Chapter 65 - Cocoyasi Village 8.

[Chapter Size: 2257 Words.]

Third Person POV

Cocoyasi Island, East Blue.

...

As the two Eikons faced each other from a distance, frightened birds crossed the sky, avoiding the monstrosities that resembled small mosquitoes in comparison.

"It seems I won't be able to save energy. I tried to do that and ended up being carried away by Nami..." Luffy lamented the last clash, where he hesitated to use all his strength, trying to maintain clarity. Regret lingered in his thoughts.

Without further delay, Luffy flexed his knees, cracking the ground even more with his powerful feet. He launched into the attack, his body surrounded by purple flames, running with surprising speed. For observers, it was like witnessing a meteor sliding across the land, leaving behind a trail of fire as he headed towards Garuda, which was 2 kilometers away. In just a few seconds, he reached the winged monstrosity, creating a path of flames in his wake.

*FLAMES*

Witnessing Luffy's onslaught, Garuda tried to fly, but before she could react, the Straw Hat Captain was already in front of her, ready to deliver a punch enveloped in flames.

*BOOM!*

Garuda adopted a defensive posture, crossing her arms, but the impact of the fiery punch shook her, propelling her backward. At the peak of imbalance, Luffy held her with a single hand, bringing her back into his proximity. In a fluid motion, he swung his arm over Ifrit's shoulder, lifting the giant Mythical Zoan into the air and then letting her fall backward with a thunderous impact.

*CRACK*

The echo of the crash reverberated as the ground cracked under the colossal fall. Luffy didn't stop there; quickly, he swung his arm back and then thrust it forward, delivering a fiery punch from the ground toward Garuda.

*FLAMES*

*BOOM!*

*CRACK*

The impressive sound of flames, explosion, and the ground cracking echoed once again, causing the entire island to tremble slightly.

'Give up, Garuda. You can't keep going like this...' Luffy murmured to himself, holding onto the hope that Nami would return to her normal state.

'Hm?!' Luffy was surprised to feel the concentration of wind growing beneath him. Before he could react, a hurricane engulfed him, throwing him away, challenging even the resilience of his colossal body.

Garuda's hurricane wind, fueled by Nami's uncontrollable power, had a deafening roar. The blast of air swept everything in its path as Garuda was being pressed down by Ifrit above her; even the nearby landscape did not escape unscathed, toppling trees, rocks, and anything in the path of the unbridled fury. The impact shook the island once again.

'Darn, that hurt!' Luffy muttered as he flew through the air.

After being hit by Garuda's hurricane, Luffy, transformed into Ifrit, was thrown into the sky in a diagonal line, crossing the air like a giant, uncontrolled puppet. The impact was strong, but Luffy skillfully adjusted his position in the air to land on his feet while his amethyst flames flickered furiously around him.

Ifrit's paws plunged into the ground with a deafening crash; the colossal body of Ifrit dove towards the earth, causing a violent shockwave. The ground trembled under the massive impact, cracking and fragmenting with the force of Ifrit's grounding. The trees around bent before the arrival of the colossal figure, some being uprooted.

Dust and debris rose in a dense cloud, momentarily obscuring the view. The crater formed by the impact expanded rapidly with its weight alone, revealing the magnitude of its force. Birds already frightened by the fight, which had stirred the entire island, took flight towards the sea, dispersing in the face of the intensity of the battle caused on the island. The earth itself seemed to groan under the weight of Luffy and Garuda's transformation since they began the confrontation.

Ifrit's gaze turned to its opponent in the distance, but beyond rising again, Luffy saw her tilt her wings. His eyes followed with intensity every beat of Garuda's wings, which, with powerful gusts, majestically rose from the ground. With each upward movement, the harpy gained altitude until reaching a height of 500 meters.

'With her flying, things are going to get more difficult...' Luffy thought.

The imposing silhouette of Garuda stood out against the sky, wings beating in a majestic rhythm as she hovered in the air. The mocking expression in the harpy's eyes echoed challenge, indicating that the battle was far from over. While Luffy fixed his defiant gaze on Garuda, who soared in the skies.

