"Huff, huff…" Katakuri panted heavily, having just endured a life-or-death struggle.
He lifted his head with difficulty, his gaze cutting through the smoke of battle to fix on Roy, who stood unwavering in the sky, a look of both unwillingness and helplessness in his eyes.
Yes, the gap was simply too vast; this opponent before him possessed strength beyond his imagination.
Roy lightly dusted off his clothes, a playful smile on his face. "How terrifying, Katakuri. You actually managed to block all my attacks." There was a hint of admiration in his words.
"But can you stop the next one?"
As he spoke, Roy's eyes suddenly grew bright, and the Spear of Light once again coalesced in his hand, shimmering with a dazzling radiance that seemed capable of piercing anything in its path.
Katakuri's expression grew exceptionally grim as he once again mustered all his strength to resist the impending assault.
"So this is the gap between us…" he muttered to himself, a trace of bitterness in his voice.
Yes, the gap was simply immense. This youngest Marine Admiral possessed strength so terrifying it was suffocating.
Yet, at this tense, breathless moment, a deafening roar erupted from the distant sky, a sound that seemed to tear through space and shake the very core of everyone present.
Immediately after, a colossal figure, riding atop churning thunderclouds, descended upon this smoke-filled sea with an overwhelming, domineering presence.
It was Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors of the pirate world. Her arrival instantly froze the atmosphere of the entire battlefield.
Big Mom's expression was more ferocious than ever before; her eyes blazed with searing fury, as if she intended to devour the whole world.
It had been years since she had established her dominion in the New World, and never had the Marines dared to brazenly step onto her territory, let alone lay hands on her crew members.
"This is absolutely unforgivable, you arrogant Marines!"
Her voice was low and deep, instilling fear in the hearts of those who heard it.
"Ikoku!" With a furious bellow, the hat atop Big Mom's head underwent a bizarre transformation in an instant. What had seemed like an ordinary hat was now imbued with life, becoming an unstoppable force.
She swung her arm violently, and a terrifying slash wave erupted from the tip of her hat, like a cataclysm, surging toward Roy with the momentum to destroy everything in its path.
Faced with this sudden and overwhelmingly powerful attack, Roy merely chuckled lightly, a mixture of calmness and disdain in his smile.
"Heh, you showed up pretty fast, Big Mom."
His words were relaxed and confident. With a wave of his hand, the Spear of Light originally aimed at Katakuri instantly changed direction, transforming into a streak of radiance that clashed head-on with Big Mom's slash wave.
The two forces collided violently in mid-air, erupting in a blinding flash of light and a deafening roar.
They tore at each other, grinding each other down. The resulting shockwaves radiated outward at an astonishing speed, churning up towering waves, as if even the sea itself trembled in awe of this confrontation.
The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder and searing heat. The thunderclouds above Big Mom churned even more violently, while the golden light enveloping Roy at this moment grew even more dazzling, as if the sun itself had descended.
"Kizaru, you bastard actually have the nerve to come to this place!"
With a furious shout, Big Mom descended like a demon god, riding upon the rolling thunderclouds.
Her already colossal frame appeared even more grotesque and terrifying amidst the clouds, sending shivers down the spine.
When Big Mom's gaze swept over the fallen members of her pirate crew, the fury within her ignited to its peak.
These subordinates, now so easily defeated, how could they not fill her with rage and contempt?
"A bunch of useless trash! All of you, get out of the way! This fight is not something scum like you can interfere with!"
Big Mom opened her massive maw and let out a deafening roar.
The sound was like a thunderbolt, causing the surrounding air to ripple outward.
Hearing their captain's roar, the other members of the Big Mom Pirates scrambled for their lives, their faces pale with terror as they fled desperately toward the rear.
In the blink of an eye, the once dense crowd had vanished without a trace, leaving only chaos and clouds of dust behind.
Yet, amidst this turmoil, a few figures remained steadfastly in place, showing no intention of retreating.
At the forefront stood Katakuri and several other powerful officers, their weapons gripped tightly in their hands, their eyes locked onto the enemy ahead, ready to seize any opportunity to launch an attack.
"Hee hee, how terrifying…"
Just then, a slightly mocking voice suddenly sounded. Everyone turned to look, only to see Roy appearing nearby. The corner of his mouth curled up into a wry, ambiguous expression as he spoke in a sardonic tone: "But, no matter how terrifying you are, it seems you're going to meet your end here today~"
"Is that so? Then by all means, have the guts to try!"
A cruel, chilling smile spread across Big Mom's fleshy face.
Her massive frame exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Roy, standing opposite her, naturally showed no sign of backing down.
Meanwhile, out at sea, several Marine battleships raced forward at astonishing speed.
Standing at the bow, Vice Admirals Momonga and Doberman watched the standoff between Kizaru and Big Mom with grave expressions.
Suddenly, Big Mom let out a furious cry: "Zeus!"
At her command, an enormous, terrifyingly dark cloud materialized in the sky. It churned and roiled, brilliant flashes of lightning flickering within it.
In the next instant, bolts of lightning as thick as massive dragons poured down from the cloud, hurtling toward Roy with the force to annihilate everything.
Facing such a fierce assault, Roy did not flinch. He muttered under his breath: "Yasakani no Magatama!"
Instantly, countless photons rapidly converged, forming clusters of dazzling, radiant beads.
These beads collided and exploded in mid-air, bursting into brilliant, colorful light.
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