"What's that?"
The shadow plummeting from the sky quickly drew the attention of a small group nearby.
But its speed was too fast. Before they could react, a deafening boom had already echoed across the entire battlefield.
Boom!
The ground shattered into a giant spiderweb pattern of cracks, and dust billowed everywhere. Dozens of people, unable to dodge in time, were instantly crushed into paste by the colossal impact.
"Mamamama!"
Before the dust had even settled, Big Mom stepped out from within.
Apart from her clothes being torn in some places, there was almost no blood on her body. Amidst the looks of terror and shock, she laughed crazily:
"How exhilarating! It's a shame my landing point was still hard to calculate. I only crushed a few insignificant nobodies…"
Falling from ten thousand meters above the sky had clearly not caused the slightest bit of damage to this woman known as the "Iron Balloon."
Perospero, however, had already fainted, even with Big Mom's plump body serving as a cushion.
But his life or death was clearly irrelevant. From the ice field to the fortress below, almost all the combatants on both sides temporarily stopped fighting and focused their attention on Big Mom.
"That's—"
"One of the other Emperors… BIG MOM!"
"Damn it! Weren't they saying she rejected Kaido's alliance proposal? Why is she here?"
…
After a brief, heavy silence, the battlefield erupted into chaos.
On the Marine side, morale wavered; even Sengoku, in his Golden Buddha form, looked grim. Meanwhile, the Beasts Pirates—who had been on the losing end—burst into deafening cheers.
"Linlin…"
Kaido's expression was far less pleased than his subordinates'. Turning to face Big Mom across several hundred meters, his voice was cold:
"You showing up now—what exactly are you playing at?"
Huh?
The surrounding Beasts Pirates froze in confusion.
Even Kaido-sama didn't know? They had thought the two were putting on a show for the Marines—pretending to be enemies while secretly allied, waiting for the perfect moment to stab the Marines in the back.
"That's none of your concern, Kaido."
Big Mom grinned, bloodshot eyes sweeping the battlefield:
"You keep playing with that old man. I came here for one reason—there's a brat I expect to find here, and I'm going to settle last year's score with him…"
Her eyes suddenly stopped, and a cruel smirk spread across her face
"Oh my, he's here after all…"
BOOM!
The moment her words fell, she suddenly showed a terrifying speed that was completely inconsistent with her plump body, charging through the crowd and heading straight for the northeast corner.
Her target was none other than Gion, who was locked in a fierce battle with the Triceratops.
"…What?!"
Although Gion noticed her in advance, the speed was simply too shocking. Trapped by the Triceratops, she had no time to dodge and was hit head-on by the impact. Her body was sent flying several hundred meters away like a kite with a cut string.
Ho, what terrifying power!
The Triceratops was shocked and had just shown a look of joy when it was suddenly grabbed by the tail and flung away by Big Mom. "Get out of my way! Don't block me!"
CRASH!
It was smashed into the fortress building, feeling dizzy. After a few seconds, it shook its head groggily and looked up.
Big Mom had already drawn Napoleon and was slashing down at Gion in the crater, roaring shrilly:
"Die, brat!"
Momousagi reacted in time and dodged, but facing Big Mom's overwhelming assault, she could only barely raise Konpira, using Geppo and Soru to parry and evade, instantly putting her at an extreme disadvantage.
What kind of grudge is this?!
Nearby Beasts Pirates officers felt a chill—she had crossed half the world and leapt from the sky just to kill this Vice Admiral named Nao?
"That bastard…"
Sengoku's expression darkened to the extreme. Abandoning composure, he smashed Kaido back with a heavy punch and turned to rush to Gion's aid—
Only to be blocked again by Kaido's descending kanabo.
"You think I'll let you leave, old man?" Kaido snarled.
Meanwhile, two Sweet Commanders descended with Zeus.
They checked Perospero—still breathing—and sighed in relief.
"It looks like a lot of people are planning to help him."
Smoothie narrowed her eyes and looked around. Several Marine Vice Admirals, seeing that "Nao" was targeted by Big Mom, were frantic and wanted to rush to his aid.
Aokiji was also going all out, finally defeating the old pirate captain Ryuuga, who had already been struggling to keep up, and was rushing toward them.
"We don't need to help the Beasts Pirates."
"But we do need to help Mama and stop these meddlers…"
The two looked at each other and immediately reached a silent agreement. They instructed Zeus to send the unconscious Perospero back to the sky island first, then they both shouted and charged forward.
Aokiji was held up by the two Sweet Commanders, while the old pirate captain Ryuuga took out his anger from being beaten by Aokiji on the surrounding Marines. The now-free Triceratops also grinned as she charged toward the nearest Marine Vice Admiral...
In an instant, the entire battlefield was thrown into upheaval by Big Mom's sudden intrusion.
...
"Hahahaha!"
From the distant hot air balloon, Morgans laughed loudly, holding his binoculars. "You see that? This is the surprise I was talking about. The real show is just beginning!"
The few subordinates behind him all had stars in their eyes and faces full of admiration—
As expected of the all-powerful President. He actually got wind of Big Mom's arrival ahead of time! This is information even the Marines didn't have!
"With another Emperor joining in, the battle's situation has been completely reversed." One subordinate muttered. "President, will the Marines end up losing this war?"
"If the Marine's reinforcements don't arrive in time…"
Morgans rubbed the edge of his binoculars and chuckled. "Then, yes, they will."
Hoo-hoo-hoo, what an exciting event. It looks like the headline for tomorrow's newspaper can be drafted in advance.
...
Rumble!
Rain poured down, and accompanied by the ground's trembling hum, the battle between Big Mom and Gion continued.
No, it wasn't a battle. It was more of a one-sided massacre.
Big Mom, who was hell-bent on getting revenge for the humiliation she suffered on Whole Cake Island, was displaying a combat prowess that was on an apocalyptic scale when she went berserk.
Even though Gion tried her best to dodge and weave, she was still hit many times, and her injuries accumulated.
"Is this all you've got now, brat!"
Big Mom landed punch after punch, sword strike after sword strike, feeling exhilarated. She grinned and said,
"Why are you scurrying around like a sewer rat? Where's the ferocity you had when you destroyed my Chateau?!"
"How disappointing…"
As she spoke, she suddenly landed another punch. Gion couldn't dodge in time and was hit in the chest. She was sent crashing into the ground, her abdomen caving in deeply.
"Kh… cough, cough…"
She spat out a large mouthful of blood and felt like all the bones in her body were broken. She was completely unable to move and could only watch as the enormous, corpulent figure got closer and closer, walking step by step to the edge of the deep crater.
"This is the end, brat!"
Napoleon was raised high, a scorching, hot flame flowing over it. But just as it was about to be swung down, a figure suddenly lunged forward, using all her strength to grab Gion from the crater and roll her out of the way.
The sword strike missed. The crater split open, and the ground shook.
That was...
Gion, whose consciousness was already a little hazy, looked down at the figure carrying her on her back. It was a girl with chestnut-red hair in a ponytail, covered in wounds.
"Idiot..." Gion said weakly. "Let me go. There's no escaping a monster like that. If you keep carrying me, you'll just get yourself killed too…"
"No!"
Bell-mère gritted her teeth, running with all her might, carrying Gion through the ruined battlefield. "You were right there! I can't just stand by and watch you get killed by that woman, or what face will I have to show that bastard Nao!"
"This is an order, Bell-mère, put me down."
"No! I don't listen to Nao, who's a Vice Admiral. You're just a Rear Admiral. I'm not going to listen to you!"
"Damn it, I'm serious!"
"So am I!"
BOOM!
Suddenly, a loud crash and a thick bolt of lightning came down from the sky, striking around the two of them.
Bell-mère was sent flying several meters by the shockwave and fell to the ground. A tingling, numbing sensation ran through her legs, and she was unable to get up with Momousagi on her back.
"Mamamama, how touching..."
The lightning died out, and Big Mom walked over slowly, a look of playful mockery on her face.
"It's not surprising that there's always a woman willing to die for you. But unfortunately, you're as slow as a turtle. You two are a little too naive if you think you can run away from me…"
Bell-mère's face was deathly pale, but she instinctively sat up and spread her arms to shield Gion, but the Gion pushed her away with a sudden burst of strength.
Nao's body's insane regenerative abilities had allowed Gion to recover some of her strength.
She gritted her teeth and stood up from the ground. Just as she was about to draw her sword to fight, she suddenly paused and looked up at the sky.
There, a figure wearing a red-patterned shirt, his face full of fury, clenched his right hand, which had transformed into scorching magma, and came crashing down from the sky with a punch!
"Great Eruption!"
A scorching, high-temperature blast erupted, and a torrent of magma rushed forward, causing Big Mom, who had already raised Napoleon, to change her expression slightly. She had no choice but to change her target and block the attack.
Boom!
The violent impact created a ferocious heatwave. Big Mom and Akainu both took a few steps back and quickly stabilized themselves.
"Your opponent is me, you fat hag."
Akainu looked at Big Mom coldly, then turned to Gion and said in a low voice:
"Back at Headquarters, Garp-san is already on his way at full speed. Before he gets here, I'll hold off this monster. You go deal with that one over there. Can you handle it, Gion?"
That one over there?
Gion followed Akainu's gaze and saw that several hundred meters away, a giant, scarred mantis was struggling to its feet in the deep magma crater, looking at them with a sinister expression.
Did Akainu see her critical situation and defeat "Famine" Arno, who he was fighting, with all his might just so he could come to her aid?
"Be careful."
She didn't answer him directly, but her meaning was clear enough.
Akainu nodded slightly. Just as he turned around, the enraged Big Mom slammed a punch at him. "What did you just call me, you little magma brat?!"
"...You get mad over something like that?"
Akainu's body cracked, then the magma reformed, slowly restoring his body. He looked indifferently at Big Mom, who was clutching Napoleon, a sarcastic smirk on his lips.
"I wanted to have a good fight with Kaido, but unfortunately, Sengoku-san was there, so I didn't get the chance. Now, I can see how much weight you so-called Sea Emperors really have..."
"Mamamama, you'll find out soon enough!"
Big Mom laughed crazily, surrounded by lightning, and clashed with Akainu!
"You think you can stop me? Then so be it. I'll get rid of you first, then I'll take my time and torture that brat Nao to death!"
"A mere pirate… How deluded!"
The destructive power of their battle, even the aftershocks, was astonishing. Bell-mère was left staring blankly. Gion quickly pulled her away, then gripped Konpira tightly and looked at the giant mantis that had already crawled out of the magma crater.
—"Famine " Arno, with a bounty of 1 billion Berries, the second-in-command of the Beasts Pirates.
A bitter taste filled Momousagi's mouth.
She could clearly feel her stamina slowly returning and her injuries gradually healing. But even so, could she, in this state, handle an enemy even more difficult than the Triceratops?
BOOM!
Before she could even steel herself, a huge force suddenly struck her from behind. Taken by surprise, Gion was sent flying over ten meters, slamming into a thick wall.
"My apologies."
From the dust and smoke, the giant Triceratops, which was more than twenty meters tall, walked over with a sinister grin, its footsteps shaking the ground. "I accidentally killed the Vice Admiral who was holding me back. Now, I have time to deal with you…"
What?
Gion's pupils constricted violently. Before she could speak, she saw the giant mantis also walking toward her step by step with a grim face, blocking her escape route.
The sharp, dark blue praying mantis arms gleamed with a piercing cold light in the rain. The barbs stood erect, and the bloodstains on the blades made them even more menacing.
The two Calamities had her surrounded, one in front and one behind.
The situation, which had just been saved by Akainu, took a sharp turn for the worse and fell into a desperate state.
"Hah..."
Gion let out a small breath of white air.
The heavy rain blocked her view of the distance. The battlefield was a ruin of rubble, broken walls, and corpses. Besides the two terrifying monsters, there was nothing else in sight.
She couldn't see that familiar figure either.
