[115] Nami Vs Jozu

[2000 Words]

-----------------------------------------------

In Marineford, everyone who was focused on Nami and Jozu was stunned.

They saw Nami draw her sword and transform into a bolt of lightning, which reached Jozu in the blink of an eye.

Many knowledgeable individuals, such as Sengoku, Garp, and Whitebeard, recognized the source of Nami's lightning power.

It was undoubtedly the Devil Fruit that had been missing for 200 years!

Two centuries ago, there was a Marine admiral named Onas, who was incredibly famous in his era for using the power of Goro Goro no Mi to subdue many powerful pirates. The sea in his time knew a kind of peace, and pirates called him the "Thunder Demon," a testament to their fear of him.

After Onas's death, this Devil Fruit disappeared, and despite the World Government's extensive search for many years, it could not be found, leading them to give up.

And now, this Devil Fruit had reappeared, and worse, its user was a pirate!

Sengoku's face turned extremely grim. His worst fears, and those of the elders of the World Government, had come true—this fruit had fallen into the wrong hands!

"The power of the Goro Goro no Mi should not be in the hands of pirates!" Sengoku gritted his teeth in anger and spoke in a low voice.

"Fufufufu... I didn't expect that girl to possess such amazing power. I wonder where she found that fruit?" Doflamingo felt a bit anxious. He had openly shown hostility towards Ren, so naturally, he wasn't pleased to see the Sinful Pirates grow stronger.

As the Underworld's Joker, he knew some secret information about this Devil Fruit and was well aware of its tremendous destructive power.

"So she's a swordsman who uses a Devil Fruit?" Mihawk, who had been silent, thought aloud as he focused on the battle.

Back to Nami, who had reached Jozu, she swiftly slashed her sword towards him.

Jozu was shocked by the sudden speed of Nami but managed to dodge the sword thanks to his Observation Haki and retaliated with a powerful punch, his hand turning to diamond and augmented with Armament Haki.

Even though his Devil Fruit's primary advantage was defense, he knew how to use it best. After years of combat experience, he had found a balance between his Devil Fruit powers and his immense physical strength.

But Nami's Observation Haki had been prepared long ago. She stepped back, dodging the punch that held tremendous power.

*Boom!*

Jozu's hand struck the frozen ground, digging deep into the solid ice, showcasing the punch's force.

Nami didn't give Jozu time to free his hand and sent a massive air blade slashing towards him.

*Swish!*

Jozu narrowed his eyes and chose to take the blade head-on, covering his body in diamond and receiving the hit.

*Screech~!*

*Scratch~!*

With a grating noise, the air blade dissipated, revealing Jozu's unscathed body gleaming under a diamond coating.

"You're strong... but you're still far from defeating me!" Jozu shouted proudly.

Nami didn't respond, but her gaze held hidden contempt. She chose not to engage in conversation and resumed her attack.

This time, the weather played in her favor. The sky over the battlefield of Nami and Jozu began to fill with clouds, signaling the onset of a storm.

"Divine Retribution!" Nami shouted sharply, and simultaneously, a thunderbolt struck Marineford, specifically targeting the spot where Jozu stood.

"!!!"

All this happened within seconds. Jozu expected a close-range battle, not a long-range attack, and didn't foresee Nami's next move. His Observation Haki urged him to escape, but he gritted his teeth and faced the thunderbolt head-on.

In Sabaody Archipelago, people were astonished by Nami's display of power.

"Is this the power of a god?"

"Summoning lightning... *gulp*"

"Look, he blocked it with his body! Both of them are monsters in human form!"

The comments from onlookers made Sabaody Archipelago noisy.

While civilians and pirates were shocked by the brute force displayed in this battle, journalists worked tirelessly to gather information and take notes for their newspapers, intending to ignite a fire of curiosity among the world's population.

"Goro Goro no Mi... Roger and I searched for that fruit for a long time but never found it," Rayleigh sighed as he recalled his grand adventures with the Roger Pirates.

He watched the screen broadcasting Nami and Jozu's fight quietly while sipping from a small jar of liquor.

*Gulp*

He swallowed the remaining liquor in the jar, wiped his mouth, and said, "Is this the end, Whitebeard?"

Back in Marineford.

The chaotic battlefield was drenched in blood seeping into the ground. The land of Marineford had turned into a realm of death and hell. Amid the screams of pirates and marines, madness brewed, and the killing intent rose with every life taken.

Ren watched Nami, who ferociously attacked Jozu and completely suppressed him, with satisfaction.

Nami seamlessly combined the powers of the Goro Goro no Mi with her cursed sword. Though it was clear she had to exert some effort to control the sword's malevolent energy, she completely overpowered Jozu.

*Whoosh!*

*Slash!*

*Zzzzzt!*

Nami's sword cleaved into Jozu's diamond body, which was showing signs of cracking. Jozu's expression was contorted in pain; without his Haki-enhanced defense, he would have been cut down long ago.

"It's time to end this battle." Nami said calmly, then took a deep breath.

"One Sword Style: Thunder Dragon!"

*Zzzzz!*

She swung her sword, and in an instant, a massive lightning dragon materialized in the air, speeding towards Jozu, who attempted to retreat.

Nami's eyes gleamed with determination. She wouldn't allow her prey to escape, so she swiftly moved again before the lightning dragon reached Jozu.

"Accelerate!"

She vanished from her spot with incredible speed, faster than the lightning dragon, and reappeared behind the terrified Jozu.

'My Observation Haki couldn't detect her!!' Jozu thought in panic as he tried to jump into the air to escape. But at that moment, Nami tightened her grip on her sword, coating it in the distinctive black of Armament Haki. At the same time, the lightning dragon reached Jozu.

