Earlier when Jerry and Ace launched themselves toward Kaido, Deuce and the others watched their fire-wielding companion get sent flying backward through the air. However, they had no time to dwell on Ace's situation—their own battle was about to begin in earnest.
Cavendish had keenly sensed that a large, corpulent figure was still lurking somewhere in the shadows, and Jack the Drought was already leading the Flying Six along with the remaining Beast Pirates elite in a coordinated charge toward their position.
Deuce and his companions naturally felt no fear regarding this expected siege. They immediately established the Black Nova's coastal anchoring point as their defensive base and moved forward to engage the enemy directly.
"Carrot, I'm leaving the big guy to you—think you can handle it?" Deuce asked calmly, pointing toward Jack while addressing the young mink. He had already returned to rejoin his crew after briefly taking his dragon form.
During the pre-war strategy meeting the Black Star Pirates had held back in Amigasa Village, Carrot had specifically volunteered for this particular assignment. Since Jerry—who fully understood Jack's combat capabilities—had raised no objections to her request, Deuce and the others had agreed to let her take on this responsibility.
Carrot's eyes filled with serious determination as she nodded emphatically: "Yes! Brother Deuce, don't worry about me—I'll definitely complete this mission!"
The moment she finished speaking, Carrot's petite and agile form leaped high into the air and rushed toward the Beast Pirates at lightning speed, literally crackling with electrical energy.
"Hahahah! Let's go as well!" Skull shouted enthusiastically, clapping his hands to signal the cannon mounted on the Black Nova's bow to fire again.
Amid tremendous rumbling sounds, he leaped from the ship's deck while both he and Deuce flanked Carrot on either side as they charged toward their enemies with coordinated precision.
"You don't know who you're dealing with!" Jack snarled, seeing his opponents actually rushing directly toward him. A flash of genuine anger crossed his features, though he didn't slow his advance for even a moment. The twin blades in his massive hands were ready for immediate combat.
The Beast Pirates members advancing alongside their All-Star also surged forward, preparing for the inevitable clash.
Just as the situation was about to explode into violence, everyone suddenly felt an unexpected chill in the air around them as an icy pathway instantly formed beneath their feet.
"Frost Song: Blizzard Cut!"
A low, haunting murmur echoed across the battlefield, followed immediately by several rapid flashes of supernatural cold light. Jack and his companions froze momentarily in their tracks, and after instinctively dodging or defending against the attack, they heard an agonized scream and the sound of something heavy hitting the ground almost simultaneously.
When the ice mist cleared, they saw an afro-wearing skeleton slowly sheathing his blade. Page One of the Flying Six hadn't even managed to transform into his Ancient Zoan Spinosaurus form before he collapsed slowly in a rapidly expanding pool of blood.
Standing beside the fallen Page One was his sister Ulti, also one of the Flying Six. She stared at Brook's casual display of lethal skill with obvious fear and mounting nervousness written across her features.
"I apologize, young lady," Brook said as he planted his cane-sword vertically in the ground. His jaw moved as he spoke in that distinctive low voice, breaking the momentary silence that had fallen over the battlefield. "Even if you were to show me your panties, I'm afraid I'd still have to defeat you first!"
"Hah! I told you he'd only hold us back," Sasaki sneered. The burly member of the Flying Six glanced dismissively at the fallen Page One while expressing his characteristically merciless viewpoint.
Hearing this cruel assessment, Ulti whirled around to glare at Sasaki with obvious fury before redirecting her rage toward Brook: "I will never forgive you, you damned skeleton! I will kill you!"
"Ah, but I've already died once before," Brook replied with supernatural calm, facing the hostile gazes of the remaining Flying Six without showing the slightest sign of backing down. Instead, he took the initiative and launched his next attack first.
At the same moment, lightning controlled by Cavendish struck from the sky above, descending like an enraged dragon to provide powerful long-range support for Brook's ground assault.
"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant that wish immediately!"
Jack could no longer tolerate Brook's brazen invasion of their territory. He roared with fury, raising both massive blades with obvious intent to kill the enemy who dared turn his back on the All-Star.
However, just as Jack rushed forward several steps and prepared to swing his weapons, a sharp whistling sound suddenly arose from behind him as something approached at tremendous speed.
"Hey there, big guy! Are you forgetting someone?"
"Electro Kick!"
In a brilliant flash, Carrot's form streaked across the battlefield like a lightning-wrapped comet. With a dazzling burst of electrical energy, she delivered a devastating kick to the caught-off-guard Jack.
Although Jack stood over eight meters tall with a tremendously muscular build, he still couldn't maintain his balance under the precise assault from the seemingly tiny Carrot.
The electric current radiating around Carrot transmitted directly into Jack's body through her foot. The tremendous impact force launched the All-Star through the air before he crashed heavily to the ground.
"Sister Carrot! That was incredible!" Tama called out excitedly from her position behind Carina, riding securely on Kotatsu's back. When she realized her outburst had attracted everyone's attention, she quickly covered her mouth with both hands.
