Sun Prometheus. Thundercloud Zeus.
They arrived—one able to release scorching flames, the other capable of generating massive bolts of lightning. Big Mom's two most trusted weapons, feared across the entire New World.
Vane charged in again, unleashing a punch infused with the power of the [Gura Gura no Mi].
Boom!
The shockwave clashed against Big Mom's open palm. As soon as Vane's fist met her hand, fractures rippled through the atmosphere. A wicked grin spread across Big Mom's face. The force of the collision shattered the ground behind her, demolishing rows of houses. She took a step back with her left foot to regain balance, but her massive frame held steady.
"She really is durable," Vane muttered to himself, eyes narrowing.
His punch hadn't even fazed her.
Big Mom's strength was monstrous. And her skill in hand-to-hand combat made her all the more dangerous.
"That's definitely the Tremor-Tremor Fruit…," Big Mom said coldly.
She had sailed with Whitebeard during her time with the Rocks Pirates. She had fought him more than once. No one knew the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit better than her.
And Vane had that very same ability.
But the shockwaves he wielded hadn't reached their full potential yet. He still had a long way to go—past intermediate control, toward advanced mastery and eventually awakening.
"Prometheus! Zeus!"
Big Mom roared, and her two living weapons responded with malicious glee.
"Mother!" they cried out.
A white cloud and a blazing sun soared through the sky. Big Mom gripped Zeus in her left hand. The once-adorable cloud grew massive, his face twisting into something demonic. His color deepened into pitch black, and he expanded until he dwarfed even Big Mom. Prometheus followed suit, morphing from a cheerful sun into a searing inferno, also wearing a grotesque grin.
"You're finished!" both shouted in unison, their eerie smiles stretched wide.
Big Mom raised Zeus high and brought him crashing down.
An enormous surge of lightning poured from the sky, slamming toward Vane like a waterfall of raw power. Thunder crashed violently above.
But Vane had already prepared. The moment Big Mom raised Zeus, he predicted her next move. An icy shield materialized above him, floating in mid-air, intercepting the thunderstorm just as it arrived.
With his current body, Vane couldn't afford to absorb that much lightning directly. It wouldn't kill him—but it'd leave him vulnerable. Zeus' power wasn't ordinary; it rivaled the bite of a legendary blade.
"I almost forgot you're one of the legendary dual fruit users," Big Mom sneered.
She wasn't particularly surprised. She herself could command lightning, fire, and souls. She could wield swords and manipulate Homies at will. It was like having the power of multiple Devil Fruits all in one. As long as she created more Homies, her strength would keep expanding.
Zeus' lightning barrage continued, but the icy shield—five meters in diameter—held strong. Ordinary ice would've melted instantly, but Vane's creation was no ordinary ice. The reinforced defense held, resisting even Zeus' devastating electricity.
"Prometheus!"
With the lightning neutralized, flames descended from the sky. Prometheus hovered ominously, his blazing eyes staring down at Vane. He unleashed a torrent of flames like a hellish furnace.
But Vane didn't flinch.
Compared to this, the flames he'd seen in other battles were nothing. Prometheus might've looked terrifying—but to Vane, this was child's play.
He vanished in a blur, enhanced by [Flash Steps], and reappeared directly in front of Prometheus, slamming a Haki-infused punch right into the sun Homie's twisted face.
"I'm fine! I'll be fine, you stupid human!" Prometheus laughed.
His grotesque cackling echoed in the sky. As expected, Armament Haki had no lasting effect. Just like Zeus, Prometheus wasn't a physical being. Though they housed souls, they had no true body—more like elemental manifestations than living creatures.
Even shattered by Vane's fist and tremor force, Prometheus immediately reformed, flames burning hotter than ever. The oppressive heat made Vane grimace. The flames licked the air, and Prometheus kept laughing.
Zeus followed suit, echoing the laughter. And then Big Mom joined in.
"You really think you can defeat me?" she sneered, the wind howling around her massive frame.
"You think I can't hurt you?" Vane said calmly, floating before Prometheus.
"Exactly," Prometheus chuckled darkly. "Only Mama can control me!"
Vane didn't respond. He simply raised his right hand, shifting it to the side. The air rippled around him like waves in a disturbed pond.
A sword emerged.
A blade wreathed in flames.
This was no ordinary fire. This was the flame of the Ryūjin Jakka—the kind of heat that rivaled the sun.
It didn't matter what kind of fire Prometheus was made from. All flames burned—but some burned everything else.
"Everythings in the Universe turn to Ashes. The blades flow like fire," Vane said softly.
A sea of flames roared to life around the sword, igniting the sky.
---