481-485

Chapter 481: The Great Battle Looms  

In other words… 

Yoru, in his normal form, could no longer match Burgess in a pure test of strength. 

That’s how shocking this was. 

Yoru was one of the Four Emperors, after all. 

To force Yoru into his Phoenix Man form? It showed just how terrifyingly powerful Burgess had become. 

“But once the captain switches to Phoenix Man form, it means the fight’s about to wrap up,” someone muttered. 

Yoru’s Phoenix Man form was his strongest state. 

Its power rivaled that of the Four Emperors themselves. 

He could go toe-to-toe with a strength fanatic like Barrett and come out even. 

Burgess was strong, but he was still a step behind. 

Sure enough… 

The next moment, a massive figure was sent flying, crashing through the air and slamming into the thick rock wall of the arena. 

BOOM! 

Another earth-shaking explosion rocked the scene. 

As the rocks shattered and dust settled… 

Yoru landed, reverting to his human form. 

Aside from slightly labored breathing and some disheveled clothes, he showed no signs of injury. 

Burgess, on the other hand, was covered in blood, his body battered with dents and bruises—a gruesome sight. 

But… 

“Wahaha! As expected of the captain! You’re too strong!” Burgess laughed heartily. 

Thanks to the terrifying recovery powers of his Zoan-type Devil Fruit, his wounds were healing rapidly. 

He pulled himself free from the rock wall, looking almost unscathed. 

“Not bad yourself,” Yoru said with a nod of approval. “You’re only the second person to push me into Phoenix Man form, after Nous.” 

“Wahaha! I wouldn’t dare compare to big bro Nous. If you’d used your sword, Captain, I’d have been done for ages ago,” Burgess replied, grinning. 

“Nous is the guy who can go a hundred rounds with you and your sword before losing.” 

Burgess knew his limits. 

Nous chuckled. “You’re giving me too much credit, Burgess. When I fought the captain, he didn’t even use his Phoenix Man form.” 

In other words, I’m not as great as you think. 

“But lasting that long against a Four Emperor-level monster? That’s already insane,” Fozzie and the others thought to themselves. 

If it were them? 

Yoru could probably take them out in fifty moves, tops—without even going all-out. 

“Alright, enough,” Yoru said, his expression turning serious. “Get ready. Big Mom’s coming, and this is gonna be a tough fight.” 

“Finally, I get to test my strength against Katakuri. Heh, now that’s a worthy opponent,” Nous said, his face lighting up with excitement. 

“Hahaha! In that case, I’ll leave the strong ones to you guys. I won’t steal the spotlight,” Burgess said, stepping back with a laugh. 

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With only two of Big Mom’s Three Sweet Commanders left, there was no point in Burgess fighting for a matchup. 

Nous had already claimed Katakuri. 

And Smoothie? Well, she was a woman, so obviously, that was Luri’s territory. 

“No worries. I’ll let you handle Smoothie. I’ll take on the rest of their heavy hitters,” Luri said, casually giving up her claim. 

“Really? That’s awesome!” Burgess’s face lit up. 

Among the three top fighters, his track record was the weakest. 

Luri had captured Cracker. 

Nous had gone toe-to-toe with Yoru and even held his own against Admiral candidates like Peach Rabbit and Tea Dolphin. His strength was undeniable. 

Now, Burgess had a chance to prove himself. 

“Marshal, Big Mom’s fleet has arrived at Night Island. A massive battle is about to begin,” a Marine major reported at Navy Headquarters. 

“Admiral Fujitora is leading two Admiral candidates, along with Vice Admirals Fire Mountain, Squirrel, and Doberman, to the front lines.” 

Chapter 482: Clash of Emperors, Yoru vs. Big Mom  

“Got it. Keep in touch with that guy Issho at all times,” Sakazuki said, puffing on his cigar. 

This clash between two of the Four Emperors, no matter the outcome, was bound to shake the entire ocean. 

It wasn’t until the two Emperors were about to face off that the rest of the sea’s powers learned the shocking news: Cracker, one of the Three Sweet Commanders, had been captured by Ruri. 

The whole ocean was stunned. 

Cracker, a terrifying figure among the top-tier forces of the sea, was taken down by Ruri, one of the Three Heavenly Generals?  

Ruri’s strength was almost too unreal. 

On the Island of Night! 

