One Piece : Rise of Thunder King

You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04

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Seeing Aokiji's arrival, Kizaru felt somewhat relieved. Fighting against a group of powerful opponents wielding Conqueror's Haki was quite stressful.

Arthur floated high in the sky, gazing down at the ice-covered sea that stretched for hundreds of kilometers. "Why is Aokiji here? With top-level combatants like Kizaru and me, we can handle Big Mom and Kaido just fine."

Suppressing his doubts, Arthur noticed that the thunderstorm he had summoned was beginning to fade. Suddenly, his body transformed into countless bolts of lightning and vanished.

Zizi~ 

In front of the Marine Admirals, thunder and lightning coalesced back into Arthur. "Why are you here, Admiral Aokiji?"

Aokiji glanced at Arthur and replied, "I'm here to end this war."

Frowning, Arthur didn't fully understand what he meant, but if this war could be ended, that was fine with him. He didn't want Big Mom and Kaido lingering around.

"It's you again..." Kaido exhaled a puff of mist nearby.

"Is there another Marine Admiral? Let's eliminate them all at once! Ha ha ha!" Big Mom laughed, her eyes gleaming with ferocity.

"A more high-stakes battle!" Kaido's eyes glowed red with a wild fighting spirit.

"I'll take on Big Mom!" Arthur declared, summoning the Blade of the Thunder Spirit and charging toward her.

Having already fought Kaido once, Arthur knew it wouldn't benefit him to engage with him again right now, but he hadn't yet faced Big Mom. A fight with her could be useful for his combat experience.

"Well~~~~ Emperor Sword, Broken Blade!" Big Mom laughed as Arthur charged, her pink hair ablaze and Napoleon, her sword, also engulfed in flames.

Against the backdrop of the flames, Big Mom's face looked even more fearsome.

"Repulsive Reflex Cut!" Arthur's Blade of the Thunder Spirit accelerated to ten times the speed of sound, slashing fiercely at Napoleon.

"Uh~ Mom, it hurts! It hurts!" The power behind the attack was overwhelming, and even Napoleon cried out in pain.

Big Mom remained silent, rushing toward Arthur with a frenzied attack, her sword cloaked in Armament Haki.

Even though it was just her weapon, Big Mom valued her three strongest Homies greatly. After all, those were her most powerful creations.

Even Big Mom couldn't make too many Homies like that! If she could create a large number of powerful Homies using various natural materials, she could dominate the New World.

The intense clashes and collisions caused the frozen island to crack and shatter once again, and the surrounding frozen sea began to fracture as well.

Meanwhile, Admirals Aokiji and Kizaru teamed up, successfully restraining Kaido, who was desperately searching for Arthur to confront him.

Kizaru's speed was too much for Kaido, who, although quick, was hampered by Aokiji's freezing attacks that slowed him down at critical moments.

Kaido suffered numerous setbacks during the battle. Though he wasn't badly injured, the frustration of being constantly restrained made him extremely angry.

"Damn it! I'm going to kill both of you! Ah...!" Kaido roared as he transformed into his dragon form again.

In this form, Kaido's defense, strength, endurance, and resilience increased dramatically, and his speed improved as well.

Boom boom boom~

Kaido launched a furious assault on Kizaru and Aokiji, but his attacks met with little success.

Logia-type Devil Fruits are among the strongest. While Haki can hit a Logia user, if the user activates their elementalization beforehand, no matter how strong the Armament Haki is, it won't be able to hit them.

This principle is evident in the manga, where even Whitebeard had to sneak attack Akainu, and many of his attacks were avoided by Akainu and Aokiji.

As the five combatants engaged in battle on the island, their conflict attracted attention from many forces.

At Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

"Why can't I join? If I were there, we could definitely take them down! We could even relocate the Navy Headquarters to the New World and control a larger sea area!" Sakazuki complained, puffing on his cigar, clearly frustrated with Sengoku.

In his view, letting such a golden opportunity slip by would be foolish. If they could defeat Big Mom and Kaido, the Marines could claim a significant portion of the New World seas.

The remaining threats, like Whitebeard and the Red-Haired Pirates, would be hard-pressed to oppose them.

Besides, with Whitebeard's age, how much longer could he last? This thought pushed Akainu to feel even more urgency to join the fight.

"Absolutely not, Sakazuki! You're staying at Marine Headquarters!" Sengoku scolded, his face tense with anger as he glared at Akainu.

"Um..." Akainu glared back at Sengoku, holding his stare for a long moment before exhaling smoke and leaving with an annoyed expression.

"This guy... is really troublesome! Why won't he see it my way?" Sengoku sighed, sitting down with a frown.

