One Piece: A Warlord's Path-Chapter 667: Sriya’s Metallic Right Arm
The staff and the blades collided in a split second, erupting into an ear-piercing screech of clashing steel. A terrifying shockwave rippled outward, forming a violent ring of air that swept across the ground, flipping the thick layers of snow and exposing the raw ice beneath. For a moment, the sky within a hundred-meter radius was cleared of falling snow, held back by the sheer force of the gale.
"Jack! It’s time to pay back what you owe the Chris Pirates!" Enel roared, his face twisted into a snarl as he locked blades with the giant.
"20 Million Volts... Discharge!!!"
Crackle—Zap! Crackle—Zap!
In an instant, the area was flooded with a blinding radiance. Visible arcs of blue-white lightning erupted from Enel’s body, surging through the conductive golden staff and the Shotel blades straight into Jack’s frame.
"Aaaaagh!"
Jack was instantly engulfed in a violent electric storm. Even with his legendary endurance and thick hide, he couldn’t help but scream in agony before the onslaught of ten million volts.
THUMB!
His eyes rolled back into his head, and his massive body tilted backward, crashing heavily onto the frozen earth.
However, a heartbeat later, Jack’s body began to swell. Coarse, brownish-gray hair sprouted across his skin. Within two breaths, he had transformed into a mammoth over ten meters tall!
"A Mammoth... an Ancient Zoan user. Truly a rare specimen!"
After years of traversing the high seas, Enel’s experience had grown significantly. He recognized Jack’s ability instantly. He threw his head back and let out a derisive, manic laugh: "Yahahaha—!! 200 Million Volts... Amaru!!"
Blinding lightning illuminated the horizon as the heavens thundered with fury. Enel’s body expanded like a balloon, transforming into a titanic lightning giant with spiked hair and a protruding belly, standing over twenty meters tall. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
This gargantuan entity of pure electricity stood before the Beasts Pirates, every gesture seemingly pulling the wrath of the heavens down with it. It was the descent of a Thunder God upon the mortal plane.
Terrifying lightning ravaged the Winter Island while the prehistoric mammoth trampled the earth with primitive fury. It was a clash between two titans: "God" Enel, one of the three Executive Officers of the Chris Pirates, and "Jack the Drought," one of the Three Disasters and a confidant of the Yonko Kaido.
The battle lasted a full day and night, finally ending when Enel retreated from the field, wounded.
However, the aftermath was devastating. More than half of the Winter Island was scarred with charred craters, and the Beasts Pirates’ outpost was reduced to rubble. The outpost guardian, "Red Flag" X Drake, was severely injured, and over half the garrison was wiped out. Jack the Drought himself was gravely wounded, and had permanently lost an eye.
Because the battle took place on a desolate, frozen wasteland, news of the encounter did not reach the outside world. Yet, within the Beasts Pirates, the news sent ripples of unease. Even among a crew of "madmen," there is a limit; seeing one of the Three Disasters and hundreds of elite troops leveled by a single officer of the Chris Pirates was a shock that even they couldn’t ignore.
Despite the gravity of the event, Kaido did not interfere. The Beasts Pirates lived by the law of the jungle—Jack had provoked the Chris Pirates first, and they had sent one man to settle the debt. As long as a key officer hadn’t been killed, Kaido rarely involved himself in the squabbles of subordinates.
General against general, King against King. Unless he personally crossed paths with them, Kaido’s pride kept him out of the fray, though with his erratic nature, nothing was ever certain.
...
Above Brady Island.
A massive floating island drifted six thousand meters in the sky.
Alvis Island, Ground Research Base, Testing Ground No. 7.
Sriya walked through a simulated forest, his silver-white metallic right arm moving with fluid grace. The lifelike metal fingers clenched into a fist and then splayed open; aside from the color, it was indistinguishable from a real arm.
Rustle... Rustle...
The foliage shook, and a great white cat poked its head through the trees. Its amber-yellow eyes gleamed with a cold, predatory light as it stepped out silently, its gait elegant and deadly.
This was no ordinary "cat"—it was a giant, albino snow leopard. Its shoulders stood nearly three meters high, and its body, tail included, exceeded six meters in length.
"Roar—!!"
The leopard let out a low, guttural hiss. It crouched low, muscles tensing, as it stared down Sriya.
"An albino snow leopard? At this size, it must be a Rank-C Experimental Organism," Sriya muttered, a bloodthirsty smirk playing on his lips.
ROAR!!
A world-shaking howl erupted, vibrating the very leaves and branches surrounding the clearing. The leopard pushed off with all four paws, launching itself like a white arrow. It crossed dozens of meters in a near-instant, pouncing toward Sriya.
"Activate: Impact Burst!"
Sriya raised his metallic right arm, palm facing forward. The center of his palm slid open to reveal a circular port about three centimeters in diameter.
Whirrr— BOOM!
The sound of mechanical gears clicking into place was followed by a visible, violent blast of compressed air. The powerful shockwave slammed directly into the leopard’s head mid-pounce.
BOOM!
The leopard was struck as if by a Sea Train. Its massive body stalled in mid-air for a split second before being sent hurtling backward. it crashed through several large trees, kicking up a dense cloud of dust.
"Impressive power," Sriya noted, the port in his palm closing as he lowered his arm. He looked at the shattered trees with silent satisfaction.
"Hrrngh..."
The snow leopard struggled to its feet, shaking its head. Its movements were sluggish and disoriented; blood leaked from the corner of its mouth. It was clearly dazed.
"Question!"
Sriya kicked off the ground, vanishing instantly.
A moment later, he reappeared at the leopard’s flank. His silver, metallic fist, shimmering with a cold luster, swung down toward the furry head.
CRACK!
The impact formed a crater in the ground, pinning the leopard’s head inside. Blood began to seep from its ears, eyes, nose, and mouth.
"As expected of a Rank-C experiment. Hard bones," Sriya remarked, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Hand Blade: Sword!"
He pressed his fingers together like a blade. The tips of his metallic fingers shifted slightly, tapering into razor-sharp points.
Squelch—
The metal palm, as hard and sharp as a masterwork saber, drove downward. The leopard’s hide, tough enough to stop bullets, parted like paper as the metallic hand pierced through its neck, sending a spray of crimson across the snow.
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