NOVEL WEB Chapter 318: Chapter 318
Translator: PapaSmurf0700
Even a giant feels the sting of a high-voltage shock. The blast sent the massive Vice-Admiral stumbling back, his muscles seizing. Still, it wasn't enough to take down an elite Marine officer of his rank. But Usopp wasn't done. From the flow of the battle, it was clear that it was only a matter of time. The giant was on the defensive, and Usopp was pressing his advantage with every shot.
Another Vice-Admiral, also a giant, moved to assist his comrade. But as he took a step, he froze. Something was wrong. He felt… encumbered.
"Cien Fleur: Gigantesco Mano."
The words were a soft whisper on the wind. Suddenly, countless pale arms sprouted from the giant's back, weaving and interlocking with impossible speed to form two colossal limbs, nearly as large as the giant's own.
"My, what a towering opponent you are."
Nico Robin stood nearby, dressed in a form-fitting black suit, her arms crossed calmly over her chest. She met the giant's bewildered gaze with a serene smile.
"Would you mind not interrupting their duel?"
Before the Vice-Admiral could even process the question, Robin's gigantic, flower-like arms lashed out.
"Gigantesco Mano: Clutch!"
The massive limbs seized the giant, locking him in an unbreakable hold. The two began a titanic struggle of pure strength.
-----
If the battles involving Usopp and Robin were within the realm of comprehension, the next two matchups shattered all expectations. What the crew of the Sunshine Merry unleashed next was something the world was not prepared for.
"Merry… the Klabautermann of the Straw Hat's ship?" The third giant Vice-Admiral, a behemoth carrying a massive scimitar over his shoulder, recalled the information from their wanted posters. A wide, incredulous grin spread across his face. "A legend made manifest, walking among us in human form. Hahaha! I must admit, I'm intrigued."
His laughter was a deafening roar that echoed across the battlefield. But it died as quickly as it began. He leveled his massive blade at the girlish figure before him.
"It doesn't matter how special you are," the giant declared, his voice cold. "That is no excuse for becoming a pirate! Prepare to die!"
He brought the scimitar down in a brutal, cleaving arc. Yet Merry, the spirit of the Sunshine Merry given flesh, showed no panic. Her strength could not be judged by her small frame. As the enormous blade descended, she didn't dodge. She leaped toward it.
With a single, gentle push of her hand, a shimmering gateway of air formed before her. The scimitar passed harmlessly through the portal's edge as Merry stepped inside. A split second later, she reappeared directly in front of the giant's face, so close the massive Marine went cross-eyed trying to focus on her.
The giant's colossal size was now his weakness; he had no time to bring his hands or weapon up to block. He had only one option.
"Tekkai!" he roared, hardening his body with the sixth of the Rokushiki arts.
Merry paid it no mind. "Time to try the move Bai Ye taught me," she murmured, her voice barely audible.
In one fluid, explosive motion, she twisted at the waist and threw a punch. It seemed impossible that such a small fist could carry any real power. But as it connected, the Vice-Admiral felt it—a force that bypassed his iron-hard defenses and struck him to his very core.
"Ikken: Jussen no Riki: Kudaku!" (One Fist: Strength of Ten Ships: Shatter!)
A sonic boom cracked the air. The giant Vice-Admiral was thrown backward, his Tekkai broken, sent flying by a punch from a small girl who shouldn't have been able to move him an inch.
-----
"Hmph. A pet dares to join the battle?"
The fourth giant Vice-Admiral sneered, looking down from his towering height at Tony Tony Chopper, who stood defiantly on a high wall. The giant hefted a spiked mace, its head larger than Chopper himself.
"Hey, little raccoon dog!" he boomed. "This is no playground for you! Run along before you get hurt!"
He had no idea he'd just stepped on a landmine.
Chopper's cute, fuzzy face contorted with rage. "I'M NOT A PET! I'M THE SHIP'S DOCTOR!" he shrieked.
A small, red pill appeared in his hoof. He tossed it into his mouth and crushed it between his teeth. A guttural roar erupted from his small body.
"AND I'M NOT A RACCOON DOG! I'M A—"
The transformation was instantaneous.
"REINDEER!"
"Rumble Ball: Monster Point!"
As the last word left his lips, Chopper's form exploded outward. He grew at an impossible rate, his muscles bulging, his form twisting into a terrifying monster that rivaled the giant in size. In the past, achieving this form by consuming three Rumble Balls would have driven him into a mindless rage. But now, things were different. Under the tutelage of Bai Ye and with a deeper understanding of his own Devil Fruit, he had developed a new, enhanced Rumble Ball. One pill was all it took to unleash his ultimate form, and this time, he was in complete control.
"ROOOOAR!"
The sound was no longer cute; it was the bellow of a true monster. He launched himself from the wall, a living cannonball of fur and muscle, and slammed into the giant Vice-Admiral.
BOOM!
The shockwave from the collision of two titans radiated across the entire battlefield, reaching all the way to the execution platform. Ace stared, stunned, at the monstrous form of the little reindeer he once knew. He had no idea how much Chopper had grown in the months he'd been gone.
But the doctor's progress wasn't finished.
"Arm Point: Stack!"
Feeling his raw strength wasn't enough to overpower the giant, Chopper called upon another aspect of his training. Previously, his various "Points" were mutually exclusive. But now, he could stack them. He overlaid the muscle-boosting power of Arm Point onto his already titanic Monster Point form.
"BASTARD! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!" the giant roared in disbelief, feeling the power shift against him. The tiny creature from moments ago was now physically stronger than he was.
"I am the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates!" Chopper bellowed, his voice a primal scream. "Tony Tony Chopper!"
He dug his massive hooves into the ground, exerted every ounce of his newfound strength, and with a final, earth-shattering roar, he lifted the giant Vice-Admiral into the air and flipped him onto his back.
-----
From his chair on the frozen battlefield, Admiral Aokiji watched it all unfold. "To think they've grown this much in such a short time," he mused, a hint of astonishment in his lazy tone.
Having fought the Straw Hats not long ago, he could feel the difference. It wasn't just their strength. It was their mentality. The panicked rookies who had frozen at the sight of him were gone. In their place stood hardened warriors, each possessing the aura of a true powerhouse. That kind of spirit wasn't forged in a few simple fights.
Aokiji's gaze drifted across the battlefield until it settled on a lone figure directing the chaos. "Was this your doing, too?" he muttered to himself. "The 'Priest,' Bai Ye."