Joy Boy said no more. He knew that, with Loki's personality, just making this decision was already more than enough.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The drums of liberation thundered through the sea, more intense than ever before.
Loki emptied his mind, quietly listening to the drumbeats that to him sounded like a death knell. Gradually, his body began to tremble with each pulse. The vanished solar disc reappeared, radiating golden flames that flowed like blood, resonating with the rhythm of the drums.
He suddenly sprang up and let out a sky-shaking roar.
"AAAHHHHH!"
His roar carried boundless rage and unwillingness. His muscles swelled like balloons, the solar markings on his body flickering in and out of view.
But even as he drew power from the drums once again, his eyes were unfocused. Reflected in his pupils was Joy Boy's smiling face—yet now, that face didn't seem quite so detestable.
Loki knew it was the subconscious influence of the drums altering his perception of Joy Boy. He clenched his teeth and turned away, refusing to meet Joy Boy's gaze. Then, with a burst of speed, he shot into the sky—diving toward the spot where Akainu and Aokiji stood.
...
Seeing Loki charge like a storm, Aokiji raised a brow.
"He's up again? I thought the drums had no effect on him."
Akainu responded coldly, "This is probably that 'sit-up' thing Carl always talks about. Anyone connected to Joy Boy is as resilient—and as disgusting—as cockroaches."
While they spoke, Loki had already arrived. He roared,
"Let's fight again!!!"
Just as the words left his mouth—and before Akainu or Aokiji could react—a golden flash shot across the battlefield and blasted into Loki's side. An ear-splitting explosion erupted, sending Loki flying and slamming him into the frozen ocean.
Standing in the spot he'd just been was a figure cloaked in golden light. As the light solidified, the Marines on the battlefield shouted in excitement:
"It's Admiral Borsalino!"
Borsalino landed beside Akainu with his hands in his pockets, striking a flamboyant pose. He glanced down at the smoke rising from his toes and said in his signature drawl:
"Kowai ne~ I think I just kicked something really nasty."
Akainu gave him a sidelong glance and said flatly, "Borsalino, weren't you assigned to guard Vegapunk? What are you doing here?"
Borsalino shrugged.
"The great pirate showed up. What's the point of guard duty now? Besides, I'm not the only one who came."
...
Before the words were cold, two shockwaves tore through the air. Pa!—two bear paw-shaped craters slammed into the ground. At their centers stood two towering figures.
Aramaki and Kuma had entered the battlefield.
But it wasn't over yet. The sound of ice cracking echoed from the distance. Everyone turned to see a massive Marine fleet approaching—led by a colossal black warship that closely resembled the one Joy Boy was aboard, the Pluton.
...
"Bastards!"
Loki's roar, wrapped in golden flames, shattered the ice as he exploded upward from below.
He crashed onto the ice, clutching his waist where Borsalino had kicked him, glaring and grinding his teeth.
"Damn Marines... a sneak attack?!"
He raised a hand and clenched at the air. A spear of golden solar flame materialized out of nothing.
"Die!!!"
Akainu sneered and stepped forward. His right arm morphed into solid obsidian magma. With a swing, he caught the solar spear mid-air and crushed it in his molten grip.
The heat was so intense that the ice beneath them evaporated into mist. Aokiji, fully unleashing his power, created hundreds of icy spears from within the fog and launched them toward Loki.
Just as the ice spears reached him, another golden flash cut through the battlefield. Borsalino materialized above Loki, unleashing a barrage of Yasakani no Magatama.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions roared as golden light bloomed across the battlefield, engulfing Loki's figure.
...
"Don't get cocky!!!"
Loki's furious roar echoed from within the golden brilliance, triggering a raging firestorm.
He burst out, covered in glowing scorch marks. But just as he regained his footing, the ice beneath him split open—giant vine-like tendrils burst forth, coiling around his legs.
Before Loki could incinerate them with solar flames, another solid light-speed kick from Borsalino slammed into his head.
On the battlefield's edge, Kuma had already aimed his paw-shaped hands at Loki.
A bear-paw-shaped shockwave tore through the air and struck Loki from a kilometer away. The ice in its path shattered into glittering fragments.
Hit by five Admirals in quick succession, Loki was getting a true VIP-level welcome.
...
At the bow of the Pluton, Joy Boy stood expressionless, gazing at Kuma.
"So you're still loyal to Carl to the bitter end. A descendant of the Buccaneers, fallen this far... how pitiful."
Beside him, Pedro spoke up.
"Joy Boy, Loki can't hold out much longer. Should we act now?"
Joy Boy nodded. Pedro immediately understood. He shouted:
"Minks! Warriors of Zou! With me!"
Electricity surged around Pedro as he leapt from the Pluton. The Minks on deck roared in response, following him as they charged toward the Marines on the ice.
...
Meanwhile, Loki—having just been "welcomed" by five Admirals in a row—even with the power of the drums backing him, was nearing his limit. With a thud, he dropped to his knees, blood pouring from his mouth.
Sparks crackling, the Minks raced past him. Loki wiped the blood from his lips and staggered to his feet, forming two blazing suns in his hands once more. Without considering whether the charging Minks could handle it, he hurled the fireballs forward.
Each one held enough solar force to vaporize a warship in an instant. Borsalino, who was closest, moved to intercept—but Observation Haki gave him an urgent warning.
His expression shifted, and he vanished into photons. Akainu and Aokiji also disappeared with their own techniques.
The moment they vanished, a massive dark green beam of light swept across the battlefield, carving a deep scar into the ice before shooting into the sky.
A second later, the entire night sky lit up with a brilliant green explosion. The shockwave alone was enough to fracture the ice below.
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+160 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg