As the Raigo descended, the overwhelming threat sent a sharp jolt through everyone's nerves.
Katakuri and Perospero's pupils shrank and they immediately activated their abilities, coating them with Haki.
"Candy Wall!"
"Mochi Shield!"
Layer after layer of candy and mochi, hardened with Haki, stacked into a massive dome that shielded their younger siblings.
Borsalino turned into light and vanished without a trace.
Zzzzt!
The moment the giant lightning ball struck, the ground trembled, and thunder roared like a beast gone mad.
Where the ball landed—whether the earth, seawater, or the Haki-reinforced walls—everything began to dissolve, releasing thick clouds of white mist.
Soon, half the island was shrouded in the smoke. Combined with the thunderclouds above and the ash drifting below, it looked like the end of the world.
On the sea, countless fish and Sea Kings floated lifeless. All had been cooked alive. Even the ocean had started to boil.
Enel's eyes turned cold and he poured all his energy into suppressing the lightning ball, forcing it further into the island's interior.
It accelerated again, burying itself into nearly a quarter of the land.
* * *
Whoosh!
A streak of blade light burst from the center of the island and shot into the sky.
Rumble!
The entire island quaked wildly as the land cracked apart and a deep abyss carved the landscape in two, with mountains and boulders tumbling into the void below.
From inside the rift, a red light flared, growing larger by the second.
Big Mom's figure rushed out first. Right behind her, a colossal magma dragon—hundreds of meters wide and seemingly endless—chased upward, jaws wide open.
Catching a glimpse of Raigo still descending near the island's edge, she twisted midair.
"Ikoku Sovereignty!"
A huge, cylindrical shockwave of sword energy, infused with Conqueror's Haki, blasted downward. It crushed the lava dragon's head and kept going, drilling deep into the earth.
Boom!
The dragon's body abruptly exploded, shattering the sword energy. It then scattered into a storm of molten spears that stabbed toward Big Mom.
She glared at the oncoming spears and with a flick of her left arm, smashed through a large portion of them.
Then, raising Napoleon in her right hand, she aimed it at the Raigo.
"Maser Cannon!"
Flames and lightning swirled around the blade, forming a closed energy loop.
A high-density laser blasted out, shooting toward the edge of the island and striking the thunder ball.
At the same moment, from the underground abyss, a beam of equally compressed magma heat ray shot up, slicing through the air.
Waves of white-hot shock rippled around the edges as laser and magma clashed.
BOOM!
A mushroom cloud, just as big as Raigo, erupted into the sky.
The shockwave from the explosion shook the thunder ball, causing it to tremble and show signs of breaking apart.
* * *
Back at the port, the layers of mochi and candy, stacked like a giant turtle shell, detonated outward as numerous sharp spikes shot into the thundercloud above.
Again and again they formed, were destroyed, and then rapidly reformed before exploding. In mere moments, half of the enormous Raigo had been shattered.
Hovering in the air, Enel snorted. "Quick reflexes, huh."
He had planned to let the thunder ball dig halfway into the island before detonating it to maximize its power. But battlefields were unpredictable, and his plan had been foiled in an instant.
'In that case…'
Enel raised his golden staff high. Electricity surged from its tip and connected with the clouds above.
"200,000,000 Volt: Amaru!"
Heavy lightning gathered around him as a hundred-meter-tall thunder god form took shape. In his hand, a massive lightning staff over ten meters long swung forward.
Below, the remaining half of Raigo stretched and condensed as the swirling thunderclouds tightened together.
A colossal black dragon, dozens of meters thick and flashing with lightning, appeared in the sky. It twisted and coiled through the air like an endless storm.
Enel, in his towering Amaru form, landed steadily on the enormous dragon's head. Suddenly, sensing something, he turned toward the middle of the island.
"Hmm?"
On the ground, Katakuri also shouted, "Evacuate the island! Now!"
Perospero glanced at the sea. "Candy Sea Slug!"
A gigantic sea slug made of candy formed and dropped into the ocean. The scalding seawater melted it rapidly, but fresh candy kept regenerating to hold it together.
Everyone quickly leapt aboard and fled the island.
* * *
At the island's center, a red glow burst forth.
Moments later, a crimson shockwave surged outward, sweeping across the land.
A thunderous roar followed, and the ground shook violently as searing heat spread like wildfire, vaporizing everything in its path.
In the blink of an eye, the entire island was engulfed in blazing flames, turning into a sea of molten lava.
At the heart of the inferno, two figures slowly withdrew their powers and weapons. Without a word, they turned away from each other and walked into the all-consuming firestorm.
Within the blaze, Enel and Borsalino reappeared behind Sakazuki, following him out of the destruction.
As they walked, Enel spun his golden staff in one hand. With a flicker of lightning, it melted down and reformed into golden bracelets on his limbs.
He asked, "Is the deal done?"
Sakazuki nodded and said, "Send a message to Vice Admiral Quell. Have all personnel withdraw from the islands north of Barisi Island. Relocate them to the entry region of the New World and prepare to hand those islands over to the Big Mom Pirates."
This was the territory agreed upon earlier.
Enel took out a Den Den Mushi. "Understood."
Borsalino on the side let out a long breath. "It's finally over, huh~"
Sakazuki rolled his shoulders and chuckled lightly. "Let's go."
Boom!
The three of them launched into the sky.
* * *
On the candy sea slug, the loss of a single ship didn't faze the Charlotte Family.
Narrowing her eyes, Big Mom stared at the burning island.
"Katakuri, spread the word. In three days, I want everyone withdrawn from the islands near the New World's entry point. Send our forces to seize Shiki's territory north of Barisi Island."
Her tone held a hint of satisfaction. It was clear she was in a good mood now that the gap in her territory had been filled.
When the gains outweigh the losses, mutual benefit becomes the best path forward.
Otherwise, with both sides strength so evenly matched, fighting for ten more days might still not reach a conclusion—accomplishing nothing.
Worse, they would miss the perfect timing and lose real benefits. That would be a waste.
* * *
A few days later. Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The entire base was buzzing with joy, as the Marines' return to the New World had a huge impact.
First, public trust soared. It was a powerful shot of confidence for people around the world.
Then came the downfall of the Roger Pirates and Shiki's capture. All of it dealt a great blow to the morale of New World pirates.
Although the Marines couldn't stop pirates from setting out to sea across the world, but the New World itself was noticeably more stable.
Everything seemed to be moving in the right direction.
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the large meeting room at HQ, as the final person took their seat, the small-scale, high-level meeting began.
Fleet Admiral Kong looked at Garp, who had just returned.
"Garp, explain. What's the story behind Roger's child?"
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