"..." The remaining members of the Big Mom Pirates widened their eyes in disbelief.
Katakuri's words made it clear — even as the hidden Vice-Captain of the crew, he no longer believed that Mama could win. Deep down, he had already accepted that the Big Mom Pirates might be annihilated here today.
"I'm not leaving! I want to stay with you all too…" Smoothie, who was usually calm and merciless toward enemies, now trembled with sorrow. She refused to accept Katakuri's command.
"Shut up! That's an order!" Katakuri's tone was cold and heavy. His gaze, sharp as a blade, locked onto his sister.
"Smoothie, do you really think I'm telling you to run away? You're wrong! In this situation, leaving and surviving is the hardest thing of all! We, who are about to die will only suffer for a short time, but you… you must endure torment and pain until the day you avenge us arrives!"
Perospero, the eldest son and Candy Minister, licked the tip of his candy cane and gave a bitter smile.
"If I could, little sister Smoothie, I'd be the one to take on that burden."
Before she could reply, Perospero sighed deeply.
"Unfortunately, I didn't inherit Mama's talent… nor do I have the potential that you and Katakuri possess. So live, Smoothie. Live well."
The tall, sharp-faced man, his makeup smeared by sweat and fear, gently embraced his towering sister.
"Live well, little sister Smoothie…"
… …
Crack! Crack! Crack!
At the heart of the chaotic battlefield, power raged like a storm.
"Ahhhhhh!" Amidst the roaring clash of Haki infusion, two colossal auras collided. The larger figure bellowed, her monstrous strength shaking the heavens.
"Brat! You've mastered Haki infusion too?! You dare push me this far!"
The smaller figure grinned, calm and mocking even in the storm.
"Linlin… it seems your power isn't what it used to be. I haven't even gone all out yet."
"Don't get cocky! Just because you've reached the level of a Yonko doesn't mean you can act without restraint!"
Bang! Their swords collided once more, and the space between them twisted under the pressure. Spherical bursts of black lightning danced and snapped through the air, threatening to tear the world apart.
Mama felt the ground beneath her feet begin to crumble. The Emperor Sword in her hands grew unbearably heavy.
Damn brat… how can his strength rival mine?! She had only ever lost a clash of power to Kaido. Now, for the first time, she felt the crushing despair she had once inflicted on others.
Enraged but cornered, she knew brute strength wouldn't win. It was time to unleash the true terror of her Soul-Soul Fruit.
"Prometheus!" The towering empress glared down at Shirogai Yamikuro and roared, "Heavenly Fireball!"
The blazing sun atop her head opened its eyes and mouth, answering with a roar.
"Yes, Mama!" Flaming spheres spewed from Prometheus, streaking through the air toward Shirogai.
"Heh… aren't we supposed to be testing our Haki?" Shirogai smiled mockingly and raised his sword.
"Frost Wraith, freeze it!"
"As you command." The Sword erupted with frost, sending a bone-chilling surge of cold that collided with the incoming flames.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Fireballs froze midair, turning into crystal-like spheres that crashed to the ground.
Boom! The explosions that followed unleashed waves of freezing wind. In moments, icebergs formed across the scorched landscape.
"Damn you!" Big Mom roared, forcing down the Emperor Sword with both hands.
"You'll never defeat me!!!"
Shirogai smirked. "That's not certain. The Four Emperors have been sitting on their thrones too long. Time someone showed you where the real limits lie."
He no longer held back. His Haki flared wildly, his aura cutting through the storm like a blade.
Under her disbelieving gaze, Shirogai walked forward — each step heavier than thunder.
"Emperors-level combat power? Hah! That's your ceiling, Linlin… not mine!"
With one powerful upward swing, his Sword shattered her guard.
"Mama!!!" The giant woman was launched skyward, her roar shaking the clouds. Zeus was blown apart by the shockwave before frantically reforming, chasing after her broken form.
"Mama! I'm coming!"
… …
"Oh no! Mama was sent flying! Did she… lose?" The crew watching from afar froze in terror.
"Don't panic!" Katakuri barked, his jaw tightening. "Mama's endurance is unmatched. Even if she's facing that monster, she won't go down that easily!"
He fixed his gaze on the dark figure standing amidst the chaos.
"Don't forget… Mama hasn't even unleashed her strongest natural disaster yet. Even if he's on a Yonko's level, Mama won't lose that easily."
Yet even as he spoke, doubt lingered. Could Mama truly survive this battle to the end? He'd seen her at her strongest — and yet, this mysterious, unnervingly calm man hadn't even shown his limits.
… …
Shirogai extended his sword toward the airborne empress, his Haki flaring like a storm.
"Ice-Shattering Slash!"
Swish! The God King Sword unleashed an immense wave of freezing power. Haki condensed into a colossal blade of ice — a thousand meters long — slicing through the clouds toward Big Mom.
"Mama, I've got you!" Zeus caught her mid-fall, trembling.
"Fool! You think you've beaten me already?!" Standing tall once again, Big Mom's fury twisted the air itself.
"What I'm best at isn't brute strength or Haki… it's my soul!"
She raised her hands to the heavens. Thunder gathered around her.
"Tenman-Tenjin!!!"
RUMBLE!!! The sky ignited with lightning. Bolts twisted into sentient arcs of purple energy, answering her command.
Clap! Clap! Clap! They struck the enormous ice blade, drilling through it, breaking it apart.
Crack… crack… BOOM! The ice shattered, raining shards across the battlefield.
"Look what you've done to my beautiful Cake Island!" Big Mom's eyes burned red with rage. "I'll kill you for this!!"
Rumble!!! Purplish-red lightning filled the sky, hundreds of bolts descending toward Shirogai.
He didn't move.
"Hahaha! Linlin, you're really trying to show me lightning?" He tossed the God Sword into the air, letting it float beside him, its edge humming with restrained power.
"Coincidentally," he said with a faint smile, "I'm quite familiar with this element too."
He raised a hand and spoke softly — a single word that carried absolute authority.
"[Kneel]."
RUMBLE! Big Mom's eyes widened in shock. The lightning — her lightning — froze midair, as if shackled by unseen chains. Then, one by one, the bolts turned downward, striking the island like obedient servants.
Cake Island trembled beneath the storm.
"I can also control lightning," Shirogai said coldly. Behind him, thousands of dark blue bolts began to converge, spiraling into a single, roaring mass of divine fury.
BOOM!!! The air itself screamed as the energy condensed. He pointed his hand forward.
"[God's Punishment]!!!"
The heavens split open. Thousands of bolts of lightning — each radiating the might of divine judgment — crashed down upon Big Mom and Zeus. The world turned white, drowned in thunder and fury.
______
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