"Sanji!!!"
Zoro caught the flying Sanji in his arms, pressing against the gaping wound in his chest to stem the flowing blood, shouting in panic!
Too weak!
He was too weak!
Why!?
Why, after giving it his all, was he still so frail!!!
Since Zoro had awakened, he had only seriously fought twice.
The first time, he had poured every ounce of strength he had, and if not for Luffy's intervention, he might have faced death.
Yet in the end, Zoro still lost to that man wielding the black sword.
The second time… was now.
Not only had he unleashed all his power, but with the coordination of his teammates, he still had been rendered powerless against this monster!
At this moment, Zoro truly doubted whether his own strength was real—or just an illusion…
Otherwise, how could everything feel so abnormal?!
He was unable to defend, his comrades were getting hurt!
All of this was his fault, because he…
Was too weak!!!
...
Cough… cough…
Sanji, cradled in Zoro's arms, spat two mouthfuls of blood, as if sensing Zoro's despondency.
The one who knew Luffy best, was Zoro.
The one who knew Zoro best, was Sanji!
"Green-haired idiot!!! What are you spacing out for!?"
Despite the massive wound in his chest, Sanji, his devilish face fierce, suddenly straightened up, glaring at the dazed Zoro. His voice was urgent, but there was no hint of surrender.
A streak of golden flame erupted, searing his ripped flesh into charred black, while simultaneously stemming the blood flow.
"You…"
Zoro stared at Sanji, gravely wounded yet still fighting, unsure what to say.
The weight of being vice-captain pressed on Zoro's shoulders, curbing his recklessness and adding a touch of caution.
Thud…
Beneath Sanji's feet, a sudden burst of compressed air sprang forth.
Using his Moonwalk, Sanji leapt into the sky, heading straight for the ancestor entangled with Crocodile.
No more words to Zoro—he acted, showing exactly what needed to be done.
Once again, the golden flame demon appeared on the battlefield, blazing like divine light.
The dazzling figure weaved through erupting sand waterfalls in front of the ancestor, relentless and unstoppable.
Clang~
Zoro picked up his three swords again, surveying the chaotic battlefield in the sky.
Sanji was right—there was no time to daze; they had to fight to buy time for Luffy…
...
Before long after Zoro rejoined the battle, a soul-shaking roar echoed from the distance.
Everyone turned toward the source.
A slash imbued with dense purple light streaked through the air, crushing everything in its path into fine dust.
Everyone frowned, wary of this sudden surge of power.
Then a familiar, comforting voice rang out, making all hearts lift.
Roar!!!
In the distant horizon, a scarlet-orange light appeared with the shout, blazing like another sun high in the sky.
But this was just the beginning!
The blazing sun grew gradually in their vision.
Robin, in perfect sync, crossed her hands and pulled Zoro, Sanji, and Crocodile away from the ancestor.
The purple gravity slash suddenly struck the ancestor.
Even with his air-based body, he could only briefly be frozen by Fujitora's awakened Devil Fruit power.
Enveloped in purple light, the ancestor plummeted toward the ground!
The heavy gravity pressed down, leaving the dim-witted ancestor unable to respond.
Above him!
Blistering high-temperature flames descended, not far from the ground.
Roar… roar… The flames draped over the desert like a heavy cloak, red as blood, reflecting in the sky.
The overwhelming heat and pressure turned the sand below into brilliantly colored glass.
The searing temperature burned the faces of everyone present.
The ancestor, targeted by this immense heat, looked as if he were being boiled alive, his hard skin cracking bit by bit.
Yet under the crushing gravity, he could not even defend himself.
BOOM!
The red flames slammed into the ground!
A terrifying wave of heat rolled outward, flames flickering with fearsome brilliance.
Above, Luffy stood at the tip of the inferno.
Robin shouted excitedly:
"Luffy!"
But Luffy, unleashing the fearsome attack, was completely focused.
All his attention was on his hands—and the molten, scorching figure below.
The roaring flames, like an unstoppable army, carried the molten sand, enveloping the ancestor's body, pushing it toward Arabasta's coast.
But the pace was slow, progress barely visible.
"Tch!"
Luffy grit his teeth, shouting toward the sky:
"Godia!!!"
At once, a black figure appeared behind the flames.
Howl~
Godia, four-legged and towering, barked into the scarlet sky.
Instantly, the sky shifted violently.
A layer of dark clouds appeared out of nowhere, partially obscuring the sky.
From the clouds, a gentle beam of light shot down.
Following the beam, everyone looked inside the clouds.
A faint moon emerged, radiating halo after halo of light.
White sparkling stars fell from the halo, drifting dreamlike into Luffy's body.
The pale-faced Luffy instantly regained vitality as if consuming a miraculous treasure, his face flushed once more.
Hoo~ Perfectly restored!
The flames, under Luffy's control, contracted and focused entirely on the ancestor.
The raging inferno began to transform: the red scattered flames deepened to blood-red, then finally vanished, leaving a searing white light.
All the fire disappeared!
The concentrated heat beam pressed the ancestor down into the depths of the earth.
With Godia's heavenly dog power assisting, and absorbing the moon's essence to restore his energy, Luffy once again successfully suppressed the terrifying monster.
Sanji, looking up at the sky, muttered in disbelief:
"It… it worked!?"
No one answered.
All were overwhelmed by the sheer world-shattering power.
Luffy advanced through the air, the white-hot beam carrying the ancestor downward, piercing the ground and connecting tens of kilometers beneath the sea.
The ancestor was forced entirely into the ocean.
BOOM!!!
The ground Luffy traversed split apart completely.
Sea water surged in, then vaporized under the scorching inferno, rising into Arabasta's skies.
After this day, all maps of Arabasta would need to be rewritten!
=============
100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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