Chapitre 95: [95] Storming the Base (II)

[3055 words]

Check Discord for a new giveaway to add a Super Rookie into the story who will meet a bad ending.

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G-2 was laid out in a simple form—a giant outer platform which houses 10,000 troops. A wall separating this outer area from the inner core led to the Research Station.

The inner part was where Vice Admirals, Bollox, Velvet, and LaGuardia were, facing the Fourth Division.

On the other hand, the edges of the outer shell were lined with tents and army barracks with tools, supplies and beds. Six Vice Admirals at the head of the troops, three of them, Giants.

The Marines had little room to breathe due to the recent inferno and distant rumblings.

The most veteran soldier present, Vice Admiral Lonz, took to the helm. "Looks like there is a disturbance in the inner plaza, but our duty remains to block up the threats from the front!"

The giant's voice bellowed through the mass of soldiers, calming them down.

"Don't lose focus now otherwise we'll bring shame to our Justice!"

The thousands of marines raised their weapons, crying out with spirit.

Explosions and eruptions went off in the background, though it did not leave the outer marines to waver, after all, they had a more menacing task before them.

*Gulp* A marine heaved a shaky breath, his eyes glued to the sole human figure within vision.

Even under the hazy fog and the smoke from the fires behind them, they made out the person—a towering man standing a good 500 meters from their formation.

The intruder did not move, however, his voice somehow carried over and resounded in the minds of the sea of marines. "I don't enjoy taking life… I'll give you 30 seconds to move out of my way."

The ultimatum brought a mix of emotions to the thousands present.

The duty of the marine was to serve and die for their sole purpose: maintain the authority of the World Government, even if it meant rushing into sure death.

The mortality rate was sky-high, especially in recent times.

It was therefore the purpose of the Captains, Commodores and Rear Admirals to reinforce the spirit of their armies.

"F-For the good of mankind!"

"Death to the pirates!"

"He's only one and we're ten thousand strong; justice will prevail!"

Lonz was fairly satisfied by the response and waved his giant axe around, generating a burst of air.

"The enemy is the Sin Incarnate of the Rocks Pirates, no matter what, he will not pass through us!"

Thousands of hearty roars went off as the marine morale was scraping the clouds.

…

The battlefield spanned half a kilometer, 1 vs 10,000.

Damien, who felt the drizzle on his skin, could not help but shake his head.

The truth of the matter was that most of these men were about to die. Their families and friends would never see them again.

*Vvooo~*

The ominous clouds brought the ambience of impending disaster. The wind picked up, sending shivers down the Marines' back.

At the same time, Damien's stationary body began to move.

From a slow walk to a hearty stride. Moments passed as the pirate's speed picked up, zooming through the wide patch of wet grass.

Five hundred meters of distance was covered within moments.

"He's comi–"

The marine could not even finish his yell before he was swept away from the sheer momentum of the pirate, sending him to the sky!

Hundreds of bodies went flying, almost like a bowling ball mowing down a sea of pins! Blood sprayed, limbs tore, bones broke.

"Aughh!"

"Ahhh!"

"Euuugh!"

A collection of grunts and cries echoed through as Damien's towering body ran them all down, resembling an unstoppable force!

Bam!

A single punch without any Haki was enough to send a man flying a good hundred meters, bursting past dozens of his comrades.

*Swish!*

A courageous marine tried to slash at the pirate, only to see his trusty sword shatter into pieces.

"A penny for your thoughts," Damien muttered, grabbing the marine from below. With a little bit of force, the soldier's body was picked up from his feet and into the air.

*Fwwm*

A deep metallic light went off as the pirate wrapped his human-whip in a coat of Haki.

*Vururu*

Damien spun the dangling seaman, eliciting a sharp whistle and released him like a boomerang, sending flying and toppling hundreds of marines on the way.

"I won't let you destroy my justice!" A brave Rear Admiral rushed ahead, his arms shining with basic Haki.

