The atmosphere in the arena had become scorching hot after two consecutive victories.
However, when the final captain, Aine, slowly walked into the field, that boiling heat was forcefully suppressed by a cold, calm current.
Unlike Daisy and Marsha, Aine carried no close-combat weapons.
Strapped to her back was a massive black longbow nearly as tall as a person — the “Gorgon’s Bow,” a specialty of Amazon Lily.
“Night, I acknowledge that your strength and reaction speed surpass that of any ordinary beast.”
Aine stood at the farthest edge of the arena, calmly drawing a specially made barbed arrow from her quiver and nocking it on the string.
“But the most foolish thing a warrior can do is pit their weakness against the enemy’s strength.
Daisy lost in a contest of raw power.
Marsha lost in close-quarters coiling.”
She slowly drew the bowstring.
Muscles bulged along her slender arms as jet-black Armament Haki flowed like ink, rapidly coating the arrowhead and bow.
“I won’t give you any chance to get close.”
Zane remained in his Gigantification form, his fifteen-meter-long body coiled imposingly in the center.
While incredibly intimidating, in Aine’s eyes it simply meant —
An enormous target that was impossible to miss.
“Hiss— (Want to kite me?)”
Zane’s golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly.
He was about to charge using explosive power, but the inertia of his massive body caused a slight delay in acceleration.
In that instant—
Twang!
A sharp sound like a breaking string ripped through the air.
Fast!
Incredibly fast!
The archery of Amazon Lily was famous across the seas.
Combined with Armament Haki, this arrow exceeded the speed of sound!
Zane barely managed to tilt his head.
Puchi!
The Haki-coated arrow pierced straight through his proud Steel Scales, embedding deeply into the muscle beneath his neck!
“Hiss!!!”
The intense pain made Zane roar in fury.
While it hadn’t hit a vital spot, the arrow seemed coated with a paralyzing poison.
A burning sting spread from the wound.
“And it’s not over yet.”
In the distance, Aine’s hands moved like phantoms.
Twang twang twang twang twang!
Five arrows fired in a fan formation, completely sealing off all of Zane’s advance routes.
Each one precisely targeted the weak joints in his massive body.
“Damn it!
This body is too big to dodge!”
Zane wanted to cancel Gigantification and shrink to evade, but the system warned: [Gigantification Cooldown: 30 seconds].
Since he couldn’t dodge, he would endure!
Gritting through the pain, Zane concentrated all his newly learned Armament Haki on his head and charged forward like a heavy tank through the arrow rain!
Clang clang clang!
The arrows struck his Haki-coated scales, sending sparks flying.
While he blocked the fatal damage, the repeated hammer-like impacts left him dizzy, slowing his charge.
“Now!”
Aine’s eyes turned icy.
She pulled three special crimson arrows from a unique quiver at her waist.
The arrowheads were coated with Amazon Lily’s custom flammable incendiary oil and tied with small explosive packets.
“Beasts are beasts after all.
Some fears are engraved into their genes and cannot be overcome.”
Scratch!
The arrowheads scraped against the bow, igniting instantly.
“Fire Serpent: Exploding Barrage!”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Three burning rockets trailed long flames across the sky.
Instead of aiming directly at Zane, they struck the sandy ground around him with pinpoint accuracy.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The explosives detonated the incendiary oil, turning the dry sand into a blazing sea of fire!
“Fire?!”
Seeing the roaring orange flames rising, Zane’s charging body suddenly froze.
It was pure snake instinct.
Cold-blooded creatures had a deep, primal terror of high heat and flames.
The scorching sensation made their blood feel like it was boiling and scrambled their nerves.
“Hiss…”
Zane instinctively tried to retreat.
His massive body appeared to shrink back in front of the flames, his previously ferocious aura suppressed to the bottom.
“It’s not over!
Arrow Rain: Fire Dragon Dance!”
Aine pressed her advantage, her hands moving at blinding speed.
In this moment, she became a walking artillery battery.
Countless burning rockets rained down like a meteor shower, completely surrounding Zane.
The center of the arena instantly transformed into a blazing inferno!
“It’s over…”
Many Kuja tribeswomen in the stands shook their heads.
“Strong as he is, he’s still afraid of fire.”
“Yeah, once snakes encounter flames of this scale, their combat power drops instantly.”
“Captain Aine truly is the most reliable.”
On the high platform, Hancock shot to her feet, gripping the railing so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“Night…”
She could feel the fear and agitation radiating from Zane.
“Should we stop it, Lady Snake Princess?” Sandersonia asked worriedly.
“If it burns any longer, his scales will peel and his internal organs will be damaged.”
Hancock bit her soft lip, a rare struggle flashing in her beautiful eyes.
Just as everyone thought the outcome was decided and the giant black python would collapse due to primal fear—
In the heart of the sea of flames, the massive black shadow that had been retreating suddenly stopped.