Chapter 1001: The Oppressive Might of a Monster

Chapter 1001: Chapter 1001: The Oppressive Might of a Monster

"This works out perfectly. The Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, the Cat Burglar Nami, Sniper King Usopp, and the Surgeon of Death Trafalgar Law... You’re all here!" Mina grinned, revealing four sharp fangs. Her crimson eyes flared with a thick, bloodlust-fueled malice, and faint wisps of a bloody red mist began to drift from her body.

"Couldn’t have timed it better myself..."

Aeridar grinned, chuckling softly. "We’ve already captured Straw Hat and three others. Once I bag the four of you, I can finally head back to the front lines to deal with Big Mom in peace!"

If it weren’t for how highly he valued this ’protagonist’s crew,’ Aeridar would never have taken the risk to leave the front lines, abandoning the war against a Yonko just to handle a bunch of brats.

But it was fine now. Half of them were already locked down, and the remaining half were standing right in front of him. It looked like this would be over very soon.

"We’re doomed! We’re completely doomed! Even Luffy got captured!"

"We’re going to die! There’s no escaping this!"

Nami and Usopp clutched their heads and wailed in despair, completely devoid of any remaining hope.

I didn’t even notice any signs of an intense battle... yet Luffy was defeated just like that? Cold sweat poured down Zoro’s forehead. He tightly gripped his two legendary swords, utterly shocked. Is this the pinnacle of power in the world? Even a Marine Admiral shouldn’t be able to achieve something like this!

After two years of brutal training, every member of the Straw Hat Pirates had grown significantly stronger. Zoro knew better than anyone just how terrifyingly powerful their captain had become.

Luffy’s technique known as ’Gear 4’ had been fully displayed during the incidents at Punk Hazard and Dressrosa. He had crushed Commander-level executives of the Chris Pirates and fought a grueling war against Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Following those events, the World Government had slapped a staggering bounty of 500 million Berries on his head.

To put that into perspective, Jinbe’s bounty after resigning from the Seven Warlords was only 438 million Berries. Though that was partly because Jinbe didn’t pose a massive, direct threat to the World Government, it was more than enough evidence to gauge Luffy’s current combat strength.

Yet, from the moment Zoro crossed paths with Aeridar, he hadn’t sensed a single trace of a cataclysmic clash within the Arms Manufacturing District. This meant only one thing: in front of this man, Luffy hadn’t even lasted a few exchanges before being utterly overwhelmed.

"Law, do you have any last words?" Aeridar asked casually, his gaze falling onto Law. "Aren’t you going to offer some sort of explanation for your betrayal?"

Ever since Law turned traitor, it had remained a thorn in Aeridar’s side. He had known full well that Law harbored a blood feud against Doflamingo and would do whatever it took to bring him down. Yet, Aeridar had arrogantly believed that his own sheer renown would be enough to keep Law in check, making him too terrified to ever rebel.

The reality, however, had been a violent slap to his face. Not only did Law betray him, but the resulting chain reaction had caused Enel to wipe Punk Hazard completely off the map.

While the rest of the world remained ignorant of the underlying truth, Aeridar knew. He could deceive others, but he couldn’t deceive himself. Armed with the knowledge of the original timeline, he had somehow ended up suffering an even more catastrophic loss. He had lost both face and pride.

At that moment, Aeridar felt his face burn with intense humiliation. The raw shame made him want to find a hole to crawl into, fueling a savage desire to tear Law into a million pieces and throw him to the dogs.

"An explanation? Would it even matter?" Law spat through gritted teeth, forcing himself to hold Aeridar’s gaze.

"How do you know it won’t matter unless you try?" Aeridar smirked, baring his pearly white teeth in a vicious, menacing grin.

"ROOM!"

In the next instant, Law struck without warning. The swirling vortex within his palm expanded exponentially, transforming into a massive, translucent dome that instantly enveloped the entire workshop.

This was, without a doubt, the fastest he had ever deployed a ROOM in his entire life.

"No need to be so tense. I have plenty of time to play around with you!" Aeridar raised his index finger, wagging it dismissively at Law as he casually walked right against the edge of the massive, dome-shaped space.

Technically speaking, he was now standing directly on the doctor’s operating table.

"Amputate!"

With a low shout, Law lunged forward like a striking viper. Visible, crackling arcs of high-voltage electricity, faintly resembling the Electro of the Mink Tribe, surged wildly along the blade of his odachi, Kikoku.

Clang!

A tempestuous shockwave erupted outward, tearing through the workshop.

A mere second prior, Aeridar had expressionlessly thrust out a single hand, his palm coated in pitch-black, hardened Armament Haki. He caught the lightning-clad blade of Kikoku in his bare palm. At that moment, the razor-sharp edge felt like nothing more than a blunt toy, unable to leave even a scratch on Aeridar’s hand.

"Damn it—!"

Law threw his entire weight into pulling Kikoku free from Aeridar’s grasp, but no matter how hard he strained, the sword remained entirely immobile, locked firmly in Aeridar’s iron grip.

Shring!

The crisp, ringing sound of a sword being drawn cut through the air. Zoro unsheathed Wado Ichimonji, clamping it between his teeth, and launched a devastating, synchronized slash straight toward Aeridar.

"Three Sword Style: 1080 Pound Phoenix!"

The three blades unleashed three gargantuan, blue-and-white torrents of flying sword energy. The slashes fused mid-air, coalescing into a singular, colossal wave of destructive pressure.

"Airquake!"

Aeridar’s expression didn’t even flicker. He casually raised his free left hand and punched the open air directly in Zoro’s direction.

Crack!

The atmosphere fractured like glass, spiderwebbing with white fissures that rapidly ripped outward.

Rumble—!

The terrifying impact power erupted, surging forward along the atmospheric fractures. The ground ahead collapsed instantly, intercepting Zoro’s massive flying slash a mere ten meters away in mid-air.

A split second later, the colossal slash shattered into oblivion. The residual shockwave blasted forward, forcing Zoro to violently cough up blood as he was sent flying backward. The sheer force pulverized the various equipment in the workshop and shattered the thick concrete wall behind him.

Fortunately, Usopp and Nami had sensed the danger early on and dove out of harm’s way; otherwise, Zoro wouldn’t have been the only one blown back by the blast.

Taking advantage of the opening, a vibrant green light gathered in Law’s hand. Countless gamma rays coalesced into a short, jagged energy blade, hollowed out near the hilt.

"Gamma Knife!"

With a fierce shout, Law let go of Kikoku’s hilt entirely. Gripping the short energy blade, he thrust it violently toward Aeridar’s chest.

In that fraction of a second, Aeridar actually sensed a sudden spike of danger from the energy blade in Law’s hand, a danger potent enough to severely injure him.

Because this short blade was composed entirely of concentrated gamma rays, it possessed absolute cellular-destructive capabilities and profound piercing force. It effectively bypassed all external defenses, dealing devastating internal damage upon impact. This was Law’s ultimate, unblockable killing strike.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Aeridar watched the glowing Gamma Knife draw closer inch by inch, before suddenly unleashing a devastating, 360-degree shockwave from his own body.

Rumble! Rumble!

Caught completely off guard, Law was violently blasted away by the irresistible impact. Walls caved in, load-bearing pillars shattered into dust, and the floor was thoroughly plowed into a desolate, brown crater as the entire sector trembled violently under the pressure.

When the dust finally settled a moment later, every square inch of the room had been reduced to absolute ruins, save for the solitary patch of earth beneath Aeridar’s feet.

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