When Sentomaru saw his long-awaited 'Old Man' again, Kizaru was leading Big Mom across the battlefield from mid-air.
Saying 'leading' isn't quite accurate… it should be 'luring'.
After all, no matter how hard Big Mom chased from behind, she always remained one step behind Kizaru.
Meanwhile, Kizaru fired lasers at Big Mom at regular intervals during his flight.
The damage was low, but the insult was extreme.
"Garp-san, mind switching~?"
Hearing this, both Naruto and Garp were stunned.
Looking closely, Kizaru's clothes were torn in several places. Clearly, he wasn't as relaxed as he appeared.
Just over ten minutes ago, trapped within the mirror prison created by [Artemis], Kizaru had been calling out to the god with no response.
Thunderclouds pressed down from above, a giant rock pulled from below, and mirrors reflected all around.
What was even more terrible was the sense of crisis that chill his spine.
Clearly, all this was just to restrict his evasion. Big Mom had likely prepared for a full-force strike.
What happened next confirmed his suspicion.
Him, along with the mirrors and the stone giant, was engulfed by Big Mom's [Ikoku Sovereignty] attack, despite them being her own creations.
After being kited by Kizaru for so long, even a clay figure would have some fire, let alone Big Mom, an old woman with inherently unstable emotions.
Empowered by rage, the damage from her [Ikoku Sovereignty] was even more exaggerated. A direct hit would likely leave even Kizaru seriously injured.
Fortunately, while the old guy might not excel at other things, speed was his forte.
Even though his surroundings were sealed, preventing him from escaping as light, Kizaru found the only flaw in this killing trap.
Using the sharpness of the Ama no Murakumo, he pierced through the giant rock Homie, Gaia, and continued drilling into the ground without losing momentum.
Big Mom's attack followed almost immediately, grazing past his body.
Even so, it was enough to make him suffer.
Although he elementalized parts of his body as early as possible, Kizaru still got injured.
Of course, compared to Garp, who even had a nosebleed from Naruto's punches, he obviously looked a bit more disheveled.
After that, seeing the shattered mirrors and giant rock rapidly recovering, Kizaru didn't miss the opportunity. He slipped through the gap and turned the fight back into a kiting game.
Big Mom rode the thundercloud, Zeus, chasing desperately from behind, occasionally creating mirror walls in front of Kizaru. A moment's slower reaction would have bounced him back.
Thus, fighting and chasing, the two returned to the main battlefield from the distance.
Garp and Naruto looked at each other, realizing this meeting might be coming to an end.
On the Charlotte Family's side, seeing their mother's terrifying figure return to the battlefield, all the children felt a genuine sense of security from the bottom of their hearts.
Even Katakuri was no exception.
"Sorry, kid."
"Since you don't plan to surrender-"
"-then I'll have to go all out."
An overwhelming aura suddenly erupted from Garp's body. His Conqueror's Haki surged like blazing flames.
"No, perhaps I should be the one apologizing!"
Naruto refused to be outdone. An even more terrifying Conqueror's Haki instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.
Even Big Mom and Kizaru nearby were stunned by this aura, seemingly forgetting they were still in combat.
"Really… monsters."
Below, someone muttered softly, but clearly, everyone around agreed.
"Don't die, old man."
A smile of pure enjoyment spread across Naruto's face as chakra rapidly surged into his palm.
A familiar ratio, combined with familiar materials.
A small black sphere appeared in Naruto's hand.
As the sphere materialized, a grave expression appeared on Garp's face.
Besides him, every individual present who could be considered a strong fighter sensed the terrifying destructive power contained within this attack.
"Retreat! Take the wounded! Board the ships!"
On the Marine side, Tsuru had already issued the retreat order.
Zephyr landed a [Smash Buster] punch that forced Hancock back a few steps, then quickly disengaged himself, beginning to cover the retreat of the other wounded soldiers as they boarded the ships.
Hancock glanced at the black sphere in the sky, then at the Marines not far away. In the end, she chose not to press the advantage with a follow-up attack.
She turned to her two younger sisters.
Sandersonia and Marigold now had numerous wounds, large and small.
Despite undergoing Naruto's special training, their natural talent was ultimately far inferior to Hancock's. Coupled with facing elite Vice Admirals from Marine Headquarters, holding their own was already quite an achievement.
Looking further down, many other warriors of the Kuja Pirates had also been injured in the earlier long-range exchange of fire with the Pacifistas.
Hancock hesitated for a few seconds before finally speaking to her two sisters.
"Take the others to the coast, board the ships, and return directly to Amazon Lily."
Hearing her sister's words, Sandersonia was the first to react.
"Nee-san? What do you intend to do?"
Marigold also turned her gaze to Hancock, seemingly sensing something amiss.
"I... I will stay here. I want him to give me an explanation personally."
Seeing their elder sister seemingly controlled by 'love sickness' at this critical moment, Marigold was about to voice her objection but was stopped by her second sister.
Sandersonia had realized.
Hancock staying here was the safest option.
Having effectively torn up all pretenses with the World Government and abandoned her Warlord's position, returning to Amazon Lily now would only bring disaster home.
In the original work, after the [Warlord of the Sea] System was abolished, Hancock also became a wanted pirate.
The Marines and even Blackbeard attacked Amazon Lily.
If Rayleigh hadn't intervened to save Hancock and promised to have her lift the petrification, she might truly have died at Blackbeard's hands.
After that, Hancock also chose to leave Amazon Lily, and indeed, the Marines did not shift their focus back to the island.
Truth be told, a closed-off nation like Amazon Lily, which is located in the Calm Belt, wasn't something the Marines would bother with if not for the Hancock situation.
"Nee-san, we will wait for you on the periphery."
Sandersonia looked at Hancock, saying these words meaningfully, then led the others towards the docks.
Hancock was initially puzzled, but after a few seconds, she understood her sister's implication.
'It seems they still don't believe I can keep that man this time!'
A vein throbbed on Hancock's forehead. She looked up just in time to see Naruto's attack collide with Garp's iron fist.
Garp's fist, like a comet streaking across the cosmos, roared as it slammed toward Naruto.
Naruto, on the other hand, seemed supremely confident in this attack, merely tossing it casually.
When the Conqueror's Bomb collided with Garp's fist, a terrifying explosion erupted mid-air, akin to the birth of a supernova.
Compared to the mountain-sized fireball of the explosion, the figure plummeting from the sky seemed incredibly small.
Only the strongest remained on the scene, and they're all using their Observation Haki to probe the outcome.
It was Garp!