He was completely cornered!

Jozu roared in frustration and used his Devil Fruit power to its fullest extent, encasing himself entirely in diamond.

"Let's see if your diamond can stop me."

As soon as she finished speaking, a massive explosion erupted, and those watching the battle saw figures emerge from the dissipating fog.

"What incredibly tough and bothersome diamond…" Nami sighed, observing Jozu's swollen face from her punch and the cracks in his diamond body caused by the lightning dragon.

In the end, she secured her victory. Despite the battle's length, due to Jozu's Devil Fruit abilities, she managed to defeat him.

The entire world witnessed this outcome, and from now on, Nami's name would rise to become one of the legends of the Sin Pirates!

In the Sabaody Archipelago:

"Jozu has really been defeated!" one journalist exclaimed with a serious and worried expression as he scribbled in his notebook.

"Gather all available information about this young fighter! We need to publish a hot news story!" another journalist said enthusiastically.

"Look, someone else has appeared!"

The crowd's attention shifted back to the giant screen, revealing a new scene in Marineford.

There, Marco faced Nami with a fierce and serious expression. He had been preoccupied with Kizaru and hadn't had the chance to assist Jozu.

"I'm not interested in fighting you without the captain's orders." Nami said, calmly retreating to Ren. Marco's tense gaze lingered on Nami for a moment before he looked at Jozu.

"Fortunately, he's not dead…" Marco sighed in relief and began treating Jozu using his Devil Fruit powers.

All of this happened under Whitebeard's watchful eyes from the deck of his ship, with no intention of intervening.

"Fufufufu! The Sin Pirates truly have deep and formidable monsters… I wonder how many they still have!" Doflamingo said with amusement and curiosity, though internally he thought, 'It seems the Sin Pirates aren't as simple as I thought… tsk, this is a bit troublesome…'

'But… fufufufu, I fear no one!'

Away from Doffy's inner thoughts, Nami, who had just joined Ren, smiled.

"Captain ~ I've done what you wanted." She said seductively, inching closer to him.

"Well done, Nami." He smiled at her, then added, "You can do as you please on this battlefield as long as you don't put yourselves in danger. Nami, Mikita, stay cautious."

The three separated and went their own ways, with Ren targeting Devil Fruit users among the pirates.

Ren had spared Jozu because he feared that killing him might provoke Whitebeard's direct retaliation. He preferred to weaken Whitebeard after fighting the Marine Admirals, and then he would have his chance to act.

On Sengoku's side:

Sengoku looked at the executioners in front of him and said in a stern voice, "Prepare for the execution soon!"

He then gazed into the distance, narrowing his eyes suddenly.

At the same time, the Marines noticed a huge shadow covering them.

"What is that?!"

"H—How…"

"What is that giant monster?!"

The Marines began to panic as they looked at the new arrival, whose body was blocking the sun over parts of the battlefield.

In contrast to the Marines, the Whitebeard Pirates were thrilled to see the enormous figure.

"It's Little Oars!"

"Little Oars has come to help us!"

"Kill the Marines! Mihahahaha!!"

Adrenaline surged through their bodies, making their attacks fiercer and more enthusiastic, immediately slaughtering dozens of Marines who lost focus for a moment.

"Fufufufu! This battle is really interesting!"

Doflamingo's sinister laughter echoed as he watched the ongoing battles in the arena.

*Boom!*

*Bang!*

*Boom!*

The artillery bombardment from both sides raged on, showing no signs of slowing. Every clash of weapons and collision resulted in lost lives and severed heads, painting the ground with fresh red blood and scattered limbs. The battlefield resembled a living hell, a place where demons danced.

Mothers quickly turned off the live broadcast to shield their children from the violence, and even adults struggled to watch the gruesome scenes. Yet, some rebellious children insisted on continuing to watch, knowing this battle would be a historic event.

In Alabasta:

Vivi and Kaya joined the rest of the crew, having missed the early part of the battle due to their own activities. They had just witnessed Nami's spectacular defeat of Jozu.

"Just as expected from Nami-san~," Kaya said with a slight smile.

"The Goro Goro no Mi is truly powerful! And Nami's swordsmanship is impressive," Vivi added, placing her hand over her heart.

"That's my daughter!" Bell-mère exclaimed proudly.

"Well... Nami certainly stole the spotlight this time," Nojiko said with a smile, clearly pleased to see her sister's growth.

"Indeed, the outcome of the battle wasn't too surprising," Leila added calmly.

Unlike Kaya's calm demeanor, Kalifa was deeply shocked by Nami's combat prowess.

"By the way, does anyone know who this giant called Oars is?" Zala asked curiously.

"I know a bit about him..." Robin, who had been silent, placed her hand on her chin in thought and continued, "He's known as Little Oars Jr., the captain of the Little Pirates. They made a name for themselves in the New World. There were rumors of an alliance with Whitebeard... It seems those rumors were true."

Robin's beautiful eyes were fixed on the live broadcast.

In Marineford, Oars began crushing Marine soldiers, who seemed like ants before him, with ease.

"I'll save you, Ace!" Oars roared, his words reaching the kneeling Ace on the execution platform.

"Oars!" Ace cried out, deeply moved by his friend's attempt to rescue him. Yet, he was more troubled by his own self-reproach and anger.

"Do I even deserve to be born...?" This question had plagued him since learning he was the son of the Pirate King.

'I am Portgas D. Ace... not Gold Ace!' He repeated this mantra in his mind, grinding his teeth in frustration and denial.