Chapter 409 - 248

Chapter 248: The Straw Hat's Ultimate Weapon!!"Grandpa... can't you really let us go?""I really don't want to fight you—!!"The shout shattered against the sea breeze, only to be met with a hearty laugh."Hahahahaha! Don't want to fight?""Then take your straw hat and this little boat... and sink to the bottom of the sea forever!"The words fell like a hammer strike.Several black lines instantly appeared on Luffy's forehead.The silence lasted only a moment.Sizzle... Crackle!Crimson-gold Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body like an awakening dragon, churning and coiling before being compressed entirely into his clenched fist.The air wailed, and light distorted around his fist.In the next second, only an afterimage remained where he had stood; his true self had torn through the air, flashing directly in front of Garp!"Then... there's no other way!!!"The biting wind pressure blew back the black hair on his forehead. Deep within those eyes, which were usually filled with sunshine, there was now only the frozen seriousness of a volcano before an eruption.BOOM————!!!Their fists collided.In the tiny gap where their fists met, the exploding Conqueror's Haki forcefully compressed into a violently expanding and contracting sphere of crimson-gold energy!It was like a miniature sun gestating a storm, roaring madly as the two grappled.Crack! Boom!Countless crimson-gold lightning bolts shot out from the energy sphere, weaving together like furious dragon-snakes into a massive cage of lightning that enveloped the two of them.The lightning twisted and spread, tearing the sky and crushing the clouds.At this moment, heaven and sea trembled simultaneously.The atmosphere let out a wail like breaking glass, collapsing layer by layer.The sea of clouds high above was ground into dust by an invisible force, vanishing completely.The sea surface below dented inward in horror, followed by a circular tidal wave hundreds of meters high, rising like countless mountains of seawater!"Hold on tight—!!!"The sunny became like a fallen leaf in the raging waves, its hull groaning under the unbearable burden.The moment the shadow of the giant wave loomed over them.Sizzle!A stray crimson-gold arc of electricity swept across the deck."Agh—!"Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and the others felt as if a giant hammer had struck their chests. A suffocating pressure gripped their throats as they fell to their knees, cold sweat instantly soaking their backs. They could only rely on sheer will to grit their teeth and endure."Hmph...!""How can we let the ship come to harm here!"Almost simultaneously, two distinct yet equally majestic bursts of Conqueror's Haki erupted from the ship!One was sharp like ten thousand blades unsheathed; the other was fierce like rushing ice-thunder.Zoro and Yamato, one on the left and one on the right, used their own Haki as a shield to desperately protect the violently rocking sunny!The crew barely managed to look up, their gazes piercing through their blurred, shaking vision to lock onto the sky.There, two figures were deadlocked amidst lightning and gales, fist against fist, Haki and Hakimadly clashing, annihilating, and regenerating.Every strand of energy that escaped was enough to easily tear apart a small warship.Zoro's right eye stared fixedly at the world-destroying scene, as if flames were tempering and burning deep within his pupil. His hand gripping his sword had turned white at the knuckles from excessive force.Still not enough... nowhere near enough!Is this the view from the top of the world?Ambition grew wildly like weeds in his chest, scalding hot.Not far away on the Marine warship, a similarly magnificent and steady golden Haki rose, enveloping the entire vessel like a canopy, steadily blocking out the violent shockwaves and waves.Sengoku stood at the bow, his goatee nearly curling from the oncoming air currents and his own fury.He stared at the grandfather and grandson fighting selflessly in the sky, a vein throbbing at his temple."That bastard old man Garp!!!"His roar almost flipped the deck.This was supposed to be a major operation cooperating with Kizaru and the others to hunt down the remnants of the Flying Pirates and corner "Golden Lion" Shiki.But this guy, upon encountering his grandson who had become one of the Four Emperors, just charged in without a word!While he knew the relationship between this grandfather and grandson was as complex and tangled as a ball of yarn, was now the time for such self-indulgence?!If the Golden Lion took the chance to slip away, the entire battle plan would fall through!The more Sengoku thought about it, the angrier he got, his fists cracking as a massive phantom of a Buddha's head flickered behind him.He wished he could rush up right now and give each of them a "Shockwave" to wake them up.But the crimson-gold lightning and thunder constantly exploding in the sky seemed to declare:No one could easily interfere in this battle... "Hey! Look over there! Is that former Fleet AdmiralSengoku?!"Usopp's cry of alarm pierced through the aftershocks of the Conqueror's Haki clash, sharply stabbing into everyone's ears.Following his gaze, on the deck of the nearby warship, an old man draped in a coat and radiating a majestic golden light stood at the bow, glaring at the fierce battle in the sky.That was indeed the "Resourceful General" Sengoku!"In the Grand Line, a direct confrontation with the Marineford's highest combat power is never wise."Trafalgar Law's low, calm voice sounded at the right moment as he lightly pressed down on the brim of his hat.His gaze swept over the violently vibrating keel of the sunny:"Even for a hull built from the Treasure Tree 'Adam', it might not emerge unscathed from that level of impact.""You're right! But at a time like this, it's this genius's turn to take the