Sabo appeared at the crucial moment, intercepting the surprise attack from two of the Sweet Commanders, giving the Straw Hat Pirates the chance to retreat safely.
But that was the extent of it—the Revolutionary Army had no intention of intervening further in the Navy's operation to eliminate the Big Mom Pirates.
Had Sabo and Koala not arrived, it would have fallen to Sanji, with his Sky Walk, to extract everyone. But now, that was no longer necessary.
At this point, the Revolutionary Army no longer cared about the fate of the pirates. The existence of the Four Emperors, and their role in checking the Marines, had lost its strategic importance.
The moment the Navy launched its offensive against Big Mom, the outcome was already determined—unstoppable.
And for the Revolutionary Army, the time when they needed pirates to distract the Navy had long since passed.
Sabo and Koala did not come to Totto Land to witness the destruction of the Big Mom Pirates. No—their goal was to seize the massive intelligence network Big Mom had built, long hailed as the best in the world—
And bring it entirely under their control.
To the Revolutionary Army, that information was a priceless treasure.
A great swarm of crows took to the skies with a thunderous flap—moments later, Sabo, Koala, and Bege were already perched atop them, swiftly flying away from Cake Castle, which was now being ravaged by the calamity codenamed Natural Disaster.
And it wasn't just the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff in the field—the North Army Commander Karasu, West Army Commander Morley, G Army Commander Emporio Ivankov, and Deputy Commander Inazuma had all taken their positions.
Sabo had assumed the Marines would strike the Tea Party from the sky. After all, the Skyblade user Kuina, with her Float-Float Fruit abilities, was well-known to the world by now.
But even an aerial assault takes time to mobilize. No one expected the Uncle—that man—to appear out of nowhere and wrap up most of the Big Mom Pirates' elite like dumplings in a steamer basket.
"Never thought... the Revolutionary Army would send in so many top brass just to join the chaos."
Bege grumbled around his cigar, clearly not pleased.
By rights, Bege was currently acting solo, but his entire crew—his castle body—was still within him.
The Straw Hats had his full force inside them as hostages, so to speak.
Yet Bege dared not make a move.
He knew all too well what kind of monster the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff really was—he wasn't one of those ignorant fools.
And he called Luffy his… brother?
Ha. Bege didn't doubt for a second that if he so much as twitched the wrong way, this man—wielding the same Tremor-Tremor Fruit once possessed by Whitebeard—would kill him without hesitation.
There was no defense against that kind of power.
Besides, there was no reason to resist.
Compared to his own original escape plan, this was far superior.
Big Mom's overwhelming might, paired with the Marines' massive surprise assault—if not for the Revolutionary Army stepping in, he would have been doomed for sure.
"Haha… Let's land up ahead, release the Straw Hats, and go our separate ways."
Sabo glanced at Bege with meaningful eyes, sending a cold sweat down his spine.
"The Navy may have stormed Cake Castle, but Big Mom's forces still occupy many islands throughout Totto Land," Sabo continued.
"Until Big Mom is utterly defeated, those troops remain an active threat. If you want to run, now's the time."
"Y-Yes… Of course," Bege stammered.
Back at Cake Castle…
The Vinsmoke siblings—seeing Sanji and the Straw Hats escape unharmed with Sabo's help—smiled faintly. Reiju aside, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji soared skyward, each carrying a Lightforged Beacon in front of them.
These Lightforged Beacons had already transported eight thousand elite Marines directly to the Tea Party venue.
The technologically powered Battle Suits' mobility-enhancing boots granted the Vinsmoke brothers the ability to fly. Now that the beacons had reverted into rings, they raced off toward other parts of Whole Cake Island.
There, Marine reinforcements would soon arrive, teleporting in to pursue pirates and evacuate civilians under the Vice Admirals' command.
Meanwhile, Kuina's airborne fortress, the Skydome Fortress, advanced with fifty thousand elite Marines, initiating a full-scale push from Totto Land's outer perimeter inward.
And at the rear of this grand offensive stood Admiral Kuzan, the Blue Pheasant, ready to stabilize the front line.
The Lightforged Beacons required Lightforged Crystals as keys to activate their teleportation abilities, which made them impractical for evacuating civilians. But the Skydome Fortress was a different matter entirely.
With fifty thousand veterans who had fought in the Summit War, once the civilians were evacuated to the fortress, these troops would be more than enough to lock down the outer islands of Totto Land.
The fortress's looming presence in the sky, combined with the awe-inspiring power of the Lightforged Beacons, was a show of overwhelming dominance.
This Navy campaign against the Four Emperors—specifically Big Mom—was a pincer movement of unprecedented scale, attacking from both inside and out.
Back at the Tea Party battleground, Wright was closing in rapidly on the weeping Big Mom. He knew all too well that her breakdown wouldn't last long.
And only in this fleeting moment would her terrifying natural resilience—her "iron balloon" body that was impervious even without Armament Haki—vanish.
But Wright frowned.
His Observation Haki, honed to the level of "future sight," had already told him—this strike was destined to fail.
"Swoosh—!"
A massive wall, laced with dense Armament Haki, appeared in front of him.
Charlotte Katakuri had thrown everything he had into blocking Wright's advance.
"Not bad… That level of composure suits you."
Katakuri, also possessing future sight, had immediately plugged his ears with mochi, countering the disruptive sonic assault and intercepting Wright mid-air.
"Secret Technique: Divine Adjudicator!"
With one slash, Wright cleaved through the hardened mochi. Even Katakuri's elite Armament Haki couldn't stand up to the radiant might of Holy Light.
But for someone like Katakuri—whose Observation Haki stood at its peak—delaying Wright for dozens of seconds was still possible.
Wright shook his head. Big Mom wouldn't stay in this fragile state for long. And with the area flooded by her screeches and Conqueror's Haki, now was not the time for the main force to enter the fray.
Charlotte Smoothie was growing to enormous size, furiously cleaving incoming meteors in half, while Oven and Daifuku leapt into the air to redirect the shattered pieces away from the venue.
Admiral Fujitora had already entered the battlefield. Cracker, one of the Sweet Commanders, was fighting desperately to block him. If Fujitora reached Big Mom, it would all be over.
Firstborn Perospero was racing to craft candy earplugs for the others. While his creations melted instantly against Magma Fists, at the very least, they could help block Big Mom's screeches—giving them a fighting chance.
Outside the Encirclement Barrier, the Marine forces stood poised to strike. Perospero knew—if they failed to mount an immediate defense, the instant Big Mom's screams stopped, the Navy would tear down the barrier and rush in.
And then, his siblings—still reeling from the noise—would be slaughtered on the spot.
"Katakuri… You must hold off the Fleet Admiral!"
"Once Mama wakes up, they'll all pay the price!"
"Two Admirals and a Fleet Admiral? Mama's power isn't just about fighting one-on-one!"
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