Aleus vs. Big Mom

Become Big Mom's son-in-law?

It was a path Aleus had never considered before.

However,

On second thought, it really wasn't a bad choice. Setting aside Big Mom's habit of losing all reason and going on a murderous rampage when her Craving Disorder flared up, having the protection of a Pirate Emperor in the New World was something many people could only dream of.

Of course, among the Four Emperors, Big Mom wasn't the best choice. Her Craving Disorder, which flared up unpredictably, was a potential threat to ninety-nine percent of the members of the Big Mom Pirates. Only a handful of people, like Katakuri, weren't afraid of Big Mom when she went berserk.

All in all, the choice had its pros and cons, depending on the person. Some people would jump at the opportunity, while others would avoid it at all costs. Both were perfectly normal.

As for Aleus's choice—

It had been decided from the very beginning.

"I refuse."

Aleus spoke each word clearly.

His firm, decisive tone left no room for ambiguity.

There were quite a few beautiful women among Big Mom's daughters. To be honest, it was painful to turn down such beauties when they were practically being offered to him on a platter. But there was no helping it. As an Affiliated Nation of the World Government, the Ekmondo Kingdom could secretly consort with pirates without much trouble. Even being forced to rely on the Whitebeard Pirates' flag for protection was understandable.

However,

If they openly threw in their lot with a Pirate Emperor, the World Government's tolerance had its limits.

A marriage alliance with the Big Mom Pirates was tantamount to pledging allegiance to them. In the original story, the Germa Kingdom's reconciliation with the Big Mom Pirates became the spark that, combined with a series of other events, ultimately got it struck from the World Government's rolls and stripped of its status as an Affiliated Nation.

For now, siding with the World Government had more advantages than getting mixed up with Big Mom, a Pirate Emperor.

Besides, if he really did fall out with the World Government, he might as well get in touch with Dragon instead of throwing in his lot with Big Mom, the Mad Emperor!

And then there was—

The most important point of all.

Why would he need to find himself a master when he had the Hogyoku?

"Prometheus, burn this ungrateful brat to a crisp!!!"

Big Mom was naturally furious at being rejected. Her rage was as terrifying as an erupting volcano, and murderous intent filled the folds of her face as they quivered with anger. She let out a tremendous roar, as frightening as a sudden crack of thunder beneath a clear sky.

Amid that bloodcurdling roar,

A bright, scorching fireball with a huge, malicious grin rose from behind Big Mom. Yes, it was a fireball that could smile, and its grin was brimming with malice. Its blood-red eyes fixed on Aleus like a hungry coyote eyeing a restless little lamb that had strayed from the flock.

Sun Prometheus.

It was a name as famous as thunder. In the New World, aside from rookie pirates who had only just arrived, which local powerhouse didn't know that Big Mom was a queen who could control the weather? She had "Thundercloud Zeus" in her left hand and "Sun Prometheus" in her right. These two weapons embodied Big Mom's unmatched brutality.

Over the years, Big Mom had used these weapons to destroy countless enemies. Their successive victories had gradually earned them a fearsome reputation.

The blazing fireball, grinning maliciously, opened its mouth. A thick stream of fire shot toward Aleus like lightning.

But—

For once, an attack that had always been unstoppable failed to achieve the desired result.

Aleus didn't dodge Sun Prometheus's attack.

He raised his head and fearlessly watched the scorching flames descend. His raised right hand met the path of the falling fire with pinpoint accuracy. The instant the flames reached him, a glimmer of emerald light shone at the tip of his right index finger.

"Cero!"

High-density Spirit Pressure gathered at his fingertip, then blasted out in the form of an emerald beam.

This was—

Cero.

The emerald light pierced the orange flames. Like a heated knife cutting through solidified butter, it cleaved the stream of fire down the middle, reaching Prometheus in an instant. A sense of danger unlike anything it had ever felt made Prometheus dodge for the first time in its life.

Prometheus's existence was extraordinarily unusual. No one knew how to hurt this terrifying weapon of Big Mom's. It was like a Logia user, with the ability to turn into its element, but Armament Haki couldn't grasp its physical form—because it had no physical form at all.

And so,

Sun Prometheus and Thundercloud Zeus had always pressed forward alongside Big Mom, never retreating. This was the first time either of them had ever dodged an enemy's attack.

