As a rare Zoan-type Mythical Beast user, Tashigi had made her name known throughout the New World thanks to her exceptional swordsmanship and her versatile Devil Fruit powers.
Her strength far surpassed what a Commodore rank could reflect—just like Ace, Kuina, T Bone, and Cavendish, her rank was never a true measure of her combat prowess.
Blazing orange flames engulfed her blade, Shigure, now wrapped tightly in Armament Haki. Tashigi gripped it with both hands, facing off against Charlotte Smoothie, one of the Sweet Commanders, in her strongest hybrid beast-human form.
"Bounty: 932 million Berries… As a fellow swordswoman, let's see if all these years of hard work justify the Fleet Admiral's faith in me!"
"Nine Phantoms: Spirit Slash!"
Whoosh—
Tashigi's form split into nine identical figures, each moving with deadly grace. Smoothie's eyes narrowed.
"More clones?!"
Legend tells of the fox spirit's illusion magic—no weaker than a tanuki's shapeshifting. These nine clones, though less powerful individually, could all potentially be the real Tashigi. Unless every one of them was destroyed, it would be impossible to bring her down.
In other words—Tashigi had nine lives.
"Foxfire: Raging Wilds Flash!"
All nine Tashigis swung their blades simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of flame-infused slashes that surged forward, engulfing the towering Smoothie.
"Lady Smoothie… shall we begin?"
...
Elsewhere, Charlotte Cracker had just finished eliminating his own clone. A notorious shut-in who preferred hiding in his biscuit armor, he knew exactly how laughable his duplicate's performance would be.
Without hesitation, he summoned a legion of Biscuit Soldiers, launching an all-out assault. Though the clones' army was weaker in both offense and defense, Cracker had pushed himself to the limit to tear through them.
He panted, rallying his forces again, now intending to support Katakuri—he and Smoothie had come to the same conclusion: only Katakuri could contend in a battle of such magnitude.
"Biscuit Soldiers—move!"
"Hold it!"
A thunderous voice froze Cracker mid-command. He sneered.
"Who the hell would slow down now?"
"T Bone's Sky Rend: Right-Angle Arc Slash!"
"Moa Moa—Fifty Times!"
BOOM—!
A gleaming, right-angled arc of energy burst from the massive greatsword. The moment it left the blade, it had already grown monstrously large.
The devastating attack wiped out the already-damaged Biscuit Soldier army in one overwhelming sweep.
"Bounty: 860 million Berries! Sweet Commander Charlotte Cracker!"
Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral T Bone stood in Cracker's path, dual-bladed greatsword pointed squarely at the enraged pirate.
"You cowardly rat! Hiding behind armor because you're afraid of pain? Come out and fight like a man!"
"…How the hell do you know?!"
"The light of justice will shine on your rotting shadow! Fight with honor, or die in disgrace!"
Furious at being called out to his face, Cracker summoned another wave of Biscuit Soldiers.
"YOU?! Don't make me laugh!"
"Let's see what's faster—your sword, or my army!"
With the Moa Moa no Mi (More-More Fruit), Bone's potential was terrifying. Theoretically, with proper weapon support from HQ, he alone could sink all of Whole Cake Island.
But Bone was still limited—his fruit's power capped at fifty times enhancement, far from the one-hundredfold limit reached by the infamous "World Destroyer," Byrnndi World.
Even then, World's claim to sink Marineford in one shot was mostly theoretical—under perfect, undisturbed conditions.
In just two years, Bone had cultivated such strength. Though he regretted not unlocking more of the fruit's potential, his future remained undeniably bright.
And now, after honing his strength on the frontlines of the New World for two full years—Bone stood alone against Sweet Commander Cracker.
...
Former Sweet Commander Charlotte Snack charged eastward, blade in hand.
Mont-d'Or had been right. That strange contraption was the key to the Navy's strength in this battle. Destroy it, and the Marines' morale would crumble!
If Mama could defeat the Fleet Admiral and the Admirals, then by seizing this opportunity, Snack could reclaim his title as a Sweet Commander!
"White Horse!"
"Biken: Blue Bird!"
A dazzling thrust forced Snack into a hasty block, sending him skidding backward dozens of meters from the sheer force.
"You… Commodore 'White Horse' Cavendish of Marine Headquarters!"
Cavendish had activated his White Horse form, radiating an unbridled arrogance. The famed sword Durandal gleamed as it pointed directly at Snack.
"Bounty: 600 million Berries… 'Former' Sweet Commander Snack…"
He deliberately emphasized former, a jab that made Snack's temple twitch with rage.
"Shut your damn mouth! Just a Commodore, and you think you can stop me?!"
"Oh, I know all about you and Urouge. Must've been rough—getting stepped on and losing your spot to him. Complicated feelings, huh, 'Former' Sweet Commander?"
Cavendish's tongue was razor sharp.
"How about letting me take a crack at it too? Just one little step on the head—so I can get promoted to Rear Admiral. Deal?"
"BASTARD!"
Snack was practically fuming.
"You'll regret flapping your mouth, brat!"
"If you can back it up—go ahead and try!" Cavendish pointed his blade forward.
"You want to destroy the Lightforged Beacon? Nice eye… But unless you kill me, forget about it!"
...
The battlefield where Big Mom, Wright, Sakazuki, and Fujitora clashed was on the verge of collapse—none of the other combatants could even approach it.
Among Big Mom's children, Perospero, her eldest son, was an exception.
His bounty stood at 700 million Berries, surpassing even former Sweet Commander Snack.
Yet, as the head steward of the Big Mom Pirates, he was never a Sweet Commander. He preferred calling himself an "artist."
His candy-molding powers were so refined that even Kuzan once shook his head in admiration. Not that Kuzan cared—if a real fight broke out, he could easily grind Perospero into the ground.
Only Smoker's "3D Printing" capabilities could rival Perospero's in fine control. But Perospero's candy… was simply more beautiful.
One was a tool. The other, art. That was the difference. Perospero could even build escalators.
In the original timeline, he recreated the entire Marine Secret Science Laboratory from Punk Hazard with 100% accuracy—a testament to his absolute mastery of his power.
Give Smoker or Kuzan that job, and they'd sneer: "What a waste of time."
Now, it took both Vice Admiral Doberman and Vice Admiral Onigumo to keep him in check.
Doberman took the offensive, while Onigumo used his powerful Life Return technique to manipulate his long hair into eight blade-wielding arms, creating just enough pressure to contend with Perospero's endlessly shifting candy creations.
The battle had reached a deadlock.
Meanwhile, several copy clones created by the Metamorph Squad had been systematically destroyed—but not before buying the Navy's officers precious time.
The 8,000-strong elite Navy assault unit had formed a massive combined strike formation, gradually pushing the pirates back.
With Wright's constant healing aura, they became a relentless grindstone—
It might have only felt like scratches to the pirates, but even scratches bleed if they don't stop.
Now, it all came down to the outcome on the main battlefield.
Both the Marines and pirates knew—the outcome of the clash between the four titans would determine this war.
Big Mom had shown terrifying might, but the Navy had three forces on par with her…
From any perspective, the pirates could hardly see a glimmer of hope.
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