Boom!

He slammed the fists onto Damien's chest but to no avail.

The pirate lost interest as he saw the marine try the same thing again. Instead, he grabbed his arm, dislocated it at the bend and used the protruding elbow to jab it into the throat of another marine who had snuck in behind him.

*Splatter*

The torn carotid sprayed a geyser of blood, dousing the wet grounds with a fresh coat of scarlet.

Damien turned to see himself being surrounded by a good hundred soldiers.

"Obliteration Pulse."

It took almost no effort as nearly five hundred men were turned to bits and pieces of meat. The huge crimson bubble spreads further and further, turning anything in its path into particle-sized debris.

One of the Giants named Aegor ran forward, sending tremors through the ground, "You're mine, Sin Incarnate!"

*Fwooo!*

The air cried as the giant sword slashed down, leaving a trail of ripped air.

Damien lightly hummed, letting go of Rear Admiral's remains while reaching out with his other hand.

Clang!

It took little difficulty to hold the momentum of the giant who weighed a good 40 tonnes.

'L-Let go!"

The pirate did the opposite—he pulled the blade with a huge burst of force, causing the giant to stumble forward.

Damien then grabbed Aegor's arm with both of his hands, using the man's inertia to his advantage.

"Up we go…"

Under the shocked eyes of the spectators, the 60-foot Giant (18.3 m) was picked up off his feet and into the air!

With a show of force, the Sin Incarnate went on ahead to toss the overgrown marine, shooting him toward the distant wall.

BOOM!

The giant mass of the Vice Admiral mowed down a good thousand marines before being engraved into the high walls, leaving it in shambles.

"Omega Beams."

Another hellish nightmare arrived before the Marines could recover.

They watched as the twin beams of destruction zoomed out from the pirate's eyes.

"He missed me!" a man cried out in relief as the rays zoomed past him.

Though before he could even understand what happened, he was already dead.

Boom! Bzz! Sizzle!

The omega beams bounced and ricocheted off the air in all sorts of awkward angles, cleaving through a mass of marines in the process.

The casualties piled up, reaching four figures right away.

Alas, his slaughter spree had finally bore fruits.

"!!!" A red flash went off in Damien's eyes, halting his actions and forcing him to retreat a few hundred meters.

BOOM!

The very ground underneath where he stood suddenly trembled, resembling an earthquake. It was like a sinkhole, causing the very foundation to collapse on itself!

It took all but five seconds before a giant pit spanning 100 meters (328 ft) was all that remained.

"..."

The Sin Incarnate stood unfazed and glanced at the silhouette which had appeared.

"I was wondering how many marines I had to take out before you'd show up."

A thin smile appeared on the infamous pirate's face as the shadow cleared up. Naturally, it was the true powerhouse stationed at G-2.

Sporting uniform-brown coloured clothing and bulky frame. Topped with a well-ironed white marine cape draped over his shoulders.

A simple, short hairstyle, slicking back his dark hair that mixed well with the perpetual scowl etched on the marine's face.

"Did I catch you at a bad time, Admiral Basara?"

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[The Ruins of the Communication HQ of G-2]

A dull rumble shook the earth.

Bollox gave a rejoicing grin, "You hear that? The Admiral's on the move. No matter who you brought, it's over for you."

Majin, who was in his Ankylosaurus form, did not seem to care.

"Whiplash!"

He whipped his spiked tail which was more of a thick club than anything.

In return, Bollox raised his arms in an X-shape right before he was swatted back a good dozen meters.

Bang!

His Observation spiked, dodging an incoming bullet.

"I told you, you aren't facing just one enemy."

Bollox growled, looking at the unassuming Pablo.

The drug master gave a wretched grin, aiming both his pistols, "These bad boys are named 'Mustang' and 'Sally', say hola to them!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The pistols unleashed a flurry of bullets, shooting ahead at the speed of an automatic rifle!

