"IKOKU SOVEREIGNTY!"
A thunderous female voice echoed across the center of the battlefield as Charlotte Linlin—the Emperor known as Big Mom—unleashed her devastating named attack. In an instant, a terrifying shockwave erupted from her massive sword Napoleon, tearing through the air with unstoppable force.
Both warring factions could only watch in horror as the destructive wave hurtled toward them. Before anyone could properly react, dozens of combatants from both sides were engulfed by the overwhelming sword energy, their screams silenced in an instant.
Vice Admiral Doll of Marine Branch G14 looked back at the scene of devastation with wide eyes. The attack had been aimed directly at her position just moments earlier. If she hadn't instinctively dodged at the last second, she would have been obliterated without a trace.
However, her evasion had come at a terrible cost. The Marine soldiers and civilian auxiliaries who had been fighting pirates behind her position were caught in the attack instead, their lives sacrificed in her place.
Guilt and rage filled Doll's heart as she turned to face Charlotte Linlin, her eyes blazing with fury. The Emperor floated above the battlefield atop her thundercloud Zeus, seemingly unconcerned about the collateral damage she had inflicted upon friend and foe alike.
"Fall back, Doll. You're no match for her."
A cold, authoritative voice cut through her thoughts. Glancing over her shoulder, Doll recognized Admiral Akainu—the overall commander of this operation—standing with his arms crossed, magma slowly dripping from his clenched fists.
"Damn it all!" Doll hissed, not directly challenging Akainu's assessment but needing to vent her frustration. "That woman doesn't care who gets caught in her attacks. If we allow her to continue this indiscriminate destruction, our forces will suffer catastrophic losses!"
The Marine had been completely blindsided by this coordinated offensive from Big Mom and Kaido. By the time intelligence networks had detected their movements and mobilized support from various branches throughout the New World, precious time had already been lost.
Even now, the majority of their reinforcements—including Marine Hero Garp himself—remained en route to the battlefield. Fewer than thirty warships of various classes had managed to reach the front lines, carrying less than ten thousand Marine personnel between them.
On the opposing side, Big Mom had spared no expense in supporting her "little brother" Kaido. She had committed the full might of the Big Mom Pirates and all affiliated crews to this engagement. Her homies and chess soldiers alone numbered nearly thirty thousand. Combined with Kaido's remaining ten thousand subordinates, they formed a pirate armada over forty thousand strong.
The Marines were already at a severe numerical disadvantage, a situation made worse by Big Mom's reckless attacks that caused casualties on both sides indiscriminately. Several smaller Marine vessels had already been captured or destroyed, their crews lost or taken prisoner.
Akainu's gaze remained fixed on Big Mom, who stood proudly atop her animated thundercloud. Though renowned for his iron-blooded ruthlessness, even he could not stand by while his soldiers were slaughtered wholesale. These men and women represented a significant portion of the Marine's power projection capability in the New World. If they were annihilated here, the repercussions would be felt throughout the world's power balance.
"I understand the situation," Akainu finally responded, his voice grim with determination. "Go support the others. I'll hold off Big Mom myself."
Without waiting for Doll's acknowledgment, Akainu summoned a pillar of magma beneath his feet. The superheated rock propelled him skyward, launching him directly toward the floating Emperor.
Doll reached out, intending to offer some final warning or comment, but Akainu was already beyond earshot. She reluctantly lowered her arm, accepting her orders.
"Damn it all," she muttered, watching Akainu's receding figure. "Big Mom is nearly impossible to handle, but what about Kaido? Can that lightning-wielding kid really stop the World's Strongest Creature?"
Doll felt genuine concern growing in her chest. She and Vice Admiral Luffy weren't closely acquainted—she knew him primarily through headquarters reports and newspaper accounts of his exploits. Regardless of his growing reputation, in her assessment, Luffy remained a relatively inexperienced officer who had only recently attained the rank of Vice Admiral. His combat capabilities were likely comparable to her own, at best.
She had nearly been killed instantly by Big Mom's attack. How could Luffy fare any better against someone like Kaido?
"Well, at least the kid has reinforcements," she reasoned, trying to remain optimistic. "The Pirate Empress Hancock and Vice Admiral Gion are with him. If we can just hold out until help arrives..."
But even as she tried to reassure herself, the reality of their situation remained dire. The Big Mom Pirates fielded formidable commanders like Katakuri, Smoothie, Perospero, and Cracker. The Beast Pirates countered with their own elite fighters—King, Queen, Sasaki, and others of similar caliber. How could the Marines hope to repel such overwhelming force with their limited numbers?
"Admiral Borsalino, Hero Garp—this is no time for a leisurely journey!" Doll silently pleaded as she used Geppo to move rapidly between Marine vessels, offering tactical support where needed. "We need you here, now!"
As if in divine answer to her desperate thoughts, a brilliant flash of light suddenly illuminated the battlefield. The dazzling radiance focused specifically on several pirate ships that had surrounded an isolated Marine vessel.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
The familiar, languid voice was accompanied by a barrage of light particles that coalesced into deadly energy projectiles. While Admiral Kizaru was sometimes criticized for his lack of precision against human targets, his abilities proved devastatingly effective against larger objectives like ships.
In an instant, four pirate vessels within range of his light bombardment erupted in spectacular explosions, their hulls shattering before they slowly began their descent to the ocean floor.
Kizaru himself vanished immediately after unleashing his attack, reappearing moments later aboard a Marine warship directly in front of Doll's position. His characteristic yellow suit remained immaculate despite the chaos surrounding them.
"Hmm~" he drawled, adjusting his tinted glasses as he observed Akainu's fiery collision with Big Mom in the distance. "The battle seems well underway. I suppose I'm fashionably late as usual."
Seeing the Admiral's arrival, Doll rushed toward him, relief evident in her expression. Throughout the nearby Marine vessels, a wave of renewed hope spread among the beleaguered troops. Spontaneous cheers of "Victory is ours!" erupted from several ships as morale surged dramatically.
"Admiral Borsalino!" Doll called out, unable to hide her relief. "You've finally arrived!"
The tide of battle had begun to shift. With two Admirals now present on the battlefield, perhaps they stood a fighting chance after all.