Chapter 141: Pandemonium (8)
They've lost count of how many ships they've sunk so far.
Numerous corpses fell into the bottom of the sea. Guns and metals continued to fire and slash upon the will of their owners, harbouring grim intentions to their foes. The night's air was filled with the thick scent of blood and smoke.
For hours, the rebels persisted against the entirety of Beast Pirates. Yet, there seemed to be no end.
"Huff... huff..."
Robin struggled to remain standing. Huffing, she looked around and saw that marines and yakuzas too were nearing their limits.
"FIRE!!"
Doll gritted her teeth as she ordered marines to continue fighting. Her grip on a firearm trembled due to the sheer stress on her body, but she knew that the war was far from over.
"Cough...!"
Senor Pink, who seemed barely alive with there being deep wounds all over his body, continued to fight the enemies.
Maynard too moved from ship to ship, slaying the pirates who continued to swarm onto them without any fear.
Rosinante, whose condition was slightly better than Senor Pink, also continued his contribution in the war—although the accuracy of his attacks were falling over time.
"HAHAHAHA!!!"
"They're getting tired!!! Keep pushing!!!"
The pirates laughed and mocked their enemies. Though they were weaker individually, they held no doubt that they, the Beast Pirates, would emerge as the victors in the end.
After all, there still stood the three All-Stars of the crew, as well as Kaidou himself. Their captain was the Strongest Creature in the World!
Who did they have to fear, when their captain was the strongest?
Instead of fear, what they held was the inquiry.
Why won't their enemies give up? They pale in number, in strength, in everything.
Though the Tobiroppos went down, the animalistic society of Beast Pirates simply saw their deaths as yet another opportunity—to seize those titles for themselves by making a huge contribution to this war.
"Don't give up."
Rosinante muttered as his mind vividly recalled the event that occurred 4 years ago.
The memory in which Smoker arose from the depth of the world's worst prison. Though it was currently a dark night, the memory in Rosinante was as vivid as the bright day.
"This isn't the first time where we came to a situation like this. And this won't be the last either."
The pirates in front of him weren't normal. With their attires, as well as their smiles, they seemed almost demonic in Rosinante's eyes.
Those smiles reminded him of one person, his deceased biological brother.
"...Humans like them are better off dead than alive."
__________
"Huff... huff... muhahaha, that was a close one!!"
Queen, having shrank back into his human form, laughed as his arms held onto the wooden deck. The bottom half of his body was dangling in the air, and if his arms were to let go of the platform, his body would fall through the huge hall on the ship and into the water below.
"Man, why am I so big-boned?!"
Queen whined as he desperately kicked his legs in the air, attempting to make his way back onto the deck.
And Hina wasn't going to let him have all the time he wanted.
"Beast Containing Cage!"
Leaning on one knee, Hina placed her hand on the deck.
Then, everyone nearby witnessed. At the next moment, the metal bars appeared in the form of a ring and circled around the entire ship.
"W-WAITT!!! Time, time out!!!"
Queen, who knew what was going to happen after, shrieked in a panic, before—
BOOOOM!
—those metal bars shrank in a split second and crushed everything in its way.
The pieces of ships splattered everywhere. A few pirates who remained on the ship were flown off.
The shrunken metal bars were now around Queen's body, squeezing him tight.
"U-UAHHHHHHH!!!!"
Queen screamed in pain as the metal bars continued to shrink, constricting the blood flow of his body. Simultaneously, with the loss of the platform to prevent his fall, he was slowly falling toward the sea.
In this state, Hina appeared in front of Queen, revealing her gloved fists that were armed with the Armament Haki.
A punch landed on Queen's cheek, drawing blood. Then, right after the blow, the punch 'sank' into Queen's cheek before exiting from the other side. Another metal ring sprang into life, tightly wrapping around Queen's mouth.
Flipping her body in midair, Hina slammed a kick on top of Queen's head. Her foot sank into the man's body and exited through his torso. Upon the exit, another metal ring appeared on top of the already existing binds.
Immediately after, Hina's eyes gleamed in red before she quickly dashed back.
Just as she did so, Queen's braided hair stood up by itself, before a mechanical arm shot out from within. Emanating an immense heat, it then grabbed onto the rings and cut through them with ease.
Queen, now freed from those binds, growled before his mechanical arm stretched all the way across the water until it reached the edge of another ship. Before his body touched the water, he then yanked himself toward the ship.
Hina, watching as Queen flew, pointed her index at him from above.
