Chapter 517: Showdown on the Battlefield: Clash of Fates

The two fighters clashed again, their powerful sword auras spraying out like shards of stone in every direction.

Clang! Clang! Clang…

“Get away from him, quick!”

“This battle’s way bigger than we imagined,” a Navy soldier gasped, pressing a fresh sword wound on his chest as he stumbled back in fear.

They were still dozens of meters away from Zoro and the others, but the wild sword aura was as fierce as ever. If they’d been any closer, they might’ve already been cut to pieces.

“Hehehehe!”

“You won’t get through here, Straw Hat!”

Towering and broad-shouldered, Moria appeared in front of Luffy, his massive frame blocking Luffy’s view.

“Moria!”

Luffy clenched his fists tight. If it weren’t for Moria, Ye Fan wouldn’t have been captured back then. This was the man who handed them their first crushing defeat.

Luffy had grown much stronger since then, but he still wasn’t confident he could just blow past Moria.

“We still haven’t settled our old score, Moria.”

“Devil’s Wind Kick—Charcoal Grilled!”

Sanji flew in with a powerful kick aimed straight at Moria. Even though Moria blocked it, Sanji’s force sent him flying backwards, crashing into the ice behind.

“Alright, Luffy. Charge ahead, but don’t get careless.”

“Yeah, I’m counting on you here, Sanji.”

Luffy switched up his route and kept charging forward.

“You’ve really gotten stronger these last few days. Looks like you’ve all been through a lot.”

Moria got up and hefted his greatsword onto his shoulder.

He knew Luffy and his crew were growing stronger at lightning speed.

But he never thought they’d close the gap this fast. Had it even been ten days since they split up?

Somehow, their combat abilities had leapt several levels. That last kick had landed real pain.

“Well, thanks to you, we’ve had to push ourselves every single day just to get stronger.”

“All so that the next time we met you, we wouldn’t have to turn tail and run. Collier!”

Sanji spun aside and aimed a flying kick right at Moria’s head.

But Moria was fast too. He raised his massive greatsword and covered himself with it, not leaving a single gap.

Clang!

They separated for a moment after colliding, the ice beneath their feet splintered.

Moria felt the tremor running through his blade. “No matter how much I respect you, I still underestimated you.”

That was clearly Armament Haki mastered to its peak—Ryuo. Otherwise, there’s no way just gripping the weapon’s handle would unleash so much destructive power through his body.

Honestly, he envied people like Sanji. He’d nearly gotten beaten to death for over two years just to master Armament Haki—Ryuo.

But these so-called ‘children of destiny’ could master it quickly, just by training with the System. He had to admit, it made him a bit jealous.

“Trust me, I’ve been through more than you think. Take this!”

When Sanji awakened Conqueror’s Haki fused with Ryuo, he also awoke his hidden bloodline trait—the Iron Balloon.

His toughness was every bit as great as Charlotte Linlin’s and, given his smaller size, his power was packed even tighter. His durability might even surpass hers.

It was like Sanji had turned into a shaggy, indestructible porcupine—nearly impossible to take down.

“What on earth is that?”

Bang!

Standing on the ship, Usopp suddenly sensed a clear thread with his Observation Haki. The translucent string was slicing toward the giant Oz, and Usopp instinctively fired a shot at it.

Bang!

The thread snapped on the spot. The sudden turn of events made Doflamingo, watching from the stands, frown. He quickly scanned the battlefield and soon zeroed in on Usopp aboard the Thousand Sunny.

“Hmm, not bad, Straw Hats.”

Though Doflamingo was grinning, the deep line between his brows showed he wasn’t pleased.

His right hand twitched a few times, shooting several threads straight toward Usopp.

“Where are the attacks coming from? Usopp, you got this, you really do!”

He was able to sense all the flying threads, but Usopp knew—unless he could root out the one pulling the strings, he’d run out of bullets eventually.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With three quick shots, he severed every thread coming his way. Focusing his Observation Haki, Usopp soon traced the strings back to their source—Doflamingo, watching from the stands.

“Alright, Special Attack—Exploding Star!”

He squeezed the trigger. A black-and-red bullet shot out at blazing speed, headed straight for Doflamingo in the stands.

“Sharp senses, spotting me already. But what kind of bullet is this… Why does it make me feel real fear?”

Now Doflamingo was interested. Even Armament Haki bullets wouldn’t normally worry him.

Yet this measly bullet made him feel a real sense of mortal danger. He couldn’t believe it.

“Triple Thread Bullet!”

In an instant, three thread bullets shot out from inside him, racing to intercept the deadly round.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The three bullets collided midair, canceling each other out.

Just as Doflamingo sighed in relief, a huge explosion shook the stands in front of him.

“My Special Attack—Exploding Star isn’t so easy to handle,” Usopp declared proudly, rubbing his nose. His bullets were all custom made.

Especially the Exploding Star. It was built in layers—only the last chamber detonated, while the front chambers were designed for extra piercing power. Even if the first rounds exploded early, as long as the last chamber wasn’t neutralized, it would still explode violently.

This unexpected turn left Doflamingo’s face dusted with black soot.

“Nice try. But trust me, you don’t want to know what happens when you piss me off.”

Doflamingo spat out the words, then leapt down from the stands. Everywhere he walked, pirates and Marines dropped like flies—he didn’t care who he hit. His target: the Thousand Sunny.

“Hey, Doflamingo, what are you doing? Don’t forget you’re still a Warlord of the Sea!”

“Oops, sorry, my hand just slipped a little.”

He barely acknowledged the vice admiral’s shout, only raising his hands in fake surrender when he saw Tsuru at the front.

With the battle burning hotter, the Marines at the outskirts couldn’t hold back the 43 pirate ships any longer and had to retreat into the inner sea, putting Tsuru and the others right at the field’s edge.

Boa Hancock saw all the Marines from West Blue heading out to help, so she couldn’t just loaf around any longer. With a sigh, she jumped into the fray, picking spots crowded with pirates and started making her move.

Sengoku witnessed the whole scene from above. He figured as long as the Seven Warlords fought, it’d put at least some pressure on the pirates. Any delay was a win in his book.