"Roman, I'll help you!"
The storm clouds that Nami had worked so hard to gather were blown apart by Teach's powerful counterattack. Seeing this, she gave up on large-scale weather attacks altogether—after all, anyone still standing on Whole Cake Island at this point was at least a two-billion-berry-level powerhouse. The small fry had long been wiped out by the overwhelming attacks.
"Perfect timing. In my current state, I can't activate the fourth stage of 'Eternal Battlefield' alone."
From cannon fodder… to elite troops… to heroes… naturally, the next step was legendary warriors!
With a rustling sound, Roman's body dissolved into sheets of white paper that wrapped around Nami as she flew toward him. When the paper disappeared, Nami blinked in confusion.
"Huh? What just happened?"
"Heh, heh… My Devil Fruit awakening has unlocked most of my recording ability's true power. This move—'Jacket Ability'—is now fully under my control."
Hearing her own voice say this, Nami covered her forehead with her hand.
"Seriously? Who else would ever let you 'wear' them like a jacket?"
"Come on, don't be so stingy—"
Nami's expression shifted from exasperation to a playful smirk—the kind of grin that *Roman* would usually have.
Just as she said, Roman's full-power 'Jacket Ability' essentially forced possession onto its target. Apart from herself, who else would willingly let Roman control their body?
…Actually, maybe Luffy would…
"Alright, let's start the fourth stage!"
Roman had no idea what crazy thoughts were running through Nami's mind. After this long battle, even though his Devil Fruit had awakened, both his stamina and spirit were running on fumes. He had barely managed to recover a bit by using his life-paper technique, but…
There was no way that compared to directly taking control of Nami, who was in **perfect condition**!
"Roman, please don't use my body to do anything *too* crazy…"
"Don't worry, I just need your precise control over your powers. You won't have to fight directly. Watch carefully—"
Even though he couldn't make Nami engage in direct combat, Roman, after awakening his powers, could now:
"This is how you use the invincible Paper-Paper Fruit!"
————
"Hmph, running out of strength already?"
Teach unleashed another "Skyquake: Shattered Jade," blasting apart a towering one-eyed lion-like beast in front of him. His gaze swept across the battlefield—most of the paper puppets had been wiped out...
"Watch out, big brother!"
?!
In an instant, Teach dodged to the side. It was hard to believe that someone of his massive build could move so quickly, yet the fresh cut on his waist proved he hadn't completely avoided the attack. And the attacker—
"Answering the call,"
A young woman with golden hair tied in a bun appeared, clad in a sky-blue battle robe with silver armor. She had an air of nobility and strength. The invisible sword in her hand was the very weapon that had just wounded Teach.
"So, you're my enemy?"
Her answer came in the form of a massive fist, larger than her entire body! Teach wasn't some ACG fan who would hesitate just because his opponent was a blonde, beautiful swordswoman. Meanwhile—
"Roman, mind explaining who this 'girl' is?"
Roman's human-shaped puppets weren't created out of thin air—there had to be an original model. So—
"Hahaha~ As expected, after awakening my Devil Fruit, making complex 'figures' is as easy as pie."
Roman, using Nami's body, laughed proudly. "This is Artoria Pendragon, also known as King Arthur in ancient Britain—cough, anyway, she's a legendary swordmaster from history."
I don't read much, but you're definitely messing with me!
Nami barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She wasn't an expert in archaeology, but she was close friends with Robin, and Robin had never mentioned a female swordmaster like this in history...
"Wind King Barrier!"
A sudden burst of strong wind deflected Teach's fist, revealing the weapon in the golden-haired knight's hands—
A magnificent golden greatsword!
"...I feel like she doesn't match our style at all," Nami muttered.
Roman shrugged using her body.
"This is a multi-ability combat unit. It's an ultimate move I've been planning for a long time. Without my awakened powers, I couldn't have created it, so just focus on controlling them—"
Whether it was the dialogue or the fighting, in the end, it was still just Roman controlling "The White Knight."
But now, the "upgraded version" could not only imitate any character but also carry multiple abilities. Roman had even used Soul-Soul powers to temporarily grant them personality, making them far more advanced than the previous lifeless "White Knight."
Just as Teach's other fist, wrapped in the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's energy, blasted toward the golden-haired swordswoman, a massive ice disk spun toward him with a sharp whistle!
Forced to react, Teach turned and smashed the icy projectile with a powerful punch.
"If this monster is the darkness in your heart, then I have a reason to fight!"
A young man with messy black hair, bare-chested with a strange symbol on his right pectoral, dashed across the battlefield on ice shards. Razor-sharp ice blades extended from his arms as he spun midair, unleashing a storm of slashes!
"Ice Make: Ice Blades—Seven-Strike Dance!"
"...That's awesome!!"
On the sidelines, Luffy was practically drooling with excitement. Sanji, without missing a beat, shoved a plate of food into Luffy's gaping mouth.
But still—
Roman's powers were getting more and more flashy...