To make things worse, Majin soon arrived behind the Vice Admiral, lessening the space he had to work with.

"Dammit!"

Alongside the brutal assault of the gargantuan dinosaur and hail of bullets, it wasn't odd when one such projectile embedded itself in Bollox's thigh.

His eyes instantly widened, falling to his knee, "What the hell!?"

"Numbing bullets, mi amigo."

"Ugh!" Bollox held the wound as it began to sizzle.

"With a pinch of venom."

"Whiplash!"

Majin did not wait, swiping his ginormous tail at the downed Vice Admiral.

As expected, Bollox was shot across the ruined room, smashing into a solid steel wall.

'I'll kill them both!' he cursed in his mind, forcing himself to stand.

Bang!

The next bullet nailed the marine in the chest and moments later, his furious disposition turned a full-180.

"I'm sorry I exist…"

"..."

Pablo smirked, pinching his moustache, "Depressants."

He turned to his hulking partner, "Now, Majin!"

Loud steps broke out as the dinosaur raced on ahead. Every step left 10-inch deep craters from the sheer weight, singing a tune of imminent demise.

Boom!

A far wider crater appeared under the hind legs of the extinct herbivore as he launched into the air, spinning at great speeds and sending torrents of air out.

"Majin Missile!"

Bollox did not even look up while his entire body was nailed by the odd dozen spikes, each driving deep into his body.

His heart, lungs, liver, everything was pierced moments before his body collapsed from the weight and momentum, resulting in an instant death.

Pablo blew at the smoke emanating from his pistols, "Let's go meet up with Señor Indra."

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[Nearby]

"Do you think you can take us both, pirate?"

Velvet and LaGuardia stood side-by-side, their glorious capes cast a wide shadow.

Indra, their sole opponent, stood across from them both, a single ravine of his craft separated the two sides.

"You would be wise to remain on the other end of the chasm."

Velvet's face scrunched up at the threat, his flintlock shining a vibrant black of Haki.

"Justice Barrage!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Hundreds of shots hollered, soaring through the air and at the trajectory of a headshot. They totalled a good three hundred bullets!

*Shing!*

With a single, elegant motion of his sword, Indra popped every oncoming projectile.

"One-Sword Style: Beautiful Death."

A gorgeous image of a peacock was born, falling through the sky under Indra's blade.

It screeched out, furling the razor-sharp feathers and driving them forward.

In response to the incoming threat, LaGuardia growled and his body began to change. Fur exploded from under his clothes, large claws and powerful teeth—a grizzly bear!

Boom!

The two animals clashed, sending out a booming shockwave to echo through the plaza.

Indra then shifted his weight while mid-air, using LaGuardia's power to weave through the sky, all the while dodging Velvet's bullets in the process.

"One-Sword Style: Dance of the Dead."

He took on the embrace of wind, weaving through the air at a speed faster than the human eye could track.

*Swish!*

*Splatter*

LaGuardia roared out in anger as tens of cuts began to appear all over his furry body. Blood splattered and skin was torn open with clean cuts that increased in depth and frequency.

Velvet, a ranged fighter, huffed a frustrated breath, using his Observation Haki to pinpoint the target.

"He's too fast!"

"!!!" However, at that moment, he felt dread as the world froze around him.

Indra had appeared a meter from him, the sword in his hand was pitch black with Armament Haki. It carried a beautiful air of vibrant nature, even a tune of forestry ambience following the blade.

The wolf-like face and his eyes indicated the final part of the hunt.

"You're target was me…"

Indra did not wait for Velvet to react, slashing without mercy.

"One-Sword Style: Theory of Life."

The Vice Admiral saw a bright flash of light, followed by a welcoming sensation.

The sun suddenly shone on him, gracing him with a warm ray of light. Birds flew around, grass grew and trees bloomed; a fresh breeze assaulted his dazzled face.

Velvet was suddenly in a mangrove, one especially gorgeous cherry blossom tree at its center, shining bright.

