.
Chapter 9: A Demonstration of Divinity
The throne room was in an uproar, though a silent, stunned one. The warriors looked between their flustered Empress and the calm, mysterious man who had uttered the name that held such power here.
Boa Hancock, realizing her lapse, forced her composure back into place, though a faint blush remained on her cheeks. She cleared her throat, her voice returning to its haughty tone, but now laced with a new, sharp interest. "You speak of Luffy-sama... and that archaeologist woman. Explain yourself. Quickly."
"This is not a conversation for so many ears," Arata said, his gaze sweeping over the dozens of warriors. He needed to establish a private dialogue with Hancock, to build a bridge of trust, or at least, mutual interest.
Hancock's eyes narrowed. "You are in no position to make demands, man."
"Then see it not as a demand, but as a prerequisite for a demonstration," Arata countered. "You doubt my power. You doubt my words about the Calm Belt. Let me prove it. A test. Send your strongest warriors. Have them attack me with everything they have. If I am defeated or petrified, you have your justice. If I am not... you will hear me out in private."
It was a bold, arrogant challenge. Exactly the kind of thing a Thunder God would propose. The Kuja warriors bristled, their pride insulted.
Hancock studied him. The static in the air was still there. The memory of the sheer, unexpected force of will he had displayed moments ago was fresh. Her curiosity, both personal and strategic, was piqued. She needed to know what kind of man knew Luffy and spoke with such confidence.
"Very well," she decreed, a sly smile playing on her lips. She would enjoy seeing this arrogant man humbled. "Sandersonia! Marigold! Show this intruder the might of the Kuja!"
Her two sisters grinned, cracking their knuckles. They leaped down from the dais, landing in the open space before the throne. Sandersonia's body began to swell, her skin turning to green scales as she transformed into her massive snake form, the Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Anaconda. Marigold's body ignited with flames, her form becoming that of a fiery salamander, the Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Salamander.
The other warriors formed a wide circle, their bows raised. The air was thick with tension and the scent of smoke and snake.
"Begin!" Hancock commanded.
Sandersonia moved first, her colossal tail, capable of crushing stone, whipping towards Arata with blinding speed. At the same time, Marigold unleashed a torrent of fire, and a volley of Haki-infused arrows sliced through the air from all directions.
It was a perfect, inescapable pincer attack.
Arata didn't move. He didn't need to.
He simply exhaled.
A dome of golden-purple lightning erupted from his body, a perfect, crackling hemisphere of energy. It was not an attack, but a barrier—"Raimei no Tate" (Thunder Shield).
The results were instantaneous. Sandersonia's tail slammed into the shield and was violently repelled, scales smoking, a cry of pain and shock torn from her lips. Marigold's fire was snuffed out on contact, the oxygen around the shield stolen by the heat of the lightning. The Haki-infused arrows shattered into splinters the moment they touched the electrified surface, their spiritual energy overwhelmed by his own.
The entire assault had lasted less than two seconds. Arata stood unharmed, untouched, at the center of his dome, his expression unchanged. The dome then dissolved back into his body.
A profound silence fell over the throne room. The Kuja warriors stared, their mouths agape. Sandersonia and Marigold stared at their hands, then at him, in utter disbelief. They had not even made him flinch.
Hancock was on her feet, her earlier boredom replaced by wide-eyed shock. She had seen Armament Haki barriers before, but nothing like this. This was raw, elemental power of a magnitude she had never witnessed.
Arata looked from the stunned sisters back to the Empress. "The Calm Belt holds no fear for me," he said, his voice quiet but absolute. "My power is that of the storm itself. I am not your enemy. But I will be a formidable ally. Now... shall we talk?"