On the ground below Whole Cake Chateau, Admiral Fujitora—Issho—stood solemnly, watching as the remnants of the Big Mom Pirates lay crushed and barely clinging to life beneath the weight of fallen meteors.
"I will… hold back no longer."
Under the immense force of gravity, many pirates—already at the end of their rope—coughed up blood and collapsed.
Even someone as powerful as Katakuri, severely wounded from his battle with Ace and further exhausted from saving his younger siblings from the collapse of Whole Cake Chateau, had reached his limit…
Just as they barely escaped, they were met by a fully intact Marine force—led personally by Admiral Fujitora. The meteors summoned now were larger and far more devastating than before, utterly destroying any hope of escape.
With Big Mom absent from the battlefield, not even the combined might of the Three Sweet Commanders and the eldest son, Perospero, could withstand the overwhelming assault of over ten thousand elite Marines under the command of a fresh, uninjured Admiral.
BOOM—
CRACK—
A blinding flash and thunderous explosion erupted from above. Fujitora lifted his head slightly.
"They've started fighting up there…"
"It won't be long before it's all over."
BOOM!
Before his words had even faded, a golden orb wrapped in radiant light plummeted from the sky and slammed directly onto the struggling Perospero, knocking him out cold.
"Peros… nii-san!"
Katakuri, half-kneeling, forced his head up. The gravity field Fujitora was exerting at full strength was potent enough to suppress even Big Mom herself.
As strong as he was, Katakuri couldn't withstand that kind of pressure.
His pupils shrank as he recognized the figure inside the fallen golden sphere—the Marine who had previously been guarding the strange teleportation device.
"That's… him?!"
Katakuri had no idea what had happened after they'd fallen, but seeing Cavendish drop down like this, he instinctively sensed an opportunity.
Fujitora… he's not like Akainu.
If I can seize this Marine… and the teleportation device…
Such thoughts had never crossed Katakuri's proud mind before. Using hostages? That was something only the weak resorted to.
But now, with the brothers and sisters he loved dearly facing the wrath of a Marine Admiral—and their mother unable to protect them—
Katakuri was willing to use any means necessary.
If Mama was no longer able to lead, he had to become the new shield for his siblings.
And Peros-nii…
There was no time to think. Katakuri made his decision in an instant, forcing his body to move and summoning his power to pull the golden sphere toward him.
Focusing his will, he activated his Observation Haki at full strength. With an Admiral nearby, he had to—
Suddenly, his expression twisted in horror.
"No… impossible!!"
"Run! RUN!! She's here!!"
Katakuri's sudden roar stunned every conscious pirate—and even the Marines, including Fujitora himself.
"She" is here?
Big Mom?
But if it were Big Mom, why would Katakuri refer to her that way?
Shouldn't they be relieved if Big Mom had arrived?
Then the Marines remembered her hunger pangs—her dreaded food cravings. Realization dawned.
Fujitora immediately increased the pressure of his gravity field and launched himself toward Cavendish.
The pirates couldn't even scream. Katakuri coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining his scarf red.
"Damn it… we're out of time!"
WHOOSH—
BOOM!
Like a massive cannonball, a giant figure cloaked in crackling thunder and flames came crashing down from above!
Only Cavendish, shielded in time by Fujitora, remained unharmed. Every pirate near the impact zone was knocked out instantly.
Some of the weaker ones were barely clinging to life—more exhaling than inhaling.
"Vigor Aura: Command!"
Wright and Sakazuki arrived next, radiant light exploding beneath the feet of the Marine officers. Among the three Auras, the one boosting mental resilience—Vigor Aura—flared to full intensity!
The Marine officers suddenly felt their minds sharpen with unparalleled clarity.
But just as they adjusted to this newfound lucidity—
"Soul Extraction!"
"AAAHHHH!!"
A chilling scream erupted from the pirates. A pulse of dread hit the Marines—an unnatural chill crawling down their spines—as piercing pain shot through their heads.
They watched in horror as the already-injured pirates collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.
From their bodies, white, jelly-like, translucent substances were being forcibly torn out by clawed shadows—
Their souls! And those black claws belonged to—
"BIG MOM!!"
"Mama! Please, no!!"
"Aaaahhh!! Spare me!!"
"Mama! I'm your real son!!"
Even the battle-hardened Marines were horrified to see the same black claws quietly reaching for them—only to be repelled by the radiant aura beneath their feet.
The claws recoiled—thwarted by the golden field of Consecration that Fleet Admiral Wright had just expanded!
"If not for the Fleet Admiral's aura… we would've all been wiped out just now…"
The Marines stood frozen, shaken. Even Fujitora and Sakazuki had grave expressions.
This soul-targeting ability was far too strange—too terrifying. Only the future-sensing Observation Haki of Katakuri and Wright had allowed them to sense Big Mom's actions in time.
But while Wright had the means to shield them, Katakuri could only watch helplessly as the mother he once revered tore the souls from his beloved siblings.
"MAMAAAA!!"
The agony of soul-severance overwhelmed Katakuri. Straining to resist, he collapsed unconscious as the Consecration field forced the claws to withdraw.
"…BIG MOM just wiped out nearly all her own children…"
Sakazuki's tone was low and tense. The Admiral clenched a magma fist, his heat barely contained.
Compared to a Yonko like Big Mom, he—once considered the most ruthless Marine Admiral—suddenly seemed almost compassionate.
"She's devoured that many souls… her hunger pangs must've been resolved."
Wright nodded solemnly after a pause.
"Likely, she suffered a critical injury during her food cravings, and this was her only choice."
"It also means… she's about to unleash the most brutal side of the Soul-Soul Fruit."
"…This is far from over."
Issho checked Cavendish's condition and brought him back.
"Wright—Cavendish seems… off. Could it be due to the soul attack?"
The golden sphere had long since dissipated. It had shielded Cavendish from Wright and Sakazuki's ambush on Big Mom, and cushioned his fall—but the Lightforged Beacon within had vanished.
Now, Cavendish lay unconscious, unmoving.
"Cavendish's soul is… unusual. The aura's effect on him while unconscious is limited. It's possible he was affected by the soul attack."
"But from what I can sense—he's not in danger."
Wright probed Cavendish's condition, slightly surprised.
"He'll be fine. Once we finish dealing with Big Mom, I'll examine him more thoroughly."
"This might turn out to be a blessing in disguise."
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