"Dead?"
"No… her hide's too damn thick. Killing her won't be that easy."
Nao shook his head.
Akainu instantly understood. Their battle wasn't over yet, but with his's life hanging by a thread, Nao had diverted his focus to rush in as emergency backup.
"You should recover for a bit."
Gripping both swords tight, Nao's gaze turned toward the ruins ahead, where a massive figure burst out, charging forward. He let out a small laugh.
"A year ago, I left Whole Cake Island too quickly. Today, I finally get the rare chance to face this monster head-on."
Compared to her, you look more like a monster yourself… Akainu thought to himself, shooting Nao a strange glance before nodding firmly. "Alright. Be careful."
"Nao, you brat!!!"
A furious roar split the storm as the towering silhouette tore through the curtain of rain, charging at them with unrestrained rage.
"You dare sneak attack me from behind?! I let you crawl away once before, but if you're so eager to die this time—then I'll happily grant your wish!"
Akainu turned his head, watching grimly.
Big Mom looked battered. Her grand dress was drenched and stained with blood, her long hair disheveled like a madwoman's.
She had taken Nao's full-force strike completely unguarded.
Even for one of the Emperor, it was impossible to come out unscathed.
But—
Though she looked ragged, most of the wounds were superficial, already knitting shut at frightening speed.
That was why they called her the "Iron Balloon." Nicknames like that weren't given lightly—they were never wrong.
Vmmm!
Charging forward, Big Mom channeled her soul energy madly into Prometheus.
The Napoleon, which had dulled for a moment, once again blazed with dazzling golden light, shining like a divine weapon forged by the gods themselves.
"Napoleon: Breath of Purgatory!"
Her roar echoed as the blade came cleaving down.
With that swing, the downpour—which had already been heavy—suddenly grew even more violent.
Dark clouds pressed low over the city, lightning rumbled like mountains splitting, and the earth quaked beneath their feet. It was as if an apocalyptic storm had descended upon the world!
"…What a storm."
Witnessing it, Nao laughed heartily.
"Come, Charlotte Linlin!"
His eyes blazed with unyielding battle intent. He stomped the earth, cracks spiderwebbing outward, then launched himself skyward with sword aura already surging. His blades rose to meet her strike from below!
"You think you can kill me? You'd better ask my swords if they agree first!!!"
Twin-Blade Technique: Jade-Cutting Slash!
Silver light erupted. Two colossal arcs of sword energy, brilliant as white lightning, shot upward like a storm splitting the sky. Their radiance blazed across the heavens, lighting the darkness beneath the clouds.
Whummm!
In the next moment, countless gales howled into existence, spiraling into one another and converging at the center. They surged forth with the twin sword beams, a torrential tempest crashing straight at Big Mom!
BOOOOM!!!
The instant their attacks collided, the resulting thunderous explosion was dozens of times louder than before, echoing across the entire sky!
The violent shockwaves halted the downpour midair, then suddenly dragged the water upward, rain surging back into the heavens like a waterfall reversed—like the Milky Way itself was being poured upside down!
The terrifying shift in the heavens completely drowned out even the titanic clash between Sengoku and Kaido.
For hundreds of meters around, both marines and pirates alike had long since retreated, terrified of being swallowed by the apocalyptic storm.
And yet, even from afar, when their eyes looked up to the sky and witnessed the clash above, their hearts trembled and their minds went blank.
"My god…"
"Vice Admiral Nao… he's actually holding his own against Big Mom…"
Many marines, shocked into silence, felt their own fighting spirit reignite. But among the pirates, countless throats swallowed dryly as they glanced at one another. Each could see the unease reflected in the other's eyes.
This war… the tide was shifting further and further toward a nightmare for them.
———
BOOOOM!!!
Thunder rolled endlessly across the skies. After their initial head-on clash, Nao and Big Mom had once again closed the distance. In the blink of an eye, the two had already exchanged hundreds of blows.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks erupted nonstop as deafening crashes of metal rang through the storm.
Some were the clash of blades—others, the raw sound of their fists slamming against each other.
At their level of Armament Haki, with bodies far surpassing steel in durability, there was barely any difference between the sound of steel-on-steel and flesh-on-flesh.
DOOM!
Another impact burst like a cannon, shockwaves scattering the nearby thunderclouds. Both figures staggered back from the collision.
