Wright gazed calmly at the fully armed Big Mom.
He had never truly expected to take her down in one stroke, even at her most vulnerable.
A top-tier fighter's instincts were terrifying.
As one of the Four Emperors—standing at the very summit of the world—Big Mom's instincts were no exception.
Her frailty was not physical but rather a symptom of her unstable mental state.
The moment she regained mental clarity, her terrifying resilience—her "iron balloon" defense—would instantly return.
That clarity could come either from her own will breaking through the damage to Mother Carmel's photo—or from an external shock.
And nothing triggered that better than the instinctive panic brought by mortal danger.
Even a deranged top-tier fighter could always sense the threat of death.
That's why, if Wright had drawn his blade, the overwhelming threat alone would likely have snapped Big Mom out of it.
Katakuri had yet to reach the apex of strength and didn't understand that—
Even if he did, he never would've dared to risk it and allow Wright to attack Big Mom.
Still, his interference served its purpose.
Had he failed, Wright could've used a more devastating strike—
And even if Big Mom had managed to snap out of it in time and block, injury would've been inevitable.
Now, the battle had moved into a clash of brute strength.
With Big Mom fully lucid again, her children immediately rallied to her side, forming a defensive perimeter.
But none of them looked optimistic.
Despite their usual arrogance and disdain for others, even with Big Mom at full strength anchoring the formation, cold sweat streamed down their faces.
Just look at who they were up against...
Two Admirals, both peerless in might—and even the Fleet Admiral himself had come to the frontlines!
Behind them stood six Vice Admirals, each leading a 2,000-strong Joint Strike Formation, all composed of elite officers at minimum rank of Captain.
And none of them doubted it: if the battlefield were larger, the Marines would have brought even more troops.
And on their side?
They'd been ambushed, completely caught off guard—trapped by the dual assault of a Marine Admiral and Mama's own chaotic shrieks…
And what had Perospero said just now?
One of their most closely guarded secrets—Brûlée's Mirror World—had been compromised… and turned against them.
This war—
The Marines were determined to win.
And what was going on with the Straw Hats and the Revolutionary Army?!
Was the Navy actually allied with them now?!
No one believed this was a coincidence!
Wright stood at the front, with Sakazuki and Fujitora at his flanks.
Each Vice Admiral led their own strike formation, reinforced by elite warriors like Ace and Tashigi…
"You think this little army is enough to crush me?!"
Big Mom licked her lips with her long tongue, flames flickering along her massive blade, Napoleon.
"My children will slaughter your entire force!"
"It's not just this little army."
Wright chuckled, shaking his head, as he pulled out a stack of leaves—leaving Big Mom momentarily stunned.
Pato had been left at headquarters. His transformation leaves were more than enough to complete the task.
Katakuri's face darkened as his calm mind "saw" what was coming.
"This… this is impossible!"
"Mama! There's something wrong with those leaves!"
"They've still got reinforcements—no, more than that!"
"What?!"
Even as Katakuri's voice rang out, Wright scattered the transformation leaves into the wind.
"Let's change the battlefield, shall we? Too much clutter here."
Shff!
The scene shifted dramatically.
What had been a festive tea party venue—filled with tables, snacks, and decorations—transformed into—
"Th-This is…?!"
"Marineford?!"
The colossal Fortress of Justice, the crescent-shaped harbor, the vast Oris Plaza...
In an instant, the battlefield had shifted from Big Mom's territory to the Marines' stronghold!
"And that's not all."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A string of thunderous noises erupted, leaving the pirates dumbstruck as more figures appeared before them.
"You've gotta be kidding!"
"How is this possible?!"
Standing beside Wright were—
Katakuri, Smoothie, Cracker—the "Sweet Commanders" of the Big Mom Pirates!
Perospero the Candy Minister, Daifuku the Bean Minister, Oven the Browned Foods Minister, and the former Sweet Commander, Snack...
Copies of Big Mom's most powerful children stood directly opposite their originals!
"What the hell is going on?!"
The Big Mom Pirates were on the verge of losing their minds. Was this some kind of magic trick?!
Glowing auras shimmered at the clones' feet.
Augmented by Wright's power, they couldn't match their originals blow-for-blow—but they weren't pushovers either.
Most of them possessed Devil Fruit abilities.
And while not as potent as their real counterparts, they made perfect support fighters.
Turning their own techniques against them?
How poetic.
"Well then—this should be enough troops, don't you think?"
Wright turned to the now ashen-faced Big Mom with a smile.
"Don't underestimate them just because they're copies…
Or you'll regret it."
"Marines! Prepare to engage!"
Golden lightning sparked and danced around Wright.
"Charge!"
"Yes, sir! Justice will prevail!!"
"Maaamaaamaaa! In your dreams!"
Suddenly, a violent clash of Conqueror's Haki split the sky in two!
Ashen-gray and fiery-red auras collided, shaking the heavens.
The clash between "Ashes" and "Napoleon," between Haki and Divine Power, was so fierce that even someone of Katakuri's caliber couldn't approach.
But Wright wasn't the only powerhouse on the Marine side.
The "Replica Ministers" were more than enough to stall Big Mom's forces—who were encountering this ability for the first time.
Wright never intended to fight Big Mom one-on-one.
"Jigoku Tabi (Hell Journey)!"
With a sharp ring, Fujitora's blade left its sheath. Layer upon layer of gravitational pressure crushed down on Big Mom's massive form, halting her mid-swing.
"Mama! What is this?! It's so heavy!!"
Zeus's eyes rolled back as he flapped desperately.
"Mama! I-I can't fly anymore!"
"You little brat! Are you calling me fat?!"
Big Mom flew into a rage—though she was heavy...
But you couldn't say that out loud!
"Are you stupid?! That's the Marine Admiral's ability!"
Prometheus shouted at Zeus, its body swelling like a miniature sun.
"Mama! Just interrupt his ability and we'll be fine!"
"Hmph! You think I'm just going to sit here?!"
"Great Eruption!"
A massive lava fist erupted with the force of a volcanic blast, piercing through the blazing form of Prometheus.
"Waaaahhh!!"
Prometheus's agonized screams made Big Mom freeze as she prepared to hurl him at Fujitora.
"Prometheus! What happened?!"
"Mama! That magma... it hurts me!"
Molten lava boiled around Sakazuki, and the volcanic bombs from Great Eruption sent pirates flying.
"Mere fire…"
He glanced at Ace, whose blazing white-blue fist shimmered with heat and mischief. Sakazuki's lips twitched.
"Your level of flame... will be burned away by my magma."
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