*Drip* *Drop*

Water gently fell from the roots of the tree and into a pond below—a breathtaking image.

"How beautiful," he muttered, his eyes closing for good.

At the last moment, the water turned red, followed by the collapse of the Vice Admiral—death from decapitation.

[Attack Image (in Discord)]

LaGuardia froze at the sight of his dead brother-in-arms, "Velvet! You bastard, I'll kill you myself!"

Indra, instead, sheathed his sword.

"Huh, you think I'll let you get away!?"

"Majin, Pablo, take on the Vice Admiral while I go secure the package," Indra directed without giving LaGuardia any more of his time.

"Si, Señor."

"Okay, boss."

LaGuardia roared, attempting to chase after the disappeared Indra.

"Majajaja! You can fight us, teddy bear!"

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[Nearby]

"I should have found a way to kill you when you were still a rookie, Sin Incarnate."

The Admiral stood tall, his arms crossed over his chest. The very air around the man was heavy, filling all enemies before him with a sense of dread.

Basara gazed at the carnage surrounding him, a good 5,000 deaths with countless wounded in critical condition.

"Zephyr may have failed, but I will be sure to take you out!"

His anger transformed into a display of extreme power.

*Rumble*

The island groaned as pieces of earth were snatched away, accumulating into a mountain floating in the sky. It took but mere moments to become what the Admiral envisioned – a sword of Damocles.

Such was the might of the Mountain-Mountain Fruit.

"Trembling Earth: Excalibur!"

The size was nearly 450 meters tall and 40 meters wide!

[A/N: 450m ≈ Empire State Building to the tip.]

*Vwoooo!*

The atmosphere wailed in torment as the gigantic structure was sent raging down upon Damien. Howling winds erupted under its sheer size, creating tornadoes even.

BOOM!

The impact was monumental.

The dense earth sword shot down, drilling into the earth like a toothpick through bread.

Earthquakes coursed through G-2, forming thunderous tsunamis to rage through the nearby seas. It was simply beyond what could be considered the scale of a natural disaster.

Basara stood tall under the fog of dust and debris, narrowing his eyes. "You actually took it head-on," he muttered under his breath.

The Admiral's eyes were locked onto the giant sword wedged deep into the ground with only its grip and handle protruding out.

Boom!

An explosion went off at the mountainous sword, sending boulders over ten meters in depth in all directions.

The nearby marines cried out as many of them were taken out by the raining earth.

"You must stop wreaking havoc on this island!" the Admiral calmly stated.

Damien appeared not too far from the Admiral, not a scratch on his regal attire.

Basara frowned before shaking his head and readying to fight, "Unlike Garp, I do not like to test my foes. Come, young pirate!"

'Shave.'

He then disappeared in a flash, and just as suddenly appeared behind Damien. All in less than a tenth of a second.

BAM!

A black fist smashed forth.

*Fwoooo* Yet it hit nothing but air, sending off a booming shockwave of its own.

Basara scowled, recognizing the application of Future Sight at first glance.

Understanding the disparity in Observation, the esteemed marine opted for a more wide-scale attack.

*Rumble* All of a sudden the entire island below started to warp and mould at the Admiral's discretion, bending to his will.

"You think I'll just wait for you to complete your attack?" Damien murmured, shooting forward.

*Fwwm*

His arm shone a gleaming black as a bubble of Ryuo was added in and crashed upon the Admiral's chest.

'Iron Body.'

'Hardening.'

Basara used the absolute version of Iron Body as a black coating was applied onto it, furthering its defensive capabilities.

BAM!

The punch connected with a thunderous bang.

A sharp pain over his ribs was significant but the deeper tremors in his body were something unexpected.

Basara's body rocketed through the air as the dusty air cast darkness over the man's face and hid his expression.

*Vvooo!*

The air shrieked under the man's momentum, drumming at his ears. "Emission of Armament Haki," the Admiral muttered, still being shot back.