But Prometheus soon felt relieved that it had dodged.

The emerald light grazed past the edge of Prometheus's body. Though it had never felt pain before, Prometheus experienced it for the first time and immediately let out a thunderous cry of agony. "Mama, Mama, it hurts! It hurts!"

It shouted as it cowered toward Big Mom.

"Prometheus!"

This was the first time Big Mom had ever encountered such a situation. Prometheus had actually been injured by someone. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

"Green-eyed brat, what did you do?"

Big Mom grabbed the injured Prometheus and examined it. At the same time, she glared at Aleus with even greater fury. An overwhelming presence, like a typhoon, burst from her mountain of a body.

Conqueror's Haki.

In her extreme anger, Big Mom instinctively released this power, renowned as proof of a king's disposition.

"Damn it! I'm too late."

Katakuri, standing on the deck of the Queen Mama Chantilly, clenched his fists.

Even among the Big Mom Pirates, not every member could withstand the onslaught of Conqueror's Haki. Most of the lower-ranking combatants collapsed outright under its sudden impact. On the Tart Ships in particular, the combatants fell in droves like wheat at harvest time.

The Big Mom Pirates weren't the only ones affected.

The residents of Saiboy Island who hadn't managed to flee far enough were incredibly unlucky. They collapsed one after another under Big Mom's Conqueror's Haki, and many of them died instantly in the onslaught.

But just then,

"BOOM—!!!"

A tremendous roar swept across the sky.

Dark green Spirit Pressure poured out from beneath Aleus's feet like a tidal wave. It spread outward like mist in the howling wind, rising into the sky and forming a visible cloud of dark green haze that blotted out the bright sunlight.

"What is that?"

Big Mom had grabbed the injured Prometheus and was using the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit to heal it. She hadn't even had time to teach Aleus a lesson before this strange phenomenon appeared, something bizarre that could stand against her Conqueror's Haki.

"Drip!"

Dark green raindrops fell from the sky.

Then, in an instant, the sound of pouring rain echoed across the entire dock. The whole area was bathed in a dark green glow.

"This is... the power of souls?"

The dark green raindrops landed in Big Mom's open palm. The strange rain didn't pool there; it evaporated and vanished at once. But that brief contact was enough for Big Mom to recognize what it was.

After all,

She had eaten the Soul-Soul Fruit and was the world's foremost expert at manipulating souls.

The dark green downpour didn't last long.

Soon, the rain stopped.

The dark green clouds in the sky also dissipated completely, leaving only Aleus, who had spread a pair of enormous black wings, soaring above the ground. He looked down at Big Mom below. The sea breeze ruffled the hair at his temples, but it couldn't shake the pair of pale, curved horns atop his head.

Unlike before, when he had only manifested his wings in an incomplete form, this time Aleus revealed the full form of the Devil Fruit he had eaten, the one the Hogyoku had transformed. This enemy wasn't like the nobodies he'd faced before. If he dared to underestimate her, he'd suffer for it.

"Hollow Bullet."

Aleus extended his hand.

He made the first move, as a sort of greeting.

The crimson Hollow Bullet shot toward Big Mom at nearly the speed of lightning, but it didn't hit her savage-looking face. She swatted it away with a fierce slap.

"Green-eyed brat, your ability is interesting. A Zoan Devil Fruit, and it should be a Mythical Zoan, right? And it has something to do with souls. But... anyone who dares defy my will must die!"

Big Mom let out a tremendous roar. She reached up and grabbed her hat. The red pirate hat with yellow trim atop her head transformed at her will into a giant sword, which she held in her hand. Then she shouted, "Zeus, come here!"

A puffy white cloud came when called. It cheerfully cried, "Mama!" and floated over to Big Mom's feet, lifting her enormous, hill-like body into the sky.

Then,

Magnificent sword energy swept across heaven and earth.

Each time Big Mom swung her greatsword, an incomparably sharp slash tore through the air and pursued Aleus as he flew about with beating wings. She continuously used her sword slashes to restrict his speed and space to maneuver, while Thundercloud Zeus beneath her rushed closer as fast as it could.

Big Mom was an expert in aerial combat, too.

