One Piece Thundergod Marine

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Xiū Xiū Xiū!! 

Sharp whistles pierced the air as white beams of light swept across the sky, illuminating the space like a brilliant aurora. Amidst the chaos, Kuma finally realized Rowen's true intent behind his relentless suppression. But by then, it was too late to escape.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosive sounds echoed throughout the area, unleashing hurricane-force winds. The sudden pressure slammed into the ground, flipping over groups of Marine soldiers. The terrifying air currents stirred the sea into a frenzy, causing hundred-meter waves to crash against the lightning barrier, producing a series of deafening rumbles.

"But this isn't the end, Kuma!" 

With a powerful strike, Rowen raised his hand. His muscles, as though forged from molten iron, bulged with veins protruding menacingly. 

Thunderlight Penetration Cannon!!

Bang!

In an instant, the world seemed to change. 

Everything appeared to fade as a massive Thunder Pillar stretched across the sky. All other colors dimmed in comparison, and the air itself seemed to fracture with the same cracks that would appear from Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit. 

The sheer intensity of the attack caused space itself to shatter like glass under pressure.

"Ugh!!" 

Kuma's defenses finally faltered for a brief moment under the relentless barrage. The Thunderlight pierced through his body, then slowly faded into the distant sky, disappearing into the lightning barrier, which only reinforced the electric prison.

Hovering midair, Kuma slowly lowered his head, staring in shock at the hole punched through his abdomen. 

The attack had come too fast, too sudden. He hadn't even had time to block it with the pads of his palms. 

Then, the pain hit. A searing, unbearable pain. Kuma couldn't help but vomit a large amount of blood, his energy draining rapidly.

"I need to get down!" 

Severely wounded, Kuma understood he couldn't stay in the air any longer. If he did, Rowen's relentless assaults would surely kill him. 

He forced himself to endure the pain, pushing the air away to descend rapidly.

But just then…

Heaven-resisting Thunder Cry · Third Style!

Cloud Dragon Slash!

Clang!

A sharp metallic screech echoed in the air as Kuma fell. In a flash, Rowen became a beam of light, rocketing toward him.

A moment later, the wall at the edge of the plaza exploded, faint sparks of electricity flickering through the dust cloud, marking the path of Rowen's movement.

"Ugh!!" 

Kuma spat out another mouthful of blood, clutching the thunder halberd embedded in his shoulder. His arm trembled slightly.

So close!

He had narrowly avoided a fatal strike to his heart.

"Interesting. You managed to dodge at the last second. Quite a useful ability."

Rowen, only half Kuma's height, stepped on the shattered wall with his left foot, his right foot pinning Kuma's chest. Gripping the Thunder Dragon Crescent-Sided Halberd with both hands, Rowen flashed a faint smile as he looked at Kuma, pinned to the wall.

To dodge in midair at such speeds… Kuma had pushed the limits of the Paw-Paw Fruit to the extreme.

"It's not my time to die yet, Soryu (Azure Dragon)!"

Kuma's eyes widened as he yanked the thunder halberd, pushing Rowen back. 

Then, in one swift motion, he slapped himself.

Healing Injury Ball!

A transparent, pale red bubble formed of thin membranes emerged from Kuma's back. At the same time, his wounds rapidly began to heal, scarring over at a speed that left onlookers in awe.

Healing Injury Ball · Ejection!

Kuma swiftly grabbed the bubble and spun, launching it like a ball.

Though the bubble seemed light and delicate, it moved at an incredible speed. However, against Rowen, it was still not fast enough. 

As the bubble hurtled toward him, Rowen simply sidestepped, letting it fall to the ground.

Pop!

The bubble exploded on impact.

It was like a grenade had gone off, the shockwave tearing the ground apart as if shredded by countless blades.

But Rowen noticed something peculiar: as the bubble burst, some of Kuma's freshly healed wounds began to bleed again. The damage, though subtle, was clearly intensifying.

"So the injuries must be transferred to another lifeform to be fully negated… I feel like I'm forgetting something…" Rowen mused silently.

But it didn't matter. Watching Kuma stand back up, Rowen grinned as he raised his thunder halberd and pointed it at him: "All this struggling is only deepening your pain. You can't completely repel your own injuries, can you?"

The Healing Injury Ball technique most vividly reminded Rowen of its terrifying use in the original series during the Thriller Bark Arc, when Zoro endured all of Luffy's injuries to save him, nearly dying from blood loss. Meanwhile, Luffy woke up refreshed, showing no signs of injury. 

From Kuma's current condition, it was clear that this technique had its limitations. After expelling Luffy's fatigue and injuries, they didn't simply vanish. Someone else had to bear them.

Otherwise, like now, the damage would partially return to the original bearer.

"That's good enough…" 

Kuma slowly rose, his missing parts causing his movements to stutter, sparks flying from his arm as it struggled to function. Yet he stood tall and firm. 

"My time is running out. At the end of my life, I want to do something meaningful."

Time was running out for Kuma as Vegapunk's final transformation experiment loomed closer. 

Kuma's perfect body made him the ideal subject, and Vegapunk could hardly wait to complete his masterpiece: the true Pacifista PX-0!

Clap, Clap, Clap! 

Rowen clapped slowly, a mocking smile on his lips. 

"Meaningful? A rebellion like yours hardly counts as meaningful."

"It's just a pathetic excuse."

"No, it's real…" Kuma shifted into a battle stance, his right foot stepping back, his left hand raised to his chest, and his right hand poised at his waist. 

"The undying flame, the will of freedom, the dreams of people… You might have stopped an era, Soryu (Azure Dragon), but you can never erase the people's yearning for freedom."

"Then let them come. Let's see who dies at sea!"

Bang!

As the words left his mouth, Kuma shot forward.

But Rowen was ready. Thunder erupted around him, enveloping him in a bright glow. Kuma was momentarily blinded by the light, just before a massive fist came crashing into his jaw.

Awakening Mode · Thunderous Titan!

And then…

Awakening Technique · Military Wrist Extreme Fist · Thunder God Eight Gate Cannon!

Kuma, reeling from the heavy blow, flew like a cannonball. But before he could get far, Rowen was already there, stepping forward and appearing behind him, delivering another punch!

Bang! 

This time, Kuma was ready. Blood still dripping from his lips, he twisted midair, slapping his palm to meet Rowen's brutal strike.

A disc-shaped shockwave exploded from the impact, spreading in all directions.

Kuma's arm trembled slightly as he realized just how close this punch had come to his limit. 

As his modifications deepened, only Kuma and Vegapunk knew the truth: Kuma's strength was waning. The replacement of his flesh with metal parts had weakened the full potential of the Paw-Paw Fruit.

Naturally, Vegapunk didn't care about this. 

What he wanted was the Pacifista PX-0, not the conscious, sentient Kuma.

But now, the flaw in this plan was becoming evident.

Kuma had barely managed to repel the force of one punch, and there were six more to come! 

(End of Chapter)