Battle on All Fronts

Back to Sora.

"Give it up, kid!"

"You can't win against us!"

"Poor little boy's lost!"

Sora stood on the beach, surrounded by over a dozen armed pirates. His wide grin didn't fade.

"Heh… You guys talk too much," he said, bouncing lightly on his feet like a boxer warming up. "Let's play!"

Electricity crackled up his arms as he crouched slightly—then bam! He launched forward like a bullet, a bright arc of lightning trailing behind him. Before the first pirate could blink, Sora slammed his electrified fist into his gut.

The man went flying back into his crew, taking three others down with him.

"Whoa! That was awesome!" Sora laughed, eyes shining with excitement. "Okay, who's next?!"

"W-what the hell—!?"

"He's a devil fruit user—!"

"Don't let him move! Surround him!"

Weapons were drawn and blades raised. But Sora didn't stop moving. He zipped through the sand, sparks kicking up behind him. He ducked under a sword, flipped over a spear, and gave a shocked pirate a double-handed slap that jolted him unconscious with a loud ZAP!

"Yikes, sorry! That looked like it hurt!" he said with an exaggerated wince.

He spun around and shot his leg out, kicking a pirate square in the chest with a thunder-charged kick. Another tried to grab him from behind—but Sora ducked, elbowed him in the gut, then grabbed the guy's arm and sent a jolt through it.

"Man, you guys are squishier than I thought."

More pirates closed in from all sides.

Sora dropped into the sand, did a backflip, and landed atop a barrel one of them had rolled from the ship. "You guys are strong in numbers, but no brains!"

One pirate lunged with a sword. Sora casually leaned sideways, avoiding the blade by inches, then flicked his finger to the pirate's forehead. A pop of electricity sent him sprawling.

Another came at him swinging a club. Sora leapt up, landed on the pirate's shoulders, before sending a shock down his back and vaulting off to land in a crouch.

"This is more fun than I thought! I should spar with monkeys more often."

"Get him already!" one of the pirates screamed.

Sora stood still this time, arms at his side, face unusually serious for a moment. As the group rushed him together, weapons drawn, he tilted his head and smirked. Then—

"Surge wave"

BOOM!

A burst of lightning exploded outward from him in a wild shockwave. Most of the attackers were thrown back, their clothes smoking, groaning in the sand.

"Step aside, you cowards. I'll crush this brat myself," growled a towering man with two massive clubs resting on his shoulders.

"That's Big Jack," one of the pirates muttered in fear. "Kid, you're in real trouble now."

Sora cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Alright, big guy! Come on then—let's see what you've got!"

——

Aria stood at the side, watching Sora as he took on the pirates with his usual over-the-top energy. She couldn't help but sigh.

"He's too flashy," Aria muttered to herself, shaking her head as she watched the electricity crackle around him.

One pirate, visibly nervous, stammered, "Do you think it's time to be distracted?"

Another grinned wickedly. "Pretty lady, if you play with us, we might let you go."

Aria's gaze darkened, her calmness suddenly turning into a storm. Without a word, she raised both swords, the air swirling with intensity.

"Lunar Nova" she whispered.

A blinding, crescent-shaped slash erupted from her blades, cutting through the air like a comet. The attack moved with such speed and precision that it sliced through the pirates around her, leaving behind nothing but destruction in its wake. The men were torn apart with a single strike, their bodies collapsing into lifeless heaps.

The remaining pirates stared in horror, some trembling in disbelief.

"How… how could she do that with a single attack?" one pirate whispered.

"We can't beat her…" another muttered, retreating in panic.

Just as Aria prepared to turn away, a new voice broke through the chaos.

"What an interesting technique," a deep voice said from behind her.

Aria's eyes flicked toward the man who appeared, a figure who stood tall and imposing. His armor was heavy, and he carried a massive greatsword that seemed almost as tall as he was.

"I'm Morol," the man announced, his voice filled with confidence. "And I'll show you what real swordsmanship is like."

Aria didn't flinch. She simply took a step forward, her swords still poised for action, her calm demeanor never wavering.

Morol grinned, his hands tightening around the hilt of his greatsword. "Let's see if you can keep up."

——

Meanwhile, at the battlefield, tension rippled through the air.

Kira stood still, calm like a glacier. Across from him, Darius snarled — his arms sprouting long, twisted fangs that curled like drills.

"I'll show you power!" Darius bellowed, charging forward with a wild fury.

"Fang Drill!"

He spun his arms like augers, lunging for Kira's chest.

Kira exhaled slowly, planting his feet.

His axe began to glow a frosty blue. Mist coiled from its edges.

"Ice Breaker."

With a thunderous clang, they met in the center of the battlefield. The impact sent a shockwave tearing through the sand, trees bending from the force. But it wasn't a balanced clash — Kira's raw strength overwhelmed the spin of Darius's fangs, and in a burst of force, Darius was hurled backward, crashing through a tree.

"Tch…" Darius gritted his teeth, blood trickling from his mouth. "I'm not done yet!"

He leapt forward again, this time aiming lower, trying to pierce Kira's side.

Kira sidestepped at the last second, pivoting smoothly and swinging his axe in a wide arc. Darius quickly sprouted a fang from his elbow to block the blow, metal screeching against bone.