"I hope we'll meet again in the next life, Nao…"
She laughed softly, her right hand, where the skin was torn, tightly gripped Konpira. "I never thought I'd end up dying in the body of a womanizing bastard like you…"
The battlefield is just too big. I won't even get to see you one last time before I die, you son of a bitch…
She slowly closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, her gaze had become firm and resolute.
Swoosh!
Her figure vanished from the spot. The sword, flashing with a cold light, slashed toward the giant mantis opposite her.
The mantis sneered, gave a look to the Triceratops, and they both charged at her at the same time…
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ground shook, and the air rippled.
Gion's figure constantly weaved and flew between the two giant monsters. She gritted her teeth and leaped up again and again, and was knocked down by the two Calamities again and again.
After an unknown number of times, after an unknown amount of time, Gion once again lay in a deep crater. Lightning flashed, and thunder roared in the sky. The heavy rain continued, and she no longer even had the strength to lift her hand.
"That Dugalio wasn't as tough as you are when he was still alive."
The Triceratops spat out a mouthful of blood and walked over with a look of annoyance. "You've almost given me internal injuries from fighting you. No wonder that poor bastard was sent to Impel Down by you…"
"But this is finally the end."
The giant mantis chuckled maliciously. "Say, Sena, if we steal Charlotte Linlin's kill, she won't come after us for revenge, right?"
"Who cares? Do you?"
"Heh, of course not…"
The two enormous monsters chatted as if they were having a casual conversation, but their speed didn't slow. The mantis raised its blade, the triceratops raised its front leg, and two murderous intentions descended at the same time.
I'm going to die…
Gion looked up at the deep blue sky. Her eyelashes were soaked with rain. In her hazy daze, she seemed to hear a voice through the heavy rain and thunder.
A voice that was all too familiar, a voice that belonged to her own vocal cords:
"You motherfucker, this place is even harder to get to than the execution platform at Marineford. Who the hell designed the G-1 Branch's plaza to be so big? Are they trying to start a rebellion and make this the new Headquarters?"
She turned her head to see a graceful figure running and drawing her sword, cursing under her breath. A brilliant white sword slash roared out, lighting up the ruins and overpowering the lightning in the clouds.
The two Calamities were caught off guard and were both hit, retreating several steps back. They narrowed their eyes and looked at the newcomer with grim faces, who rushed to the thick wall and helped up "Nao" on the ground.
"I know you're probably sick of hearing the word 'sorry' after the last few days..."
Gion stared blankly at the figure in front of her, listening to him mutter to himself as he held her:
"But I have to say it again, sorry, Rear Admiral. I tried my best to rush over here. Damn it, the place is too big and it's hard to find anyone when over a hundred thousand people are all fighting at once…"
Don't you dare use my mouth to swear!
If they were still in Marineford, she would have probably yelled at him like that.
But now, looking at the injured, tired Nao, who had clearly fought his way through the encirclement with all his might...
Her heart ached. Feelings of injustice, fear, worry, and indignation surged up, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
"Why are you crying? It'll ruin my image if someone sees you."
Before her tears could fall, Nao laughed and roughly wiped them away. Then she watched him help her sit against the wall. He gripped both swords and slowly turned around.
"I know my own body. When your stamina recovers, you and Bell-mère should get out of here quickly. I'll stay and hold off these two monsters."
As his words fell.
He turned into a blur and, amidst the rain, let out a fierce cry and charged forward with his swords.
"Another woman coming to the rescue?"
"How foolish!"
The two Calamities sneered. One came from the left, one from the right. As their massive bodies closed in, the lightning illuminated their ferocious faces, making Nao's figure below look as small as a grain of sand.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Colliding, clashing, crushing… The endless series of explosions was the last sonata of sword energy. Amidst the clanging of steel, Nao used his swordsmanship to its absolute limit, and for a time, he managed to hold off the combined attacks of the two Calamities.
But this was only temporary.
As the two Calamities realized how troublesome their opponent was and started using their real power, the situation became one-sided. Momousagi watched as Nao was constantly knocked down, and constantly got back up and charged out with his sword.
The gap in their fighting power was so large it was despair-inducing.