The man's eyes then sharpened enough to cut through the air like a blade as another tremor broke out from below.

*Guru!*

Giant chunks of pure earth shot out, but they were visibly liquid and unlike what one would expect.

Basara's body caved into the sheet of earth. *Boing!* The odd thing was that the rock did not shatter, rather it gave way and acted almost elastic!

A drop of blood streamed out of the mountain user's lips while his body came to a stop, "Zephyr did not report such advanced Haki."

"..." A look of conviction flashed in Basara's eyes, followed by him casually walking out from the spongy rock.

The ground below once again started to terraform as huge blotches of land were raised; giant balls of earth.

*Fwooo!*

Huge amounts of air were displaced as the newly crafted structures cast a shadow that encompassed all of G-2!

"Trembling Earth: Ravaging Earth Storm!"

Damien's face was entirely blackened from the lack of sunlight caused by the display, much to his shock.

Basara was floating in the air with dozens of mountainous accumulations of earth, hovering at the Admiral's thoughts.

They were more than enough to neutralize an island and then some, fitting the reputation of being the Powerhouses of the Navy.

'So this is an Admiral's strength,' Damien thought, clenching his hands.

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner:

The bout with Basara begins while the Fourth Division works on a separate mission.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q

commentaire Commentaire 35

Voter

Chapitre 96: [96] Storming the Base (III)

[2600 words]

Had to fix some formatting errors from copy-paste if you see some missing comments.

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Basara had showcased a degree of an Admiral's strength, sending a mix of surprise and excitement to Damien.

The pirate then put out his left hand while the ring around the middle finger shone ominously.

The air was cut apart as torrents of air raged down to the marines below as the weapon was made clear.

"Allow me to render your little rocks to dust."

Basara narrowed his eyes upon the weapon in his adversary's hand, feeling the sharpness eerily familiar to some other blades he had gone against.

"Very well."

With his words out, the earth-moulder pushed forth his arms as a gesture to advance.

*Fwooo!* *Skrrrrr!*

Torrents were created from the charging landmasses, each bringing an apocalyptic spectacle with its advent.

Damien readied his Ryushi as the clawed blades exuded a mist so overwhelming that it was crushing the air to void.

Boom!

A sonic boom shattered the air as the Sin Incarnate rocketed forth—a madman charging at oncoming globs of earth!

He simply reined back his weapon and flowed strands of Ryuo toward it, slashing on the first collection of earth.

The mountainous structure visibly transferred force from one side to the other, rippling through its rocky body. The encircling ripple was then followed with a red checkered pattern before poofing into dust.

One down, the pirate continued toward the other gargantuan projectiles.

Boom!

BAM!

*Slash!*

*Rumble*

Kaboom!

One by one, the floating island-shakers were pulverized into microscopic particles, allowing the pirate to close the gap—opening a window to the Admiral except for one single giant boulder.

"Crimson Comet!"

Such were the words echoing in Basara's ears as a red shooting star thundered right through his final attack, too late for him to react.

A rather jaw-dropping display remained for the lucky survivors as they saw a flash of red in the sky crash at the floating Admiral.

A burst of air rippled through the base under the collision of vast Haki from both sides. Only for Basara to be shot back once more.

*Grrrrr!* A wide road of utter destruction followed the Admiral as he went rocketing back from the powerful attack and disappeared in a cloud of dust.

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[Research Facility, Marine Science Unit]

*Drip* *Drop*

Scarlet droplets slowly fell from a sharp blade.

Indra calmly walked through the facility, cutting down all the opposition. A dull alarm masked the massacre.

"Hmm?"

His eyes turned to the far side of the bunker, one away from the main research chamber. The scientists had scampered while alarms rang, leaving their subjects behind.

Indra had seen a plethora of guinea pigs. All types of animals, humanoids, and humans range from children to elderly.

Shing!

