Chapter 357: Decisive Battle in the birdcage (VII)Boom—!!!!!Two terrifying forces, enough to overturn the landscape, clashed head-on at the east coast of Dressrosa!Sabo's white shockwaves, capable of shattering space, and Aramaki's green forest, representing infinite vitality, were like two prehistoric behemoths from ancient times, savagely biting into each other!With the two of them at the center, the ground within a one-kilometer radius instantly collapsed dozens of meters, creating a massive circular basin!The terrifying shockwaves turned into visible white walls of air, spreading frantically in all directions, grinding all buildings, ruins, and trees along the way into dust!Under this collision, the entire Dressrosa let out an overwhelmed wail, shaking violently as if it would fall apart in the next second!This world-shaking commotion instantly caught the attention of all the powerhouses on the island... In the ruins of the Colosseum."Naguri Mochi!"Katakuri swung his trident, and a massive mochi fist rose from the ground, smashing toward Zoro."Imperial Flame!"King was not to be outdone; with a flap of his wings, a flame-wrapped kick met Sanji's "Ifrit Jambe" like a meteor, exploding into a startling heatwave.As for Zoro, he simply swung his blade."One Sword Style: Flying Dragon Blaze!"Roars of a dragon echoed from the Black Blade Shusui, and the flying dragon he unleashed easily tore through the mochi fist, burning it to cinders.The four were locked in an inseparable battle, none able to gain the upper hand.Suddenly, that world-destroying shockwave arrived from afar, causing the entire earth to shake violently!The four paused their movements and stopped simultaneously, all casting their gazes toward the source of the energy explosion—the east coast."This feeling..."A trace of solemnity flashed in Zoro's eyes, and his hand holding the blade instinctively tightened."It's a Marine Admiral!"Katakuri's Observation Haki had long since foreseen a certain future image. He retracted his trident and looked at the other three with a grim expression."Doflamingo's birdcage hasn't been dealt with yet, and now an even more troublesome fellow has arrived."His gaze swept across the faces of Zoro, Sanji, and King one by one, finally stopping on Zoro as he spoke in a deep voice."The straw hat's swordsman, black leg, and... King of the Beasts Pirates.""I propose a temporary truce."Katakuri's voice was cold, yet filled with an undeniable decisiveness."Let's join forces first to take down that Marine Admiral. Otherwise, none of us can expect to leave this island alive!"King gave a cold snort and didn't speak, but the crazed battle intent in his eyes receded significantly, clearly a silent agreement to the proposal.He knew very well what a Marine Admiralrepresented.That was the highest combat power in the world, only one tier below the Four Emperors!In this situation, infighting would be pure suicide.Sanji exhaled a ring of smoke and glanced at Zorobeside him, as if asking for his opinion.Zoro fell silent.He stared fixedly in the direction of the east coast, feeling that terrifying Admiral's aura that could go toe-to-toe with Sabo's power.He really wanted to rush over and have a satisfying fight with that Admiral.But reason told him that now was not the time.Luffy was still locked in a life-and-death struggle with Kaido, and Nami and Robin were still in the city; they needed protection.More importantly, that Admiral was an enemy.An obstacle that must be eliminated on Luffy's path to becoming the Pirate King!"Hey, Curly Eyebrows."Zoro suddenly spoke, his voice low."What is your mission?"Sanji was stunned for a moment but immediately understood Zoro's meaning."Protect Nami-san and Robin-chan, and eliminate all threats.""Good."Zoro nodded, finally withdrawing his gaze from the distance and refocusing on Katakuri.He raised the wado ichimonji in his hand, pointing the tip of the blade at the other."We can join forces.""But, once that Admiral is dealt with, the battle between us isn't over!"The corner of Katakuri's mouth twitched."Suit yourself."With just a few simple lines of dialogue, a temporary alliance that would make even the World Government's scalp tingle was formed.Sanji didn't hesitate any longer. He turned to look not far away at the crest-headed fanboy hiding in a corner, watching them with eyes full of worship."Hey, you, Bartolo-whatever!"Sanji beckoned to him."Bar... Bartolomeo! Sanji-senpai!"Bartolomeo was trembling with excitement, crawling and scrambling over, his face a mess of tears and snot."What are your orders, Senpai! Please just say the word! I will certainly do whatever it takes, even if it costs me my life!"Sanji looked at his pathetic display and shook his head helplessly, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, though his tone became more serious than ever."Use your ability to protect Nami-san and Robin-chan.""This is the highest directive, outside of the Captain's orders.""Can you do it?""Yes! Of course I can!!!"Hearing this, Bartolomeo instantly felt like he had reached the peak of his life!To be personally entrusted with a heavy responsibility by Senior Black Leg Sanji of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet! What an immense honor!He straightened his back and pounded his chest forcefully, making a vow upon his life."Don't worry, Sanji-senpai!""Leave Senior Luffy's lovers to me with peace of mind!"He gave a thumbs-up, revealing what he thought was his most reliable smile."Even if I have to give up this life! I will never let Nami-san or Robin-san suffer any harm!!!"Just as he finished speaking.Not far away, Nami and Robin, who were observing the battle with binoculars, both froze."Lo... Lovers?!"Nami's face turned red in an instant, as red as a ripe apple. She instinctively covered her burning cheeks and muttered under her breath."Thi... This idiot! What kind of nonsense is he talking about!"Although... although what he said wasn't wrong... but to shout it out so loudly in front of so many people... it's just too embarrassing!Beside her, a rare blush also appeared on Robin's face.She used a book to cover the lower half of her face, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up, carrying a bit of shyness and sweetness, and her deep eyes also rippled with laughter."My, what a straightforward child."