Location: Coast of the Sorbet Kingdom
"No... an angel?"
Kuma stared wide-eyed at Storm in disbelief.
'Are you really an angel? Or a devil who crawled out of hell?'
Just moments ago, Kuma had been silently thanking this "angelic benefactor" for neutralizing his enemies without bloodshed. But now, that gratitude had vanished without a trace.
This "Angel" had controlled the warships, the cannons, and the soldiers effortlessly. Now, he had inexplicably released them just to force Kuma's hand.
'Is this because I refused his invitation?' Kuma thought, a rare flicker of annoyance crossing his face. 'Isn't this just bullying an honest man?'
"What's the matter?"
Storm smiled at Kuma, feigning ignorance of how despicable his behavior was.
"The newspapers call you a 'Tyrant' who overthrew a regime single-handedly. Are you actually a coward who refuses to fight when enemies are at your door?"
Behind Storm, the ominous click-clack of weapons loading echoed from the three freed warships. Hundreds of sailors scrambled to aim their rifles and calibrate the cannons.
If Kuma hesitated any longer, the Navy would show him no mercy.
Storm watched expectantly. He wanted to know if the "most gentle man on the seas" would choose violence when pushed to the brink.
Amidst the taunts and the threat of annihilation, Kuma sighed.
He slowly raised his right hand.
[Nikyu Nikyu no Mi (Paw-Paw Fruit)] activate.
The air around his palm distorted, compressing rapidly into a small, paw-shaped bubble of pressurized air.
Pop. Pop.
The paw bubble formed, dispersed, formed, and dispersed again. Kuma was hesitating.
Storm shook his head inwardly.
To put it nicely, Kuma was a pacifist.
To put it bluntly, Bartholomew Kuma was submissive to a fault.
'But,' Storm grinned, 'I like that kind of honest man. Once he commits, he is loyal to the end.'
Storm didn't wait for Kuma to attack the ships. He snapped his fingers again.
[Clayfall: Heaven's Drop]!
Splat!
A massive torrent of white clay poured from the sky once more. In seconds, the three warships, the hundreds of sailors, and King Bekori were re-sealed in white prison.
The threat was neutralized... again. This had all been part of Storm's "Tyrant Play."
Seeing the ships controlled, Kuma breathed a sigh of relief. He had no desire to harm others unless absolutely necessary.
However, while the Bear had no intention of hunting the man... the Man had every intention of hunting the Bear.
Storm turned his full attention to Kuma.
"Although you haven't accepted my invitation yet," Storm said, his hand hovering over his sword hilt, "I already consider you a future ally. So, as your Captain, it's only reasonable to test your strength, right?"
Shing!
Storm drew the Iron Cloud Sword at his waist with lightning speed.
A gleaming flash of light tore through the air.
"Flying Slash!"
A crescent-shaped wave of compressed air, wreathed in sparks, soared across the water. It was beautiful, deadly, and aimed straight at Kuma's head.
The bright firelight illuminated Kuma's face, revealing his rapidly contracting pupils.
'A flying slash?!'
Without hesitation, Kuma raised his right hand, striking at the oncoming energy blade with incredible speed.
Doon!
The scorching slash struck Kuma's palm precisely. But instead of severing the hand, the blade stopped dead. It didn't even graze his skin.
The attack was embedded in the soft paw pad on Kuma's palm.
Kuma swung his arm to the side.
Repel.
The powerful slash was deflected instantly, crashing into the ocean beside the boat.
BOOM!
The sea was cleaved in two. A massive trench opened in the water, waves surging skyward with a deafening roar. From the sky, it looked as if the ocean itself had been cut by a god.
High above, on the back of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Kid and Killer stared, dumbfounded, at the split ocean below.
"Killer," Kid muttered, his voice trembling. "Didn't someone just tell us his swordsmanship was 'poor'?"
"Fa fa fa..." Killer tried to speak, but only his signature laugh came out nervously.
Down on the water, Storm clicked his tongue in amazement.
'Truly worthy of the Paw-Paw Fruit.'
A slash that could cut steel was treated like a tennis ball. It confirmed Storm's belief: "There is no strongest fruit, only the strongest user."
"Since a simple slash won't work..."
Storm raised his Iron Cloud Sword high. The snow-white blade began to glow.
[Ability: Mirror Lion]
[Star Rating: ★★★★★]
[Origin: Obtained from the Death Trophy of Byrnndi World (More-More Fruit user).]
[Effect: Enhances the size, speed, and power of any object by 100 times.]
Under the effect of the More-More ability, the sword transformed.
It elongated instantly, growing into a colossus—a "Ship-Slaying Sword" a full one hundred meters long.
Despite the size, it remained as light as a feather in Storm's hand, but its sharpness was magnified a hundredfold.
"One-Sword Style..."
Storm swung the titanic blade down.
"Great Shock!"
The giant blade sliced through the air without a sound, descending on Kuma like a falling skyscraper.
Kuma raised both hands, his large paw pads forming a shield.
THUD!
The hundred-meter blade crashed into the tiny paws.
Protected by the absolute repulsion of the fruit, Kuma was unharmed. However, the small wooden sampan beneath him could not withstand the pressure of two titans clashing.
Crack—CRUNCH!
The boat shattered instantly.
Kuma reacted immediately. He slapped his left hand against his own chest.
POP!
Kuma vanished instantly, as if deleted from reality.
Storm's giant sword continued its path, slicing the remains of the boat and the ocean beneath it cleanly in half. The cut was mirror-smooth.
"Where did he go?"
Storm's eyes flashed red. Observation Haki flared to life.
There.
He sensed Kuma's presence. He hadn't fled to the shore. He had teleported onto the deck of one of the clay-covered warships!
Storm smirked. 'I didn't know how to catch a teleporter... but he walked right into my trap.'
On the deck, Kuma stood on the soft white clay. He crouched low, his palms thrusting forward repeatedly in a sumo stance.
"Pad Ho! (Pressure Cannon)"
Pop-pop-pop-pop!
Multiple paw-shaped shockwaves flew from his hands, hurtling toward Storm at bullet speed.
Storm stood still on his floating platform. He didn't dodge.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shockwaves struck Storm's body, blowing holes straight through his chest and stomach. White clay splattered everywhere.
But there was no blood.
The clay simply flowed back together, reforming his body in seconds.
'A Logia?!' Kuma was shocked. 'Flight, spatial attacks, giant swordsmanship, and a Logia body... Who is this rookie?'
While Kuma was distracted by the regeneration, the clay beneath his feet moved.
Storm manipulated the "Clayfall" covering the ship. The floor turned into tendrils, snapping around Kuma's ankles.
"Hm?!"
By the time Kuma realized the danger, he was rooted to the spot. He tried to repel the clay, but it was liquid and formless, endless in supply.
[Clayfall: Entombment]!
The clay surged up his legs, covering his torso and arms.
In an instant, the "Tyrant" was encased in a hardening white shell.
Target Captured: Bartholomew Kuma.
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