The famed blade sliced forward, cutting the thick doors into pieces and allowing the pirate entry.

"..."

The swordsman looked around and saw a single entity submerged in water, its pulse detected by the device at its side.

Indra examined the sleeping subject and saw some special features: stone skin, sharp canines poking out from his mouth, sporting a bald head.

The gentle hum of the blade resounded, slicing the glass tube with ease.

*Splash* The fluid spread across the concrete floor while the giant subject helplessly fell onto the floor.

Indra curiously watched as the research subject woke up, clawing at the wall to regain his balance.

He stood a solid four and a half meters tall (~14' 9"), his silver eyes locking onto his saviour.

"What exactly are you?"

The subject rubbed his bald head, recalling some distant memories. "Arai is from stone people, taken from home by Navy people."

Indra narrowed his eyes, tracing the towering subject's stone-like skin. He then found a few open pages left behind by the hurried researchers, detailing the study:

[Species: Stone People]

[Origin: Unnamed Island of the North Blue]

[Notable Characteristics: Born with durable skin with the same consistency as stone. They bear inborn strength superior to humans. They do not possess blood, rather their body breaks into rocks that, if placed together, can reform them. They have limited intelligence and a habit of speaking in the third person.]

[Research Notes: The World Government has shown interest in their characteristics, hoping to carry them into certain weapons in development. Subject Arai has also eaten a Devil Fruit, making it hard to extract the necessary genes to study.]

…

The man's words broke Indra from his reading, "Arai is angry."

"Let me find some things for you to break."

[Arai Image (in Discord)]

The pirate then made his way to the main research chamber, the one housing the Navy's greatest asset of experimentation.

The doors opened, allowing the two to enter.

"WORORORO! Looks like the party is outside."

The giant pirate glared at the two intruders, "Indra… That means that annoying guy Damien is also here."

The swordsman did not answer, slashing at the thick chains and shackles with a clean stroke.

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[Main Area]

By now the entire air of G-2 had turned dusty and visibility brown.

The tremors slowed down after a while after the big-name pirate had cut up the flurry of mountainous projectiles.

Basara, the Admiral, had been lodged into a giant hill, bringing an eerie silence to the battlefield.

"..."

Alas, a voice boomed out, "Not even twenty years of age and you possess such power. It is an oversight of the Navy."

The crater exploded, unveiling the furious Admiral dripping with streaks of blood. "Rocks was a good distraction for you, allowing you to reach this height."

Damien, who stood a good distance away, heard every last word and scoffed, "You didn't allow me anything, Basara. I've worked hard and trained in hell for what I have, and I have no intention of stopping here!"

The Admiral hurrumped, choosing not to continue with words.

*Rumble*

Damien looked around, feeling the shaking earth. 'Not just this area, but the entire base is shaking!' he surmised.

*Rumble*

It was like a heartbeat, a drum for incoming destruction.

*Rumble*

One by one, parts of G-2 began to morph, even warp. They lost their sturdiness; walls squirming into a liquid while swimming toward the Admiral.

Trees, metals, corpses, blood, loose debris—everything was changing into an ashy-brown colour, flowing like a river.

Basara raised his hands, accepting the stream of endless liquid earth.

His body began to swell while the fluid moved at his discretion. It wrapped around, warping into the shape of a gargantuan shadow, spanning the entire base.

Damien narrowed his eyes, discerning the turn of events. "Changing matter into that of your ability, converting it into earth," he muttered. "Awakened fruit power."

The pirate gazed at the behemoth of a structure before him, its stature seemingly spanning endlessly!

"Trembling Earth Colossus!"

It was a humanoid, gargantuan ability with Basara at its core. It stood nearly six hundred meters in height (~0.4 mi), raining dust down from its glory.

The grassy and marshy terrain of G-2 had long shifted into dusty peaks, a canvas with Basara as its painter.

[Colossus Image (in Discord)]

Damien took a deep breath and went on the offense.