Carina noticed that numerous eyes had focused on their position, so she quickly pressed down on Kotatsu's head to stop him from advancing further. She then positioned Tama protectively behind her while looking up at the sky as if nothing unusual had occurred.
After Deuce and the others rushed forward to engage the enemy in close-quarters combat while Cavendish continued striking down thunderbolts from above to provide covering fire, Carina finally released a relieved breath and whispered: "Alright, Tama, let's begin our part of the mission. Just remember not to attract too much attention to ourselves."
"Yes, Sister Carina, I understand completely," Tama nodded obediently and responded in hushed tones.
As she spoke, she kept one hand covering her mouth while her large eyes darted around observantly. Her gaze unconsciously fell on the bags she held tightly against her chest and the additional supplies secured on Kotatsu's back.
Outside the main battlefield where Deuce and his companions had successfully drawn the attention of all conscious enemies, the two humans and their feline companion quietly began implementing their own crucial part of the battle plan.
The four active members of the Black Star Pirates brazenly confronted the Flying Six led by Jack the Drought, while Cavendish provided comprehensive support using his Rumble-Rumble Fruit powers from his aerial position—at least until a massive black bird descended from the sky to challenge him directly.
Just as Cavendish flew upward to engage King the Wildfire in aerial combat, Brook utilized his supernatural frost abilities to create an icy combat zone across the battlefield.
He combined his own developed "chill of the underworld" with various soul-targeting attacks integrated into his swordsmanship, moving back and forth across the battlefield like a phantom. His strategy successfully pinned down the remaining five members of the Flying Six in a concentrated area.
However, the Flying Six—as the backbone elite of the Beast Pirates—although briefly restricted by Brook's supernatural techniques, didn't suffer additional heavy casualties. They quickly realized that their skeletal opponent was employing delaying tactics for some ulterior purpose.
Who's-Who, transformed into his Ancient Zoan saber-toothed tiger form granted by the Cat-Cat Fruit, was the first to break through the area filled with icy mist and supernatural cold.
"Hmph! So he's just bluffing after all—he has some other objective!" Maintaining his fearsome half-beast saber-toothed tiger form, Who's-Who scanned the battlefield quickly before his predatory gaze fell on Carina, Tama, and Kotatsu, who were stealthily maneuvering through the deeper areas of Beast Pirates territory.
After noting their position, he deliberately turned his attention away, ignoring the sword wounds marking his body, and resolutely charged toward Deuce and Skull, who were currently fighting several Headliner and Numbers.
Swinging his fist enhanced with powerful Armament Haki, Skull knocked down the grotesquely deformed artificial Devil Fruit user confronting him with a single devastating blow.
Simultaneously, Deuce manipulated his dragon body to create violent winds that howled around their position, severely restricting both the attack and defense capabilities of the enemy. He then swept his massive tail across the battlefield, suddenly knocking down a Number who had been attempting to launch a sneak attack from the side.
"Boss Deuce! I feel like we're practically invincible now!" Skull laughed with his characteristic strange cackle, thoroughly enjoying their tactical advantage.
Deuce coiled through the air again, controlling the fierce winds to transform into a localized tornado that trapped all the enemies in front of him within a confined area.
Rather than contradict Skull's assessment, his mind flashed back to all the battles they had experienced since setting sail, as well as the almost continuous training everyone had undertaken to improve their individual capabilities. He chuckled with obvious satisfaction and replied: "We're not actually invincible, but we've gotten completely used to situations where we're outnumbered by enemies. It's simply no longer a significant problem for us!"
The moment he finished speaking, Deuce felt a piercing sensation of danger rising from behind him as a threatening voice suddenly rang out.
"Arrogant fool! I don't know what's wrong with your Devil Fruit powers, but you're still nothing but a fake dragon!"
Who's-Who's figure had appeared directly behind Deuce with predatory stealth, and from his gaping maw, several fang-shaped air bullets fired with lethal precision, aimed directly at Deuce's transformed dragon body.
Skull caught a glimpse of this development and hurriedly shouted a warning, but it was already too late to physically intervene.
Along with a muffled groan of pain, the sharp compressed-air projectiles penetrated the massive dragon that Deuce had become, causing scales to fly from his back as blood began flowing from multiple puncture wounds.
"Now die!" Who's-Who's initial attack had proven effective, and his razor-sharp fangs became coated with advanced Armament Haki as he lunged to bite the back of Deuce's neck, intending to deliver a fatal blow to the vulnerable navigator.
At the critical moment, Who's-Who was still smirking with anticipated victory when he suddenly found that his jaw had locked open and could no longer close properly.
A pair of hands wreathed in advanced Haki had appeared seemingly from nowhere, firmly clamping the saber-toothed tiger's deadly fangs while a figure burning with crimson flames positioned himself directly in front of Who's-Who.
It was Ace, who had been flying through the air and rushing to provide assistance. Obvious fury blazed in his eyes as he stared at the Ancient Zoan user before him: "You're the one who's going to die here!"
The rescue had arrived just in time, and now the battle was about to escalate to an entirely new level of intensity.
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