Across the front lines of Onigashima, after the Black Star Pirates had systematically defeated all Three All-Stars, the remaining Beast Pirates members who hadn't yet joined the rebellion were being rapidly subdued.
Under the shocked gazes of viewers worldwide, in what felt like mere moments, the massive Beast Pirates organization had been reduced to just Kaido himself fighting atop the skull dome.
However, everyone understood a crucial truth: as long as Kaido remained standing, the Beast Pirates would never truly fall.
This battle also allowed countless people to witness the Mink Tribe for the first time, displaying the incredible strength of this rare and legendary race. After all, the scene of Carrot transforming into her Sulong form and decisively defeating Jack the Drought remained vividly etched in everyone's memories.
Soon, only the Big Mom Pirates remained on the ground battlefield, locked in fierce combat with the combined forces of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Mink warriors.
Since Cavendish, Carrot, and Brook were all seriously injured from their respective battles, the Black Star Pirates chose not to intervene in the ongoing conflict with Big Mom's forces.
The Big Mom Pirates—who had originally come specifically targeting the Black Star Pirates—found themselves forced to engage in battles across different areas of the island due to the fierce resistance they encountered.
They were determined not to let the fighting reach the Queen Mama Chanter. This ship served not only as their crew's flagship but also carried tremendous symbolic significance for their entire organization.
"Marco, there's no point in you getting tangled up with me here, right? Step aside!" Katakuri called out while deflecting the Phoenix's blue flames with his awakened mochi techniques.
"Yoi! Katakuri, I'd advise you to retreat as soon as possible. You've seen what happened to the Beast Pirates, haven't you?" Marco replied with his characteristic laugh, regenerating from the Sweet Commander's spear thrust.
Although the duel between Marco and Katakuri was undeniably fierce, it lacked the truly dangerous atmosphere that defined life-or-death battles. Neither combatant could gain a decisive advantage over the other.
Because of this stalemate, both fighters spontaneously shifted portions of their attention to monitor the changing battlefield around them, engaging in verbal sparring alongside their physical combat.
Katakuri was, of course, acutely aware that if the Beast Pirates were to completely withdraw, their side would definitely find themselves at a severe disadvantage.
There had been numerous conflicts between the Big Mom Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates over the years. Apart from the two Four Emperors themselves, confrontations among their subordinates at every level occurred with regular frequency.
Due to this history, they were hardly unfamiliar with each other's capabilities and fighting styles.
However, there was absolutely no possibility that the Big Mom Pirates would retreat from this battle. Every crew member understood that as long as Big Mom herself continued fighting, they would always retain hope of ultimate victory.
Aboard the Black Star
On the Black Nova's deck, three wounded fighters had been forcibly laid down by Deuce, arranged side by side on makeshift medical cots.
"Mr. Deuce, I actually don't require this kind of treatment," Brook said softly, adjusting his distinctive afro and shifting to a more comfortable lying position. "Just give me some milk and I'll recover completely in no time. Yohohoho!"
Cavendish nodded emphatically, his usual vanity showing even while injured. "Yes, exactly! Deuce, I'm the same way—I just need to eat some beautiful roses and I'll be back to my gorgeous self!"
"Yeah, me too, me too! I want to eat carrots!" Carrot quickly chimed in, her ears twitching with excitement despite her exhaustion.
Deuce shook his head helplessly at his patients' protests. "I made you lie here so you can take the opportunity to properly rest. If any emergency situation arises, you'll be able to provide support immediately."
At this point, he glanced down at a medicine bottle in his hand and sighed deeply. "I really hope I won't have to use this enhancement drug."
"Oh! Deuce, you should save that little pill for yourself to use at night—OW!"
Before Skull could finish his inappropriate joke, he was kicked clean off the deck by an exasperated Deuce.
"Cavendish, use your senses—what's the current situation?" Deuce asked meaningfully as he slowly withdrew his foot.
Cavendish nodded slightly, his Observation Haki quietly expanding outward to assess the battlefield.
After a moment of concentration, he reported grimly: "Well, the battle is still raging up there, and the outcome remains completely unknown."
After a brief pause, he continued with slightly more optimism: "As for everything else, it should be considered proceeding smoothly."
Deuce nodded with satisfaction. "Good. Keep monitoring the situation closely."
Inside the Skull Dome
Ace kicked upward with tremendous force, deflecting the massive blade that Big Mom was swinging toward him. He immediately spun around and launched a devastating counterattack.
His fist was not only wreathed in pure white flames on the outside, but the interior also crackled with violent Conqueror's Haki manifesting as twisting black lightning.