He shot up from the ground utilizing Moonwalk, rushing toward the colossus. A thick layer of Haki was warped around Ryushi's unbreakable blades that seethed with crimson rage.

*Brrrrr!* Tornadoes were created as Basara brought down a single sword in an island-leveling diagonal slash toward Damien.

Its sheer gargantuan size made the strike seem slow even though it travelled at an incredible speed.

BOOM!

The pirate took it head-on, using his body to take the brunt of the attack.

*Crack* Damien flinched at the pain in his right shoulder that had fractured, creating a small window on which Basara's attack focussed.

Next came the momentum as the Sin Incarnate was sent soaring through the air and being tattooed into the ground, the entire exchange resembling a housefly being swatted aside.

"Taking my hits head-on, how reckless!" Basara said with audible scorn.

"!!!" His eyes then narrowed as he felt a huge burst of power from the crater far, far below him.

The dust that was floating around took on a crimson hue before being blasted into tiny particle-sized pieces.

"Empyrean Release."

The Admiral studied the enemy before his Observation flared at the same fiendish humanoid that had appeared in the sky. The demonic appearance, hell-like energy bursting out, added to the blasphemous halo hovering atop its head.

The volatile pirate gave a wicked grin as his trusty weapon exploded with power.

"Ryushi Combat Arts: Crimson Comet!"

Basara ran with his powers, forcing the hovering mountains to shoot forth in defense.

BOOM!

The first mountainous projectile shattered into bits, the same followed with the second, the third and the fourth. The fifth, however, was able to drive a halt to the impending attack.

Basara saw Damien stunned and sent a stream of Haki to the sword in his hand, covering it whole.

"Trembling Earth: Black Excalibur!"

The sheer size of the blade was enough to bring about great destruction to an island, and now it was wholly aimed at the halted Damien.

A red flash ran through the pirate's eyes, granting him more room to work with.

"Void Space."

A wide blanket of red appeared, curtaining the pirate.

The giant, Haki-clad sword wasted no time before slamming onto the shield, crashing with great might.

"..." No sound was released due to the void nature of the shield as it devoured the attack like a black hole.

Basara was not amused and picked up the second sword, covered it in Haki, and slashed at Damien once more.

The shield exploded into crimson shards like a glass wall, giving way for the attack to meet the pirate.

"Tch, Future Sight," Basara spat with audible frustration at the disappearing Damien. He peered down, having located the young enemy near ground level.

*Fwooo!*

The air rumbled as Basara brought down his left foot to squash the ant-like pirate.

BOOOM!

The weight of a dozen mountains smashed upon the bedrock beneath, giving birth to tsunamis to echo past the island's shores.

Damien, at the last second, lept off the ground and onto the leg of the colossus.

He was now running along the rocky limb, racing over and toward the Admiral who was at the crown of the structure.

The Sin Incarnate's advent resembled an ant running up a tree in Basara's eyes.

In response, the masses of earth flying above and around the goliath's shoulders suddenly warped.

"Dreaded Devastation!"

They took on a large thick bullet-like shape of 200 meters in diameter and were shot in the leg.

BOOM! *Crash!* BOOM!

Under the flurry of the raining bullet mountains, Damien used his Grandmastery of Observation to pick up the absolute paths remaining to reach the top.

His Future Sight was running overdrive—finding the smallest of flaws and the slightest of openings to exploit.

Unfortunately, this did drain more Haki than preferred.

*Fwwm* A dense bubble of Emission was soon wrapped around the volatile figure's arm. The pulverizing energy flooded through his body, centering around his left palm.

Pockets of crimson energy gathered around the fist, encasing it with the essence of crushing power.

"Deathly Rupture!"

The fist crashed onto the stomach area of the colossus, driving in the mix of Haki and fruit power in the form of shockwaves.

It dug deep in, bouncing and echoing through its earthy insides, destroying it internally.