...Meanwhile, at the east coast.The battle had entered its climax.Boom!!!Sabo delivered a heavy punch wrapped in vibration power, blowing a giant dragon made of vines into fragments!But before he could catch his breath, the ground beneath his feet instantly turned into a green swamp, and countless thorny vines like venomous snakes coiled toward his legs!Sabo snorted coldly and stomped his foot hard!"Air Quake!"An invisible shockwave exploded with him at the center, shattering all approaching vines into dust!However, in the next second, even more trees, vines, and man-eating flowers surged from all directions, endless as if they could never be killed off!"It's useless! Sabo!"A colossal green giant, formed from countless intertwined trees, rose in the center of the forest—it was Aramaki's ultimate form!He looked down at the tiny Sabo from above, letting out a deafening laugh."On this earth, I am God! My vitality is infinite! And you are nothing more than a monkey who knows a few clever tricks!""How many more of those punches can your stamina support? Ten minutes? Or five?"Aramaki's voice was full of the teasing of a cat catching a mouse."Give up! Revolutionary! Your ridiculous ideals are worthless in the face of absolute power!!!"As he spoke, he manipulated a massive wooden arm to smash down savagely toward Sabo, with a momentum that seemed to tear the sky apart!Sabo's eyes sharpened as he prepared to take the blow head-on.However, just then!Four incredibly fast figures appeared around the wooden giant as if teleporting!"Three Sword Style Secret Technique: Billionfold World Trichiliocosm!"Zoro's voice sounded like a judgment from hell!Three kikoku blades wrapped in Conqueror's Hakitransformed into a massive cross-slash capable of cutting heaven and earth, descending from the sky and savagely cleaving the wooden giant's head!"Diable Jambe: Flambage Shot!"Sanji's figure turned into a golden stream of light. His right leg burned with flames hotter than the sun as he kicked the wooden giant's waist!"Fire Dragon Emperor!"King's black wings unfurled, and he transformed into a burning meteor, crashing into the wooden giant's chest with an unstoppable momentum!"Mochi Sphere!"Katakuri appeared behind the wooden giant. His arm transformed into a massive drill wrapped in top-tier Armament Haki, savagely piercing the wooden giant's back!Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!Four thunderous explosions rang out almost simultaneously!Under the joint attack of four top-tier powerhouses, the wooden giant's massive body didn't even last a second before it exploded, turning into a sky full of wood chips and green sap!Aramaki's figure fell miserably from the center of the explosion. His body was covered in wounds torn by sword intent and marks charred by flames; he looked pathetic.Before he could steady himself.Five figures had already surrounded him like ghosts.Sabo, Zoro, Sanji, King, and Katakuri.Five pairs of cold, emotionless eyes were locked firmly onto him.Then... Boom! Boom! Boom!Three completely different yet equally domineering auras exploded!Sabo's Haoshoku was like fire, wanting to burn away all injustice!Zoro's Haoshoku was like a blade, wanting to cut through the three thousand worlds!Katakuri's Haoshoku was like a king, calm and majestic!Three top-tier Conqueror's Haki were released without reservation at this moment, intertwining into a terrifying pressure that would make even a god tremble, pressing down savagely on Aramaki!Thud!Aramaki felt as if his soul was being pressed by three mountains simultaneously. His legs gave way, and he actually knelt down on one knee uncontrollably!His pupils shrank to the size of pinheads due to extreme fear, cold sweat poured down like rain, and his whole body shook like a sieve.What was he seeing?What kind of god-tier lineup was this?!The Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff and Tremor-Tremor Fruit user, Sabo!The Straw Hat Pirates' swordsman, Roronoa Zoro!The Charlotte family's greatest masterpiece, the man who had trained Observation Haki to its limit, Katakuri!Add to that the cyborg covered in lightning and fire, and the Curly Eyebrows whose kicking technique rivaled Kizaru's glint... any one of these five taken individually was a monster enough to give him a hard time!Now, these five monsters were actually joining forces to deal with him alone?!Aramaki's jaw nearly dropped; he felt his brain had completely stalled.Is this a joke?!Didn't I just come here to maintain order and gain some recognition in front of the Celestial Dragons?Is such a massive lineup necessary?!He already felt he couldn't quite take down Saboalone, and now four more had suddenly arrived?!Is there no sense of martial honor?!Are you not going to give any face to a Marine Admiral?!A wave of unprecedented grievance and fear rushed to his head. Aramaki felt like dying. He looked up at the five people surrounding him and voiced his final protest in a voice that was almost crying."You... You all... You're not playing fair! Five against one! What kind of heroes are you!!!"However, the only answer he received was five pairs of even colder eyes."For scum like you, there's no need to talk about fairness."Sanji coldly exhaled a ring of smoke.Zoro slowly sheathed his three blades, assuming a drawing-sword stance.King's wings ignited with even more vigorous flames.Katakuri's mochi arm began to transform.On Sabo's fist, the white halo lit up once again.The group beating officially began!