stage! Super!!!"Franky suddenly raised his arms high, striking his signature pose, and gave his steel buttocks a "clack" twist!Before anyone could react, he had turned into an afterimage and ducked into the control room deep within the cabin."Let me show you the sunny's true 'Ultimate Weapon'!!""Rumble rumble—!!"The muffled sound of machinery operating came from the back of the deck.The heavy deck layers slid open to both sides, and a complex steel framework rose section by section like the spine of a giant beast.Gears meshed, hydraulic rods roared, and a giant steel tower, nearly level with the straw hat flag at the top of the mainmast, rose shockingly from the ground!And that wasn't all.Hum—!Accompanied by a low hum that made the air tremble, a deep blue cannon barrel with a diameter of thirty meters slowly extended from the front of the tower. The pitch-black muzzle, like the eye of an abyss, locked onto the distant Marine fleet."Ah... Th-this is..." Nami's mouth hung open."...What is that?!" Even the usually calm Robin's pupils constricted slightly.Chopper was so scared he hid behind Zoro's leg, only showing a single trembling antler.Everyone, without exception, swallowed hard.This had completely exceeded their understanding of "weapons," filled with a Franky-style aura that was a scalp-tingling combination of "genius" and "pervert.""Usopp! Get to the cannon control station at the top! The coordinates and energy charging are already set!"Franky's voice came through the broadcast, carrying uncontrollable excitement."L-leave it to me! This great one is the King of Snipers!"Usopp scrambled up the tower and ducked into the transparent spherical control pod.On the screen, the target lock-on reticle steadily framed the main ship where Sengoku was located."Then... prepare to fire!!"Usopp took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly sharp, and he forcefully pressed the bright red fire button.HUM————!!!The entire sunny suddenly sank, and the sound of energy rushing like a tsunami came from inside the hull.All the stored energy of the Wind Laser, the maximum output of the Cola Engine Room, and even the Lion's Channel Emergency Power Systemwere all madly drained, converging toward that giant cannon barrel along specialized pipes.Deep within the muzzle, blinding blue plasma leaped, compressed, and compressed again like a captive thunderstorm!At the same time!A cold, extremely ominous premonition pierced the back of Sengoku's neck without warning!His battle-hardened instincts made his hair stand on end, and his back was instantly drenched in cold sweat."Wait... what is that...?!"He turned his head sharply, his gaze crossing the waves to stare fixedly at the giant cannon on the sunny that was radiating destructive fluctuations.In the next second.The world turned blue.A magnificent blue-white beam thirty meters in diameter tore through the air, evaporating all the seawater in its path, and blasted toward the warship with the shriek of annihilating matter!Wherever the beam passed, it left a briefly unclosable, boiling abyssal trench on the sea surface!"Divine Radiance · Sky-Shattering Cannon!!!""Damn it!!!"Sengoku's eyes nearly burst from their sockets; he could no longer afford to hold back.Blinding golden light erupted from his body as his form expanded instantly, turning into a massive golden Buddha a hundred zhang tall, solemn yet glaring with fury!"Daibutsu Form!"Black-red Conqueror's Haki lightning coiled around his glittering golden palms, pushing the fused power of Armament and Conqueror's Haki to the limit."Advanced Armament Haki · Daibutsu Shockwave!!"A shockwave capable of shaking islands blasted out from the Buddha's palms, meeting the destructive beam.—Shoo!Just as the shockwave was about to be released, a figure as fast as a ghost flashed beside Sengokuwithout warning.Then, the figure vanished like a phantom, as if it had never appeared.BOOM————!!!!The golden shockwave and the blue-white electromagnetic cannon collided violently!A ball of light as blinding as the sun erupted at the point of impact, and the violent energy turbulence plowed through the sea surface once again!However, a scene occurred that made the souls of all the Marine officers fly away in terror!Sizzle... Bang!The seemingly invincible "Daibutsu Shockwave" actually only held out for two seconds under the wash of that continuous blue-white beam before being pierced through and ground away from the center!The beam's power was greatly reduced, but its momentum remained, heading straight for the golden Buddha's chest!"What?!"Sengoku's pupils shrank to pinpricks, and for the first time, shock appeared on the massive Buddha face.In the nick of time, he thrust out both palms, his palms covered in top-tier Armament Hakidesperately bracing against the front of the beam, trying to deflect it.BANG————!!!!An indescribable force struck.The hundred-zhang golden Buddha, with a body as stable as a mountain, was actually pushed by the beam into a sudden shudder, and then its feet left the ground, as it was forcefully swept away by this flood of destruction!Crack! Boom!The mainmast was snapped in half, and the heavy armor plates were torn like paper.The giant golden Buddha was like a meteor, streaking across the sky, smashing through countless splashing waves along the way, finally setting off a towering splash on the sea surface thousands of meters away and slowly sinking... The sea breeze howled.On the deck of the sunny, there was a dead silence."Did... did we succeed?"Usopp poked his head out of the control pod, looking at the distant, gradually subsiding aftershocks of the explosion, his voice a bit shaky."Super————!!!!"Franky burst through the roof of the control room, throwing his arms up and shouting wildly, tears streaming down his face,"Did you see that! This is the Straw Hat's ultimate weapon!!!"