'I wanted to avoid this, not to spend even more energy, as I won't be able to endure much longer conscious in the Ifrit transformation. But since you leave me no choice, let's see this through to the final phase.' Luffy pondered, however, faced with Garuda's persistence, he concluded that he had no choice but to advance to the last phase. With determination, he concentrated his power on his back.

A dazzling explosion of light radiated from Luffy, outlining the wings taking shape. The intense brightness eclipsed even the flames that surrounded Ifrit. In this splendor, two black wings, as deep as the night, emerged. They radiated intense heat, while amethyst flames danced vibrantly along their lengths, giving an even more imposing aura to Luffy's transformation. The surrounding environment trembled with the majestic manifestation of the power that now flowed through him.

Without wasting time, Luffy flexed his knees and propelled himself to the next stage of the transformation. The environment around him seemed to vibrate with the energy emanating from Ifrit's colossal figure.

With a powerful thrust, Luffy jumped from the wreckage of the forest, the ground exploding under his feet once again as Ifrit took off into the sky, and the forest shrank with the wind he produced with it. The roar of the jump reverberated through the landscape, echoing the power contained in that colossal charge.

Ifrit enveloped its body in flames as it ascended into the air, beating its wings to meet Garuda in the skies.

*ROOOOOAAAARRR!*

A resounding roar echoed through the air as Garuda, realizing the charge, leaned in for the encounter, her hands surrounded by a vortex of dark and green wind once again.

'This time, it was to increase the intensity of my flames to face her!' Luffy reasoned, intensifying the temperature far beyond the last confrontation, when he was just testing the waters and conserving energy.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

The explosion of the blows manifested in the air above the island. However, all witnesses still felt the tension of the two colors in conflict, each representing the power of Ifrit and Garuda.

Ifrit got the upper hand against Garuda this time, pushing her back 3 kilometers in the air due to the impact towards the sea. She managed to recover in the air, thanks to her wings, but the force of the blow made it clear that the balance of the battle was shifting.

Luffy didn't hesitate and was already on her at that moment, finding himself in the middle of the vast ocean. Garuda, in turn, didn't want to be taken by surprise again and responded to Luffy with the same intensity.

People on the island could see Garuda and Ifrit exchanging blows as they flew through the air a few kilometers away.

*BOOOM!*

Several kilometers above the sea, Garuda and Ifrit delivered their colossal blows, creating a spectacle of lights and explosions in the firmament. The sunlight, filtered through the clouds, shone through the sparks and flames dancing in the wake of the aerial clashes.

Luffy, in his Ifrit form, dove and ascended with agility, leaving a trail of purple flames in his path. His flaming punches relentlessly sought the agile Garuda as she skillfully slid between the attacks, slicing through the air with her sharp claws.

*BOOOM!*

*CRACK!*

*ROOOOOOAAAAR!*

The explosions illuminated the sky, highlighting the imposing silhouettes of these titanic creatures. The sea below seemed small and distant, witnessing the grandeur and fury of this celestial battle. Each blow exchanged between Garuda and Ifrit reverberated through space, like a symphony of destruction echoing across the entire island and beyond.

The roar of the explosions echoed like thunder, and the seismic impacts were felt even at a considerable distance. It was a spectacle that transcended human understanding, a monumental sight they never imagined witnessing. Two titanic colossi, Garuda and Ifrit, entwined in a dance of destruction, fiercely punching each other while floating several kilometers high.

The magnitude of this divine battle was surreal, a scene that challenged the boundaries of credulity. For the spectators on the island, it was as if they were watching a fight between gods in the very sky. This awe-inspiring image was destined to be etched into their memories, leaving an indelible mark that would endure for the rest of their lives.

Even the Straw Hats were mesmerized, witnessing this epic battle between titans.