“Hey there, Miss Linlin, you showed up!”  

Yoru stood at the forefront of the Lightning Pirates’ ranks, grinning broadly as he faced the massive female Emperor. 

Over 20,000 of his crew stood ready for battle behind him! 

“Lightning Killer, hand over Cracker!”  

Behind Big Mom, a fleet just as vast loomed—easily numbering 20,000 to 30,000 strong. 

“Cracker’s a war trophy. You think I’d just hand him over because you asked?”  

Yoruna smirked. “You want something that good, you gotta pay a price!”  

Big Mom’s voice turned icy. “Are you forcing me to destroy your Island of Night?”  

Yoruna’s gaze sharpened. “If you think you can pull it off, go ahead and try!”  

Big Mom roared, “Napoleon!”  

Her hat responded, “Right here, Mama!” and transformed into a massive, razor-sharp longsword, exuding a terrifying edge! 

“Zeus! Prometheus!”  

“Here, Mama!”  

Two cotton candy clouds instantly morphed into a scorching, fiery cloud and a ferocious, lightning-charged storm cloud!  

Surrounded by them, Big Mom radiated overwhelming power, like a goddess of war! 

“Now that’s pretty intimidating!”  

Yoruna drew his blade, Phantombane, and shifted into his Phoenix Man form, his aura equally heavy and terrifying! 

“But it’s not quite scary enough to make me tremble!”  

He raised his sword high and shouted, “Alright, crew, get ready to fight!”  

The crowd roared back with fiery enthusiasm, “Yes, Captain!!!”  

No more words were needed. 

Seeing that Yoruna had no intention of handing over Cracker, Big Mom, riding her fiery cloud Prometheus, charged forward with murderous intent, like a war deity in motion! 

A terrifying pressure descended, making souls quiver—some were even forcibly ripped from their bodies!  

Seeing this, Nous and Ruri hurriedly evacuated the nearby grunts!  

Even they were shocked by Big Mom’s overwhelming power.  

Intimidating from a distance and ripping out souls? That was downright terrifying! 

“Take this!”  

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As a woman with monstrous strength and incredible defense, even Big Mom’s casual swing carried devastating power—enough to wipe out 90% of the sea’s strongest fighters!  

And this wasn’t a casual swing. She slashed downward with full force, her blade’s edge so sharp it felt like it could split everyone in its path. The onlookers felt their bodies freeze, unable to move! 

Even Nous and Ruri looked grim. 

“She’s an Emperor, alright. Truly terrifying!”  

Their eyes quickly shifted to Big Mom’s two remaining Sweet Commanders. 

“Katakuri, you’re mine. As for Smoothie, Burgess called dibs!” Ruri declared.  

She had no intention of stepping in herself. Smoothie, who had already locked her sights on Ruri, froze at those words, her face turning cold.  

What did Ruri mean by that?  

Was she looking down on her?  

Did Ruri think Smoothie wasn’t worthy of fighting her?  

To pass her off to Burgess, that brute of a fighting champion?  

That was too much! 

Chapter 483: The Monstrous Strength of Big Mom, and Yoru in Flames 

"Don't be careless!" Katakuri warned, holding his long spear 'Mogura'. He looked at Burgess with a serious expression. "Never underestimate any enemy, especially when they're one of their 'Three Calamities' who are on par with our Three Sweet Commanders!" 

Hearing that, Smoothie, though unwilling, still chose to obey! 

"Wee-hahaha, Luli, thanks!" Burgess roared with laughter, absolutely thrilled when Luli assigned Smoothie to him. 

"This guy is very strong!" Just as Katakuri spoke, 

Swish! 

Hakai faced off against Napoleon, and in an instant, lightning erupted, the earth sank, and the very surface of the sea was torn apart! 

Vast waves, transforming into a furious tsunami, crashed down, causing the entire island to tremble violently! 

"Run!" 

"No!" 

Approaching Night Island's waters, the pirate ships under Big Mom and Yoru's command were left with only terror in the face of this unstoppable tsunami. 

Boom! 

In a flash, a large number of ships were swallowed by the sea! 

The violent waves slammed into Night Island, making the entire island shake tremendously! Terrifying waves surged directly onto half the island, engulfing nearly half of the area – it was incredibly frightening! 