It was like he was an entire team of ability users all by himself! He could do everything. Maybe he didn't even need—
No, no, no. Sanji shook his head, pushing away the ridiculous thought.
They had fought, supported each other, laughed, and traveled together. None of them would have made it this far alone! That kind of thinking had no place in his mind.
Meanwhile, despite Teach smashing through countless enemies, the two puppets in front of him had absorbed massive amounts of Haki and energy from the Whole Cake Island battlefield. They had reached the level of top Four Emperors commanders! Working together, even Teach couldn't take them down quickly.
"Lafitte, can't we use the Dark-Dark Fruit to suppress these puppets?"
Teach turned to the black-haired girl perched on his left shoulder, who shook her head.
"No. They're all covered in external Armament Haki. If we can't break through that—"
"I see,"
The Dark-Dark Fruit was devastating against other Devil Fruit users, but against powerful Haki users, it wasn't as unstoppable. And since these were just puppets, even if they were destroyed, it wouldn't affect Roman's real body.
"Then I'll handle this."
On Teach's right shoulder, a girl with long, straight black hair named Annie appeared. There was a faint scar on her chest, but after sharing and healing through their three-linked lives, she was able to command the "Homies" in battle once again.
"Scorching Sun: Aramitama Fire!"
She reached out and grabbed a mass of flames, then with a gentle wave of her hand, massive fireballs, as large as houses, shot toward several "Legendary Puppets." They rained down like ruthless miniature suns, one after another! The intense heat was so overwhelming that even those fighting a thousand meters away could feel a burning sensation all over their bodies.
"Just because I'm made of paper, you think I'm afraid of fire? How naive."
Roman (Nami) narrowed his eyes, and another cluster of paper flew toward the incoming fireballs. Mid-flight, the paper rapidly reshaped and transformed into a young boy with short cherry-colored hair, a black short-sleeved jacket, tight-fitting pants, sandals, and a white checkered scarf wrapped around his neck.
As the fireballs came crashing down, he simply opened his mouth—
Inhale—
The raging flames were sucked in like they had been caught in a deep-sea whirlpool, disappearing into the boy's stomach. Even Teach was stunned by the sight. What the hell was that?
"Now that I've eaten it, I feel the power surging inside me!"
As the scarfed boy absorbed the fire, flames began flickering across his body. His entire figure ignited—
"Ohhh! I'm on fire!"
"...Actually, he's using the 'Munch-Munch Fruit' with the 'Bag-Bag Fruit' to absorb the flames, then controlling them with the 'Flame-Flame Fruit' ability..."
"No, I'm just speechless at the way you're making your puppet shout those ridiculous lines."
"Haha, just think of it as a little hobby of mine."
Roman controlled three special puppets as they clashed fiercely with Teach. Though Teach would eventually figure out the combat styles of the "Swordsman Heroic Spirit," the "Ice Sculpting Mage," and the "Flame Dragon Slayer," he still had the upper hand in the long run.
After all, Roman's versions were just knock-offs. The real "Eternal Fantasy Land," "Absolute Zero Freeze," and "Black Flame Dragon Mode" were way out of reach. But—
"The time has come, Teach—!"
?
As Teach glanced over in confusion, Roman (Nami) raised a single finger toward the sky.
"Get ready to face the strongest attack in my 'Eternal Domain'!"
Above them, beyond the blue sky and white clouds that had been torn apart by Teach's earlier attacks, countless shining mirrors floated in the air, held up by paper. They formed a vast golden sea of sunflowers, stretching far beyond the battlefield of Whole Cake Island.
"A Mirror-Mirror Fruit user not using sunlight reflection? What a waste, right?"
As Roman manipulated the papers holding the mirrors, they began to turn, redirecting all the sunlight toward a single point in the center! Originally, this move was meant for Nami to activate, but now—
Standing at the focal point was a girl with tea-colored twin tails, wearing a white battle robe. She gripped a long magic staff, its golden, three-sided tip embedded with a fiery red gemstone. The staff looked more like a spear than a wand.
"Heart of the Rising Sun—Sky Break Mode!"
"Buster set!"
A golden magic circle, one meter in diameter, formed around the tip of her staff. It continuously absorbed the concentrated sunlight reflected from the sunflower-like Mirror Coat formation, then compressed, twisted, and fused it together—
"A magical girl should make friends with a cannon blast! Take this shot, and we'll be friends!"
????
The entire battlefield—except for Roman—was baffled by the words, but there was no questioning the sheer power of the attack—
"Divine Sunbreaker Cannon!"
Whoosh—
A blazing, radiant, unstoppable pillar of destruction shot down like a spear of judgment from the heavens, striking directly at Teach's position. The blast was so massive that it not only engulfed Teach but also the three special units that had been restraining him.
Boom!!! A massive pillar of light, carrying an unimaginable force of destruction, crashed down from the sky and pierced straight through Whole Cake Island!
—————
PS: Ahem, since it's rare to pull off such a big move... might as well go all out this time. Anyway, the next enemy is going to be truly "unstoppable."
(End of chapter)