"Yamato, Luffy said for you to intervene if something happens to him, but let's be honest, can you get involved in the middle of that fight?" Reiju asked, lighting a cigarette now that the battle seemed to have tilted in their favor.

After eliminating the last harpies, which had apparently ceased, probably because Garuda needed energy for the battle and didn't create them anymore, Yamato pondered: "It's really hard to say. Even with Hack, I would still be facing two monsters with powerful elements..."

"Luffy-sama will make it!" Shirahoshi confidently affirmed, now that she had returned to the crew after the battle.

"Look, Luffy is gaining the upper hand!" observed Zoro.

From a distance, they could see Luffy landing a right hook on Garuda.

"What is he doing?"

"He's going to do something to her!"

In the instant following that powerful punch, everyone witnessed Luffy, with Garuda stunned in the skies, wrapping her from behind, firmly holding her arms and pinning her wings. In a fluid motion, his body started spinning towards the island, the purple flames intensifying around him. Like a flaming meteor, Luffy projected himself directly towards the island, carrying with him the other imposing winged creature. An uncontrollable chain of fire formed, leaving everyone on the island gaping at the fiery spectacle inexorably approaching.

"He can't be coming here, can he?" Shirahoshi, seeing Luffy's trajectory, raised the question.

"Yes! HE IS COMING DIRECTLY HERE!" Reiju let her cigarette fall from her mouth, panicking.

"RUN! RUN!" Johnny shouted in desperation.

"RUN!" Yamato also warned, watching that enormous meteor formed by two 50-meter creatures flying towards them.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"SHARKYYYYYYYYYY!"

"AUUUUUU!!!!"

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE LIKE THIS!"

"RUUUUUUUN!"

"WE'RE GOING TO BE CRUSHED!"

"SHUT UP AND JUST RUN!"

While the crew ran in fear, Luffy reached the ground just a bit before where the crew was.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!*

Ifrit, accompanied by Garuda, crashed with a roar into the water on the beach, generating a deafening shockwave that rippled through the area.

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK*

The earth was abruptly lifted as the colossal entity descended, dragging Garuda across the island. The impact began on the beach and spread across the entire length of the island until reaching its center. During this terrible path of destruction, Ifrit didn't hesitate to drag Garuda, ruthlessly rubbing her on the ground. The resounding roar and the resulting tremors echoed throughout the island, making people feel the ground shaking beneath their feet. Panic set in, and the island's inhabitants watched in horror, unable to believe what their eyes were witnessing.

The only sound permeating the island was the echo of the impact, with debris flying in all directions, creating a trail of destruction. The line of smoke rising at the end of this path of chaos outlined the imposing figure of Ifrit, which rose majestically after the confrontation that had left its indelible mark on the island's landscape.

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR! The vibrant roar echoed as a proclamation of victory, reverberating through the island that now displayed visible scars from the colossal battle.

"I won, but I'm almost turning into a beastly mind. Luckily, I triumphed before my consciousness completely succumbed to Ifrit," murmured Luffy, his eyes fixed on the ground just 50 meters away. There, he witnessed Garuda unconscious, whose form suddenly began to glow, undoing her transformation. Her body shrank to take the form of a small unconscious girl, now lying in the middle of the crater.

'Thank goodness it's over, finally.' Luffy thought relieved as he reverted his transformation. Everyone could witness Ifrit shining intensely before disappearing the next moment. With a small explosion, Luffy touched the ground in the center of the clearing. Rising from the dust, he approached Nami lying on the ground and bruised.

'You sure give me some trouble, silly girl...' Luffy commented with a bit of difficulty breathing, reaching his mental limit as well.

A thunderous noise echoed from the other side, and Luffy didn't need to look in that direction to know it was the sea flooding the crater line with force.

"I better get Nami out of here!" He muttered, but he was out of strength.

The last thing he remembers is footsteps approaching before fainting, recognizing it to be Yamato by the sound of their wooden sandals, a traditional attire in Wano. Luffy just smiled and allowed his mind to rest after so much exhaustion in this intense battle.

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