High above, the Emperor of the Sea leaped from her floating island, and the clouds screamed.
Beneath Big Mom's massive feet was Zeus—a living thundercloud she'd birthed with her own soul.
It was a weapon crackling with voltage that could rival a god!
"MAMAMAMA!"
As Zeus carried Big Mom down toward the waves like a meteor made of purple lightning, the pressure was suffocating.
Down in the dark, churning water, Ray felt it instantly.
He and Aokiji were still submerged, recovering from their "deathmatch."
Aokiji had already encased himself in a thin, barely visible wetsuit of ice to prevent him from drowning.
He drifted over to Ray, looking up through the murky water at the flashing lights above.
"Arara..." Aokiji's voice was muffled by the ocean, but the annoyance was clear. "Ray, I know that nasty aura. It's that old hag, Big Mom. I didn't think she'd actually drag herself out of the New World for this."
Aokiji sighed, bubbles escaping his lips.
"This just got messy. We're stuck between a Buster Call and a Yonko."
Ray gave a sharp nod.
Yeah, it was a problem. But honestly? He barely heard the Admiral.
His attention was locked on something else entirely.
A scent.
Even beneath the sea surface, the scent belonging to Chouchou was all too familiar to Ray.
Ray's eyes narrowed in the darkness.
Chouchou is right next to Big Mom, Ray realized, his mind racing.
'I can smell him. He's moving, but he's not answering my bloodline call. It's dead silence on his end.'
'There's only one reason for that. He's not in control. Someone's inside his head.'
BOOM.
A terrifying chill exploded from Ray.
It was pure, unadulterated rage.
The water around him literally seemed to boil away from his skin.
Ray had revived that dog with his own blood.
He was loyal, he was a retainer, he was family. And this damn hag actually dared to put a leash on him?
'She's dead,' Ray decided instantly. 'I don't give a damn who she is.'
She dies today!
Seeing Ray look like he was about to murder the world, Aokiji swam in front of him, waving his hands.
"Whoa, easy!" Aokiji warned urgently. "I don't know what set you off, but don't lose your head. That woman is a natural disaster. You need to wait for an opening. If you just charge in—"
WOOSH!
Ray didn't even look at him.
He kicked the water hard enough to create a vacuum, shooting toward the surface like a silver torpedo.
Strategy? Tactics? Screw that.
Big Mom had touched his dog. That was a declaration of war!
...
Ray broke the surface in a massive explosion of spray, hovering in the air as water dripped from his silver hair.
A few seconds later, the sky went dark.
Big Mom stopped her descent, hovering on her thundercloud about twenty meters away.
She was massive a pink-haired nightmare looming over him.
Ray held his demon sword, Tokijin, loosely in one hand.
His face was dead calm, but his eyes were glowing a dangerous red.
Big Mom crossed her arms and grinned, drool already starting to drip from her mouth.
"Mamamama!" she cackled, her voice booming like thunder. "You must be Ray. My intel was spot on. With a face like that, and that nasty aura... you're definitely worthy of being the stud for the Charlotte Family!"
She reached out a massive hand, palm open.
"Now, listen up! I am Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin! I command you to become my 44th husband! Get your ass on this cloud and come back to Totto Land with me!"
In her mind, this was a generous offer.
She was a Queen and he was the prize.
He should be grateful!
But Ray? Ray felt a vein pop in his forehead.
A Great Demon of noble lineage, reduced to a "stud" by this ugly ass hag? It was an insult to his very DNA!
If she wasn't holding Chouchou by the metal collar around his neck, Ray would've already taken her head off.
His eyes flicked to the dog.
The massive white beast was growling, eyes glowing a sickly green, baring his teeth at his own master.
Seeing his loyal companion reduced to a puppet made Ray's stomach turn.
The urge to erase Big Mom from existence was becoming impossible to ignore.
He stayed silent, staring her down.
This didn't sit well with the Yonko.
She was used to people begging for mercy or wetting their pants.
Silence was disrespect.
"Are you deaf, boy?!" Big Mom roared, her smile vanishing.
Ray knew he couldn't attack while she had Chouchou hostage.