"Tobu Shigan!"
Queen, having read the incoming attack through Observation Haki, turned his head at Hina.
"Sparkling Queen!!"
The laser beam was fired from his sunglasses-wearing eyes and met Hina's Tobu Shigan. There was a flash of light upon the collision, and Hina dashed through this light.
"You...!"
By the time the light faded, Hina was right in front of Queen. Queen, while shedding a cold sweat, cried.
Hina, glaring at Queen with cold eyes, held her palm out at Queen. Right after, the numerous, Haki-infused metal beams shot out of said palm and slammed right onto Queen's round abdomen.
The blood was spilled from Queen's agape mouth before he crashed into the side of the ship he was traveling toward.
"GET HER!!"
Queen was found behind the group of pirates, screaming as he held his hand over his bleeding wound.
"Aye aye!!"
"That's what Queen-san said! It's time to get in action, boys!!"
Hina, landing on the deck of said ship, held her hand out. In correspondence, a metal bar grew out of her palm. Flipping it and catching it with the same hand, Hina saw that the other pirates grouped in front of her.
Onto the metal bar, Hina's Armament Haki spread. Fully encasing it, Hina was about to run into them—
"In trouble?"
—before Bastille suddenly landed in front of her.
Hina snorted,
"In trouble? More like interrupted."
Holding his zanbato tight, Bastille swung it at the enemies ahead. In one swoop, their top halves were detached from their bottom halves. Queen was the only one who managed to withstand the blow thanks to his cybernetic enhancements.
"Damn you..."
Queen seemed to be in a pinch, especially with him being unable to unleash his full Zoan form. He gritted his teeth as he looked around hurriedly, trying to find a way out.
However, the number of ships has greatly diminished. To his surprise, there was none near that he could move onto.
"What about Jack?"
Bastille jolted his head to where Jack was found munching on loads of food.
"It's more efficient this way. If one tries to recover, we just gotta take down another-dara."
Queen's eyes too headed to where Bastille pointed before they popped out in disbelief.
"JACK?!!"
Queen cried.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?!! GET HERE AND FIGHT!!!"
However, his order to fight Bastille beforehand was tied to the reward named food. Since food was granted to Jack prior to the end of said fight, there was no motivation for Jack to listen to Queen.
BOOOOM!
Then, the sky exploded in a fit of fire as Aramaki and King clashed.
"..."
Queen wrinkled up his face.
"...Fine. I underestimated you a little—"
Hina, without waiting for Queen to finish speaking, launched herself at the man. The metal bar in her hand was swung at Queen, which Queen quickly blocked by raising his mechanical arm.
"—OI!! AT LEAST WAIT FOR ME TO FINISH MY WORDS!!!"
"Why?"
...Why indeed? Queen found himself speechless.
Then, his eyes widened as he saw Bastille's zanbato slamming onto his side at the next moment.
Without being able to retaliate, he was flown back toward the sea, and at this rate, he would fall into the water. And this time around, it was impossible for him to find any ship to launch himself at.
"Cough... cough... damn you..."
Queen, while flying, cursed as he glared at Hina and Bastille who operated Geppo to chase after him.
"Fine then... I didn't want to do this, but..."
From the palm of Queen's mechanical arm, a vial that contains a cyan-coloured liquid came out.
Before he reached the water, Queen opened the cap and drank it.
"...What did he consume just now?"
Coming to a stop, Hina mumbled in caution.
Bastille too stopped next to her, frowning with his zanbato leaned on his shoulder.
At the next moment, both Hina and Bastille flinched before they turned their head up.
"Moaaaaaaaaaa foooooooooooooooood."
There was Jack in his full Zoan form, accelerating downward from the sky above them.
"MUHAHAHA!!! BEHOLD!!!"
At the same time, Queen emerged from below. Surprisingly, the sea underneath him had its surface frozen, allowing him to stand atop without a problem.
"Ice Oni... Modified Version!!"
Queen was in his hybrid form, exhibiting both the characteristics of a human and brachiosaurus. Atop that, there were specks of ice on his body, which became white and blue in colour. On his head were what seemed like the demon's horns.
"Ice Oni is a virus that I made... but by weakening its harmful effects and boosting its ability to enhance physical capability, it can temporarily serve as a means of doping!"
'...Though if I were not to take a cure within an hour or so, I would die.'
Jack from the above accelerated and accelerated more. Bastille realized that Jack's speed was faster than ever, and wondered if this was the power of the food.
