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He was whole again.
The weakness was gone, burned away by Kureha's strange medicine. After the surgery, the modification... Arthur could feel it. The ceiling against which he had been straining for so long, the absolute limit of his power—it had been raised.
He had not transcended the mortal coil, not yet. He had simply become a monster among men.
Yet he knew, with absolute certainty, that after a period of adaptation and training, he would be far stronger than he had been three years ago. Even if Kaido had grown during that time, he would no longer pose a threat.
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Lightning coiled around his fist.
He met the mountain-sized hand with a thunderclap of his own.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The world shook. A shockwave of pure, annihilating force erupted from the point of impact, pulverizing everything in its path.
The sky itself seemed to tremble, as if it would shatter and fall.
Then, for a single, frozen moment, the sea of clouds stood still.
The next instant, it evaporated into nothing.
A tremor ripped through Upper Yard. The sleeping giant serpent, Jormungandr, was violently awakened.
Yet Arthur had no time for it. The aftershock dissipated, and he stood like a titan, a single hand holding back the crushing weight of Kaido's blow.
"Zzzzzzzzt!"
Brilliant purple lightning surged.
The time for defense had ended.
In a flash of pure speed, Arthur vanished from beneath Kaido's massive palm and reappeared in the sky above.
His body became a conduit of raw power, the sky turning a violent shade of purple as the Thunder Emperor emerged from the storm, his fist vibrating with such intensity it made the air itself hum.
This was everything he possessed.
He understood that Kaido's body was a fortress, an absolute defense that could only be breached by a handful of Devil Fruits that ignored durability.
Yet he had to try.
The blood of Constance and the God's Guard demanded vengeance.
Kaido's face split into a mocking, contemptuous grin. He simply raised his other hand, a giant, meaty palm, and swung it through the air, intending to swat Arthur's lightning-wreathed fist aside like a fly.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Another deafening crack of thunder. Upper Yard bucked violently. The clash of raw, physical power and ferocious lightning was cataclysmic. Rings of white, distorted light pulsed outward, one after another.
RUMBLE...
The holy land of Upper Yard could endure no more.
The immense, downward force of Arthur's blow shattered the island. A massive fissure ripped through the cloud-ground, centered on the spot where Kaido stood, revealing the White Sea three thousand meters below.
The trees of Upper Yard were torn from their roots and sent flying into the sea of clouds. The golden Thunder God Palace twisted and deformed, a grotesque mockery of its former glory.
Even Jack and Shiryu, locked in their own battle, could not withstand the aftershock. They leaped to a neighboring sky island, fleeing the horrifying battlefield.
Nothing remained. Only a scene of utter devastation. The unstoppable force had leveled the entire island of the gods.
In the sky above, the source of that force—Arthur—drove his fist downward, sending Kaido plummeting from the sky.
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The wind screamed past them.
The two men fell through the great fissure, a blur of motion as they shot past the sea of clouds, a fall of ten thousand meters, like a descent into the eighteenth circle of hell.
Their destination: the island of Jaya below.
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Mock Town. A chaotic haven of sin and vice.
Doflamingo's jolly roger now flew high above the port. Nearly half of all underworld dealings in Paradise were conducted here.
A broker, after all, required a stable base of operations.
In the most luxurious bar in the harbor, a party was in full swing. Wealthy merchants in fine clothes moved through the room, cutting deals, their voices a low murmur of conspiracy.
"Hey, Joker!" A man less than five feet tall, as round as a ball, approached with two scantily clad women on his arms. A cigar was clenched between his teeth, and his fingers and neck were laden with gaudy gold rings and chains, each one set with a massive, glittering gem. He radiated the aura of the newly rich.
"Joker! That last batch of slaves you sold me was top-notch. I want more!"
Joker was the name Doflamingo employed in the underworld now.
"Fuffuffuffuffu! A few slaves are nothing. You can have as many as you want," he cackled, his hand covering his eyes.
"You all know my rules. I do not deal in damaged goods. If you are short on cash... I also accept Devil Fruits as payment. Fuffuffuffuffu!"
He had already collected several fruits for the Thunder God Pirates and was planning to deliver them after this deal concluded. Who would ever complain about possessing too many of something more valuable than gold or gems?
Besides, Arthur had said he would pay for them. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
"Joker. I hear you have thrown in with the Thunder God Pirates. Is it true?" a middle-aged nobleman with an elegant, waxed mustache suddenly asked.
"Could you arrange an introduction? My kingdom is in the New World. I was hoping to borrow their flag..."
The lively party suddenly went quiet.
After a long, tense moment, just as Doflamingo was about to answer, a sudden, inexplicable sense of dread washed over him.
A primal instinct screamed that to remain here was to invite death.
He did not hesitate.
His String-String Fruit powers activated, slicing a hole in the wall beside him, and he shot through it, escaping into the street outside.
The next moment—
"WHOOSH—"
Immense pressure descended from the sky. The bar's roof imploded, collapsing in a shower of splintered wood and dust.
A few of the men inside, their hearts pounding, looked upward.
They saw two meteors streaking through the clouds, their trajectory aimed directly at them.
They grew closer, and closer, until the onlookers' pupils contracted to pinpricks. Their bodies froze in terror, their minds unable to process what was happening.
Then—
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"
A sound so loud it could shatter eardrums ripped through the sky.
The nobles, the merchants, the underworld lords—all those who had not been quick enough to escape were instantly crushed into a fine red paste.
A few of the faster ones, who had managed to dive for cover, stumbled to their feet, their faces masks of rage. Yet Doflamingo, who had been watching from a safe distance, stopped them cold.
"That is... Kaido... and the Thunder Emperor?" he whispered, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at the two horrifying figures emerging from the dust and smoke.
"The Thunder Emperor... is he already healed?"
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