Saint Dio’s ability to possess such an inconceivable weapon as Jormungandr was all thanks to his innate “cheat.” He possessed the special ability to extract the power of Devil Fruits from all things in the world and imbue it into objects.
Whether it was rock, seawater, plants, or animals, he could refine them into a complete Devil Fruit, then seal it into a weapon using his own body as a medium.
Jormungandr was born this way.
At this moment, the colossal serpent, engulfed in green flames, was churning wildly between the island’s underground and surface.
Every passage it made caused the earth to groan in agony, as massive fissures spread like spiderwebs in all directions.
Buildings collapsed in swathes, trees were uprooted, and the ground seemed to be repeatedly kneaded by a pair of invisible giant hands.
All of Grove 26 was on the verge of complete disintegration.
Jormungandr burst from the ground, its massive serpentine body carving an arc in the air before smashing down onto another patch of earth in the distance, sending a storm of debris and dust into the sky.
It repeated this action again and again.
Burying itself underground, then erupting forth, only to burrow again and burst out once more.
With each surge, it drew closer to Rayleigh’s position.
The ground he could stand on was becoming increasingly scarce.
Rayleigh stood upon a single, precarious fragment of ruins.
As he watched the mountain-sized serpent head draw closer, a wry smile finally touched his weathered face.
“Terrifying…
It looks like this thing has grown even larger since just a moment ago?” He wasn’t mistaken.
The serpent’s head had visibly expanded in size compared to its initial appearance.
It seemed to grow continuously, as if it were swelling with every mouthful of earth it devoured.
If left unchecked, the entire Sabaody Archipelago would likely be swallowed whole.
Rayleigh took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his sword.
He had no room left to retreat.
His only choice was to charge forward.
The colossal serpent head, its maw wide enough to devour everything, lunged at him with a destructive aura.
Instead of recoiling from the behemoth, Rayleigh kicked off the ground, his figure transforming into a streak of light as he charged head-on.
He channeled his entire strength and Haki into a single strike, slashing fiercely at the thickest scales between the serpent’s eyes.
“Hah—!” BOOM—!
The moment the blade struck the serpent’s scales, a thunderous crash erupted.
The resulting shockwave rippled outward, completely obliterating the already crumbling ground beneath his feet.
The colossal serpent head was forced violently to one side by the strike.
Its massive body, driven by its own momentum, toppled sideways and crashed into the sea, sending waves dozens of meters high surging into the air.
Rayleigh himself was sent flying backward like a cannonball by the terrifying recoil.
The impact split the skin of his hand, and he smashed through several crumbling walls before finally coming to a halt amidst the ruins.
Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring his figure.
As Jormungandr ceased its rampage, seawater began pouring into the fissures that had torn open across the ground.
The entire island resembled a dying beast, slowly sinking into the depths of the ocean.
Saint Dio stood at the highest point of the ruins, his gaze fixed on the dust-choked wreckage.
He was certain the troublesome old man wouldn’t be able to get back on his feet anytime soon.
He exhaled a long breath and prepared to recall Jormungandr back into his sword.
“Where is the bastard who dared attack a World Noble—!” A thunderous roar suddenly shook the heavens!
Saint Dio snapped his head up.
A burly figure had appeared, standing atop Jormungandr’s massive body as it lay sprawled across the ruins.
It was an old man with a full head of white hair, his frame tall and powerfully built.
He wore the “Justice” cloak of the Marines.
When the newcomer saw Saint Dio standing atop the ruins, a sharp glint flashed in his fierce eyes.
The next instant, he slammed his foot down onto the serpent’s massive body.
The force was so immense that it actually drove Jormungandr’s colossal form deeper into the ground.
Using the recoil, he launched himself high into the air like a cannonball, hurtling straight toward Saint Dio.
Saint Dio raised an eyebrow as the figure plummeted toward him like a meteor.
The Marines?
Based on the timing, they were indeed due to arrive.
He had expected Zephyr or Sengoku.
Instead, the World Government had sent an even more troublesome individual.
The Marine Hero, Garp the Fist.
Judging by his furious demeanor, Garp had clearly mistaken him for the “World Noble attacker.” After all, the battlefield was covered in the traces of a giant serpent’s rampage, and Saint Dio, a white-haired youth, happened to be standing right in the center of the wreckage.
He looked exactly like the culprit.
Garp’s figure rapidly grew larger in his vision.
His clenched fist, coated in jet-black Armament Haki, descended with a momentum that could shatter mountains.
Saint Dio had absolutely no desire to experience the power of that legendary “Iron Fist” firsthand.
With a mere thought, Saint Dio commanded Jormungandr’s massive body to surge from the ground, forming a living wall between himself and Garp.
BOOM!
Garp’s fist slammed squarely into Jormungandr’s scales, unleashing a dull, earth-shaking thud.
The same giant serpent that had only suffered a faint white mark from Rayleigh’s full-power sword strike now shuddered violently from this single punch.
A shallow dent formed on its scales—though the blow hadn’t pierced through, the sheer force transmitted through the armor, forcing a low hiss from Jormungandr.
“Ho?
Pretty tough, aren’t you?” Garp landed on the serpent’s body, rotated his wrist, and grinned with excitement.
Looking down at the colossal beast beneath his feet, his eyes held no fear—only the delight of a child who had found a new, interesting toy.
“Looks like a decent punching bag!” Before the words had even fully left his mouth, he swung again.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Three more punches rained down, each as heavy as a cannon blast, all striking the same patch of Jormungandr’s scales.
Under the relentless assault, the scales began to crack.
Jormungandr’s massive body buckled under the force, sinking into the earth as surrounding debris bounced into the air.
Saint Dio’s eyelid twitched slightly.
This old madman…
is actually using Jormungandr as a punching bag.
Silently, he recalled the serpent.
The colossal form receded like a tide, shrinking back into the longsword planted in the ground.
It left behind only a field of ruins and the fading echoes of the impact.
His last punch having struck empty air, Garp lost his footing and landed solidly on the ground.
He turned, his gaze locking onto Saint Dio nearby.
Grinning again, he clenched his fist, poised to charge.
“I am the World Noble you’re looking for,” Saint Dio said calmly.
Garp’s fist stopped dead, mere inches from Saint Dio’s face.
The wind from the punch ruffled the white strands of hair on Saint Dio’s forehead, but he didn’t even blink.
Garp remained frozen in his striking pose.
The expression on his face shifted from that of a battle-crazed warrior to confusion, then to awkwardness, finally settling into a stiff, forced smile.
He slowly retracted his fist, scratched his white hair, and chuckled.
“Ah…
this…
so you’re a World Noble…
This old man got it all wrong, completely wrong, haha…
hahaha…” Saint Dio stared at him, his expression impassive.
“I will report today’s events to Fleet Admiral Kong.” He dropped the words coolly and turned, walking toward the harbor.
The smile instantly froze on Garp’s face.
“Eh?!
Don’t!
Don’t do that, young man!
Let’s talk about this!
Didn’t I just make a mistake?
Look, wasn’t I rushing over here precisely to ensure the safety of a World Noble?
This…
there’s no need to report this, right?” Saint Dio continued walking without glancing back.
“Hey, hey, hey!
Young man, don’t be so grudging!
How about I treat you to some rice crackers?
My prized collection!
Super delicious!” The white-haired Marine Hero now looked like a child who had done something wrong and was trying to curry favor with his parents, waddling after Saint Dio’s back, babbling incessantly in an attempt to salvage the situation.