Water 7 Battlefield
While Ray and Aokiji were engaged in their duel miles away, the situation on the shores of Water 7 was descending into chaos.
Members of the Straw Hat and Buggy Pirates were engaged in a difficult, grinding battle with the Marines.
The air was thick with smoke, and the ground shook rhythmically with explosions.
"Cowards!" Alvida shouted, deflecting a bullet with her Iron Mace. "Come fight us up close!"
The pirates were exasperated. These Marines were fighting dirty.
"Damn it!" Sanji cursed, kicking a cannonball back toward a ship. "They refuse to engage us directly! They keep firing from the sea!"
Under the cover of intense artillery fire from the five massive warships offshore, 3,000 elite Marine soldiers led by ten Rear Admirals were about to fully land on the island.
The landing craft hit the sand, and waves of white uniforms poured out like ants.
Luffy, Zoro, and Buggy were acting as the first line of defense.
They were doing their best to use their abilities or sword slashes to intercept the endless barrage of cannonballs raining down on the city.
"Gum-Gum... Balloon!" Luffy inflated himself, bouncing three shells back into the water.
"36 Pound Cannon!" Zoro sliced through the air, detonating two more mid-flight.
"Buggy Balls!" Buggy fired miniature explosives, intercepting the incoming heavy fire.
Meanwhile, the others, led by the remaining Straw Hat members—Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, and Franky—were fighting the landing Marines head-on.
"Thunderbolt Tempo!" Nami cleared a path.
"Strong Right!" Franky punched a squad of soldiers into the surf.
Despite their strength, Luffy and the others were holding back.
They knew the civilians hadn't fully evacuated yet.
Stray attacks or massive techniques could destroy the escape ships docked nearby.
This wasn't the time for an all-out battle, so they were adopting a conservative strategy, aiming to stall and conserve stamina for a prolonged fight.
Luffy gritted his teeth.
'Just a little longer...'
As soon as they received the signal from Iceburg that the residents of Water 7 had completely evacuated, the restraints would come off.
Luffy and the others would begin fighting at full strength!
As for Ray, he wasn't worried about their safety.
After their hellish training in the Demon Realm, the Straw Hat Pirates could easily handle Marines of this caliber.
Even if the former Admiral Zephyr joined the battle later, Luffy and Buggy working together could still hold their own.
The current Straw Hat Pirates, even without Ray himself, had already become a formidable crew in the pirate world.
Ray had faith in them because he knew a secret.
Just recently, Luffy had created another trump card during their training.
Though not yet fully mastered, it was barely sufficient to handle the current situation.
...
Miles away, on the desolate ice field created by Aokiji, the air crackled with tension.
Ray and Aokiji, while fighting fiercely on the surface, almost simultaneously realized that continuing like this was futile.
The "rats" hiding in the shadows were too patient.
Aokiji blocked a kick from Ray and slid back.
He was the first to speak, his voice low.
"The fact that they haven't made a move yet basically confirms they're waiting for us to weaken each other," Aokiji noted. "They want to scavenge the survivors."
Ray gave a slight nod, unusually responding with words instead of silence.
"They're definitely nearby," Ray agreed. "Watching us."
Aokiji was quite surprised by Ray's reply.
Usually, the silver-haired man was as silent as a grave.
At this moment, Aokiji feeling could be humorously described as: 'A concubine who had been cast into the cold palace suddenly receiving the emperor's favor.'
The two exchanged blows again, clashing in a flurry of sparks. They used the noise and chaos of the aftermath as cover to begin conversing without moving their lips.
"Let's fight seriously!" Ray whispered.
This was Ray's demand: Escalate the fight. Make it look real.
Aokiji naturally nodded upon hearing it. "Agreed."
Having tested the waters for so long without the enemy showing themselves, the best course of action given the current situation was to lure the rats out of their hole as quickly as possible.
To do that, they needed to show blood.
Thus, the two used the recoil from their attacks to propel themselves apart, putting distance between them.
Ray reached to his waist.
Meanwhile, Aokiji took a deep breath. He coated his arms not just in ice, but with intense, awakened cold energy and dense Armament Haki.
"Azure Dragon Break!" Ray roared.
He swung his sword. A massive dragon made of pure blue demonic energy erupted from the blade, roaring as it tore through the sky.
"Awakened Technique: Pheasant Beak - Extreme!" Aokiji shouted.
He punched forward.
A giant silver hawk made of hyper-condensed ice, nearly 300 meters in diameter, screeched into existence.
This wasn't just a simple technique exchange—both had reinforced their attacks with Armament Haki.
After all, they needed to put on a convincing show for their enemies.
Their techniques had to carry sufficient deterrent power to look like a deathblow.
Both understood clearly: whoever dared to scheme against Ray and Aokiji must possess strength at least equal to an Admiral's.
Otherwise, how would they dare to ambush them? That would be no different from suicide.
