Chapter 142: 142. Awakening

Check out my latest work: Pokémon System in One Piece: Straw Hat Edition Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari ---------- King observed the battlefield with unwavering focus. Although he had anticipated a grim outcome after hearing reports over the broadcast, the reality before him was far more devastating—an overwhelmingly one-sided clash. Even with their Beast Pirates joining the fray, King couldn't shake the feeling that reversing the tide would be nearly impossible. Even the deal about the artificial devil fruits was also cancelled. But Kaido—the core of the Beast Pirates—remained steadfast. As irrational as his plans seemed, King, as a general, could only follow his king's orders. "Stupid old man! This battlefield isn't for you beasts to meddle in!" Yamato shouted, her words dripped with fury as she faced Kaido, whom she hadn't seen in nearly nine years. "What should or shouldn't happen doesn't matter here." His eyes narrowed as he raised his mace, lightning crackling along its length. "Don't tell me you've come to preach to me in the middle of a battlefield, Yamato!" Kaido brought his mace down in a massive swing, its weight and thunderous energy hurtling toward Yamato and Hancock. BOOM! The collision of their weapons sent shockwaves rippling outward, creating a massive, visible ripple that spread across the battlefield. The sea churned violently, waves towering and crashing in all directions. Even the air around them seemed to warp and distort under the sheer force of their clash. Not far away, the officers of the Beast Pirates, who had been standing by, finally sprang into action. "It's time, boys!" Queen, standing atop a high platform at the bow of the ship, grinned and shouted at the top of his lungs. "OOOOOOOH!!!" Behind him, a swarm of ferocious pirates roared in unison, their weapons raised high. Countless Zoan users transformed into their beastly forms, their eyes burning with fierce intent as they fixed on the battlefield ahead. King's eyes glinted behind his black steel mask as he spoke in a cold tone. "This war won't be easy. Stay sharp and watch closely!" The path to victory was clear in King's mind: liberating Totto Land's constrained main force and taking down Yamato and Hancock would shift the tide. More importantly, defeating the Flying Admiral himself would break Wanokuni's momentum entirely. After thinking this through, he turned into a black afterimage, surrounded by scorching flames, leaped high, and plundered towards the two who were fighting Kaido on the sea. SHING! A turquoise slash tore through the air, cutting off King's trajectory. The devastating attack cleaved through the deck, splitting it in half as seawater surged away from the force of the blow. King was forced to halt mid-flight, his sharp eyes scanning for the source of the attack. Then he saw him. Standing amidst the chaos, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's, was none other than Dracule Mihawk. He stood with his blade drawn, its edge gleaming ominously. Though not among the Royal Guard's trump cards, his strength was unquestionable. He was one of the three most formidable swordsmen serving under Alex. "A bounty of 970 million berries... the strongest of the All-Stars," Mihawk said, his eyes briefly glancing at the sword hanging from King's waist. "A swordsman of your caliber who's avoided New World duels until now... I've been waiting for this." King narrowed his eyes, his flames crackling as he processed Mihawk's words. He exhaled sharply, his voice laced with irritation. "Waiting? For me? What nonsense are you talking about?" But as he spoke, King couldn't ignore the unsettling reality: despite the Beast Pirates' overwhelming reinforcements, Wanokuni's forces showed no sign of faltering. Their morale hadn't wavered—not even under the weight of Kaido's arrival. "Who knows?" Mihawk replied, his tone calm but laced with an unmistakable edge. The air between them grew heavy with tension as Mihawk's fighting spirit surged. With a sudden burst of speed, he charged, his blade cutting through the air, ready to meet King in a duel of titanic proportions. As the Beast Pirates joined the fray, the dramatic shifts on the battlefield quickly drew the attention of many combatants. "Where are you looking during a fight?!" Maria's momentary distraction was met with an angry shout, followed by a long sword slicing down toward her with the force of a gale. "That's your fault for failing to put any pressure on me," Black Maria retorted. With a casual flick of her fingers, her spider web, which had top-tier hardness and stickiness caught the sword mid-swing and deflected it. Her knuckles, reinforced with alloy technology, delivered a punch cloaked in Armament Haki. The blow shot toward her opponent like an unstoppable fire. Smoothie's expression shifted as she instinctively raised her long sword to block. The flames engulfed the spider web entangling her blade, instantly evaporating the juiced water that coated it. Then a mountain-crushing power reverberated through the blade, sending Smoothie hurtling backward. The impact slammed her into the ship's mast several meters away, the force bending the watchtower's wooden pole under her weight. Maria didn't press her advantage, instead chuckling as she adjusted her stance. "I'm just a humble geisha serving under Lady Alex," she teased, her tone dripping with mockery. "Who would've thought that I, a mere entertainer, could suppress the Totto Land's Sweet Commanders?" Her words carried a subtle undercurrent of mental shock. "I thought we'd have some fun," Maria continued, her voice turning sharp. "But with reinforcements from the Beasts showing up, I suppose it's time to get serious." "What are you talking about?!" Smoothie demanded as she scrambled to her feet, widening the distance between herself and Maria. Her initial astonishment quickly morphed into dread as realization dawned. Maria smirked, licking the corner of her mouth with unsettling glee. "Did you really think you could stand against us with just your puny little alliance?" "We've known about your so-called coalition for ages. But let me tell you—the target of this war was never you." Smoothie's brows furrowed in confusion, but Maria continued, her voice dropping into a taunting drawl. "It was never about Kaido, either. You? You're just the dessert. The true enemies—the real competition—were dealt with long before you even got here." As she spoke, Maria's form began to shift. Under the influence of her powers, her half-spider, half-human hybrid shape evolved further. She transformed back into a humanoid figure, but with dramatic changes. Her off-shoulder kimono morphed into sleek, purple-black armor adorned with intricate spider web patterns. A carapace extended over her face, and below her primary eyes, four smaller eyes emerged. From her back sprouted three pairs of sharp, spindly spider legs, and her arms transformed into lance-like appendages coated in a menacing purple-black glow. Smoothie inhaled sharply, her voice trembling. "Y-Your fruit... it's awakened!" "Correct! And here's your reward!" In a blur of motion, Maria lunged toward Smoothie with terrifying speed, her eight spider limbs striking with precision. Each limb carried a paralyzing toxin and was reinforced with predatory strength. Smoothie fought back , but the overwhelming physical power and deadly poison of Maria's attacks quickly wore her down. Though she managed to land glancing blows, the toxins began to seep into her body, turning her skin into a shade of purple and black. Her Squeeze-Squeeze Fruit gave her the ability to expel toxins, but Maria, with her relentless attacks, allowed no openings. The paralyzing effect took hold before Smoothie could counteract it. Despite her strength, Smoothie lacked the level of mastery over Haki necessary to fully neutralize Maria's awakened powers. In mere minutes, one of Totto Land's Sweet Generals was defeated. Barely able to stand, Smoothie could only watch helplessly as Maria advanced on her. Without a shred of emotion, Maria waved her hand, and Smoothie was instantly ensnared in her webs. Bound tightly, she was wrapped like a mummy and rendered completely immobile. With her opponent subdued, Maria turned her attention to the chaos unfolding on the battlefield. Her gaze locked onto the feral Zoan army led by a rampaging Brachiosaurus, its destruction spreading across the war-torn arena.