A piercing alarm shrieked through the halls of Marineford. Conversations died instantly as officers and scouts turned their attention toward the source of the emergency alert.
"Emergency report for Fleet Admiral Kong! 'Golden Lion' Shiki and 'the Witch' Kanata have made contact in the Mobejumul Sea!"
"The Golden Lion has deployed his entire fleet! All subordinate crews and his three Grand Commanders have been confirmed on-site!!"
Fleet Admiral Kong massaged his temples, a dull ache beginning to throb behind his eyes. He couldn't have predicted Shiki would be obsessed enough with Kanata to pull out his entire legendary armada, but in a way, it was a blessing. Watching two monsters of the New World tear each other apart saved the Navy the trouble.
However, a conflict of this scale threatened every surrounding sea. He couldn't just sit back. He immediately connected a Transponder Snail to Sengoku.
"Sengoku! I'm putting you in charge of the Shiki situation. Can you mobilize?"
"I'm already on it, sir," Sengoku replied, his voice firm. "I have my own score to settle with the Witch. I won't lose this time."
"There's no need to force a confrontation. If you see an opening to capture either of them without expanding the damage, take it."
"Understood."
Just as Kong was about to hang up, another voice boomed over the line.
"Hey, Garp! Where do you think you're going?!"
"Fleet Admiral! I'm going too!" Garp shouted.
"Garp? I thought you were only interested in chasing Roger," Kong noted, surprised.
"This is personal closure for me! Try and stop me, I'm going anyway!"
Kong realized it wasn't about Kanata. It was about Dragon. Garp's "paternal love" meant he'd rather capture his son himself than see him sunk to the bottom of the sea by Shiki's fleet. Against an armada of that size, even a monster like Kanata would struggle to protect everyone.
"Fine. You have permission."
"Ha! Thanks! Move it, Sengoku!"
"Wait, damn it, Garp!—Ahem. Fleet Admiral, we're departing immediately!"
Click.
Kong took a sip of his lukewarm tea, staring at the stack of paperwork on his desk. "Paternal affection, huh?" Even the "Devil" of the pirates and the "Hero" of the Marines were just parents at the end of the day.
He was about to get back to work when a second scout burst into the room.
"Fleet Admiral Kong! Another report!"
"Make it brief."
The scout leaned in and whispered the update. Kong's eyes went wide, and he slammed his hands on the desk as he stood up.
"WHAT?!"
***
The Mobejumul Sea, often called the "Sea of Ill Will," was a nightmare of shifting currents and erratic weather. Between the Serpent Currents, the Sea Slopes, and the localized blizzards, it was a gauntlet that broke many rookies before they could even enter the heart of the New World.
It was here that "Golden Lion" Shiki faced Kanata.
On one side: an armada of dozens of pirate ships.
On the other: a fleet of three.
Despite facing the largest pirate force since the fall of the Rocks Pirates, Kanata didn't flinch.
"You've got a lot of nerve, Witch, tearing through my territories like that!" Shiki roared.
"If you were lured out by such a simple distraction, you've clearly underestimated me," Kanata replied.
Over the past few days, Kanata had systematically dismantled Shiki's outposts and subordinate crews while making her way here. She had been as loud and flashy as possible, and Shiki had taken the bait. He had mobilized everything to crush her, following her trail straight into this chaotic sea.
"You provoked me for the last time! You aren't leaving this sea alive!!"
"I could say the same to you. If you think you can crush me with mere numbers, you're a fool."
The sky darkened, and the wind began to howl. Words were useless now. The conflict that would later be known as the Naval Battle of Mobejumul had begun.
"KILL THEM ALL!!" Shiki screamed.
"GIVE THEM EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT! ERASE THEM!!" Kanata countered.
The two titans launched themselves into the air. Shiki swung his twin blades while Kanata gripped her silver spear. Their weapons didn't even touch; the clash of their Haki was so intense that it created a shockwave, parting the sea below and sending a tremor through the surrounding ships.
"Your Haki's gotten stronger again! How much more power are you hiding?!"
"As much as I need to kill people like you!"
Kanata kicked off the air, dancing through the storm to trade blows with the Golden Lion. She was far more refined than she had been at Water Seven. Shiki's expression soured. He should have killed her months ago. Her growth was unnatural—limitless.
"Like mother, like daughter," Shiki spat, unleashing a Wave Slash.
He used the momentum to create distance, intentionally drawing Kanata away from her ships. He knew his fleet had the advantage; Kanata's greatest weakness was the fact that she was the only one on her ship who could truly match a legend. If he pinned her down, his men would do the rest.
And Shiki's commanders were already moving.
***
"Oh-la-la! The Admiral is really going for it," laughed Lucian, the man in the bicorne hat tasked with commanding the fleet. "What a waste to kill a beauty like that."
"He's obsessed," another voice noted. "So, what's the move? Do we sink them now?"
"We do this right. No slip-ups," Lucian grinned, picking up a Transponder Snail. "All ships, hear my command! Right wing, block their path! Left wing, parallel the targets and prepare for a broadside! Watch your powder—don't let the damp air ruin your shot!"
