The Strength to Uproot Mountains, Frozen!
Just when Ace, Luffy, Gion thought victory was assured—
"Thump--Thump--Thump--!"
A deep, muffled roar came from the depths of the mountain, as if a heart was pounding wildly deep within the earth, causing the rocks beneath our feet to tremble and crackle.
The entire mountain shook, rocks tumbled down, and the ground even cracked open like a spiderweb!
The three of them immediately tensed up, their eyes fixed on the direction of the sound.
"Boom--!"
The next instant, the ground suddenly bulged up like ocean waves, and the thousand-meter-high mountain was actually lifted up!
Amidst billowing dust, a colossal, muscular figure, resembling a demon god, shattered the rock formations and soared into the sky.
His entire body was wrapped in pulsating dark red runes, and his Armament Haki was so thick that it seemed to have solidified into armor. His arms were as thick as rock pillars, and he held that behemoth high!
"Strength-Strength Awakening - Doubling!!"
"Get up, you son of a bitch!"
With a roar, Ochoku uprooted the entire thousand-meter-high mountain and hurled it at the three of them like a stone!
Wow--!
Luffy's eyes widened suddenly, and his body instantly swelled into a 500-meter-long Pink Dragon, his dragon eyes flashing with fighting spirit!
"Demolition Gust!!"
"Shuashua--!"
Hundreds of pink wind blades poured out of his mouth like a torrential rain, slicing through the Sky Splitter and their sharp edges aimed directly at the flying giant mountain!
The surface rocks of the mountain were peeled off in pieces by the Dragon Breath wind blades, instantly turning into dust and sand.
Ace leaped high into the air, the flames between his palms expanding wildly like a vortex, condensing into a crimson sun!
"Great Flame Commandment - Flame Emperor!!"
"Boom--!"
A blazing fireball, hundreds of meters in diameter, crashed head-on into the giant mountain like a meteorite. In the instant the fire exploded, half the sky was ignited!
"Bang! Bang! Bang--!"
Under the combined attack of the Dragon Breath wind blades and the Flame Emperor, the giant mountain was torn into countless pieces in the air, turning into a sky full of rubble and fire rain that fell to the earth!
But amidst the billowing smoke and flames—
"Whoosh--!"
A massive, dark red shadow, like Shura emerging from the depths of hell, forcefully broke through the storm of shattered rocks and hurtled straight at the three of them!
"Die!!"
Ochoku's Iron Fist, covered in Armament Haki, slammed heavily into Luffy's abdomen with thirty times the Impact of his fist!
"Bang--!"
The Impact pierced through the dragon's body, and the 500-meter-long dragon roared in pain. A section of its belly collapsed instantly, and the entire dragon was blasted into the ground by the punch!
"Boom--!"
The earth cracked open, and waves of earth surged hundreds of meters high like a tsunami!
Ace's eyes widened in horror. "Luffy!!"
His anger ignited instantly, and flames erupted all over his body, making him look like a God of War of fire!
However, Ochoku's gaze was already locked on him, the rock beneath his feet shattered instantly, and his massive body transformed into dark red Inazuma—
"Strength-Strength Collapse!!"
"Boom--!"
Ace's hastily erected wall of flames was pierced by a single punch. His chest was subjected to an immense force, causing his blood to surge instantly, and he was sent flying backward, coughing up blood, and crashing heavily into a patch of Scorched Earth!
Gion's pupils contracted sharply. Kompira stood before her, her figure transforming into a streak of icy light, hurtling straight at Ochoku.
"Whoosh--!"
A cold light, like Inazuma, tore through the Battlefield. Gion's figure flashed behind Ochoku in an instant, and with a single sword strike, she slashed straight at his neck!
Without turning his head, Ochoku threw a backhand punch at the sword's edge.
"Clang--!"
Fist and sword clashed, unleashing a deafening metallic roar. The shockwave Shockwave in all directions, instantly crushing the rubble beneath their feet into dust!
Gion felt her hand split open, blood spilling out, but she gritted her teeth and endured it, the chill of the Snow-Snow Fruit surging forth along the sword's blade.
"Snap--!"
Frost spread instantly along the blade, freezing Ochoku's entire arm into ice crystals!
Ochoku grinned coldly, his voice like thunder:
"I told you—your ice can't freeze my power!!"
His muscles bulged, and with Haki roar, the ice shattered inch by inch under the violent expansion of his arm!
Another fist suddenly slammed into Gion's face like a landslide—
"Bang--!"