"...Dodging isn't an option,"
Said Hina as her eyes flashed in red. Bastille too agreed, upon noticing that Jack's jet booster had strengthened; it cam probably switch directions at his convenience.
Furthermore, Queen was rapidly approaching them by feet, by running through the frozen sea below.
"Moaaaaaaaaaaaa foooooooooooooodddddd."
"MUHAHAHA!!"
Jack was now approximately three seconds away from reaching them. Hina and Bastille looked at each other knowingly, before Bastille shot up and Hina shot down.
"This time around, it isn't the question of whether I can or not-dara!"
Bastille formed a confident grin as he whispered at himself. As he soared up, he pushed in all the Haki that he could muster into his zanbato.
"Armament Haki, Emission...!"
"If hardening is about forcing the Haki onto the intended area, the utilization of emission requires the understanding of how you achieve this hardening. Feel its flow, Bastille."
Beyond the metal mask, Bastille closed his eyes, and as his instructor, Zephyr, once stated before, felt it with all his mind.
"And then, imagine. You are 'emitting' that Haki. Push it out by utilizing the flow to your advantage. The key is to think of it as emitting rather than draping."
The burst of Haki arose at Bastille's zanbato. Bastille's eyes opened back and his grin widened, knowing that he succeeded.
At the same time, Hina was right in front of Queen, whose arms extended to unbelievable lengths due to the cybernetic enhancements. In addition, there were mechanical arms from his hair, shoulders, and even knees—all of which emitted the icy aura.
Hina instinctively knew that allowing even one touch would be detrimental.
"DELUXE,"
The attacks began to bombard from Queen. All the arms and legs shot out in an attempt to catch her. The lasers were fired from his eyes beyond the sunglasses as well as his open mouth.
"QUEEN BOUFFE!!!"
"Cage Armour."
From Hina's body, the loads of metal bars arose. Circling Hina and closing in on her, they became what appeared to be metallic armour that provided Hina with a form of protection.
A laser landed on her armoured shoulder, burning it down. A mechanical arm skidded through her armoured leg.
Hina detached and discarded parts as she quickly dashed in at Queen. Putting all her focus, she dodged what she could dodge and minimized the damage from what she couldn't.
Hina operated the Observation Haki, but so did Queen. Hina predicted Queen's move, and then Queen read Hina's change in intent, before Hina read again the intent which Queen adjusted based on what he read from her.
Queen's arms and Hina's figure continued to blur. Queen's feet, generating an immense cold, continued to freeze the sea below and provided him a platform to stand on top of.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Multiple metal poles then smashed through the ice, attempting to make Queen lose his footing. Queen, momentarily halting his attack and clicking his tongue, backstepped to avoid another metal pole that was sent on his way.
"BLACK COFFEE BEAM!!!"
Queen fired a laser from his mouth again, which Hina dodged in midair through the use of Geppo.
"Soru."
She then appeared right in front of Queen, with her right fist, which was protected by the metal rings, cocked back.
Within the moment of concentration, Hina's Observation Haki, for just a second, read ahead of Queen's Observation Haki.
Narrowing her eyes, Hina tilted her head sideways to evade a mechanical arm that was coming from the back, much to Queen's shock.
"WHAT?!!"
Then struck, Hina's punch.
"It's over."
And so did Bastille's zanbato against Jack,
"DARADARADARA!!"
"Demon Cage!" / "Shark Shredding Strike!!!"
Hina's fist, upon landing on Queen's tough body, began to emit an incredible number of metal bars. They, swarming all over his body, began to crush him with a surprising strength.
Under Queen's pain-filled cries, Hina retracted her fist and focused her eyes on Queen's feet. Said feet, also wrapped around by the metal bars, caused him to lose balance and fall.
Hina, raising her leg, kicked into the air.
"Rankyaku."
"H-HOLD ON—"
The ice underneath Queen broke upon the blow, and the cage-covered man fell into the sea.
Simultaneously, Bastille's zanbato met Jack's head.
However, unlike the last clash, something was different.
Jack's head was becoming crushed over time as Bastille continued to place the force behind his attack.
"RAAAAAAAAA!!!"
BOOOOM!
And finally, the sword blasted the gigantic megalodon back up into the sky, spraying blood everywhere with a critical wound on its forehead.
SPLASH!
Jack fell into the sea, and as the water erupted, everyone became aware... that Jack and Queen were defeated.
__________
"I know now."
