Chapter 44: Seeing A Scene One Shouldn’t Have
If someone, out of sheer boredom, suddenly wonders what it feels like to hit a home run in baseball? Elus can’t give an answer as the batter for now, but he can take a different approach and describe from a baseball perspective what it’s like to be hit and sent flying by terrifying monstrous strength.
Ouch, that really hurts!
That’s the answer.
The answer is that simple.
As the object being hit, the pain is the most normal and clearest sensation in that not-so-long time, even though Elus wasn’t directly struck by BIG·MOM’s [Emperor Sword·Break-Break Blade], the Moonlight Sword in his hand was the first point of contact.
This light sword, condensed from high-density spiritual pressure, is still quite reliable in terms of strength.
Even after enduring that sword from BIG·MOM, it wasn’t severed, and the cyan-white glow remained as bright as new.
Although the Moonlight Sword wasn’t cut by BIG·MOM’s sword, Elus still couldn’t withstand that unimaginable monstrous force impact; the shock force transmitted from the Moonlight Sword brutally crushed his right arm, and the toughness of Steel Skin couldn’t bear this impact.
The bone in his right forearm snapped with a ‘crack’, and his entire body was battered as if caught in a super typhoon.
The taste of pain was clearly reflected in his sensory nerves.
“It’s literally a humanoid monster!”
Elus, who was sent flying far away, let out this sigh recognized by countless powerhouses in the New World.
Compared to BIG·MOM, a monster who could snap a giant’s ribs at five years old and was born with cheats, Elus felt embarrassed to say he had cheats; his cheats required acquired effort, constantly collecting souls to satisfy the Hogyoku’s needs to get corresponding feedback.
The pitch-black wings flapped desperately, continuously working to dissipate that terrifying impact; after flying a long distance, Elus finally neutralized the impact force on himself, then vibrated his wings to continue flying in the sky with his own power.
“As expected of a monster, coming so fast!!”
Before the brief words’ ending tone faded, a huge shadow projected over Elus’s head; a pitch-black cloud, with an evil smile like a standard villain’s thundercloud, hovered in the sky, and atop this thundercloud stood a beast-like massive figure holding a great sword.
Elus’s Neuro-Scan was always active, locking onto BIG·MOM’s movements.
Unfortunately, though he could see BIG·MOM approaching, there wasn’t more time to think and prepare; while steadying himself with wing flaps, he reattached his broken right arm hastily, swung his sword again in a rush to meet the humanoid monster jumping down ferociously from the thundercloud.
The pink dress fluttered loudly under the airflow impact.
This is absolutely,
a scene that would let Doctor Newton, who crawled out of his coffin countless times, feel gratified and close his eyes peacefully to crawl back into the coffin for eternal rest.
But,
only at this moment did Elus wish so much that the Doctor would angrily flip open the coffin lid and crawl out of the grave again.
Every male comrade has, more or less, anticipated that wonderful sight of a sudden gale lifting the light skirts of girls······ Elus was no exception; youthful hormones once led him to many foolish fantasies, and expecting girls’ skirts to be lifted by the wind was just one insignificant one.
But,
but!
He never imagined his little fantasy would be realized in such a hair-raising way; he, he, he····· in that instant, he glimpsed under BIG·MOM’s skirt, urgh!!! No, can’t think about it, can’t think about it······
His spirit suffered a world-destroying devastating blow,
and his originally calm mind immediately erupted into a tsunami.
“······This is mental pollution!!!”
Elus let out an unprecedentedly uncomposed angry roar.
The Moonlight Sword swung toward the sky at astonishing speed, touching the great sword ‘Napoleon’ once again; the sharp sword glow still couldn’t overcome the great sword bolstered by BIG·MOM’s top-tier Armament Haki, and with the power boost from the descent, this sword from BIG·MOM surpassed the previous [Emperor Sword·Break-Break Blade] purely in power.
Evidently, this battle-hardened Pirate Emperor had keenly realized that flames’ damage couldn’t threaten Elus, while pure wrist strength had greater destructive power.
