his feet, his face pale, his eyes filled with fear and resentment.
Ace slowly rose to his feet, flames already re-forming on his right arm, burning fiercely.
"Want to chop me up? You're way too far away!!"
"Fire Fist!!"
Flames roared, and the Fiery Fist aimed straight for Hachi's face.
Hachi closed his eyes in despair, his heart lamenting, "I'm sorry, Arlong... I couldn't succeed..."
"Well..."
A helpless sigh rang out.
"Whoosh!!"
Flash cold light, and the shadow of the Cane Sword swept across like a crescent moon, precisely slicing through Ace's Fire Fist.
The blazing flames instantly split into two streams of fire, roaring past Hachi both sides and exploding in the Scorched Earth several meters away!
Ace was slightly taken aback and looked up to see Rayleigh holding Cane Sword, standing quietly in front of Hachi, his eyes behind his glasses filled with complex emotions and a heavy heart.
"Are you going to interfere?"
Rayleigh shook his head. "I just don't want to see pointless killing."
He glanced sideways at Hachi, who was slumped on the ground, and said softly, "That's enough, Hachi."
Hachi trembled all over, tears mixed with sweat and blood dripping down his face, his six arms tightly clutching his head:
"I'm sorry... I'm too weak... I can't even take revenge..."
Ace stared at the two of them for a moment, then, as if realizing something, gave a cold laugh, "You'd better watch yourself!"
Flames erupted from his legs, transforming into a streak of Flame Line that hurtled towards the direction where Luffy and Kuma were fighting, ignoring the two of them.
On the other side, Kuma's figure stood like an unshakeable wall, still suppressing Luffy's Human-Beast Form inch by inch with his "Paw-Paw Shock"!
"Bang!!"
Another Pressure Cannon Luffy in the abdomen, causing him to cough up blood and kneel on the ground, his dragon scales shattered and his aura disordered.
"Luffy!!" Nami and Usopp shouted anxiously, but were unable to move forward due to Kuma's terrifying aura.
Ace's fiery figure fell like a meteor, his roar echoing across the Battlefield:
"Fire Fist!!"
The flames struck the Kuma's back, but the Kuma swung its hand back...
"The Paw-Paw Repel!"
"Boom!!"
The flames were gently tapped by the fleshy ball and immediately bounced back!
Ace was nearly engulfed by the flames of his own explosion, his body tumbling to the ground in the Shockwave!
He gritted his teeth, his gaze fixed on the massive, silent figure:
"Damn it! What kind of monster is this?!"