Aramaki, sitting on the deck of a burning ship leisurely, smirked as he stared at King who stood across him.
"I know what must be done to win against you."
"..."
King didn't say anything. Instead, he frowned as he witnessed the huge eruption of water.
"Jack, and Queen too... those useless bunch."
Ignoring Aramaki, King looked around.
The majority of Beast Pirates' ships were down. All the Tobiroppos were defeated. The only All-Star that remained... was him.
"H-Huh...?"
For the first time, the Beast Pirates began to express a hint of fear—that they may lose.
"Jack and Queen... lost?"
On the burning ship where Aramaki faced King, Rosinante, Senor Pink, Hina, and Bastille landed one by one.
They grimly stared at King as if about to engage, before Aramaki shouted at them,
"Do not interfere!!"
With a smirk on his face, he stood up and stretched his body. Cracking his neck, he stated,
"This is my fight, and I'm not sharing it with anyone else!!"
King's eyes narrowed, with an underlying rage within.
"...Your hubris won't let you take it far."
"Rahahaha!!"
Aramaki bumped his fists together, and the loads of vines out of him in an instant. Taking over the entire burning ship within a second and subduing the fire by suffocating it, he caused Senor Pink, Rosinante, Hina, and Bastille to jump to avoid getting caught in the rise of the forest.
"Hey! Watch it-dara!"
Bastille shouted, and Aramaki simply gave him a thumbs-up, causing Bastille to grow a tickmark.
As Aramaki looked up, there was King who too flew up to avoid Aramaki's technique.
"..."
"Rahahaha... let's put an end to this."
A flower grew out of Aramaki's back. Serving as a propeller, Aramaki was lifted from the ship and slowly flew up, to match the level at which King was floating.
The Beast Pirates gulped as they watched their lone remaining executive.
The past marines, on the other hand, simply chuckled as they relaxed their postures. They believed—no, knew, that Aramaki would win.
"Hm...!"
King's metal mask gleamed against the moonlight. Then, the fire on his back blazed even brighter before said fire spread onto his entire body.
King intended to beat Aramaki with this one blow. By showcasing his superiority in strength, the tide of this war will once again be shifted—that's what he believed.
Watching as King prepared to unleash his strongest strike, Aramaki grinned.
'What do you think I've been doing for the past 4 years?'
One evident weakness of his Devil Fruit power is its vulnerability to fire. To overcome this, Aramaki built resistance to it by a barbaric method of... setting himself aflame.
Though King's fire was extremely hot, gradually during the fight, Aramaki managed to adapt. In other words, the fire won't be burning down his forest into ashes, for a long time at the very least.
King raised his sword and Aramaki raised his hand.
The intensity of heat around King's fire continued to rise. On the other hand, flowers bloomed from Aramaki's shoulders as his body glowed in a mesmerizing light green.
Then, King unleashed his technique.
"Extra Large Imperial Flaming Wings!!!"
A fearsome and massive beam of fire was blasted from King's figure. Then, said beam of fire split into twelve fire dragons that wildly flew around the space and roared. Approaching Aramaki from all angles, they intended to reduce their target into ashes.
And before they reached Aramaki,
"Groves of Wrath!!"
suddenly, with Aramaki in the center, a massive forest grew in the sky. Though the fire dragons exploded and set the forest aflame, they continued to sustain and grow through the fire that spread all over.
"RAHAHAHA!!!"
Aramaki laughed crazily as his body burned at high heat. At his will, the forest continued to expand more and more at King who was charging at Aramaki with his entire body ignited.
Then, right when King's blow directly landed on Aramaki, the expanding forest abruptly shrunk and contained the two of them, into a blazing ball of plants.
The noises faded. The awe-strucking fire dragons and forest were no more. Everyone's eyes gazed at the blazing ball of plants, which...
...flopped down from the sky and fell into the water.
"...Eh?"
Bastille let out a dumbfounded remark,
"Did he... just commit a joint suicide?"
"AS IF!!"
Everyone turned to the source of the voice and found Aramaki standing with burns here and there on his body.
"Rahahaha, does that prove it?"
Now, the only remaining members of Beast Pirates were the goons whose ranks were Shinuchi or below. With less than twenty ships remaining, the war, surprisingly, seems to have gone over to their side.
"This means..."
Hina turned her head to the horizon.
"Everything is now up to you, Smoker."
The devilish sea was calming down, but there currently remained the head of all beasts: Kaidou.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone