Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Battle of Belief - vs Future Admirals 2
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BOOM! A violent shockwave exploded outward, shattering the ice beneath Arashi's feet.
His figure vanished in an instant, leaving only a streak of lightning surging through the air.
In a fraction of a second, the lightning reached Kuzan.
A gloved hand, radiating a dark, ominous glow, materialized and lunged downward with terrifying speed and power.
The hand seized Kuzan's head, lifting him off the ground effortlessly.
"What is justice?!" Arashi's deep voice echoed, rumbling like thunder.
Simultaneously, his right hand slammed Kuzan into the frozen surface below.
CRASH!
Kuzan's face smashed into the hard ice, fracturing a massive section of it. A ripple of energy radiated outward, cracking the frozen sea even further.
Arashi turned, lightning sparking violently around him as he reappeared in front of Sakazuki.
"Is justice determined by perspective?" he questioned, his tone laced with derision.
Raising his right hand, Arashi summoned a colossal spear of lightning.
The weapon stretched 50 to 60 meters in length, its surface crackling with blinding arcs of electricity.
Intricate patterns of lightning runes flickered across its shaft.
"Ridiculous!" Arashi roared, gripping the lightning spear tightly.
ZZZT! Black and red bolts of electricity coiled around the spear as its tip adjusted to aim directly at Sakazuki's head.
"Get out of the way!" Borsalino shouted urgently.
But Sakazuki stood rooted to the spot, his feet planted firmly on the icy ground.
His expression was twisted, his face a mixture of madness and defiance.
"I'm not afraid of you!" he muttered, his voice low but unwavering.
Then, as if to prove his resolve, he bellowed, "I'm not afraid of you!"
Magma surged around his fists as he charged forward, throwing a molten punch straight at Arashi.
The searing magma struck Arashi's body, creating holes in his form. Yet, as lightning crackled, the wounds healed almost instantaneously.
"Justice has no allegiance!" Arashi declared, his voice resonating with a thunderous authority.
The massive lightning spear pulsed with black and red energy, vibrating with raw power. With a mighty throw, Arashi hurled the spear toward Sakazuki.
WHOOSH!
The Lance of Longinus tore through the air like a divine bolt. In the blink of an eye, it pierced through Sakazuki's torso, carrying his body across tens of thousands of meters before slamming into the distance.
BOOM!
An enormous explosion erupted far away, lightning streaking toward the heavens as thunder roared.
"This so-called justice…" Arashi turned again, this time facing Borsalino.
"…is nothing more than humanity's interpretation of good and evil, fairness and law, politics and morality."
His calm voice carried an imposing weight as if spoken by a deity. Arashi's fists lashed out like a storm, each punch landing with the force of a hurricane.
His relentless assault left Borsalino struggling to block with his Ame no Murakumo.
Sweat beaded on Borsalino's forehead as he deflected blow after blow, his feet sliding backward with each impact.
The man before him wasn't human—he was a monster among monsters.
Hundreds, then thousands of exchanges passed in mere moments. Finally, Arashi's fist struck Borsalino's sword with such force that it flew from his hand.
"Justice," Arashi growled, "is the ultimate line in the sand—drawn when there's nowhere left to retreat."
A final, devastating punch connected with Borsalino's face, sending a ringing shockwave through his skull.
What followed was an unrelenting barrage of punches that hammered him into the frozen ground, leaving his head embedded in the ice amidst a crater of destruction.
"Justice… is righteousness!" Arashi declared as he straightened, exhaling deeply.
Huff.
Snowflakes danced in the icy wind, landing on his scarred and muscular body, the cold a fleeting sensation against his heated form.
"Will the people thank you?" he asked, his voice heavy and contemplative.
"Will they smile? The defenseless—the women, the children, the elderly—will they praise your actions in the name of justice?"
Arashi tilted his head skyward, his expression grim as silence enveloped the frozen battlefield.
For a long moment, nothing stirred. Then, the golden glow of Borsalino's light flickered once more.
With a flash, he reappeared thousands of meters away, his body trembling from the confrontation.
Meanwhile, Kuzan stood again, slamming his hands onto the icy ground.
"Ice Age!"
A freezing storm swept forward, frost and razor-sharp shards of ice surging like a tsunami toward Arashi.
CRACK!
In an instant, Arashi was encased in ice. But mere seconds later, the frozen shell shattered, and he emerged unharmed.
His eyes gleamed with fiery determination as the battlefield seemed to pause.
Swoosh.
The air heated as Sakazuki, scorched and battered, rose unsteadily to his feet.
His charred body and bloodied frame wavered in the harsh wind, yet his resolve remained unbroken.
The three figures now stood, each separated by thousands of meters, their bodies bruised and battered. Yet, despite their injuries, the fight was far from over.
"You three…" Arashi said with a low chuckle. "You've truly surprised me."
With a sigh, he continued, "Though some of you lack certain qualities, in many ways… you've reached a level comparable to my own."
With a subtle shift of his body, Arashi unleashed a surge of lightning that shot into the sky.
Thunderclouds rapidly formed above, expanding across the heavens.
RUMBLE!