Nao was the first to steady himself. His entire body was covered in wounds, his chest torn open so badly that raw bone gleamed through shredded flesh, his figure like a walking skeleton—ghastly to behold.
But if you looked closer, you could clearly see.
Those severely injured wounds were healing at a rapid pace. Flesh and blood were growing back like mushrooms after a spring rain, covering the white bones once more.
Big Mom's body, too, healed with terrifying speed. The bloodstains beneath her pink gown had vanished, wounds closing before the eye could even follow.
The only trace left was a deep gash across her neck, but even there, fresh new flesh writhed and grew, stitching itself closed.
Without a doubt—
This was no mere battle between humans. This was a clash between true monsters of the flesh.
"Mamama… I didn't expect it. After just a year, you've grown this much stronger."
Big Mom's eyes burned crimson. She pressed downward on Nao's swords with Azakana Sword, her bloated face twisted with savage, feral menace.
"But tell me—how much longer can you last?"
From the ground, to the eyes of marines and pirates watching, their duel looked even, a balanced back-and-forth.
But only those two warriors in the storm knew the truth.
From the very start, Nao had been at a disadvantage in every respect. He had forced the fight into a brutal, reckless exchange—trading blow for blow, wound for wound—just to keep the battle from collapsing entirely.
The longer this dragged on, the more his injuries compounded. And when his body finally gave way, the tide would turn in an instant.
"How long can I last…?"
Nao's eyes were bloodshot, but his grin was cold and unyielding. He pressed harder against her with both blades, showing not the slightest hint of retreat.
"At least until sunrise, I'll still be standing. But tell me, Charlotte Linlin—do you really think the Beasts Pirates can last until then?"
"Mamamama! Whether those fools live or die, I couldn't care less!"
Big Mom sneered, her grin feral. "Until sunrise? Foolish brat, you dare speak so boldly?!"
Crackle—!!
Her hands erupted with streaks of black-violet lightning. In a surge, she blasted Nao's twin swords wide open, then swung her massive leg upward, booting him hard in the midsection and sending him flying dozens of meters away.
And then—
"Elbaf's Spear… Hakoku!"
With a thunderous roar, Big Mom gripped her blade in both hands. Armament Haki coated the entire edge, turning it into a jet-black titan's weapon. With her full monstrous strength, she cleaved it forward!
WHUMMMM!!!
A colossal wave of pale-blue sword aura erupted, surging forth with cataclysmic force. The very air along its path shuddered violently, space itself seeming ready to shatter apart.
Compared to this attack from Big Mom, the destructive power and impact of their previous clashes were as insignificant as a lone star compared to the bright moon, or a sliver of ice compared to a frozen river!
"A secret technique of the giants, huh…"
Driven back by the shockwave, Nao muttered under his breath, eyes grave as he watched the titanic slash bear down on him.
He knew this technique. It came from Elbaf—the land hailed as the strongest country in the world. Big Mom had only lived there briefly as a child, and yet she had somehow mastered this supreme giant's technique…
Could he block it?
Unlikely.
But as a swordsman, there was one truth—wounds on the back were the greatest shame!
At this point, how could he possibly hold back? If he didn't put everything on the line, then what was the point of even standing here?
"...Haaah."
Drawing in a deep breath, he prepared to unleash his strike—when suddenly, a thunderous voice roared up from below.
"Great Eruption!"
Nao glanced to the side. From the ground, Akainu's figure burst skyward, his arm transforming into a torrent of molten magma. Like a volcanic eruption, the accumulated fury of his power detonated, surging at Big Mom's flank!
"…Back on his feet already?"
As if sensing his look, Akainu glanced back at him through the storm, tossing him a sharp, reassuring gaze.
Only hours ago, before nightfall, he had been on the brink of death.
But Nao's relentless stand against Big Mom's tempestuous assault had bought the Fleet Admiral precious time to recover.
Now, he was once again strong enough to rejoin a battle of this magnitude.
And of course—Akainu hadn't wasted that recovery.
While regaining his strength, he'd casually incinerated several unlucky pirates who had crossed his path—two of them officers with bounties over a hundred million. A fitting "warm-up" for his return.
"The pressure's suddenly a lot lighter now…"
Nao chuckled coldly, never once slowing the motion of his blades.
The sword energy he had gathered until now burst forth in full, twin arcs of dazzling radiance that tore through the storm.
