Hearing that reinforcements had arrived outside Marine Headquarters, Sengoku's face twisted in shock. He grabbed the receiver and roared,
"Prepare to intercept immediately! Ready the cannons!"
"Report—Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Most of the port cannons were destroyed by 'Thunder God' earlier! We can't provide effective bombardment!"
"Damn it! So he planned this from the start?! What a scheming bastard!"
Sengoku's expression darkened. He suddenly recalled how Leno had destroyed the port's artillery in the first wave. There was nothing he could do now but watch helplessly as the enemy ships stormed into the bay and entered Marineford.
"Marine Headquarters isn't as scary as they said."
"Yeah! I walked right in without breaking a sweat!"
"Boss, all we need to do is cause chaos in Marineford, right?"
On the incoming ships, a mob of outlaws—fearful at first—quickly turned arrogant when they found the way clear.
A dark-skinned, red-haired woman in revealing clothes stood at the bow and spoke calmly.
"That's right. The Marines are stretched thin right now; their focus isn't on us. Just land and create as much chaos as possible."
"When it's over, our big boss will pay every single Berries we promised."
Her cold gaze swept over the mercenaries. Baccarat's eyes glimmered with disdain as memories from Gran Tesoro surfaced.
"Baccarat, how many men did Peclo say he could send?"
"Boss, word is they can muster about fifteen thousand at most."
Sitting on his golden throne, Tesoro slammed his palm on the table.
"Fifteen thousand?! For two hundred million Berries?! That son of a bitch Peclo thinks I'm an idiot!"
"Boss, we just received news. Marine Headquarters hasn't requisitioned troops from other branches this time, which means the number of Marines at Marineford right now won't be too high."
"Even if they're short on numbers, they're still the elite of Marine Headquarters. Of course, the more cannon fodder, the better. Tell them, no matter how much more it costs, the number must not be less than twenty thousand."
Baccarat blinked in surprise at his madness, a hint of confusion in her tone.
"Understood, boss. But… why are you paying such a high price to help that 'Thunder God'?"
"Heh… You don't need to know. Just remember—he's the man who saved my life."
Tesoro's gaze froze briefly before he waved the topic aside; he didn't want anyone digging into his humiliating past.
Then he tapped his fingers on the table, voice turning sharp again.
"One more thing. After those fools land, blow up all their ships. Cut off their escape."
"That way, we'll achieve our goal—and cripple Peclo's forces in the process. No one earns my money easily."
A sly smile spread across Baccarat's lips.
"Boss, you really are ruthless."
"Hehehehehe…"
As the memory faded, Baccarat watched the reckless mercenaries charge into Marineford's plaza, a twisted grin curling on her face.
"Hehehehe… So many shadows. Beautiful. Rise—my zombie army!"
Seeing unfamiliar reinforcements pour onto the plaza, Moria's excitement exploded. He unleashed his power, turning on Nami, Nojiko, and the others.
The ground cracked open—tattered corpses crawled up to join the battle. Yamato's eyes gleamed as she stepped in front of Moria.
"Hey, big guy! You can control the dead? That's… awesome! Let me play too!"
Moria, startled by the sudden appearance, flared with anger. "Arrogant brat! You want to die? Fine! Zombies—tear her apart!"
"Perfect! Try this—Thunderous Bagua!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Lightning danced along her kanabo as it slammed into the zombie horde. The impact hurled dozens of corpses away, leaving them twitching and still.
"You… you—!"
That aura, that weapon, that technique—Moria's pupils dilated, veins bulging red. The long-buried fear inside him flooded back all at once. He trembled and pointed a shaking finger at Yamato.
"You… what's your relation to Kaido?! You used his technique—and you're a horned oni too. Don't tell me—"
"Ah~ I hate to admit it, but yeah, that bastard's my old man!"
Yamato frowned in confusion. Why was this huge guy acting so weird over one attack?
"Your… old man? Kaido?"
At her words, Moria's terror turned into crazed delight.
"Hah! The heavens favor me! If you're Kaido's daughter, I'll take a little revenge—turn you into a zombie! Imagine Kaido's face when he sees his precious undead daughter!"
"Hehehehehe!"
Yamato tilted her head, baffled by his manic mood swings.
"Hey, big guy, are you okay? You fighting or not?"
"How dare you look down on me!" Moria snarled.
"Shadow Asgard!"
Feeling that condescending stare, Moria exploded in rage. Your father beat me, and now his daughter pities me?!
"Swish—swish—swish—"
His vast shadow shot forward, forming black lances that thrust toward Yamato.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Yamato parried each strike and suddenly grinned. "Oh, I see! You control shadows, huh? Interesting! So interesting! Following Leno really paid off—I've already seen such cool powers!"
"You damn brat! Can't you do anything but dodge?" Moria roared, frustrated that even her shadow was beyond his reach.
"Then I'll show you what I can really do!"
The one thing Yamato couldn't stand was being taunted. She erupted in power, revealing her Devil Fruit form.
"Howling Ice Fang!"
Hiss—!
Frost burst from her mouth, freezing Moria's lower body solid and leaving a deep scar of ice across the ground.
"Nani?!"
Realizing his body was locked in ice, Moria panicked—but before he could move, Yamato's cold voice followed.
"Ice Soul—Thunderous Bagua!"
"Boom!"
The kanabo, surging with the fury of lightning and ice, slammed into Moria's massive gut. The impact caved in his belly, shockwaves rippling through the air as his body blasted backward, carving a long, smoking trench across the ground.