Golden bolts of lightning coiled through the dense storm, illuminating the battlefield below with their radiant glow.
After several moments of silence, Arashi raised his right hand. His expression grew cold and solemn, exuding an aura of authority.
His entire body glowed with the crackling power of lightning.
Electric arcs snaked around him like endless tendrils, stretching outward and climbing across the frozen battlefield like massive vines.
"One Billion Volts: Divine Judgment!"
His voice was icy and calm, resonating across the heavens.
Countless bolts of lightning erupted in an instant, shooting out in distorted, wave-like patterns.
These streaks of destruction twisted and stretched, hurtling toward the three distant figures thousands of meters away.
The power unleashed was nothing short of apocalyptic.
Even Kuzan, watching the phenomenon, noticed how the mere brush of the lightning against the icy surface left massive craters, lowering the terrain by dozens of meters. And all of this happened in absolute silence.
The three combatants immediately realized this lightning was unlike anything they had encountered before.
It was untouchable—a force beyond comprehension. Without hesitation, they began sprinting, dodging, and evading with all their might.
BOOM!
A bolt struck the ice behind Sakazuki as he leaped across an iceberg.
Turning his head, he saw in shock that the massive ice formation, spanning hundreds of meters, had completely vanished.
Kuzan and Borsalino, now even more cautious, focused solely on avoiding the strikes, unwilling to make even the slightest contact with the lightning.
Within moments, the three of them were forced into a defensive retreat, running desperately from the relentless storm.
Thick bolts of lightning descended from the stormy clouds, splitting the frozen sea into countless fragmented blocks.
Twisting arcs of lightning zipped through the air at unimaginable speeds, each carrying devastating force.
BOOM!
After dodging for what felt like an eternity, Sakazuki was struck. His body collapsed, motionless. Moments later, Kuzan was also hit and fell.
Standing amidst the battlefield, Arashi calmly flicked his fingers.
The countless arcs of distorted lightning hanging in the air slowly began to fade, leaving only Borsalino still standing.
Arashi knew it would be nearly impossible to land a hit on Borsalino given the speed of his light-based abilities.
Meanwhile, both Kuzan and Sakazuki remained incapacitated, their Logia Devil Fruit powers making them exceedingly difficult to kill outright without targeting their true physical forms.
Suddenly, Arashi's eyes narrowed. He turned sharply.
Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!
The piercing sound of cannon fire echoed from the distance, followed by countless explosions that engulfed Ohara in flames.
Far away, atop the burning island, Crocodile approached Bullet with hurried steps.
"Why haven't you boarded the ship yet?" he demanded in a low voice.
Their mission was to evacuate the island's civilians and protect the archaeologists.
Meanwhile, Arashi was tasked with holding off the Marine's main forces.
Bullett's expression darkened as he replied, "These people insist on throwing all their books into the central lake."
If it weren't for Arashi's direct orders, Bullet would have forcibly stopped the archaeologists.
"Books?" Crocodile paused, glancing through the burning Tree of Knowledge toward the lake. What he saw made his entire body tremble.
The lake was packed with countless books, filling the water's surface like a dense carpet.
He turned toward the sweating, frantic scholars, who continued to move books into the lake as fast as they could.
"These fools…" Crocodile muttered. At that moment, he began to understand their intent.
"Everyone!" Crocodile bellowed, taking a deep breath. "Help them move the books!"
Bullet and the others looked at him in confusion, but Crocodile's stern voice rang out again. "Quickly! We don't have much time!"
"I have a feeling the Marines aren't done yet!"
Immediately, everyone sprang into action. With Bullet and his crew's help, the scholars' pace doubled.
Watching the chaos unfold, Professor Clover's eyes filled with tears as he saw Marines aiding them.
"There are still people in this world who understand the value of these treasures," he murmured. "Ohara's will… will never perish!"
However, the situation soon grew even direr.
"More trouble!" T. Bone reported grimly. "Another Marine fleet has arrived!"
"Who's leading it?" Bullet shouted.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!" T. Bone's voice was heavy with dread. "And another… Admiral Zephyr!"
The names sent a chill through everyone. Crocodile and Bullet exchanged solemn glances, realizing the gravity of their predicament.
"How's the book transport going?" Crocodile called out, his voice tense.
"All the books have been thrown into the lake!" a Marine responded.
"Good!" Crocodile barked. "Everyone, move to the evacuation ships now!" He paused before adding darkly, "We don't have much time."
As the Marines and scholars hastily retreated toward the awaiting ships, Crocodile cast one last glance at the distant battlefield.
Lightning raged on the horizon where Arashi fought, illuminating the frozen sea with apocalyptic fury.
"Hold out, Arashi," Crocodile muttered.
Moments later, the crew boarded their ships, only for new intel to arrive.
"Sengoku and Zephyr have redirected their warships toward Vice Admiral Arashi's location!"
"At the same time, the Buster Call fleet has begun firing on Ohara!"
The next second, everyone aboard the ships could see the inferno consuming Ohara. Explosions echoed ceaselessly as flames soared into the sky.
"One island… wiped from existence," whispered Eveya, collapsing to the ground in terror.
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