Chapter 839: The Arduous Task
After leaping high into the air and assuming a defensive stance to block the violently surging storm, Ian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As mentioned earlier, Uranus itself wasn't actually that powerful. Its massive body granted it unparalleled strength, but against someone much smaller and highly agile, missing its target rendered it useless. Moreover, Uranus still hadn't recovered from its previous battle with Kaido. When Ian was on Amazon Lily, the life force he had taken from Uranus's body had affected its recovery ability. So at this moment, Uranus was far from its peak strength.
However, Uranus's Devil Fruit ability was simply too heaven-defying. Devil Fruits were already the greatest black technology in this world, and Uranus's fruit was the ultimate black technology among Devil Fruits!
For Uranus, there was no opponent that a single nuclear explosion couldn't handle. If there was, then it would just launch two, three, or a dozen more!
To be honest, if Ian hadn't confirmed that the "rejection" power of the Twin Heaven Return Shield could resist Uranus's radiation, he wouldn't have dared to risk fighting Uranus. Now, the only person with a hope of defeating Uranus happened to be Ian himself. Not only did he possess powerful offensive abilities, but he also had speed surpassing ordinary people, allowing him to handle Uranus's attacks calmly. So it could be said that Ian was the best candidate to go head-to-head with Uranus.
Letting out a long sigh, Ian turned and dove back down toward Uranus below!
Before Uranus could react, Ian landed on its back. Gripping his Black Wing Demon sword diagonally downward, he swung it and unleashed a massive sword slash!
The slash cut several meters deep into the ground, heading straight for Uranus's scales beneath the earth's crust. It broke through Uranus's solid dragon scales, carving a huge, bleeding wound on its back.
Even as slow-witted as Uranus was, it now felt the intense pain from its back. It realized that the tiny enemy hadn't died in the earlier explosion but had landed on its back instead. Twisting its body mid-air, it performed a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree roll, trying to shake Ian off.
Such a move naturally made it hard for Ian to stay steady, but the moment he fell, he took off again. This time, he flew toward Uranus's wing. As he passed by it, he struck swiftly with his sword, landing a heavy blow on its wing bone!
He couldn't kill Uranus yet, so Ian had to use this method to severely wound it, weakening its combat power while also provoking it as much as possible!
Sure enough, with Ian's sword cutting more than halfway through its wing bone, nearly severing it, Uranus let out an enraged dragon roar. Its long neck twisted, and it opened its massive mouth to bite at its own wing!
However, just as its sharp teeth were about to reach Ian, a sonic boom sounded. Ian once again escaped Uranus's attack range at supersonic speed, barely avoiding having its own wing bitten off!
While flying away, Ian twisted mid-air. Intense lightning began to flash from his right arm. The next second, a metal pellet the size of a ping-pong ball, accompanied by the lightning, shot out like a beam of light, piercing straight through one of Uranus's hard dragon fangs—several meters in diameter—on its upper jaw, snapping it off at the root!
Teeth are always the most sensitive part of any creature, as they're connected to numerous nerves. Pulling a tooth is said to be more painful than childbirth. If that's true for humans, then Uranus, this giant dragon, was no exception. Having a tooth root forcibly broken by Ian's railgun caused such pain that Uranus nearly went mad.
Ignoring everything, it raised its head again and fired a nuclear explosion sphere toward Ian's direction!
This time, it wasn't the slow attack it had used before. Though the sphere was smaller, it was much faster. Just as Ian activated supersonic speed to escape, the sphere exploded!
Even at such close range, the nuclear explosion had little effect on Uranus itself. Not only was it immune to radiation, but its massive body also provided enough mass to withstand the blast. The shockwave storm from the explosion was powerful, but it couldn't push Uranus far.
Ian, on the other hand, was too small and light. The nuclear explosion's range was large, and his supersonic speed wasn't enough to fully escape. When the shockwave hit, Ian was sent tumbling through the air, blown several kilometers away in the blink of an eye!
Struggling to stabilize himself mid-air, Ian felt dizzy and disoriented.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
He slapped his face a couple of times to clear his head, then turned around, located Uranus's position, and charged again.
By now, Uranus sensed something was wrong. That damn little insect was different from any enemy it had faced before. Its attacks seemed to have no effect on him—they only pushed him farther away without causing any injury.
So Uranus started to feel scared. While Ian was being blown away, it tried to fly away from this sea area!
But it had no idea that Ian wasn't truly capable of suppressing it completely. The biggest factor limiting Ian's combat power was his stamina. Such intense battles consumed enormous energy. He wasn't a monster with a physically tough body like Kaido. Compared to Kaido, his stamina was only average. How could such a fierce fight not leave him exhausted?