Her fifty-plus years of battles, from childhood to the present day, had been no sham. As long as her Craving Disorder didn't flare up, her combat intelligence was every bit as formidable as her strength. She had fought her way to the position of Pirate Emperor in the New World, a slaughterhouse of a sea.

The monstrous strength to kill giants from birth, a body as tough as an 'Iron Balloon' from the moment she was born, the swordsmanship of a master swordsman, and Devil Fruit abilities developed to their utmost limits.

Big Mom's strength was well-rounded, with no weaknesses.

Her naturally powerful body was especially extraordinary—practically the finest treasure the heavens had bestowed upon her. Even in her early sixties, she still retained her full combat strength. By comparison, Whitebeard, whose strength had steadily declined because of his many injuries and ailments, had it far worse.

"SHING—!"

Another sword strike cleaved through the air. The sweeping sword slash skimmed past Aleus's wing, forcing him to halt and change direction, beating his wings as he continued to fight Big Mom at a distance.

However,

It was obvious that he wouldn't be able to keep up this evasive battle for long against Big Mom's relentless pursuit.

Besides, if he wanted to test how powerful he had become, he would have to face her head-on to get a clear measure of his strength.

"Moonlight Sword."

Extremely high-density Spirit Pressure gathered in Aleus's right hand. He gripped a blue-white light sword, almost two meters long. It had no visible hilt or guard, and it was even hard to tell where its blade was.

That was because it had no clearly defined blade. It was a light sword made of highly compressed Spirit Pressure. Except for the spot where Aleus held it, every part of it was a blade.

"That's enough warming up."

As he flew, Aleus rolled his shoulders. He had never fought at full strength in this form before, so he had spent a short while circling Big Mom to get used to the feeling, using her terrifying slashes that tore through the clouds and sky to warm up.

And now,

The warm-up was over.

Aleus gave his black wings a mighty flap. He stopped dodging and darting about, instead swinging the Moonlight Sword and meeting the incoming sword slash head-on.

The Moonlight Sword clashed against the magnificent, surging slash. The impact made Aleus's entire body tremble. His black wings beat rapidly, barely managing to withstand the blow that made the very air seem to wail.

The next moment,

Aleus was given no time to rest.

Riding on Thundercloud Zeus, Big Mom finally caught up and closed the distance between them. She raised her greatsword, "Napoleon," high above her head. Sun Prometheus, which had already recovered, suddenly blazed with light, setting the greatsword ablaze.

"Emperor Sword: Baha Baha no Mi!"

This was Big Mom's all-out strike, a Pirate Emperor's attack fueled by rage.

The giant sword wrapped in scorching flames was so enormous that it filled most of Aleus's field of vision. The battered air was torn apart once more by overwhelming force, sending visible rings of air bursting out to either side. At the center of it all, the brilliant blade came crashing down.

"Flicker Slash!"

At the same moment, Aleus struck as well. He gripped the Moonlight Sword and took the stance of a draw, darting upward at a terrifying speed to meet the greatsword bearing down on him.

Flicker Slash,

Was a sword technique similar to a quick-draw strike.

After combining the strengths of several schools of swordsmanship, Aleus had developed it to suit the Moonlight Sword's properties. At the instant he drew his sword, he compressed the high-density Spirit Pressure even further within that brief moment, forming an extraordinarily sharp blade that could exist for only an instant. Its purpose was to unleash a peerless flash that could cut anything in two.

The clash of the blades rang across the sky.

The sound waves stirred up the air, eventually forming a shock wave laced with razor-sharp sword energy that swept in every direction. Flecks of fire scattered and danced in the wind.

Napoleon let out an excited cry. The Moonlight Sword's edge hadn't managed to cut through the giant sword Big Mom had given a soul. Instead, that long-unseen sharpness had excited it. Big Mom, who was swinging the sword, also looked a little surprised. She hadn't expected the brat to have such a fierce sword technique.

However,

His body was a little too weak. He was a Zoan Devil Fruit user, after all.

Aleus was sent flying.

He hadn't lost to Big Mom in their clash of swordsmanship, but her terrifying strength had overpowered him, a Zoan Devil Fruit user. The immense force from her greatsword sent Aleus flying like a baseball hit for a home run, hurtling rapidly into the distance.