Therefore, this clash represented a genuine confrontation of their true power.
BOOM!
The collision between the colossal dragon and the divine hawk was cataclysmic. It sent seawater flying across a kilometer radius.
The light sphere formed at the impact point shattered the atmosphere, releasing terrifying destructive force.
It directly created a 20-meter-high tsunami that surged outward toward Enies Lobby and the surrounding islands.
But Ray and Aokiji didn't retreat. Instead, they launched identical techniques again, doubling down.
ROAR! SCREECH!
Another pair of dragon and hawk collided, generating a second explosive light sphere.
Before the light sphere could expand into shockwaves, Ray and Aokiji charged directly into the center of the explosion.
Instantly, the two began fighting inside the impact sphere formed by their clashing techniques. To the outside world, it looked like they were tearing each other apart in a suicide pact.
Red lightning flickered around the light sphere, and after one second, an even more violent explosion occurred.
KABOOM!
Smoke and steam filled the air.
As for Ray and Aokiji, they were sent flying in opposite directions like ragdolls.
Upon closer observation through a telescope, one could see both spitting out large mouthfuls of blood.
Their clothes were shredded, and their Haki seemed to flicker and die.
Then, they fell helplessly into the sea, disappearing into the violently churning waters below.
The battlefield fell silent.
…
High above in the floating island, Shiki and Big Mom witnessed this scene on the screen.
Both of them revealed a meaningful, predatory smiles.
Shiki looked at Big Mom, laughing with his signature laugh.
"Jihahaha! Linlin, do you think that's enough? Two Devil Fruit users have fallen into the sea. Even if they survive the blast, the ocean will finish them. They should be finished."
Big Mom narrowed her eyes, observing the screen.
"Their injuries looked real," she rumbled. "In that case, I can end this battle instantly. I'm just worried you might not be up to it anymore. Don't slow me down."
In response to Big Mom's taunts, Shiki remained calm.
He floated up from his throne. After all, he was an old man who had spent years rotting in Impel Down; his mental state was quite steady, and he knew his own strength.
Moreover, Shiki had his own plans.
"Linlin, go ahead if you want to act," Shiki said, waving his hand dismissively. "You can use those sea beasts as you wish. I'll join you shortly. I need to prepare my ship."
After saying this, Shiki turned and floated toward the island's central lake where his personal pirate ship was docked.
Big Mom rolled her eyes.
She knew the old man had ulterior motives—probably letting her take the initial risk.
But she didn't care. She was a Yonko. She was the Queen of the Seas.
She didn't need a washed-up relic to hold her hand.
She ignored him and turned her attention to the two figures standing behind her throne.
One was her eldest son, Perospero, holding his candy cane staff and looking nervous.
The other was a weird little guy she had captured on her way here from the New World.
He had green hair and wore a strange red collar.
His name was Breed. He was a user of the Peto Peto no Mi (Pet-Pet Fruit).
As the name suggests, Breed's ability allowed him to create green slime collars.
Anyone or anything wearing these collars became his "pet," forced to obey his every command perfectly.
This guy was actually pretty bold—he had tried to ambush Big Mom's supply ship and even used her own crew members to try and assassinate her.
Skilled, but stupid.
Big Mom spared him for one reason: his power was useful.
If she could boost it, she could build an army of obedient beasts. So, she just sucked out ten years of his life as a "tax" and kept him as a slave.
Originally, his power had limits—he had to shout orders for them to work.
But recently, Shiki's top scientist, Dr. Indigo, had drugged Breed up and modified his powers.
Now, Breed could control his "pets" through sheer brainwaves.
And those hundreds of sea beasts waiting below? They were originally violent monsters "evolved" by Dr. Indigo's drugs.
Normally, they were just mindless killing machines, but with Breed's collars on them, they had turned into a disciplined, fearless army.
This was why Ray couldn't figure out where the army came from earlier.
In the original timeline Ray knew, Big Mom, Shiki and Breed never teamed up.
This was a complete anomaly caused by the chaos of his presence.
Big Mom stood up, her shadow looming over the room.
She was practically vibrating with excitement!
"Breed!" she bellowed. "Control the sea beasts! And have the big white dog beside me attack Enies Lobby!"
"Yes, Mama!" Breed saluted, his eyes glowing green.
Next to Big Mom sat Chouchou.
The massive white dog was silent, eyes blank, wearing a heavy metal collar.
Big Mom grinned as she grabbed her sentient thundercloud.
"Zeus!"
"Yes, Mama!"
Big Mom leaped onto the cloud and dove toward the sea surface below.
She didn't care if Shiki would betrayed her.
She was confident. She was going to swoop down, grab Ray while he was injured, and drag him back to Whole Cake Island.
"Mamamama!" she cackled as the wind whipped past her face.
"You're coming home with me, Ray! We're going to make some strong babies!"