Gion parried with his sword, the blade bending into a bow shape. In the next instant, he was sent flying a hundred meters, crashing into half a rock wall, sending dust and rocks swirling up!
"Boom!!"
The ground exploded with a deafening roar, and a 500-meter- Pink Dragon soared into the sky, its eyes burning with the flames of battle, blood dripping from its mouth yet its fighting spirit only intensifying.
Luffy compressed his dragon body, transforming into Human-Beast Form. His fists, adorned with jet-black Armament Haki, crackled with lightning.
"Dragon Bone - Multi-Shot Cannon!!"
"Bang bang--!"
Hundreds of punches rained down, each one containing the powerful force of Garp's Fist Bones. The wind from the punches was like a hurricane, forcing Ochoku a half step back!
Ochoku was contorted with rage as he crossed his arms to block, but the furious barrage of punches left his arms numb.
"You wretched brat...!!"
He stomped his foot suddenly, unleashing a burst of both his Haki and the power of his Devil Fruit.
"Strength-Strength Earthquake!!"
"Boom--!"
The earth surged like a raging tide, Shockwaves exploded from the ground, abruptly cutting off Luffy's continuous offensive!
Taking advantage of the momentum, Ochoku lunged forward, delivering a punch straight to Luffy's chest.
"Die!!"
A close call--
"Mirror Flame!!"
A wall of blazing fire swept across, Ace attacked from the flank. The wave of fire slammed into Ochoku's arm like a giant hammer, forcefully deflecting his punch!
"Bang!!"
Even so, Luffy was still grazed by the aftershocks and sent flying dozens of meters, but the injury to his chest had been greatly reduced.
Snow and ice suddenly surged forth from the broken rock walls of Gion.
She leaped forward, Kompira unleashed an Impact of ice pulses!
"Whoosh--!"
The ice veins spread, and in an instant, hundreds of ice crystal swords rose from the ground within a radius of tens of meters, intersecting to form a sharp and menacing sword cage, sealing Ochoku within!
Ace and Luffy exchanged glances across the fire and ice, nodding knowingly in response.
"Explosive Flame Fist!!"
"Dragon Bone - Fire Fist!!"
One red and one pink, the two forces suddenly intertwined, transforming into a destructive torrent of crimson and pink, like a falling Heavenly Punishment, piercing straight into the ice sword cage!
"Boom--!"
The Impact from the explosion sent a mushroom cloud soaring into the sky. The shockwave swept across the center of Hachinosu, as if the entire island had been torn open. Ice and rock fragments intertwined in the high sky, creating a storm that was both intensely hot and frigid!
The successive heavy blows made Ochoku's breathing heavy and labored, and the Awakening state of the Strength-Strength Fruit was rapidly depleting his last bit of physical strength.
Ace, Luffy, Gion were all panting heavily; the depletion of their Armament Haki and abilities made their limbs feel as heavy as lead.
Ochoku turned cold.
"At least... we must take one with us!!"
A murderous intent surged forth like a tidal wave. He suddenly bent over, and in the next instant, he vanished from the spot!
The speed was so fast that even Observation Haki couldn't fully capture it, and a dark crack was torn open in the air!
Target— Gion!
"Call--!"
The powerful punch, delivered at its peak, was almost upon them; the air pressure from the fist even whipped Gion's hair around!
In the distance, Luffy and Ace roared simultaneously, "Gion- nee--!"
But their legs simply couldn't keep up with that bizarre, extreme speed!
Gion's pupils reflected Ochoku's ferocious face and that disdainful smirk. "Little girl... your ice isn't enough!"
At that very moment--
A languid voice, seemingly from another time and space, called out, "Ara la~"
The temperature in the world suddenly plummeted, and the chill was even more bone-chilling than the Snow-Snow Fruits of Gion!
Ochoku's fist stopped less than half a foot from Gion's forehead.
Time and space seemed to be frozen.
Kuzan — the Admiral of Aokiji —had somehow appeared between Gion and Ochoku, easily deflecting the fatal punch with one hand.
In an instant, absolute zero poured out from the palm of my hand—
"Snap!!"
The power of ice spread wildly along Ochoku's arm, instantly freezing his entire body and aura completely!
The Shockwave -like chill even spread backward, freezing nearly half of the Hachinosu behind Ochoku into a glistening Iceburg!
Ace, Luffy, Gion stared in disbelief, barely daring to breathe.
That was a power powerful enough to freeze the entire Battlefield in an instant.
Amidst the thick, cold fog, only Kuzan's soft breathing could be heard, like blowing away the frost from his palm.