Sengoku didn't want to ignore the larger strategic picture. If they captured Big Mom and Kaido, the Marines could dominate the New World seas. Doesn't Sengoku understand this?

How could a wise general like him not think about it?

However, even if he wanted to act, would the World Government allow it? Would the Five Elders agree? The balance of power involves the World Government, the pirates, and the Revolutionary Army.

No! That's not the case!

The so-called balance of power places the World Government above all, maintaining equilibrium between the Marines, the pirates, and the Revolutionary Army. Without the checks and balances provided by the pirates or the Revolutionary Army, the Marines' power in this generation would be overwhelming.

One-on-one, neither the Four Emperors nor the Revolutionary Army could stand against the Marines.

With figures like Sengoku, Garp, Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji, and the considerably weakened Z, plus the Admirals Gion and Kuzan, the Marines boast an impressive lineup. This amounts to seven top-tier combatants, or eight if you count Z! Their strength easily doubles that of the Four Emperors. Furthermore, the Revolutionary Army's combat power pales in comparison to that of the Four Emperors, but together, they could contain the Marines.

In the original storyline, the later move of the Marine headquarters to the New World stemmed from Akainu's extreme rigidity and Eagle's leadership status, which led the Five Elders to see him as a loyal pawn.

However, they were disappointed. Sakazuki's sense of justice is not tied to loyalty to the Five Elders or the Celestial Dragons. His justice revolves around eradicating pirates and the Revolutionary Army to restore order to the seas, ensuring ordinary people are not caught in chaos.

This is why Arthur never contemplated directly opposing the World Government; it would be tantamount to seeking his own demise.

Even the Marines can't take on the World Government, and one can only guess at the hidden power the World Government possesses. Arthur suspected that the strength of Lord Im might surpass that of the Four Emperors. It was possible that he could develop the Thunder Fruit to its absolute limits, or even beyond, to challenge Lord Im.

The battle for the New World raged on, and the situation had become increasingly chaotic.

Unexpectedly, Big Mom began to go berserk, seemingly under the influence of sweetness. She became irrational, drooling uncontrollably, with corrosive saliva oozing from her mouth like sulfuric acid.

Meanwhile, despite being a dragon, Kaido found himself overwhelmed by Aokiji and Kizaru's combined strength. As expected of top-tier combatants, if both were serious, Kaido wouldn't stand a chance.

The battle continued day and night.

However, due to her overwhelming cravings, Big Mom began to weaken after an initial rampage. It appeared she was becoming too hungry.

In a close fight, after being drained, Big Mom seemed to regain her senses.

As for Kaido, he remained suppressed by Aokiji and Kizaru even after transforming into his dragon form. In a fit of rage, he transformed back into his dragon form within a few hours. Once in this form, Kaido flew to the sky island, where he felt a bit more at ease.

Apart from Kizaru, who could traverse the air due to his light-based abilities, Aokiji was restricted to relying on his physical prowess, significantly reducing their attack effectiveness.

Moreover, Aokiji was acutely aware of the strategic balance at play, demonstrating his intelligence in recognizing the true nature of the so-called balance.

Ultimately, driven by her insatiable sweet tooth, Big Mom could no longer resist the temptation. She forced Arthur back and leaped onto Thundercloud Zeus, flying toward the ship that had retreated over a hundred kilometers away.

"Angel boy, we'll meet again if fate allows!" Big Mom shouted, drooling and panting as she soared farther away.

Arthur watched her leave without any intention of pursuing.

Though he was furious upon arriving, he never aimed to eliminate either Big Mom or Kaido.

Not only did the World Government need to maintain a delicate balance, but Arthur also required this equilibrium. Otherwise, helping the Marines grow would serve no benefit to him.

Casting one last glance at Kaido, who was soaring through the sky, roaring and battling Aokiji and Kizaru, Arthur hesitated but ultimately decided not to intervene.

"Aokiji, Kizaru! With Big Mom gone, I leave Kaido to you! I have other matters to attend to. Farewell!" Arthur conveyed his message through the electromagnetic field and transformed into lightning, disappearing from view.

"Roar! Damn that angel kid!" Kaido howled in frustration, turning to fly away.

After a brief flight, Flame Ember, who had been recovering in hiding, emerged to join Kaido as they headed back to his territory.

Watching Kaido retreat, Aokiji sighed with relief, landing on the nearly sunken island using Moonwalk.

"Oh~ what a terrifying bunch they were. I'm glad they're finally gone," Kizaru remarked, standing beside Aokiji.

"I can't linger here too long. Goodbye, Kuzan." With that, Kizaru vanished into the air.

Aokiji stood alone on the island for a moment before sighing and walking away.

Soon after, a figure pedaling a bicycle was seen moving farther out to sea.

This intense war seemed to conclude as unexpectedly as it had begun.