RUMBLE!
A blinding white halo erupted, followed by a tidal wave of shockwaves that swept everyone away. The earth shattered and collapsed, and buildings toppled with a deafening roar. The surrounding ground shook violently as fierce air currents surged in all directions, kicking up a wall of dust that blanketed everything within a hundred-meter radius.
"Heh heh… hehehe..."
"Where did everyone go? Weren't you going to kill me?"
A massive shadow, nearly ten meters tall, loomed within the swirling dust, accompanied by a low, predatory chuckle.
THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD...
Heavy footsteps echoed as a gust of wind dispersed the haze, revealing a towering, Herculean figure.
Standing nearly ten meters tall, his physique was built like a small giant. Muscles bulged like coiled dragons across his frame, hard as bedrock and radiating a crushing, primal pressure that felt physically overwhelming.
A hundred meters away, figures began to emerge from the ruins of collapsed houses, tossing aside bricks and debris. They stood up, drenched in cold sweat, staring in absolute horror at the titan standing amidst the dust.
"What kind of monster is this guy?"
"Are you kidding me? Is he even human anymore?"
"Impossible! How can a man have a body that massive?!"
"This is the gap between us," Aeridar said, standing in the middle of the street with a savage grin. He surveyed the ruins with cold indifference. "I've trained hard, but compared to the true freaks of nature in this world, I'm still lacking. Sometimes, you just have to take a shortcut to overtake them on the curve!"
He remained perfectly composed; his clothes were crafted from Wapometal (shape-memory alloy), allowing them to expand without tearing and providing formidable defense. After all, a pirate of his stature, one who rivaled the Four Emperors, couldn't afford the indignity of shredding his clothes and being "censored" every time he transformed.
"You bastard!"
"Die, dale!"
Suddenly, Thomanson lunged from the ruins of a nearby building, his face twisted in a snarl. He flicked his wrists, unleashing a swarm of glinting projectiles that blanketed the air like a sea of stars, aiming for every vital point on Aeridar's body.
Aeridar simply swiped his hand. The sheer force generated a gale that scattered the flying needles like autumn leaves, even sending a few whistling back toward their master.
"You brat, I'm going to kill you! Nya!"
Almost simultaneously, Master Nekomamushi charged, his pipe clenched between his teeth and his expression fierce. He moved with startling speed, his double-headed trident crackling with visible electricity as he thrust forward.
POW—!
Aeridar's hand moved like a flash of lightning. His palm, hardened to a glossy black with Armament Haki, clamped firmly onto the head of the trident. A circular shockwave rippled out, kicking up a ring of dust.
"Old Monster Cat, is this all you've got?" Aeridar leaned in, his grin widening into something demonic. "I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. This level of skill won't be enough to kill me!"
"Nani? Dammit—!" Nekomamushi gritted his teeth, pulling with all his might to reclaim his weapon, but it wouldn't budge an inch.
A flash of killing intent crossed Aeridar's eyes. "Since I'm not dying today... I guess it's your turn!"
Aeridar raised his free hand and slammed a fist down. Nekomamushi reacted instantly, letting go of the trident and crossing his arms in a desperate block.
BOOM!
The explosive force drove Nekomamushi straight into the earth. The ground shattered and caved in, forming a crater several meters wide as a ring of air pressure blasted outward, clearing the soil.
"Golden Ring Aeridar! Your head is mine!"
Thomanson charged again, his form blurring as he seemingly manifested eight arms, each unleashing a barrage of throwing knives and hidden weapons.
SHUCK-SHUCK-SHUCK-SHUCK...
The air shrieked as the dense wall of projectiles formed a literal cloud of steel.
"Third-rate trash. You dare flaunt such petty tricks before me?" Aeridar huffed with disdain.
"Impact Wave!"
He threw a punch into the empty air. The terrifying concussive force compressed the atmosphere, detonating in a massive, circular shockwave.
RUMBLE!
The earth heaved. Bricks and stones disintegrated. Thomanson was sent flying, coughing up blood as the shockwave shattered his bones. Pavement, debris, ruins, everything in the path of the blast was erased, as if a giant eraser had wiped a drawing from a chalkboard. Only a column of dust remained, spiraling into the sky.
"Take this! Canine Cleaver!"
"Dragon Claw!!!"
Duke Inuarashi and Sabo lunged from opposite sides, executing a pincer attack.
Aeridar's expression sharpened. He brought his hands together in a clap.
"Shinra Tensei!!!"
An irresistible repelling force exploded from him in a perfect 360-degree circle.
BOOM!
The air vibrated and the ground groaned. Inuarashi and Sabo felt as if they had been hit by a runaway mountain. They were hurled backward instantly. Even the wounded Nekomamushi in the crater and the distant Thomanson were swept up in the blast.
Stone shattered into dust, and soil was displaced as the invisible force leveled the landscape. The ground subsided into a massive, concave pit, with yellow dust and debris swirling in the air for hundreds of meters. When the haze cleared, a crater dozens of meters wide and nearly ten meters deep remained. Aeridar stood alone in the center, hovering slightly above the floor.
"Th-this... this monster—"
Bara stood at the edge of the pit, his heart hammering against his ribs as he looked down at the hovering giant.
"What's wrong? You want to scrap too?" Aeridar asked, glancing up with a mocking half-smile.
Feeling the sting of that contempt, Bara's temper flared. "Bastard! Don't you dare look down on me!"
Bara coiled his legs and leaped. With a BOOM that cracked the ground beneath him, he shot toward Aeridar like a cannonball.
CLANG—!
Aeridar met the charge with a punch, his fist colliding directly with Bara's warhammer. The shriek of metal on metal filled the air, and the resulting shockwave tore through the atmosphere, detonating like a bomb.
"Die!"
Twisting his hips, Aeridar whipped his leg around.
THWACK!
The kick caught Bara squarely in the head, sending the dwarf hurtling back over a hundred meters. He smashed through the remains of a tall building, which promptly collapsed, burying him under a mountain of broken stone.
Suddenly, over a dozen pitch-black spears erupted from behind Aeridar, extending at high speed with a lethal whistle.
"Contemptible fool. You only know how to skulk in the shadows," Aeridar remarked without turning around. He simply punched the air behind him.
CRACK—!
The space itself seemed to fracture, spiderwebs of light spreading through the air.
RUMBLE!
The pitch-black spears shattered instantly. The force was so great it carved a massive notch into the side of the giant crater, the aftershocks rippling outward and pulverizing the earth.
"Gah—!"
Hidden in the ruins, Eden couldn't dodge in time. The invisible vibration wave slammed into him, sending him tumbling through the air as he sprayed a mist of blood.