At the peak of the tense standoff, Joy Boy suddenly spoke.
"Do you want to be rid of those shackles? I can help you."
The gathered giants widened their eyes in shock and exclaimed,
"Nani!?"
Even Loki was taken aback. His bandaged eye twitched slightly as he lowered his gaze in silent contemplation, staring at Joy Boy.
Under the watchful eyes of all present, Joy Boy floated mid-air, moving to Loki's wrists. He reached out and placed his hand on the Seastone shackles.
Seeing Joy Boy about to remove the restraints, the giants behind them erupted in chaos. The two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, Dorry and Brogy, couldn't hold back any longer and charged forward, shouting,
"You mustn't release him!!"
But it was too late.
Joy Boy's eyes narrowed slightly as rings of white energy pulsed from his hand. The Seastone shackles trembled for a brief moment before clicking open with a crisp clank, falling heavily to the ground.
Dorry and Brogy halted in their tracks, staring in disbelief at Joy Boy's back.
Loki looked down at his now-unshackled wrists. He raised his hands, flexing his fingers as the long-lost sensation of power surged back into his body. A grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
Joy Boy then moved down to Loki's ankles, removing those shackles as well.
Now completely free, Loki lifted his head, spread his arms, and basked in the sunlight, a twisted expression of exhilaration forming on his face.
The giants gritted their teeth in anger, their jaws clenched as they glared at Loki, barely restraining themselves from splitting him in half with a single swing of their axes.
...
Joy Boy hovered mid-air once more, gazing at the intoxicated Loki. He spoke again.
"Freedom after so long... it feels good, doesn't it?"
Loki slowly turned his gaze to Joy Boy. The one who had freed him—rather than gratitude, Loki's response was mocking.
"Are you trying to say that you granted me this freedom?"
Joy Boy tilted his head slightly.
"That's not what I meant. I've always believed that everyone is born free. That freedom should never be taken away by anyone or anything."
Loki scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain.
"Here we go again. Ever since I first saw you in Elbaf, it's been nothing but 'freedom this, freedom that.' You never shut up about it. Do you know how annoying you are?"
"My apologies. But freedom isn't something that can be spoken into existence."
Loki cracked his neck, producing a loud pop. Then, suddenly, the bandages covering his face disintegrated into ash, revealing scarred skin and a pair of blazing, crimson-gold eyes.
Upon closer inspection, flames flickered within his pupils, resembling two scorching suns.
Everywhere his gaze passed, the air distorted from the heat, and the surrounding space was gradually enveloped in a deep red hue.
Joy Boy's ever-present grin remained as he patted the now-smoldering remains of his white shirt. With exaggerated flair, he exclaimed,
"It's so hot! I think I'm about to burn up!"
As he spoke, white flame-like waves of energy surged from his body, radiating a strong aura that instantly dispelled the surrounding heat.
Loki's eyes flashed sharply, and he grinned.
"You're strong, I'll give you that... but in the end, you're just a false Sun God."
Joy Boy narrowed his eyes slightly, his smile unwavering.
"False, you say?"
Loki swept his gaze across the gathered giants and Minks, then spoke indifferently.
"A true god wouldn't care about the power of ants. At most, you're just a human who has approached divinity. And besides..."
Whoosh!
The brown sun-like tattoos on Loki's body suddenly flared with blinding golden light. His long, unbound hair erupted into flames, transforming into a blazing mane of crimson-gold fire. His already-massive muscles swelled further, and behind him, a radiant sun wheel materialized, burning with the same golden flames.
"A mere pretender will always be more fake than a human! I am the true Sun God!!"
A colossal pillar of fire erupted from Loki, piercing the sky as if to connect with the sun itself.
An unbearable wave of heat swept outward. In an instant, the ground charred into a wasteland. Everyone present activated their Armament Haki to resist, but few could withstand such intense heat unscathed. Most bore burns upon their bodies, their faces contorted in pain.
Joy Boy unleashed another surge of white flame-like energy, forming a protective barrier that enveloped himself and those behind him.
At the same time, he began beating the Drums of Liberation. As the energetic rhythm echoed, those who had been burned felt their pain vanish, replaced by an unshakable fighting spirit.
...
On the other side, Loki's domain was engulfed in a sea of crimson fire. Within that space, all matter had been reduced to ruin. And at the heart of it all stood Loki, now unrecognizable.
The pupils of his eyes had disappeared, replaced entirely by a radiant crimson-gold light. His previous arrogance had vanished. Instead, he now radiated an overwhelming, divine pressure.
Dorry and Brogy could no longer hold back. Stepping forward in unison, they swung their massive weapons, imbued with Haki, unleashing a terrifying shockwave attack.
"Hakoku!!!"
Loki remained expressionless as he extended both hands. The golden sun disk behind him suddenly shifted forward, growing larger in an instant.
"Shield."
BOOM!!
The overwhelming force of Hakoku clashed against the sun disk, sending powerful shockwaves tearing through the battlefield. The ground split apart, jagged fissures crisscrossing like a writhing serpent.
As the impact subsided, the sun disk remained intact, though its radiance had dimmed considerably. Moments later, it shattered into golden specks of light, which then converged behind Loki's neck, forming a miniature sun disk.
Loki spread his arms wide. His massive form now hovered above the ground, flames swirling around him. In this moment, he truly resembled a divine being.
Dorry and Brogy's faces darkened as they looked up at Loki.
Meanwhile, Joy Boy remained floating mid-air, legs crossed, chin resting on his hand. Tilting his head slightly, he mused,
"The Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan—Sun God..."
-----------
+160 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg