"Ah! Ah! Ah! Help!"
A Marine soldier screamed as a pale figure lunged at him, knocking him to the ground.
"Waaah!"
The young woman—her corpse reanimated and mind long gone—sank her jagged, pitch-black teeth into his throat, biting down savagely.
"Guh…"
Blood gushed from the Marine's neck, choking off his final cries. His body trembled violently, his eyes wide with disbelief as he watched the corpse of the woman he'd just shot through the head now feasting on him like an animal.
Within seconds, he went limp—his face frozen in terror.
A barrage of gunfire shredded the female corpse to pieces, but it was already too late.
"Kerry! No!!!"
A nearby Marine, still firing at the oncoming horde, froze when he saw his friend's lifeless body. Tears welled in his eyes as he cried out:
"You promised me, remember?! We were gonna confess to Isabel when we got back home!"
The Marines had fortified a high vantage point, keeping the corpses at bay—but grief and dread painted every face. The haunting moans of the undead surrounded them.
Bang!
A massive saber cleaved through several corpses at once, scattering limbs across the deck.
"Hold it together, men!" a booming voice roared. "There's no time for grief—stand your ground! Reinforcements will be here soon!"
Vice Admiral Doug swung his enormous saber in a deadly arc, cutting down another wave of undead.
"Damn commoners!" he snarled, glaring at the writhing bodies below. Despite being cut apart, they crawled back together—reassembling broken limbs and standing again.
"If I can kill you once, I'll kill you twice, and a third time!" Doug roared.
Clap, clap, clap.
Suddenly, slow applause echoed from above.
"How admirable," a calm voice said, tinged with mockery. "Truly the justice of the Marines—so skilled at slaughtering civilians."
"Who's there?!"
Doug snapped his head upward, eyes narrowing. He hadn't sensed anyone—no presence, no sound, nothing. Whoever was there could have easily killed him without warning.
The Marines aimed their rifles skyward, their hands trembling.
A young man with long black hair hovered in the air, dressed in pure white. A faint, unbothered smile curved his lips as he looked down at them.
"Heh, don't be so nervous," he said lightly.
Doug's heart dropped. "You… it's you!"
He recognized that face instantly—and fear took hold.
This is bad. This is really bad.
Sweat rolled down Doug's temples as he gripped his saber tighter. The name alone was enough to chill any Marine.
Shirogai Yamikuro—known across the seas as The Plunderer.
The man whose power had forced even Admirals Aokiji and Kizaru to retreat.
"You look terrified," Shirogai said with a faint smile. His crimson eyes flicked toward the massive, ornate ship nearby. "The Celestial Dragons are on that ship, aren't they?"
Doug's expression shifted instantly. "Don't you dare target the Celestial Dragons! An Admiral will be here any minute!"
"Oh?" Shirogai's grin widened slightly. "Who's coming? Akainu? Kizaru? Aokiji?"
"Vice Admiral, should we open fire?" a Marine shouted.
"Wait! Hold your fire!" Doug barked. His gaze never left Shirogai as he spoke in a hard, steady tone. "Shirogai, listen to me. So far, we've been lenient with you—but if anything happens to the Celestial Dragons because of you, the entire world will turn against you. Even you won't escape that."
Shirogai chuckled softly. "Relax. This has nothing to do with me. I'm just here to watch the show."
Bang!
The Celestial Dragon's ship suddenly exploded.
Whoosh!
Two figures shot into the air, clashing mid-sky—both coated in Armament Haki.
"Horn Mochi!"
"Mighty Fist!"
Their blows collided like thunder. The smaller figure was blasted backward, blood spraying from his mouth before he crashed into the sea below.
The taller man landed heavily on the deck, smoke swirling around him.
"Let me go! Let me go! I'm a Celestial Dragon!"
The tall figure strode out of the shattered cabin, gripping a struggling, shrieking noble in one hand.
"Marines!" the Celestial Dragon howled. "You useless fools—save me! If anything happens to me, I'll have all of you executed!"
Doug's jaw dropped. "That's… Charlotte Katakuri! Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates!"
Why in the world was Big Mom's own son attacking a Celestial Dragon?
Had the Yonko gone insane?
Katakuri ignored the noble's screams and turned toward the floating figure in the distance.
"Sir," he said firmly. "I've got him."
Shirogai's smirk returned. "Very good."
He turned to Doug and shrugged lightly. "See? I told you—it has nothing to do with me."
Doug's face turned ashen. Nothing to do with you? My ass!
A Yonko's commander following his orders? It was insanity.
Then it hit him. The immense auras they'd sensed earlier beyond Totto Land's borders—the clash that had shaken the sea.
Shirogai had fought Big Mom herself.
"Damn those useless intel units," Doug growled through clenched teeth. "Not a single word about this!"
He hardened his body with Armament Haki, raising his saber toward Shirogai. "Shirogai! Order him to release Simone-sama right now! The consequences of harming a Celestial Dragon are beyond either of us!"
"Release him?" Shirogai tilted his head, smiling faintly. "Alright. Release him."
"Huh?" Doug blinked, confused.
Then his stomach dropped as he watched in horror what came next.
Katakuri calmly opened his hand.
"Ahhhh!"
The Celestial Dragon—Simone-sama—screamed as he fell from the air, slamming into the deck below with a sickening thud.
Doug's roar echoed over the frozen sea.
"Damn it! How dare you do this!"