The orders were relayed instantly. Lucian watched the three target ships. In the New World, Haki and individual strength were king, but an armada's firepower was never a waste. A direct hit could sink a ship, and for ability users, falling into the sea meant death.
"All ships! FIRE!!"
A thunderous volley of cannonballs rained down on the Sombrero and its two escorts. The projectiles were batted away by the crew's top fighters before they could land, but the objective was achieved: the crew was pinned down by the relentless barrage.
"Keep firing! Give them no room to breathe!" Lucian shouted. "Aps! Lelampago! You're up."
"You want us to board in this rain of fire?" asked Aps, a youth with vibrant green hair.
"You won't die from a stray cannonball," Lucian scoffed.
Aps shrugged and fixed his gaze on the Sombrero. Beside him stood Lelampago, a large man with horns and a wild aura.
"Lela, I'm going in first," Aps said.
"Fine. I'll follow."
Aps launched himself from the deck, sprinting through the air like a bullet. He thrust his arms forward, manifesting dozens of gleaming golden chains.
"Let's see what you're made of!"
The chains hissed through the air, seeking to bind the ship and its occupants. Junxi met the assault, spinning his spear to deflect the metal links. As he did, Dragon lunged at Aps, who parried the strike with a chain-wrapped fist.
"Hoh, not bad," Aps noted.
"I'm the one in charge of this ship," Dragon said, his gaze hard. "I won't let you sink it so easily."
Aps was a user of the Chain-Chain Fruit. He could manifest and control chains with terrifying precision. His Haki was already dense enough to turn the golden links a permanent obsidian black. Despite his age, he was a true elite.
"You're soft! Let's see you handle this!"
The chains multiplied, lashing out like sentient serpents. Dragon and Junxi were forced to work together, parrying the endless strikes from two sides.
"Get out of the way!" a voice barked from the side.
Scotch came barreling in, using his massive frame for a high-speed tackle. But this wasn't a normal charge.
"More-More... 100x Iron Body Cannonball!!"
Scotch hardened his body with Haki and amplified his speed and mass a hundredfold. He caught Aps off guard, his massive shoulder slamming into the commander's chest. Aps's Haki held, but the sheer kinetic force sent him tumbling off the deck and into the open air.
"Whoa... one Devil Fruit really turned you into a powerhouse," Junxi noted.
"Can you keep him busy?" Dragon asked.
"Don't be an idiot!" Scotch snapped, breathless. "That was a surprise attack! I can't keep that up forever!"
Scotch turned his attention to the incoming fleet. "David! Let's show them the secret weapon!"
David grinned and stepped up to one of the Sombrero's forward cannons. As a user of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, he breathed deeply into the barrel, filling it with his explosive breath.
"Ready!"
Scotch touched the cannon. "More-More... 100x Mass!!"
The invisible, explosive gas was compressed and amplified a hundredfold. When the cannon fired, it didn't launch a ball—it launched an invisible shockwave of pure destruction. It bypassed the enemy's Observation Haki through its sheer lack of physical form.
BOOM!
One of Shiki's flanking galleons simply evaporated. The invisible blast tore through its hull like a god's fist, sinking it in seconds.
"Next! Don't just stand there!" Scotch yelled. "We've got fifty more to go!"
***
The weather shifted again. The snow turned to massive hailstones, each the size of a human head. Through the icy deluge, a white blur slammed into the deck of the Sombrero.
"What the hell is that?!" George shouted, drawing his sword.
A massive, white-furred beast stood before him. Lightning crackled across its body, and it gripped a pair of heavy halberds. Its eyes glowed with an apex predator's hunger. This was Lelampago in his full Zoan form.
"Raaaaagh!!"
He swung a halberd with enough force to shatter the deck. George blocked with his sword, but the raw strength was too much; he was hurled over the railing and into the sea.
Zen reacted instantly, his spear crackling with Electro to meet Lelampago's lightning.
"A Zoan user... and a powerhouse at that!" Zen grunted, his arms trembling from the impact.
Zen was a master of his craft, but Lelampago's raw physical enhancement made every trade dangerous. He was like a walking natural disaster.
"Get back!" Feiyun shouted, her massive fist already descending.
She infused her arm with Armament Haki and slammed it into the beast. Lelampago blocked with his halberds, but the sheer weight of a Giant's strike was too much to ignore. Sensing an opening, Feiyun grew even larger, grabbing Lelampago by his torso and physically hurling him off the ship.
"Zen, go after him!" Feiyun shouted. "I'll guard the deck!"
"On it! I'll keep him in the air!"
Zen took off, using Sky Walk to pursue the falling commander. He looked up and saw Gloriosa perched on the mast, her bow drawn. She was already firing Haki-infused arrows to keep the fleet's cannons at bay.
"The Captain was right to drill us so hard," Gloriosa whispered. "Without these skills, we'd be fish bait by now."
The battle was just beginning. In the distance, Kanata and Shiki were tearing the very sky apart, while on the sea, the Sombrero fought a desperate battle against an armada that refused to stop.
***
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