Basara grunted a thunderous roar while a giant hole formed in his masterpiece. It was a straight-forward punch which caused the chest to cave in, forcing the head to coil forward from inertia.

Damien shifted his motion, opting to go straight up with masterful Moonwalk.

The pincer-like edge of Ryushi crashed onto the chin of the colossus, highly resembling an uppercut!

The shockwaves echoed through its skull, ringing the Admiral's head in the process.

Huge chunks of earth rained from the sky, embedding into the earth in a shower of ruin.

"Ugh!" Basara uttered a dull roar through his bloodied teeth and overcame the throbbing pain with fury.

His recovery was incredibly fast; the giant construct decisively unhanded his swords and punched using both fists at one another but with Damien in between.

"Void Sphere!"

The devilish body released its fruit power without stopping, forming a complete ball around him.

Basara saw no reason to stop, he opened the gap and went on with repeating the move.

"There are levels you cannot pass through sheer tenacity alone!"

Basara ran his Haki once more, covering both the giant fists.

BOOM!

The sphere cracked, letting loose shrieks of air, only for Basara to crash both fists onto it once more.

More and more cracks leaked screeching sounds through the tattered ball.

[Scene Image (in Discord)]

Another attack of equal might. This time the spherical shield exploded and left Damien undefended while his body was pulverized amid the fists.

BOOM!

The Admiral was unforgiving as repeatedly crushed, busted and vehemently destroyed his young adversary.

*Clatter* Bits and pieces of the Empyrean armour fell off every hit, unmasking the sole user they were there to protect.

…

Basara eventually let go of the figure, allowing Damien to fall from the sky with gravity roping him down, only to be hit with another strike, this time from the swords nearby.

"Trembling Earth: Twin Black Excalibur!"

Like a madman, Basara drove down the half-kilometer-long blades on the descending figure, nailing Damien with both swords.

Boom!

A sonic boom exploded as the pirate was sent soaring through the air and straight into the ground.

His body tore through, going layer after layer of solid earth.

Boom! Bang! *Rumble*

Damien continued drilling through for a good twenty seconds till the momentum died down, sealing him in bedrock.

A ripple of shock echoed through the base, forcing the very foundation of G-2 to cave in and crack apart.

It was catastrophic devastation followed by an eerie silence.

…

"Yes, Fleet Admiral," Basara spoke to the snail, still within his colossus, "I will ensure his capture. Pardon the missing comms, I believe only my transponder snail is functioning as it's linked straight to Marineford."

The snail nodded, "Well done, perhaps we can begin the year with some good news."

*Rumble*

Basara glared at the ravaged earth below, his expression warping into irritation.

"What is it, Basara?"

The Admiral remained quiet and watched the shadow clear up, "Pardon me, Fleet Admiral. It seems he won't go down that easily."

"Katcha~!"

Basara moved the colossus once more, ready to resume the beating. "Are you that impatient to get sent to a cold cell at Impel Down?"

Damien, far below and deep in the earth, returned a grin past his broken mess of a body.

He was currently in a very good mood.

*Crack* He popped his shoulder back in, stopping the bleeding from the protruding bone and clawed his way out of the pit.

Damien then took a deep breath, using Life Return to plug all the bruises, fractures and ruined parts of his body.

Ignoring the Admiral, the pirate ran his hand over his right wrist, feeling the newfound sturdiness—he felt like he could easily hold up a few mountains now.

"Basara, I really need to thank you," he laughed to himself at the notification in his mind.

[Black Bones has reached the final stage and has fully hardened the skeletal system.]

Damien cracked his neck and back, feeling the improvement throughout his body.

"..."

The devious figure beamed a striking smile, though it seemed exceptionally menacing under the form of his Empyrean Release.

"Don't be in a hurry now, Basara. We're just getting started!"

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

That was Black Bones (IV), the final stage. Although the fight has only just started.

Kaido has been freed by Indra while also picking up the stone-man Arai.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q