When the waves receded from the island, it looked as if it had been turned inside out, a complete mess! There was a height difference of over ten meters between Night Island's ground level and the sea level! You can only imagine how huge those waves were! 

"Look, the sky has been torn apart!" someone exclaimed, pointing to the sky in shock. A long gash could be seen in the rolling dark clouds above, infinitely terrifying! The entire sky trembled with rumbling, muffled roars, quite alarming! 

"This is the clash between two Yonko!" 

"The wrath of the Sea Emperors can destroy heaven and earth; it truly lives up to its reputation!" countless people exclaimed in awe. 

Bang! 

Boom! 

Clang! 

Many people understood Big Mom's immense strength. But the fact that Yoru, with his slender build, also possessed terrifying power and could clash with Big Mom without falling behind was truly shocking! 

Their collision speed was incredibly fast, with each impact unleashing terrifying sound waves! Black, lightning-like energy spread out! That was the clash of the King's Haki from two overlords! 

Each of their attacks was incredibly powerful and heavy-hitting, but despite Big Mom's large physique, her movements were anything but slow! Like a steel balloon, she was incredibly agile, striking down at Yoru's various weak points! 

"Take this!" Big Mom roared. She actually knocked Yoru back with a single sword strike. The air vibrated explosively due to the violent collision! 

She rapidly closed in on Yoru and unleashed a brutal punch, imbued with Conqueror's Haki and advanced Armament Haki. A single punch capable of splitting mountains! 

Puff! 

Yoru's body was pierced through, but it was all just flames. Big Mom's punch, with its remaining force, created a visible shockwave that plunged into the ocean! 

Immediately, the sea was carved open by a long gash, with waves surging wildly around it, as if an underwater passage had appeared – utterly terrifying! 

"What a truly terrifying punch!" Yoru retreated, his body like flames, looking 'scared'. The hole in his chest healed within the flames, and looking at his rosy complexion, he hadn't been harmed in the slightest! 

"Assassinate him, Hakai!" He pointed his long sword, and Big Mom's expression instantly changed. Napoleon blocked in front of her, covered in Armament Haki! 

Chapter 484: King vs. King, General vs. General 

"Whoosh!" 

In the next moment... 

It was as if the very air exploded, a powerful burst of energy tearing through with an ear-splitting screech. And Big Mom, with her massive frame, was sent flying backward! Her feet dug deep, leaving shattered imprints in the ground, and her sword-wielding hand trembled! 

Seeing this, the Big Mom Pirates were utterly shocked! Their Mama... she was actually forced back?! 

"As expected of our Captain, truly terrifying!" 

Witnessing this, Burgess laughed heartily, then charged at the enemy before him. "Let me have some fun with you, don't you dare disappoint me, Smoothie!!" 

He immediately entered his strongest form, transforming into a rhino-man, unleashing a devastating elbow strike! 

"Arrogant!" 

Smoothie roared, drawing her great sword and hacking furiously! 

"Bang!" 

But the moment their weapons clashed, Smoothie's expression drastically changed! "How is this possible?! How can this guy be so strong?!" Her sword was actually being slowly pushed back! This was the first time, outside of facing the top fighters under the Four Emperors, that she had been overpowered by an opponent's strength right from the start! She quickly used the momentum to retreat... 

"Wehahaha, is this all the so-called Three Sweet Commanders have?!" 

Burgess roared with laughter, running like a rampaging beast, shaking the earth with every step. He caught up to Smoothie and unleashed a powerful punch, sending her flying back dozens of meters! 

"Lady Smoothie!!" 

Many people were shocked at this sight! How could the Lightning Pirates be so powerful? 

"Katakuri, I've wanted to fight you for a long time!" 

Nowus was enveloped in crackling lightning, a smile playing on his lips. 

"I will use my full power!" 

Katakuri was incredibly serious. Nowus was a man worthy of his complete effort! Because he was truly strong! 

"Here I come!" 

Like a bolt of lightning, Nowus's attacks were wide and overwhelming, a savage punch infused with potent electricity coming straight at Katakuri, forcing even him to be extremely cautious! 

"Bang!" 

Only Nowus and Katakuri could make the heavens tremble, apart from the two Pirate Emperors! Mochi Mochi vs. Lightning! 

Ferocious and dominant! 

Sharp and swift! 