At the instant the Moonlight Sword contacted the great sword ‘Napoleon’,
Crisp and clear bone-fracture sounds like popping beans “crackled” into BIG·MOM’s ears; she clearly saw Elus’s right arm twist into a bizarre hemp-twist shape, the bloodstained stark-white bone stump piercing through the skin and exposing outside.
The hand gripping the Moonlight Sword loosened, the cyan-white light sword fell, and the residual sword Qi surged forth, directly breaking through Steel Skin’s defense, severing and shredding Elus’s right arm, grinding it into blood-colored dust that scattered cleanly in the wind.
Second frontal clash,
Elus, suffering severe mental pollution, was utterly defeated.
His body plummeted toward the ground below at lightning speed; this time, Elus didn’t try to dissipate the falling force but instead flapped his wings in cooperation to make his descent faster; it happened in the time it takes for two breaths,
a tiny humanoid meteor crashed to the ground.
Though small in size,
under the propulsion of astonishing speed, it still possessed unimaginable destructive power; the entire Saiboi Island trembled from Elus’s fall, grayish smoke and dust shot into the sky, obscuring people’s vision and preventing eyes from observing the fallen humanoid meteor’s situation for the moment.
“Ah~~~!!!”
Elus lay at the deep pit’s bottom in a big-character pose with his right half severed horizontally in the middle, sighing long as if he had seen through the red dust.
How could this kind of, this kind of accident happen?
This unforeseen accident dealt him a heavy blow, leaving him dizzy and confused, unable to sort out his thoughts even now; his originally high-spirited fighting spirit drooped like a defeated rooster, truly too frustrating, frustrating enough to want to roar loudly, yet not knowing whom to curse.
Frustration, indignation, annoyance······ a complex mix of emotions swirled and intertwined in his chest.
Then they turned into surging anger.
It’s all BIG·MOM’s fault; she’s a sixty-year-old lady, couldn’t she dress more appropriately for her age? Something like a pink dress can only shine on a cute sixteen-year-old girl, let alone······ damn it!
Can’t think about it!
Elus gritted his teeth in hatred.
From the bloodstained wound on his right shoulder, pitch-black spiritual light flickered and surged out, regenerating a brand-new arm; he raised his right hand to cover his face, desperately trying to erase the irritating, world-destroying horrific image from his mind.
Then—
Wings flapped once.
Elus shot into the sky again, piercing a long tunnel through the lingering smoke and dust in midair.
“Bala.”
Elus extended his palm.
Crimson high-density spiritual pressure orbs shot toward the sky—not one or two, but tens or hundreds, sweeping like Wind and Rain toward BIG·MOM standing atop the thundercloud in the sky; this was Elus’s counterattack filled with nameless anger.
Being sent flying twice in a row truly made Elus, who planned to use BIG·MOM as a touchstone, lose face; absolutely not because he saw an indescribable scene with extreme terrifying mental pollution characteristics that sparked strong revenge.
Hmm,
absolutely not!
“Mamama!! Though your bones are brittle, this vitality is indeed impressive!”
After beating Elus flying twice in a row, listening to the pleasant sound of bones breaking, this somewhat soothed the anger from the marriage rejection; BIG·MOM looked at Elus, who had regenerated his right arm, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
She had seen the powerful vitality and astonishing recovery of Zoan Devil Fruit ability users many times.
But,
limb-regeneration level recovery was a first.
Is it a special ability of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit ability users? Like that annoying [Immortal Bird] under Whitebeard, but shouldn’t it be soul power? Or a special power with both regeneration and soul properties?
After all, it’s Mythical Zoan.
Data records are even scarcer than for Logia Devil Fruits.
No strange unheard-of abilities would be surprising.
While pondering Elus’s ability details, she lightly stomped her foot; the thundercloud Zeus under her feet immediately opened its pitch-black maw wide, and at the same instant, brilliant dazzling light ignited in Zeus’s open mouth.
This is—
Thunder and lightning.
