Dense bolts of lightning passed through the thunderclouds and connected to Garp's body. Although the lightning caused only limited damage under his thick Armament Haki, it spread out into a massive net that trapped him in midair.
Big Mom crashed into the ground, carving out a huge crater beneath her, yet without any pause she rose at once.
Gripping Napoleon with both hands, she pulled it behind her right side as Conqueror's Haki and her ability poured endlessly into the tip of the blade.
"Maser Cannon!"
She swung toward Garp, who was bound within the lightning net in the sky, and a beam of extremely compressed energy shot straight at him.
He glared in anger as his aura surged violently, and his right fist smashed forward to meet the incoming laser.
Sizzle!
The iron fist and the laser collided, stalling in midair as his gaze sharpened and his right arm swelled once more.
Boom!
Invisible Armament Haki crushed the laser beam and shot toward Big Mom, while he seemed to lose balance in the air from exerting too much force.
The compressed shockwave from Garp's fist flew toward Big Mom, but she raised her left hand, blocked it with Armament Haki, and flung it aside. Lightning flashed along Napoleon in her right hand as she slashed toward him.
"Ikoku Sovereignty!"
Boom!
* * *
New World, Hobro Island.
The frontline island where the Marines had been fighting Knox had now completely disappeared.
The sea was split into two extremes, one half boiling while the other was frozen solid.
On one side, steam rose thick enough to dehydrate a person, while on the other, a chilling cold seeped into the soul.
No one could be seen across the waters, yet the steam and frost continued spreading outward as somewhere unseen, the battle raged on.
* * *
New World, New Marineford.
Evening.
Six hours had passed since Uta's execution, and the entire headquarters was in constant motion. The Four Emperors had acted as if by prior agreement, but the Marines had long been prepared. Though both sides suffered losses, the pirates had lost more.
In front of the execution platform, Carlo had just left the intelligence department when he suddenly remembered the Devil Fruit recycler. There had been too many people during the day, so he had not acted earlier. Finding a corner, he teleported away.
In the next second, he appeared inside the execution platform.
Unlike the original Marineford platform, the bottom of this temporary structure was hollow and concealed from outside view. The spikes atop the platform were connected to the Devil Fruit recycler and extended all the way down here.
Seeing the fruit that had appeared, Carlo let out a quiet sigh of relief. He recalled the moment Sakazuki had lifted Uta earlier that day, which had made his heart skip a beat. Once the point of contact was lost, the fruit would have been unrecoverable.
Fortunately, the spikes had barbs that hooked onto some flesh.
He reached out and removed the recycler.
Woosh!
He vanished instantly.
* * *
New Marineford, inside the fortress.
Figures moved quickly everywhere and lights were on in every meeting room, as information from the New World war kept returning and involved all sides. Every department was preparing for battle.
Carlo moved through the bustling corridors and climbed level by level until he reached the Fleet Admiral's office. Inside, messengers stood by, relaying Sakazuki's orders without pause.
When he saw Carlo enter, he gestured for them to leave. After they exited, he turned his gaze to him.
"How is it?"
Carlo began his report, "The Four Emperors moved together. Although we were prepared, some bases still suffered heavy damage. Overall, we maintain the upper hand for now.
"Regarding Red-Haired Shanks, Bullet and Enel are engaged with the Red Hair Pirates. There is no sign of the battle stopping, and the soldiers do not dare approach.
"The first defensive line under Red Hair, Bubble Island, has been taken. All pirate crews stationed there were wiped out. At present, Soter is leading the floating fleet deeper into their territory.
"Regarding Kaido, we suffered our greatest losses there. He bypassed Admiral Borsalino and Admiral Issho and struck directly at the rear.
"The 37th, 38th, and 43rd fleets encountered him along the way, and all personnel were killed.
"Allen Port has sunk. Of the 27th to 35th fleets stationed there, one third have been lost. Kaido is currently fighting Admiral Borsalino and Admiral Issho. The battle is ongoing.
"Regarding the Big Mom Pirates, Vice Admiral Garp and Admiral Aramaki attacked Whole Cake Island, but detailed reports have not yet arrived.
"Our gathered forces are assaulting the third defensive line outside Whole Cake Island. There is still no update on the situation.
"As for the Steam Pirates, intelligence indicates that a large number of fleets under Knox are gathering and sailing toward Hobro Island.
"Admiral Kuzan is battling Knox there. The island has already sunk, and their exact location is unknown. Half the sea is boiling water, while the other half is filled with endless icebergs.
"There is no further news at this time."
Sakazuki nodded slightly. "Their reaction is more intense than expected."
He stepped to the sand table, removed the Red Hair pirate flag from Bubble Island, and replaced it with the Marines'.
Carlo gave a bitter smile. "You do realize how ruthless your actions were."
He let out a low chuckle. "Ruthless… Not enough."
He changed the topic.
"Any movement from the Revolutionary Army?"
Carlo shook his head. "No. Our undercover agents within the Revolutionary Army in the Four Blues have not acted. They are still working and training as usual."
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed.
"Keep a close watch on them. With the New World tied up in war, this is too good an opportunity. If I were Dragon, I would definitely make a move."
Carlo nodded. "Yes."
* * *
East Blue, Foosha Village.
From the quiet village, where cooking smoke curled gently into the sky, Makino's panicked voice suddenly rang out.
"This is bad, Village Chief! Luffy! Luffy has… set out to sea!"
The village chief, who had been sitting at the doorway, froze in shock before springing to his feet.
"What?!"
Far from the village, out on the distant sea, a small wooden boat was slowly being rowed forward.
"Uta is not your daughter… why… Shanks!"
For various reasons, the boy wearing the straw hat had embarked on his journey more than a year earlier than in the original story.
* * *
Holy Land of Mariejois.
Outside the grand palace, all personnel had been dismissed as the Five Elders gathered to examine the latest war reports from the New World.
Warcury frowned. "That Sakazuki is becoming more and more presumptuous."
It was evident that even they had been deceived. The claim that he did not know about Shanks' daughter was likely false; she had probably been under the Marines' control long ago.
Now the New World was in turmoil, and it would not settle anytime soon.
Nusjuro pressed his temple.
"There is no way to interfere in the New World war. We will discuss countermeasures after it concludes."
The Marines' victory seemed certain, yet the real concern was how much strength they would retain afterward.
"And what about the Revolutionary Army? They would not miss such an opportunity. The allied nations in the Four Blues have no power to resist."
Peter held up an intelligence report.
"The number of Revolutionary Army headquarters has been reduced to eight. It is time to request Imu-sama to act."
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