Chapter 369: The Invincible Shield & The Destruction Bomb
"Mom, I—"
"Shut up, you ungrateful daughter!!"
"Anyone who dares to leave the BIG MOM Pirates has only one fate—death!"
…Tch, this really turned into a family drama.
"Sanji, what are you standing around for?! Take your wife and run!"
Splurt—
Luffy, who had just barely managed to block an attack together with Roman, suddenly had his bandages burst open, fresh blood seeping through his chest. He let out a stubborn grunt when he noticed Roman's glance.
"I can handle it!"
"Like hell you can~~!"
Roman grabbed Luffy and tossed him in Zoro's direction. Paper swirled around his body as he donned the armor of the White Knight. Various abilities flickered, Haki covered him entirely—he was going all out.
"Get moving, I'll hold them off."
"Be careful!"
"I'm counting on you—"
Sanji and Zoro weren't the type to hesitate. One carried Pudding, the other slung Luffy over his shoulder, and both dashed toward the harbor.
Meanwhile, Roman faced—
"Ma ma ma ma, that was such a delicious cake~~"
Drool dripped from BIG MOM's mouth as she once again raised Napoleon high. To her left was the flaming Prometheus, to her right, the lightning-wielding Zeus. Her monstrous aura was on full display!
"I've decided. That Sanji… will be my chef for life!"
"And as for you—"
Her gaze fell on the Straw Hats' three main fighters. Other than Roman, who was still in decent shape, both Zoro and Luffy were already severely wounded.
"Join the BIG MOM Pirates, swear your loyalty—then I can—"
"I refuse!" x3
"Then die!!"
BIG MOM swung her sword, "Napoleon," to the side. Beneath her layers of fat, her muscles tensed like coiled serpents. Her towering figure radiated a fierce, unstoppable aura, filled with the iron will of someone who had conquered the seas. At the same time, both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki surged around her blade.
This move… it can't be…
"Ikoku!!"
In the next instant, BIG MOM unleashed a massive slash. The sheer force was beyond what the human ear could even register. A circular void, dozens of meters wide, suddenly appeared at the docks of Chocolate Town! Buildings, trees, the ground— even the ocean itself— were blasted away, leaving behind a colossal semicircular crater that stretched far beyond the horizon. Everything caught in its path was completely erased, reduced to nothing.
"Mama!?"
Katakuri, who had just rushed through the mirror portal after receiving treatment, tensed up at the sight but quickly calmed himself.
"Mama, about Pudding's third eye ability—"
Before Smoothie could finish her sentence, Katakuri raised a hand to stop her.
"Katakuri…?"
He was always the one who cared the most about his siblings— so why…?!
"Tch, that crazy old hag really went through with it."
Under BIG MOM's attack, everything turned to dust! There was no way the injured Straw Hat Crew could have survived that. But—
In front of Roman stood a massive shield! It was thick and solid, covered in a layer of Armament Haki. But more importantly, the shield had a pair of hands drawn on it— hands crossing the index and middle fingers.
"More More-50x Barrier Shield!"
The enormous shield had completely blocked the attack, protecting Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Pudding without a scratch. However—
"Mama…"
Tears streamed from Pudding's three eyes as she stared blankly ahead.
"Did you really want to kill me?"
"Shut up! I gave birth to all of you, so I can take your lives whenever I want!"
Seeing that "Ikoku" was ineffective, BIG MOM reached to the side and grabbed Prometheus. With a casual throwing motion, she flung it forward.
"Heavenly Fire!"
A massive blaze, as thick as a warship, erupted into the sky. The flames surged into a towering pillar, carrying the fury of the sun itself, sending waves of fire rushing toward Roman and the others.
BIG MOM had no shortage of powerful attacks. If one didn't work, she simply tried another— she didn't even bother figuring out how Roman had blocked her first strike.
This is bad…
Roman's barrier technique wasn't as flexible as Bartolomeo's. His shield could only defend the front, and fire—
"Land Piercing Style: Business Trip Version 'Lion's Roar Cannon'!"
The sky was torn apart, and the sea boiled as a massive shockwave shot forward. It collided head-on with the incoming flames, forcing them back! While it wasn't on the same level as "Ikoku," it was still powerful enough to shatter mountains.
And besides—
Fire can use the wind to spread, but strong winds can also blow fire away!
"AAAHHHH!!"
The massive "Heavenly Fire" was sent back toward BIG MOM. She remained unfazed, but the Charlotte family members behind her weren't so lucky. They scrambled in panic, desperately trying to put out the flames.
"Whoa! Nothing beats being on our own ship!"
Out at sea, an empty patch of ocean suddenly split open like a curtain, revealing the Thousand Sunny.
At the bow, Franky stood in position, having just fired the "Coup de Burst." Beside him were—
Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, Brook, Jinbe, Carrot, and Pedro.
And atop the mast, a small figure in a yellow raincoat, half-hidden from view.
"Luffy~~~!" x8
"Hehehe, guys! We're over here!"
As Luffy waved his arms and shouted, everyone turned their attention to the suddenly appearing Straw Hat ship. But at this point, none of that mattered anymore—
"Move!"
As Roman leaped backward, Nami flipped open the book in her hands. Pages of white paper spread out from both ends, rising into the air and forming a "paper bridge" over the sea.
"Stop them!"
As Big Mom pointed her sword, "Napoleon," forward, the Charlotte family's officers immediately charged in. Leading them was the eldest son, Perospero.
"Sorry, Straw Hat Crew."
"This is what it means to be a pirate~~ Lick lick~~"
With a wave of his staff, a flood of syrup surged toward Roman and the others. The syrup even plunged into the sea, forming waves that rushed toward the Sunny. At the same time, it became a foothold for family members who couldn't use Moonwalk.