Their battle seemed even more terrifying than that of the two Emperors! Fists blurred across the sky! Surging lightning filled the air! Each punch seemed to carry the might of the world, each strike felt like it could destroy everything... Ordinary people wouldn't dare to get close! 

Nowus had already transformed into his humanoid thunderbird form, his arms turning into wings. As his wings flapped, wind and thunder roared, so much so that even Katakuri had to use his "Power Mochi" punches to counter! Katakuri's face was grim... His opponent was incredibly strong! 

"Perospero, the eldest son of the Charlotte Family, a man with a bounty of 700 million, his strength should be quite good too!" 

Ultei, surrounded by dark power, looked like an emissary from hell, exuding an unusual aura! Perospero couldn't help but feel a bead of cold sweat trickle down his forehead! This person on the other side had captured Cracker alive; this was truly troublesome! 

"You bastard, take this headbutt!!" 

If there was anyone most active on the field, Ulti would claim the top spot, and no one would dare argue! Her wild and powerful headbutt landed directly on Oven's head, making Oven cry out in pain and stumble backward! 

"You scoundrel!" 

Oven swung his scorching fists, activating his Heat-Heat Fruit, and furiously attacked Ultei! 

"You really don't know how to behave, Oven, this is infuriating!!!" 

Ultei roared, and her immense power once again crashed into him! 

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Chapter 485: The Rising People 

"Oh dear, oh dear, spare me, please! To put me directly against a former Sweet Commander like Snack, isn't that giving me too much credit?!" 

Douglass feigned a 'scared' look, but his actions betrayed not a hint of fear! 

"Yo, Daifuku, long time no see!" 

Sasaki, in his triceratops form, set his sights on the man who always looked so annoyed. A man who could summon a powerful genie to fight for him! 

"I never thought you'd actually join the Lightning Pirates!" 

Daifuku's expression was grim; he knew this opponent wouldn't be easy to deal with! 

"Gotta make a living, right?" 

Sasaki grinned, drawing the long sword from his waist. "Let's see how much you've improved over the years!" 

Daifuku's brow furrowed at that. "I definitely won't disappoint you!" He might be wary of Sasaki, but that didn't mean he was afraid of him! 

"Hmph, these guys actually got ahead of us. Page One, don't you dare shame us, the Five Calamities! You need to deal with these small fries properly!" 

Fūzū Fū scoffed, clearly annoyed. There were only a few notable members of Big Mom's crew, and they were all already engaged! The only ones with any significant strength left before him were Oven and his brother, Compote. 

"No, Captain said that Minister of Cheese, Mont-d'Or, is very dangerous. His Book-Book Fruit is quite effective; if you get trapped inside, it's over!" 

"And Katakuri's beloved younger sister, Brulee, the Mirror-Mirror Fruit user. She can copy us and create an army of identical figures!" 

"They're all worth being wary of!" 

Page One, however, was quite clear-headed, directly targeting the two individuals he mentioned. 

"Tch, fine then, those two are yours. Don't tell me you can't handle them!" 

Fūzū Fū said impatiently. Page One snorted twice. "I'm one of the Five Calamities! It would be too embarrassing if I couldn't even deal with these few!" 

Facing the charging Fūzū Fū and Page One, Opera, Compote, Mont-d'Or, and Brulee all had incredibly serious expressions. These weren't the enemies they were supposed to be fighting! 

"Hehehehe, beautiful ladies, this path is blocked!" 

Caribou transformed into a king of the swamps, using his ability to create a massive bog that completely halted Big Mom's powerful daughters! 

"You bastard!!!" 

Whether it was Amande, with her famous blade Shirauo, or the powerful female pirates accompanying Smoothie, they were all stopped by Caribou! Caribou's swamp ability was truly annoying; perhaps it wasn't a sharp attack, but when it came to control, few could compare to him! A giant swamp trapped all of Big Mom's daughters, except for Smoothie, Pudding, and a select few! 

Attacking Caribou? Sorry, he could freely shift his body into the swamp; the attack would miss before it even arrived! Did the attack hit? Sorry, you just hit mud; even Busoshoku Haki was useless! 

"Captain Caribou is awesome!" 

Seeing this, the Ten Captains cheered wildly! It was truly impressive! 

"Brothers, we can't waste such a good opportunity! We might not get another chance to fight against another Emperor like this!" 

Cold Blade Agardes raised his long sword and roared, charging towards Big Mom's sons! 

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