At that moment, Big Mom's earth-shaking laughter suddenly rang out, booming across the smoke-filled battlefield like a great bell.
"Mamamama! Kaido, brat! Now do you know who's really the strongest?"
Her voice was rough and hoarse, every syllable striking the air with enough force to make people's eardrums ache.
Her huge body was like a moving hill, shaking violently with her laughter. The layers of flesh across her body trembled and rippled like waves.
Above her head, Zeus the thundercloud and Prometheus the sun circled anxiously, weaving between dark clouds and light while letting out low whimpers, as if they too were worried about this brutal fight.
"What immortal creature? Don't make me laugh!"
Big Mom sneered with obvious contempt, her eyes full of mockery.
She suddenly raised one thick leg and stomped down on the deck railing.
With a loud crack, the sturdy railing was crushed beneath her foot, splinters scattering across the deck like fireworks.
The triple crown on her head flashed blindingly under the light, while the eyes beneath it narrowed into dangerous slits. Two blade-sharp gazes locked onto Kaido as though she meant to see straight through him.
"Let me show you what real absolute defense looks like!"
She roared, a chilling aura surging from her body. It felt as though if she wished it, she could drag the whole world under her control.
Big Mom did not ask Ron for permission at all.
Her massive body had already launched into the air, landing precisely where Kaido had stood moments before.
Looking up at the blood-red thunderclouds gathering in the sky once more, she spread her arms with wild arrogance.
"Come on! Let me taste this so-called Uranus!"
However, in the middle of that tense atmosphere, Napoleon suddenly changed into a flattering, nervous smile and tried to stop her.
"Mama, think carefully…"
Before it could finish, she slapped it aside with one palm.
The blood-red eye in the sky snapped open in fury.
A dark-red aurora three times thicker than before blasted downward, causing space itself to collapse everywhere it passed.
The sight made everyone's heart tighten for Big Mom.
She was fearless and ferocious, but against an enemy and attack this powerful, even she had to take it seriously.
After all, on this sea filled with danger and uncertainty, every decision could decide life or death.
Yet Big Mom was not frightened by that overwhelming power.
A determined light flashed in her eyes. She had clearly prepared herself to face the challenge.
She took a deep breath, gathered the strength of her entire body, and readied herself for the incoming attack.
With a deafening boom, the dark-red aurora slammed violently into Big Mom.
For a moment, the sea rose into towering waves, as if it wanted to swallow the entire world.
Yet to everyone's shock, Big Mom actually endured the blow head-on.
Her body trembled slightly, but she did not fall.
Seeing this, the blood-red eye let out another furious roar, and more auroras poured down like a storm.
This time, Big Mom did not dare to be careless.
She quickly adjusted her stance, dodging those lethal attacks with movements far more agile than anyone expected from her size, while also searching for a chance to strike back.
The tension had reached its peak.
And at that critical moment—
"Good! Come on!"
Big Mom's deep, intimidating voice exploded like thunder.
In an instant, three vast and mysterious powers erupted from within her at the same time like surging tides.
The first was her terrifying black dragon form.
Her skin seemed to be swallowed by a layer of darkness, and in the blink of an eye, dense black dragon scales spread across her body, each one flashing with a cold, eerie luster.
Every scale looked like a carefully carved work of art, tough and sharp. As her body shifted slightly, they rubbed against one another and produced a faint, low hiss.
At the same time, a pair of razor-sharp dragon horns burst from her head with unstoppable force, piercing through her once-gorgeous crown before continuing to grow upward like two blades aimed straight at the clouds, displaying her overwhelming power and fury.
Then came a burst of golden Buddha light.
This was the miraculous power of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Great Buddha, and it displayed an astonishing effect through her body.
Her already enormous frame began expanding at an unbelievable speed, becoming even more towering and mountain-like.
Brilliant golden Buddha light poured continuously from within her, dyeing the surrounding space in radiant gold.
That golden glow intertwined with the glossy black dragon scales covering her body, creating a unique and breathtaking sight.
Within the Buddha light, mysterious runes could faintly be seen flowing, as though they contained endless wisdom and power.
And finally came her natural Iron Balloon physique.
A strange sheen gradually appeared across her skin, like flowing mercury and burning flame at the same time, giving off the contradictory feeling of something both icy cold and scorching hot.
At the same time, the muscle fibers inside her body began trembling violently, releasing a low hum like steel cables stretched to their limit.
The sound was deep and powerful, like a roar from the depths of the earth, stirring instinctive awe in everyone who heard it.
The instant those three layers of defense perfectly stacked together, Big Mom seemed to be reborn.
She transformed into an eternal black-and-gold divine statue.
She stood there silently, radiating an untouchable, sacred presence, as though even time had stopped for her.
Boom—!
A deafening explosion shattered the brief silence.
That aurora struck Big Mom's position with perfect accuracy, like lightning tearing through the night.
Blinding light lit up the entire sea in an instant, so intense that everyone instinctively shut their eyes and was temporarily blinded.
The powerful shockwave from the explosion swept outward like a savage beast, carrying enough force to overturn mountains and seas.
Everywhere it passed, the sea was pressed down into a massive depression over a thousand meters wide. The water churned violently, forming huge whirlpools one after another, as if the entire world were shaking.
The dazzling light gradually faded, retreating like the tide.
Everyone's gaze focused tightly on one spot.
There, Big Mom's huge, imposing figure still stood in midair.
But her entire body had been scorched black.
...