Arceus's Pirate Journey

Chapter 777: Chapter 776: Demon’s Grace

”Winch Strike!”

He possesses technology similar to Germa within him, but neither electricity nor sparks have any effect on Logia-type ability users; only the brute force brought by Winch Green can exert some impact.

The left arm is imbued with Haki, and in the recent battle, he chose to use his right arm to resist Sakazuki’s attack.

Logically, using his mechanized left arm should be the best solution, but he didn’t do that.

Previously, when defending against Meigo, the metal outer layer showed some signs of melting. If he continued to use it, the components inside the mechanical arm might get damaged, which is why he chose to use the unmodified right arm to block.

The extended mechanical arm reached for Sakazuki, the enlarged steel claws whipped through the air with a breaking sound, and the Haki-covered claw pieces started functioning under mixed power.

Through body modification, these mechanical arms have long become part of Queen’s body. Even without pain, he can receive feedback. This attack did not achieve the expected result, and the joints of the mechanical arm were creaking.

Relying on his own physique, Sakazuki directly seized Queen’s mechanical arm, and magma oozed from his body surface, as black smoke billowed from Queen’s arm.

Faced with such an opponent, dealing with them is indeed difficult for Queen. He has a lot of equipment, but their attacks have no substantial effect on Logia-type ability users—whether it’s explosive fragments or mere elemental attacks, they don’t affect the magma.

These technological weapons crush ordinary weapons but have drawbacks; Queen can’t imbue Haki onto intangible objects like lightning or lasers.

Even Tropius’s skills can hardly affect magma; Akainu is undoubtedly his toughest opponent. He’s the sole Navy Admiral who didn’t fake a loss in the war at the top, even after being driven underground by Whitebeard, still a monster that leaves other captains helpless.

The fact Queen can now contend with him is already a considerable improvement, though it doesn’t matter since he’s not the primary force against Sakazuki; he only needs to withstand attacks.

The right fist wrapped in Haki smashed toward Sakazuki, though Sakazuki’s focus was elsewhere, with the sound of thunder next to his ear posing the real threat.

Boom!

Queen’s fist hit the ground; Sakazuki’s body had completely transformed into magma, avoiding the hold and gathering in a nearby trench, reassembling his form.

On the other hand, Zeraora’s attack also missed; speed doesn’t equate to invincibility, otherwise, Borsalino would dominate the world. Using the foresight enabled by Observation Haki, Sakazuki successfully dodged Zeraora’s attack.

However, while speed doesn’t mean invincibility, it does translate to faster attack frequency. Just as Sakazuki’s body gathered, Zeraora kicked towards his head.

With Haki’s assistance, he struck Sakazuki’s physical form and evaded a counter-attack using his speed. With fists filled with lightning, he launched a new round of attacks.

Cloaked in lightning, he entered the Plasma Lightning Fist-enhanced state, markedly different from Queen’s prior slight suppression—both fighters can’t claim the upper hand presently.

Zeraora’s speed is incredibly fast, and Akainu’s counter-attacks are mostly evaded by him, with any unavoidable attacks blocked by Protect.

Conversely, the impact of Zeraora’s attacks is not pronounced; Sakazuki’s Haki and physique are exceedingly strong; his superior constitution results in just a slight blood on the lips.

”Well done! Hit him! Aim for his face!”

”Don’t order me! And stop just standing there!”

”Heh, heh, it wasn’t easy to create such a commotion!”

Queen offered words of encouragement nearby but was met with a furious reprimand. If these were commands from Arceus, Zeraora would have no complaints, fighting to the last breath.

But he came just because Queen called him for help. Without Queen’s mess, he should be at home entertaining his kids and spending time with his wife instead of engaging in battle.

It’s impossible for Queen to command him as he’s here only out of ”companionship” loyalty.

Had this not been during battle, he would undoubtedly find time to fight Queen.

Queen isn’t foolish; he’s not standing idly by watching the show. Though without major actions, his preparations have now arrived.

Clap of thunder!

The sky was covered by clouds; a rainstorm enveloped the entire island, Queen’s recent work—a large-scale Rain Dance transforming the island into a rainy landscape.

Due to Sakazuki’s attacks, the island had turned into a sea of fire, and the rising hot air made gathering rain clouds easier, otherwise, Queen wouldn’t manage to extend the range of Rain Dance so widely.

This weather doesn’t suit his combat style, but it’s perfectly suited for Zeraora, and the subsequent downpour weakens Sakazuki’s magma.

A torrential rain poured down, but the fire wasn’t extinguished immediately. The initial drops of rain evaporated upon entering the blaze, filling the island with abundant steam.

Through this haze, red magma and golden thunderbolts intertwined while Queen engaged in long-range interference, assisting Zeraora in delaying the opponent’s movements.

...

Boom! Crackle! The clouds rolled, sweeping down massive lightning strikes as Zeraora temporarily exited combat.

”Others have mostly retreated to safety; this guy is tough, continuing to fight for days wouldn’t resolve anything.”

The battle lasted a half-day; Zeraora’s fur had shown signs of being charred, and Sakazuki’s suit was battered, yet neither’s condition was too dire.

This confrontation is far from over. It’s difficult for Sakazuki to defeat both at once, nor could they swiftly defeat him.

Queen’s body is unscathed; with self-regeneration, the injury on his right arm healed, although the mechanical hand on the left had to be temporarily scrapped; Zeraora was also replenishing his strength using the lightning.

”Any longer and we might expand the scale of the battle—it’s not the time yet... my banana plantation is wasted, but since things are this way, may as well give him a big gift.”

Queen then pulled out a Devil Fruit from nowhere.

”What are you planning?”

”Lord Arceus taught me a move called Gift of Nature, its power relying entirely on the fruit I carry to activate. A Devil Fruit is still a fruit, so what’s the effect of using a Devil Fruit to trigger the Gift of Nature, you reckon?”