"Bastard, bastard, bastard…" Momousagi gritted her teeth, desperately trying to get up and draw her sword to help, but the soreness throughout her body made her completely unable to move.
"Nao…"
In the deep crater not far away, Bell-mère, who was still unable to stand up after being paralyzed by the lightning, also had red eyes as she watched his figure.
Boom!
Another clash. Nao's body was sent flying high and directly smashed the already crumbling thick wall into dust. When he struggled to stand up this time, it took him much longer than any other time before.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
Momousagi saw him turn his head and look at her and Bell-mère. Then, he gripped his sword again, standing tall in the heavy rain, blocking the two giant monsters, like a wall.
"Leave your head, you idiot! Nao, you bastard!"
Momousagi's tears finally burst forth. She cried and shouted in frustration, "That's my body! Who needs you to block for them?! Get lost! If you die, I'll have to be a man for the rest of my life!"
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about, Rear Admiral? Didn't you enjoy being me a while back?"
Nao laughed without turning his head. "So be optimistic and live well for me. Get out of here with Bell-mère now. Nami and Nojiko can't become orphans again…"
"That was all just to piss you off! How could you do something like that?! Can't you tell, you idiot!"
In the pouring rain, Momousagi couldn't tell if the liquid on her face was rain or tears, and her voice had become hoarse. "I said get lost! Do you want Bell-mère and me to be widows for you?! In your dreams!"
"That's right!"
Bell-mère also used all her remaining strength to roar and shout, "Nami and Nojiko will change their last names! They won't remember you, you bastard father!"
But no matter what they said, it was too late.
In the desperate eyes of the two women, Nao's back had already turned and he charged forward with his swords again.
Opposite him, the giant Triceratops lowered its head and sneered. Its thick hind leg was raised high and slammed down.
"This little game is over. Ground… Crack!"
Rumble!
The entire ground shook violently at this moment. The landing point, the hard marble of the plaza, exploded open.
The terrifying shockwaves spread out. Whether it was Nao, who had barely dodged it, or Momousagi and Bell-mère, who were sitting in the ruins, they were all affected and fell to the ground at the same time, passing out.
In a place no one knew about.
A faint blue light flashed on a panel, then disappeared.
[Temporary Quest: Settle the Battle Royale, complete]
[Quest reward: 1,200,000 points, S-rank random gift box 1, random attribute points 3, delivered to your account]
...
"You're giving up already?"
Looking at the two unconscious figures on the ground, especially Gion, who had fainted dozens of meters away, the giant Triceratops's eyes flashed with disdain and mockery.
"All name, no substance. How disappointing."
The giant mantis beside it walked step by step to the front of the shattered ruins, looked at "Nao" below, and sneered:
"Besides being tough, he has no other strengths. I don't know how stupid that Dugalio bastard was to be beaten by this guy."
"Well then..."
"Famine" Arno muttered softly, his mantis arms gleaming. The sharp blades reflected the cold intent in his emerald green eyes in the rain.
"It's time to take your head and present it to Kaido-sama..."
Whoosh!
The mantis's scythe-arms came crashing down, a single blow ready to split Nao's body in two and paint the ground red.
But when the sharp blade was just a hair from his neck, Arno felt a sudden weight in his arm. The sharp edge was blocked by something, and no matter how hard he pushed, it wouldn't move an inch.
Huh?
Arno frowned and looked closer.
He only then noticed that his mantis arm was being firmly held by two outstretched fingers, unable to move forward or backward.
And at that moment.
"My apologies, I didn't quite hear that."
A calm and indifferent voice suddenly rang out. "Could you repeat that? Whose head were you going to take and present to Kaido?"
The two Calamities were both stunned. They watched as Nao's eyes, which were as black as ink, suddenly opened, filled with a cold glare that was completely different from before.
Author's Note:
I stayed up all night writing. I'm going to sleep now because I can't stay up any longer. I wrote a total of 15,000 words, and after some editing, I'm finally able to post it. I guess I didn't break my promise.
From now on, I'll be good and completely give up on the romance plot and return to a fast-paced, action-packed story. I'll continue writing after I wake up this afternoon. See you all tonight.