He needed her to toss the "hostage" aside.
So, he decided to poke the bear. She was strong, sure, but she was emotionally unstable as hell.
Ray slowly sheathed his sword.
He crossed his arms and looked at her with pure, unfiltered contempt. Like she was something he'd scraped off his shoe.
It worked like a charm.
Big Mom's face went from smug to confused, and then to blinding, white-hot rage in a split second.
Her eyes spun in her head.
"YOU DARE LOOK DOWN ON ME?!"
Her hair caught fire, blazing like a torch.
"Fine! If you won't come willingly, I'll beat you until you can't walk!"
In her tantrum, she forgot about the "pet."
She grabbed the collar and hurled the massive, 20-meter Chouchou downward with terrifying force.
"Get out of my way, mutt!"
ZOOOM!
Chouchou was thrown like a cannonball toward the island of Enies Lobby below.
Ray's eyes tracked the dog for a split second.
'He's clear. Good.'
At the same time, Big Mom unleashed it.
A wave of Conqueror's Haki slammed into Ray like a physical tsunami, accompanied by her signature soul-stealing scream.
"LIFE OR TREAT?!"
The pressure was immense.
It was a weight on the soul itself. If Ray felt even a speck of fear, she could rip his lifespan right out of his chest.
Too bad for her, she was dealing with Ray.
Fear? A Great Demon doesn't know the meaning of that word!
"Hmph." Ray snorted.
He didn't flinch. Instead, he shoved back.
BOOM!
A wave of red and black energy exploded from Ray, crashing into Big Mom's purple aura.
The air between them distorted, gravity bending under the weight of their wills. It was a stalemate.
Big Mom's eyes widened.
Her Soul Pocus failed completely.
This guy wasn't scared.
Not even a little bit.
But instead of being mad, she got excited and her pupils dilated.
"Mamamama! Amazing!" she shrieked. "A man who doesn't fear me! You really are perfect! After I break you, I'll give you to my daughters as a reward!"
She reached for her bicorne hat.
"NAPOLEON!"
The hat woke up, transforming into a massive greatsword.
She coated the blade in thick, advanced Conqueror's Haki and swung it with enough force to crack an island in half.
"Cognac!"
Ray didn't play around. He unleashed his demonic energy to the max, wrapping Tokijin in his own layers of Haki.
"Shut the fuck up," Ray whispered.
CLANG!
Sword met sword.
For a second, there was no sound, just a blinding white light.
Then, the shockwave hit.
CRACK!
The sky split open.
It was the legendary sight—the heavens tearing apart ten thousand meters above them.
The clouds were ripped in two, rushing away from the clash as if the sky itself was terrified of the monsters fighting below.
Down in Water 7, civilians pressed their faces against the Sea Train windows, watching the horizon shatter.
Marines at Enies Lobby dropped their guns.
Luffy and Zoro paused mid-fight, looking up at the black lightning tearing the world apart.
It was a reminder to everyone watching: In the face of this kind of power, they were all just ants.
Aokiji was hovering just under the water, watching the shockwave ripple through the depths.
He clicked his tongue.
"Tch... what a monster," Aokiji muttered to himself. "Ray is actually clashing evenly with Big Mom. But how long can he keep that up against a natural disaster like her?"
He hesitated
This was the perfect chance.
If he jumped in when they were both exhausted, he could capture a Yonko and the worst rookie of the generation in one go.
It would be the biggest win in Marine history. He could finally change the system from the top.
But then, his Haki pinged.
He sensed hundreds of massive shadows rushing past him underwater, heading straight for the Gates of Justice.
The sea beast army.
Aokiji sighed, bubbles floating up. He shook his head.
"He'll just have to hold on," Aokiji decided, looking annoyed. "I can't let these monsters trash the Judicial Island while I'm here. If Enies Lobby falls, the Marines lose all face. What a drag."
A pillar of ice shot up, connecting him to the surface.
Aokiji rode it up, emerging from the water to face the incoming army of beasts, leaving Ray to fight the Emperor alone.
"Alright, you ugly bastards," Aokiji grumbled, cracking his knuckles.
"Let's get this over with."
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