In unenlightened eras and regions, thunder and lightning were often seen as the roar of divine anger or weapons of divine punishment.
And in this New World,
BIG·MOM, who can freely manipulate weather and use changing weather as her weapons, could be likened to a capricious evil god; after all, Pirate Emperor is a modern title—perhaps in earlier times, terrifying figures like BIG·MOM were what people called gods.
The falling thunder and lightning precisely shattered over a hundred incoming Bala.
BIG·MOM didn’t even blink an eyelid at it.
This kind of attack,
actually doesn’t even need defense; with this power, it can’t damage BIG·MOM’s ‘Steel Balloon’-like tough body at all.
But to guard against Elus’s unknown Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit ability, she had Zeus attack instead of defend; this time, unlike before, she didn’t slap the incoming Bala away like billiards.
“As expected······ totally useless, huh! This really crushes one’s fighting spirit.” The attack ineffective, Elus sighed lightly, not as disappointed as he claimed; in this brief interval, a new Moonlight Sword condensed in his hand, then transferred from left to right.
The previous Moonlight Sword had disappeared after leaving his grasp without sustained spiritual pressure.
“Buzz~~~”
The Moonlight Sword emitted a soft hum.
The sadness, irritation, anger······ in Elus’s eyes all faded; his emerald-green eyes now showed only a touch of seriousness.
Immediately after,
Ink-green afterimages flashed before BIG·MOM.
The cyan-white light sword touched and parted from the incoming great sword ‘Napoleon’; exquisite swordsmanship slipped away like an oil-slicked serpent, deftly evading the unstoppable terrifying monstrous force, while at the same time, emerald-green spiritual light gathered at his left index fingertip.
“Cero!”
The emerald-green beam heavily struck BIG·MOM’s shoulder—it was aimed at the head, but BIG·MOM jerked her head, and the thundercloud Zeus under her feet rose swiftly by seventy to eighty centimeters, causing Elus’s aimed attack to miss.
Taking a Cero at close range head-on.
That monstrous massive body swayed slightly, and that was it.
Her exposed robust shoulder, without any fabric covering, showed not even a graze mark; the Steel Balloon’s toughness was truly headache-inducing.
“Not even this works?”
Elus furrowed his brows.
Four Emperors,
truly not to be trifled with.
Suppressing his inner fluctuations, his active Neuro-Scan detected BIG·MOM’s incoming great sword before his eyes and ears; Elus immediately flapped his wings, pushing speed to the limit, dodging the slashing blade at the last moment.
In physical strength and power, Elus indeed couldn’t match BIG·MOM’s dominance.
But speed,
only in speed did Elus have confidence not to lose to BIG·MOM; moreover, leveraging his small stature (a 205 cm shorty) trait and the high-speed movement technique called ‘Sound Step’, he held a slight edge in this close-range maneuvering.
And he wasn’t just dodging blindly; while evading BIG·MOM’s blade, he didn’t forget to try attacking this headache-inducing Steel Balloon with the Moonlight Sword.
“Clang clang clang!!!”
In midair,
like a booming blacksmith shop, piercing clash sounds echoed endlessly in the sky.
The battle temporarily entered a stalemate.
BIG·MOM’s wide sweeping strikes couldn’t hit the slippery eel-like Elus circling her; after over a hundred attempts, Elus confirmed that the current level Moonlight Sword couldn’t breach BIG·MOM’s physical defense—none of his attacks yielded even a bit of result.
“Green-eyed brat, stop buzzing around like a fly, it’s annoying!!!”
Finally,
BIG·MOM, whose mood had barely improved, was once again enraged by Elus’s tactics.
She raised the great sword ‘Napoleon’ high,
then,
swung it down.
Shouting: “Ikoku!”
This was Elbaf Spear·Ikoku.
A technique from the Giant Race, using a weapon to unleash destructive shockwaves; in BIG·MOM’s hands, it produced not shockwaves but even deadlier slashing waves—or rather, an unimaginably massive sword Qi.
The sky,
was completely filled with this majestic sword Qi.
