[159] : Compromise? Never!
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"You want me to be your attack dog, drawing fire while you pick off the scraps?" Arthur sneered. He had underestimated Big Mom.
Most, faced with such an offer, would have jumped at the chance, consequences be damned. Take the win—worry about the fallout later.
But Arthur wasn't like that. He wouldn't collaborate, not with anyone.
He'd take what he wanted—through strength.
"Compromise? For something I want? What kind of pirate does that? You're a fool, Big Mom—A delusional, mentally challenged fool!" Arthur's eyes narrowed, his Conqueror's Haki flaring, clashing with Big Mom's.
Thud!
Thud!
Several of the weaker guests, unable to withstand the pressure, collapsed.
"That idiot! Angering Mama on Whole Cake Island?! There's no stopping her now…" The Charlotte siblings scrambled back, desperate to avoid their mother's wrath—when enraged, she was a force of nature, her fury indiscriminate.
The underworld bosses, sensing the danger, also fled, the mere shockwaves from a clash between Emperors a threat to their lives.
"MAMAMAMAMAMAMAAAAAAA!" Big Mom roared, her laughter a terrifying sound that sent tremors through the very air, cracking the walls of the Cake Palace. The force of her voice was enough to rupture eardrums, shatter glass—a physical manifestation of her power.
"We should have done this from the start! Scheming and plotting—that's not the way of an Emperor!" Arthur, unfazed by Big Mom's fury, lunged forward, a blur of motion.
Zzzzzzt!
Lightning crackled around him as he moved, his form flickering, too fast for even Big Mom to react, until he stood directly before her, his fist cocked.
"Heavenly Feuer!"
As Arthur attacked—Big Mom's right hand ignited, flames erupting as Prometheus, a powerful Sun homie, unleashed a torrent of fire.
Arthur didn't flinch, didn't even attempt to dodge, his body engulfed in flames—a surprising display of resilience that even gave Big Mom pause.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Arthur emerged from the flames, unscathed, a wide grin on his face as he unleashed his attack.
"One Hundred Million Volts—Thunder Dragon!"
"Prometheus' flames…didn't even scorch him? Impossible!" The Charlotte siblings stared in disbelief.
Prometheus' flames—hot enough to melt steel—nothing on Whole Cake Island could withstand them, not even Big Mom herself, who possessed incredible durability thanks to her Iron Balloon exterior.
Yet, Arthur's clothes weren't even singed.
"It's the lightning…"
"His lightning also generates intense heat. Hotter than Prometheus…" Katakuri, his lower face hidden by his scarf, his voice grim, muttered.
Extreme heat—it was the bane of his Mochi Mochi no Mi...
And Arthur's lightning wasn't a fleeting, natural phenomenon. It was a power he controlled, a force he could unleash continuously. As long as he had the stamina, what could withstand such power?
Even Katakuri, usually so calm and collected, felt a shiver of apprehension. Arthur, he realized, might be even more dangerous than Big Mom herself.
Zzzzzzt!
The Thunder Dragon, erupting from Arthur's fist, its jaws open wide, lunged towards Big Mom.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Big Mom screamed, her massive body convulsing as the electricity coursed through her.
Her Iron Balloon exterior protected her, preventing any real damage. She was tough, incredibly durable—but she hated pain.
"I'll kill you, you little brat!" Big Mom roared, her eyes bloodshot, her fury finally unleashed. This was the Big Mom everyone feared.
Rumble!
She attacked. Zeus, transforming into a dark, menacing storm cloud, lightning crackling within it, as Big Mom unleashed a bolt of pure electrical energy.
Zzzzzzt!
Lightning against lightning—Arthur wouldn't back down. He unleashed his own Divine Judgment, meeting Big Mom's attack head-on.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The clash of their powers, two different forms of lightning, created a massive explosion, the Cake Palace crumbling, the shockwave sending electrical discharges rippling outwards.
The force of the blast ripped trees from the ground, scorching the chocolate earth, the garden transformed into a desolate wasteland.
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Big Mom roared, her eyes blazing, her fury building. She charged forward, her fist engulfed in Prometheus' flames, crackling with lightning—a terrifying combination of power.
The pressure was immense, the air around her shimmering with heat and electricity, the raw power palpable even from a distance.
Compared to Big Mom's versatile and unpredictable Soul-Soul Fruit, able to imbue anything with a soul, granting her an endless array of attacks, other Devil Fruit abilities seemed…limited.
Zzzzzzt!
Arthur, his own lightning flaring, not underestimating the power of Big Mom's attack, transformed, his body growing, his hand becoming a massive claw of crackling energy, meeting her attack head-on.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The impact was earth-shattering, the air itself seeming to crack, the shockwave rippling outwards.
A hurricane of force ripped through the garden.
Crack!
The chocolate ground, unable to withstand the pressure, split, a massive fissure dividing the battlefield. Whole Cake Island wasn't as durable as a normal island.
"This is bad! They'll sink the island! Katakuri-niisan, do something—!" Brûlée's voice was filled with panic, sweat dripping from her long nose.
Katakuri, his brow furrowed, his face grim, remained silent, his usually calm demeanor replaced by a simmering frustration.
He was revered by his siblings, their protector, their strategist—but he felt powerless against this monster.
His undefeated record? It was a joke...
Everyone lose eventually!
It depended on who you fought. He watched the battle, his eyes narrowed, his mind racing, searching for a solution.
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