"Candy Slug!"
"No need to apologize. Since you're playing dirty—"
Roman chuckled as he stayed behind alone. He had already considered this scenario. In fact, he probably understood Big Mom even better than her own children did.
The real Soul-Soul Fruit user was actually Sister Carmel. On the surface, she seemed kind, like a saint who brought miracles and settled conflicts. But in reality, she was just a human trafficker. When Charlotte Linlin ate her, her Devil Fruit powers and soul fused into Big Mom.
So, Big Mom was never someone who kept her promises.
"—then don't blame me for fighting dirty too."
As Roman sprinted backward, he spread his fingers and revealed a small object in his palm.
"A bomb?"
Just a simple explosive? That's nothing against the elite of the Charlotte family—
"?! More-More: 50x Bomb!"
In an instant, the egg-sized explosive in Roman's hand swelled into a massive pillar the size of a house.
Perospero was stunned.
What the—?!
Luckily, despite his tongue nearly hitting his chest in shock, his battle instincts kicked in. Without hesitation, he reached toward the syrup flooding the sea.
"Candy Fortress!"
In the next second, a towering wall of hardened syrup rose from the ground, encircling the Charlotte officers. At the same time, the enormous bomb in Roman's hand continued to expand, its surface cracking with glowing red fissures, radiating intense heat and light.
Then—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
A blinding light swallowed everything. A wave of heat melted everything in its path. A shockwave ripped through the entire port, engulfing it completely. Buildings crumbled instantly, massive trees were torn from the ground and burned to ashes, and the sky itself seemed to wail as the island trembled and the sea churned.
The original user of the More-More Fruit, "World," was called the "Destroyer of Worlds" for a reason. The fruit's power wasn't particularly impressive when used to strengthen oneself, but when applied to human-made weapons—
—It could sink a warship with a single shot.
World had once planned to bombard the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, with 100x cannonballs, and it wasn't just a wild idea. With the More-More Fruit, even ordinary cannons could reach the destructive power of nuclear weapons!
Of course, such an attack wouldn't be deadly to top-tier fighters. But against weaker enemies...
Even if those "weaker" enemies were elite officers with bounties in the hundreds of millions, they still seemed powerless against such overwhelming destruction.
"Aghhh!"
"Help—!"
Although Perospero's candy wall had absorbed some of the impact, the 100x bomb (though slightly weaker because it was made with Devil Fruit powers) still melted through the wall at high temperatures. A group of Charlotte officers were sent flying like leaves in a storm. If not for their Haki, they would've been wiped out instantly.
"You brat, you're asking for death!!"
A furious, deafening roar echoed through the air.
Riding on her thundercloud, Zeus, Big Mom shot out of the massive mushroom cloud, completely unfazed by the explosion. In her hands, Napoleon burned with roaring flames as she swung it down toward Roman.
"Emperor Sword: Blade of Destruction!"
This was the same attack that had sent Jinbe flying even when he blocked with full strength.
But Roman simply raised his oversized shield.
"More-More: 50x Barrier Shield!"
The Barrier Fruit's ability was practically a cheat. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the strongest defensive Devil Fruit in the world. After all, even the returning samurai Oden, wielding his advanced Conqueror's Haki, couldn't cut through it—
Whoosh—
Splurt!!
A flash of light, and a figure suddenly shot out from behind BIG MOM. With a swing of a long sword, a white-sleeved arm was sent flying, mixed with a spray of blood.
"It's you?"
Roman frowned after being ambushed and losing an arm. He looked at the attacker.
"That strike was to avenge my 'Biscuit Soldiers.'"
Charlotte Cracker!
"They were just creations from your ability. Don't act like you actually cared about them..."
Luckily, the arm Roman lost wasn't the one holding the 'shield.' He could still block BIG MOM's attacks. But facing both BIG MOM and Cracker at the same time...
"You're dead, brat!"
With the Four Emperors right in front of him, Roman simply lifted his leg and kicked—
Swish!
"What are you aiming at?"
As Roman's right leg 'flew' through the air, he grinned.
"Obviously—your BIG MOM Pirates."
...?
"Danger!!!"
From the harbor behind them, Katakuri's urgent shout rang out. At the same time, despite his injuries, he slammed his palm onto the ground.
"Awakening—Mochi Wall!"
Giant arms shot up from the ground, forming barriers around the Charlotte family officers who hadn't reacted yet. But it wasn't enough—
"Mom!!"
Katakuri's desperate cry overlapped with Roman's calm voice.
"More More—60x Giant Bomb!"
Up in the sky—
What Roman had kicked out wasn't just anything. It was the remaining stash of explosives!
The moment he activated his ability, the bombs expanded, growing into a mountain-sized mass above Cacao Island.
This...
"You can either keep chasing me, or you can save your crew."
Faced with Roman's ultimatum, BIG MOM let out a furious, inhuman shriek—but in the end, she turned and rushed toward her children instead!
It wasn't because she felt any real 'familial love.' It was simply that if she didn't act, tomorrow's headlines would be about how the BIG MOM Pirates had been half-wiped out.
Roman glanced at Cracker, who immediately backed off as well.
No way was he going to fight alone against someone even 'Mom' couldn't take down quickly. Especially an opponent just as skilled in 'super creations' as he was. Losing an arm was nothing to a Devil Fruit user like them.
Whoosh—
Smack!
"Roman!!"
"Doctor! Get a doctor!!"
As Roman was sent flying onto the Sunny, his worried and panicked crewmates immediately rushed to him. But he just turned calmly and waved a hand.
"Relax—"
BOOOOOM!!!!
A massive explosion behind them engulfed everything in blinding white light.
PS: It's just a lost hand, no need to panic~~ (End of chapter)
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