Without hesitation, Darius twisted, driving a fang-covered kick at Kira's gut.

"You're surprisingly agile," Kira muttered, ducking under the strike.

In one swift motion, Kira hurled his axe like a boomerang. Darius raised a fang just in time to parry it, the weapon whirling past him.

But before Darius could regain his footing—

KRAK!

Kira was already in front of him.

His fist slammed into Darius's jaw, snapping his head sideways. As Darius stumbled, Kira reached out, caught his returning axe mid-air, and in one clean slice, severed the twin fang-drills from Darius's arms.

The pirate captain was launched backward once more, skidding across the dirt.

"Damn you!" Darius roared, struggling to stand. More fangs sprouted along his arms and back, twisting like bone armor.

And he leapt again.

Darius's roar echoed across the clearing as he launched himself through the air, wild and relentless.

From his shoulders, elbows, and even knees, jagged fangs erupted, curling like wicked blades around his limbs. His entire body had become a weapon of bone and rage.

"I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!" he bellowed.

Kira didn't flinch.

With one hand, he spun his axe once, the frost along its blade intensifying, freezing the very air.

Darius's fanged knee came crashing toward Kira's chest—but Kira caught it with one arm, his hand gripping it like iron.

"You're strong," Kira muttered, staring up with calm eyes. "But not strong enough."

He pivoted, using Darius's own momentum to lift and slam him into the earth.

BOOM!

The ground cracked beneath the impact, sending dust and debris into the air. Darius coughed, winded—but not finished.

With a snarl, he grabbed Kira's ankle and yanked, dragging him off balance. As Kira fell, Darius rolled and slashed upward with a fang sprouting from his wrist.

The tip grazed Kira's cheek, drawing blood.

Kira touched the cut, looked at the blood—then smiled.

"Congrats. You're the first today."

Without warning, he slammed the butt of his axe down, striking Darius across the face and sending him sprawling sideways. Before Darius could rise, Kira jumped into the air, twisting midair and driving a heel dropkick directly into his spine.

Darius howled, but the pain only seemed to drive him deeper into madness.

He spun around with a roar, his mouth stretching wide as a massive fang emerged from between his jaws.

He lunged at Kira—teeth first.

"You really are disgusting," Kira said, recoiling slightly, before ducking under the lunge.

He grabbed Darius by the collar mid-dive and pulled him downward, slamming his face into the dirt.

"UGGHHH-AAAH!" he howled.

——

The ocean breeze whipped across the beach as the first wave of pirates charged ashore, swords gleaming and guns cocked.

Mulan stood barefoot in the sand, her white coat fluttering like a banner in the wind. Her face was calm, but her hands were already glowing with the soft shimmer of her Devil Fruit.

One pirate screamed and ran at her, blade raised.

Mulan didn't dodge. She caught the sword with her bare hand.

"Return," she whispered.

The sword instantly broke apart—transforming into chunks of blackened ore, rough iron, and unpolished wood. It clattered uselessly to the ground.

The pirate's eyes widened in horror. "Wh—what the hell!?"

She landed a precise palm strike to his chest, sending him flying back into the waves.

Another pirate raised a flintlock. He fired.

Mulan's hand shot forward. "Return!"

The bullet in flight decelerated midair, reversing slightly before dissolving into a twisted lead pellet and a faint puff of black powder. It fell harmlessly at her feet.

More came—five, ten, twenty.

They surrounded her, some with spears, others with axes or nets.

One pirate hurled a dagger.

She tapped the sand beneath her feet.

"Return."

The sand hardened, reforming into a chunk of ancient, compacted stone—a natural shield that blocked the knife.

Another man came at her with a spear. She kicked the stone shield toward him like a rolling boulder. He stumbled, and she moved in, slapping her palm against the spear tip.

"Return."

The metal curled into raw iron, the shaft splintered into a pile of bark and sap-stained wood.

She struck him down with a smooth elbow to the jaw.

They began to hesitate now.

"She's messing with time!"

"Don't let her touch you!"

"She's a freak!"

"Don't let her touch the ground either!"

A squad of pirates raised rifles from a distance. Mulan dropped to one knee, slapping the sand again.

"Return to high tide."

Water surged from the shore suddenly, like the beach itself reversed time by a few hours. The temporary wave slammed into the riflemen and knocked them flat, their shots firing wildly into the sky.

One pirate pulled out a grenade from his coat.

"Oh, this'll finish you—"

Mulan appeared in front of him, placing just two fingers on the weapon.

"Return to raw components."

It turned to black powder, rusty fragments, and a hollow shell—falling apart in his hand. He blinked.

She grabbed him by the collar and slammed him to the ground with such force that he was knocked out cold.

More enemies were retreating now, panicked.

"She's not even using a weapon!"

"Her hands—everything she touches disappears!"

Mulan didn't chase them. Her gaze was firm, calculating.

———————————————————

Quick Note:

I'm Thinking of changing item Rarity labels (like Common, Rare, Epic) to a Grade system (E, D, C, B, A, S, etc.).

If I do, I'll update previous chapters too.

Let me know what you prefer!

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Thank you for reading — it really means a lot!