On the other side.
Seeing the eight-armed lava giant across from him, a full head taller than himself,
Knock, who had transformed into a steam giant, was startled.
Sometimes just appearances aren't enough to determine strength.
But something that towers over you by half a body—
No matter how you look at it, it can't be weak.
However, he had roamed the New World for years not just relying on influence.
What mattered most was strength...
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and his massive steam fist was coated with Haki.
As he charged toward Sakazuki, he launched punch after punch.
The eight-armed lava giant extended five of his hands.
With a crashing sound—
Five massive lava hands grabbed hold of the incoming steam fists.
Sss—
The gripped steam fists suddenly erupted with thick white steam, enveloping the lava giant.
Boom boom boom boom boom...
A chain of explosions followed.
The massive shockwaves forced the lava giant to take a few steps back.
Not far off, the steam giant flicked his right hand.
A white steam greatsword hundreds of meters long formed in his grip.
At the same time, Knock unleashed Conqueror's Haki toward Sakazuki.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived before the lava giant, shrouded in white steam.
Leaping up, he aimed for the center of the steam.
Suddenly, a massive lava hand broke through the steam and grabbed the greatsword.
Boom!
A violent shockwave blasted the steam away.
The lava hand yanked the greatsword downward, while another massive hand clamped around the steam giant's neck mid-air.
And slammed him downward.
The five-hundred-meter-tall steam giant was like a child, pinned to the ground by the lava giant.
The ground trembled violently.
Countless people on the island fled in all directions, trying to get away.
Not just because of the battle between powerful foes—there was another crucial reason...
"Run!"
"Get off the island now!"
"If Knock explodes, that move hits both friend and foe!"
"Go go go!"
"Forget the treasure!"
"Your life matters!!"
From afar, the lava giant's hand held the steam giant down against the ground.
The remaining six arms were raised high.
Coated with swirling Haki.
They slammed down with brutal force.
The island shook wildly.
Countless people stumbled and fell from the quake, then scrambled up and fled in panic.
At the battlefield, the steam giant's limbs were smashed off and sent flying.
Boom boom boom boom...
Without the control of its core body, the limbs exploded mid-air.
The blast made the lava giant pause for a moment.
Knock, pinned to the ground, seized the chance.
"Explosive Might...!"
Before he could finish,
Sakazuki sensed the increasingly unstable energy surging within the giant beneath him.
He instantly realized what was about to happen.
All eight arms locked tightly onto the steam giant's body like restraints.
He swung upward.
At the same time, the eight arms detached from his torso, erupting with tremendous energy at their bases.
They carried the steam giant soaring into the sky, vanishing from sight.
Boom——
A tremendous roar thundered through the sky.
The clouds overhead were instantly blown apart, forming a huge hole.
It continued to expand outward.
On the ground, countless people fleeing the island clutched their bleeding ears in pain.
Sakazuki's body compressed and condensed.
Six jet-engine-like cylinders formed on his back.
Lava blasted out of them, propelling the lava giant straight into the sky.
During the ascent, he reformed all eight lava arms.
The upper four grabbed the lower four and yanked.
The arms detached from the body and transformed into four massive magma swords.
High above the sky.
A massive cloud of white steam was forming from the previous explosion.
Suddenly, three steam giants, each over a hundred meters tall, burst out from the mist.
They showed no signs of consciousness—only wild, chaotic energy.
They charged the lava giant from three directions.
Sakazuki controlled three arms and slashed down on the incoming steam bombers.
Boom boom boom...
All three steam giants exploded within a hundred meters of Sakazuki.
The violent shockwaves rocked the lava giant's body.
Sakazuki's momentum upward was abruptly halted.
At that moment, Knock reformed his five-hundred-meter-tall body and dove down.
Several jet vents opened on his back as well.
He hurtled toward Sakazuki at blinding speed.
Sakazuki's remaining magma sword squirmed into a long spear.
He hurled it at the steam giant.
The steam giant's right arm, coated in Haki, struck out and deflected the spear to the side.
But suddenly, the spear glowed bright red.
Boom——
Compressed magma exploded, jarring Knock's body off-course.
Knock grunted coldly—the explosion didn't affect him.
He closed in on Sakazuki and directly tackled the lava giant's body.
Sss—
Steam erupted from every part of the steam giant's body.
Shrinking rapidly.
White steam wrapped around the lava giant's massive frame.
Knock's cruel voice rang out:
"Death Boil Steam Kill!!!"
From the massive white steam cloud in the sky, new steam giants endlessly formed.
They rushed into the cloud, followed by massive explosions.
The white steam cloud expanded rapidly, and more and more steam giants formed within it.
Scorching shockwaves spread from thousands of meters above.
The relentless explosions lasted for several minutes.
Even faraway islands felt the waves of heat.
"What's going on?"
"Suddenly it's so hot."
"Yeah."
"You feel it too?"
"So weird."
...
Above Galna Island.
A massive white steam cloud blanketed the sky.
Knock, panting heavily, reformed his body.
He looked at the magma core, only a few meters wide, at the center of the steam—his eyes showed hesitation.
There was nothing more he could do.
This wasn't some ten-day slugfest.
This was a full-power showdown.
Even his ultimate move didn't work—it would be hard to kill the opponent now.
The Death Boil Steam Kill technique was devastating in large-scale warfare.
But when used on a single person, it was ineffective...
Knock's feet burst with compressed steam.
He chose to retreat without hesitation.
Shrill steam whistles echoed across the sky.
His entire body rocketed backward.
Behind the magma core, intense lava and shockwaves erupted.
A pitch-black magma mass coated in Haki shot toward Knock like a meteor.
Moments later.
Knock's Observation Haki detected the magma mass catching up—his pupils shrank sharply.
He blasted forward again, but still couldn't escape.
Countless steam shields formed behind him.
But they were shattered instantly.
In Knock's terrified gaze—
He was struck square in the back by the black meteor...
Crack——
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