"You don't actually think those pathetic little flames can do anything to me, do you?!" Big Mom roared furiously, swinging her left fist in a massive haymaker.
The fists of both combatants collided with tremendous violence. Their Conqueror's Haki clashed and spread outward, generating fierce winds that sent sand and debris flying in all directions.
At the same time, the white flames wrapped around Ace's fist clung to Big Mom's arm like some parasitic organism, rapidly spreading across her entire massive frame.
As expected, Ace was launched backward by the tremendous impact, hitting the ground far from their collision point.
"AGHHH! Prometheus, can't you give me even a little help here?!" Big Mom screamed in genuine pain, her voice echoing with rage and frustration.
Prometheus frantically circled beneath her thunderous roars, but the living flame didn't dare make any promises he couldn't keep.
"Hmph! Useless creation!" Big Mom cursed angrily. She suddenly extended her right hand, pointing Napoleon's tip directly at Ace, who had already returned to his feet. "Prometheus! Napoleon! Zeus! Prepare yourselves!"
"Tch! That fat old hag really does have monstrous brute strength," Ace muttered, rotating his arm joints and grinning despite the pain.
After saying this, he raised his eyes to stare directly at Big Mom with unwavering determination. "But the final victor will definitely be me!"
"Kid, it's nighttime right now—what kind of daydreams are you having?!" Big Mom replied with menacing darkness in her voice.
She stood firmly atop Zeus, gripping her transformed blade with both hands as she accelerated toward Ace at tremendous speed.
"I've ruled these seas for decades since before you were even born! A little brat like you is nothing more than an annoying fly that I can easily crush to death!"
Hearing this, Ace's grin widened with confidence. "Everything you just said is ancient history, old woman. So it's about time you stepped aside and made way for the new generation!"
"Besides, I'm sure you heard me clearly—I made a promise to my friends that I would defeat you!"
Pure white flames spread quietly outward, and by the time Ace finished speaking, they had completely enveloped his entire body.
The blazing inferno burned with incredible intensity, scorching the nearby ground black and distorting the very air around him. The tremendous energy radiating from his form caused him to float weightlessly in the void, resembling nothing less than the God of Fire himself descending to earth.
"Mamamama! I've heard similar boasts countless times before, though they're admittedly rare! Unfortunately, not a single person has ever managed to back up their words!" Big Mom rode Zeus through howling winds, appearing before Ace in an instant with her two-handed blade positioned for a devastating strike.
"Ikoku Sovereignty!"
Just as Big Mom prepared to swing her weapon, Zeus's lightning and Prometheus's flames suddenly converged on Napoleon's transformed blade. A violently swirling energy ring gathered along the sword's edge, making the massive weapon appear to transform into pure concentrated power.
As the long blade in Big Mom's hands swept through the air, Conqueror's Haki and raw energy erupted simultaneously, interweaving with each other in a slash that could split mountains and seas.
Faced with this attack of overwhelming destructive potential, Ace felt an immensely heavy aura pressing down upon him, making even the slightest movement incredibly difficult.
"AHHHH!" A long battle cry erupted from his throat as astonishing Conqueror's Haki surged outward like a tsunami. Ace broke free from the invisible constraints in a brilliant flash.
His figure flickered forward in a perfectly straight line, raising his arm without the slightest hesitation. White flames from throughout his body condensed and swirled around his right fist, blending seamlessly with the crackling black lightning of his advanced Haki.
"Sacred Fire: Heaven Splitter!"
Fist met blade in a cataclysmic collision as the energies of both combatants clashed with earth-shaking violence.
Contrary to Big Mom's expectations, the anticipated massive energy explosion never materialized. Instead, the pure white flames concentrated in Ace's fist suddenly erupted with wild intensity, expanding in an instant into a colossal fireball nearly ten meters in diameter that launched forward like an energy cannon.
In that brilliant flash, the two ultimate attacks collided. Pure white flames erupted in all directions while Ace was simultaneously knocked away by the tremendous force of Big Mom's enhanced blade.
Two figures—one massive, one smaller—flew apart in opposite directions like artillery shells, both ultimately crashing to the ground with thunderous impacts.
For a long moment, the entire battlefield fell into an unprecedented and eerie silence.
Dust and smoke slowly cleared from both impact sites as the world held its breath, waiting to see which of these titanic fighters would rise first. The very air seemed to vibrate with residual energy from their incredible clash, while both the Whitebeard Pirates and Big Mom Pirates momentarily paused their own battles to witness the outcome of this legendary confrontation.
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