Even though Uranus couldn't hurt Ian now, once Ian's stamina dropped too much, he might not be able to maintain the Twin Heaven Return Shield's protection. Remember, Ian's psychic power recovery was tied to his stamina.
Ian himself knew this weakness. That's why, whenever possible, he tried to end battles quickly with powerful moves, avoiding prolonged fights.
But now, this was truly a huge test for Ian. He had to push his stamina to the limit, keep Uranus occupied, and wear it down as much as possible, all while creating an opportunity for Ace to strike...
Understanding the importance of his mission, Ian didn't dare be careless. After regaining his focus, he resumed trading blows with Uranus.
The live broadcast footage was too far away to be clear. People around the world watching this great battle could only see Uranus's massive silhouette roaring in the sky, with powerful explosions erupting near its body. They couldn't clearly see how Ian was attacking Uranus, but they knew that the Four Emperor Black Dragon Ian's strength surpassed everyone's imagination. After all, his opponent was the legendary strongest among the three ancient weapons—Uranus!
Seeing Uranus's red blood occasionally dripping down from the sky, people realized that Uranus was at a disadvantage in its fight with Ian!
This excited many who hated or even loathed the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. Even knowing Ian couldn't hear them, they shouted encouragement at their TV screens. Meanwhile, those siding with the World Government and the Celestial Dragons watched with pale faces and cold sweat, understanding that if Uranus was truly defeated, the World Government and the Celestial Dragons would be finished!
On the Sunny, Ace held onto the cooling device, using binoculars to watch the distant black shadow in the sky. He was sweating for Ian. Though he wanted to help, he knew his own mission.
On the other side, Buggy the Clown, along with his pirate crew and the Pirate Dispatch Organization, was aboard the Pluton warship, clearing the islands near this sea area. Although the islands were far apart, the Pluton didn't need to get too close. Its cannons had enough range—they just needed to fire from a distance. During Ian's battle with Uranus, Buggy had already bombarded three islands where Uranus could have rested.
The battle on the New World's sea was ongoing, as was the battle at Marine Headquarters, Marineford. A large number of Revolutionary Army ships kept appearing. Under the command of Sabo and several senior Revolutionary Army officers, they launched the most dangerous siege in history against Marine Headquarters. The Marines, in turn, deployed their elite forces—over a dozen active Vice Admirals and many Marine officers—as the main combatants, with all their might protecting the justice fortress of Marine Headquarters.
In Holy Land Mary Geoise, fighting was equally chaotic. Kizaru had finally arrived with Momousagi and Chat Don, three Marine Admirals, belatedly supporting the Five Elders. However, they were intercepted by Dragon, Aokiji, and Zephyr. Their battle had already destroyed most of Mary Geoise...
Meanwhile, across the world, the Revolutionary Army suddenly launched an unprecedented wave of uprisings and rebellions, overthrowing several tyrannical regimes...
On this day, the entire world was simultaneously plunged into war. Without any warning, a war sweeping the globe had erupted!
Who would win? Who would lose? No one could guess yet, but everyone understood that from today onward, the world's structure would change...
Time passed bit by bit. Uranus was already covered in wounds from Ian's attacks. But Ian had also endured over a dozen of Uranus's nuclear explosions, leaving him exhausted, panting, and nearing his limit.
The airspace where the one-man-one-dragon battle had taken place had even changed the weather. Dark clouds gathered high in the sky, unable to dissipate. The surrounding air took on an eerie gray-red hue. The sea below had long since boiled, bubbling violently with countless bubbles. Countless dead fish, shrimp, and sea creatures floated on the surface. The entire battlefield exuded a deadly, apocalyptic aura.
Uranus's body was covered in huge sword slash wounds. Its weak points, like wings and tail, were full of holes pierced by the railgun. Various parts of its body showed scorch marks from the Black Dragon Wave. It looked utterly miserable...
Moreover, its entire body had swelled by about a full size, radiating intense heat...
It had finally reached its limit. Its remaining consciousness and instincts told it that if it let its body heat up any further, it would burn itself to death first!
So it was scared. Ignoring Ian's attacks, it rammed its massive body into Ian, pushing him aside, and flew straight ahead. Its wings flapped pathetically, like a dog with its tail between its legs. The only thing on its mind now was finding a place to land and drink water...
But sensing Uranus's intent, Ian realized the opportunity had come!
Without needing his reminder, Ace, who had been waiting on the Sunny, spread his white flame wings and shot into the sky.
Luffy and the others looked up, shielding their eyes with their hands, but they could only see two trails of flame—one white, one black—chasing after Uranus's massive form.
"Hurry! Call Usopp! We're following too!" Luffy shouted anxiously, slapping the railing...