Side by side with Akainu's magma, his strike surged toward that massive figure.
"Twin Blade Slash: Lunar Flare."!"
...
High above, another clash erupted in the skies. On the other side, Kaido—still in his dragon form—was locked in a brutal battle with Sengoku's golden Buddha, neither able to gain the upper hand.
And yet—
Though the fight itself remained stalemated, the mental states of the two warriors could not have been more different.
On the Marine's side, the tide had stabilized. Their momentum returned, Sengoku's composure grew steadier with each exchange. But Kaido… every time he cast a glance at the battlefield below, another bitter blow struck his heart.
First, "Famine" Arno had fallen in battle.
Then, several of his recruited allies had been cut down one after another.
Not long after, even "Plague" Sena could no longer hold out.
And now—
Big Mom, upon whom he had placed his greatest hopes, had failed to crush that brat Nao. Instead, the boy had endured long enough for Akainu to return to the battlefield.
Now, she was fighting two against one, and was being suppressed by their combined force. Her previous overwhelming advantage had vanished, and she couldn't see any hope of winning or escaping in the short term…
"Damn it…"
The azure dragon's face was grim, and his eyes were filled with a coldness as he glanced at Nao, gritting his teeth.
There was no doubt.
The one who had ruined everything—the one who had overturned what should have been a decisive advantage ever since Big Mom's arrival—was that cursed little brat.
And when Kaido remembered the grudge from two years ago with Dugalio, old hatred mingled with the new.
If he had the chance, he would fly straight over, crush Nao's skull with his kanabo, and then grind his body into pieces until nothing was left…
BOOOOM!
With a sudden blast of dragon's breath, he forced Sengoku back. His massive form twisted, shifting from dragon to man in midair. Hovering in the storm, Kaido bellowed across the battlefield:
"All Beasts Pirates—RETREAT! I'll cover the rear!"
Kaido's roar, laced with the power of Conqueror's Haki, rolled across the battlefield like thunder. The sound carried clearly to every pirate's ear.
"Kaido-sama…"
A hushed murmur spread among them.
Was this… the order to retreat?
Most of the pirates felt unwilling, bitterness filling their chests. But with Kaido himself giving the command, no one dared to disobey.
And besides—
By this point, everyone knew it. The Beasts Pirates had lost all chance of victory.
Continuing the fight would only mean needless casualties.
If they dragged it out until more Navy reinforcements arrived, they risked complete annihilation.
"Fall back!"
"All units—retreat!"
Officers bellowed the order, rallying their men as they fought their way backward toward the edges of the battlefield.
In the distance, Big Mom—who was being suppressed by the combined assault of Akainu and Nao—also heard Kaido's thunderous call. Her face instantly became extremely grim.
She hadn't taken down Nao, so her trip from so far away had been in vain. Her heart was filled with resentment, and she was naturally more unwilling than the pirates of the Beasts Pirates.
But even in her fury, she wasn't a fool.
Kaido had ordered only his subordinates to retreat, declaring he would stay behind to cover them. He hadn't spared a thought for her.
If she stubbornly refused to withdraw, insisting on her pride, and Sengoku—freed up from his fight—came to join this side of the battle…
Then Whole Cake Island itself might as well be replaced by Impel Down as the seat of her empire.
BOOM!
She unleashed two massive punches, forcing Akainu and Nao back. Her eyes burned with venomous hatred as she cast one last glare at Nao.
"Nao, brat… our debt will be settled—sooner or later!"
Leaving those words behind, she turned and mounted her thunderclouds, withdrawing toward the perimeter.
Of course, Nao and Akainu wouldn't let her escape so easily, immediately giving chase.
It was the same across the battlefield. Under Aokiji and the other vice admirals, the Marine forces pressed forward, throwing everything they had into pursuing the retreating pirates.
Yet—
With both Kaido and Big Mom covering the rear, it was impossible for the Navy to completely annihilate them.
These two emperors of the sea had once stood side by side as crewmates of the Rocks Pirates. When they joined forces to unleash their combined technique, Hakoku—the "Conqueror's Sea"—its world-shattering power could obliterate everything for kilometers ahead.
Even Sengoku, in his golden Buddha form, dared not underestimate such might.
So, though the Marine managed to slaughter vast numbers of pirates, in the end, he could only watch as the remnants of the Beasts' fleet escaped into the storm—without pressing the pursuit to the bitter end.