Yami casually walked forward, the sharp crunch of his boots against the scorched deck echoing in the quiet tension that hung in the air. Behind him, the hundred iron golems he had summoned marched with mechanical precision, dragging Jack's mammoth-sized ship like it weighed nothing. Jack's crew, bruised and broken, lay tied up and tossed around like sacks of potatoes, guarded tightly by the iron sentinels.
Yami's shadow stretched across the shore of Punk Hazard, cast by the blue glow of his still-flaming netherite sword. He looked up lazily just as Charlotte Smoothie stepped off her ship. Her long legs landed lightly on the broken ground, her calm but guarded expression doing little to hide the unease within her. Behind her, the Big Mom Pirates that had accompanied her remained on the deck, none daring to move as their eyes locked on the man who had just effortlessly taken down a Yonko Commander.
Yami gave her a smirk. "Quite the entrance. I was starting to wonder if you'd run away with your tail between your legs."
Smoothie didn't reply immediately. She stared hard at him before speaking, her voice steady but edged with tension. "You're strong… I'll give you that. But I'll have to decline your offer. I will never leave Mama's crew."
Yami tilted his head, sighing as if genuinely disappointed. "Oh well," he muttered, lifting one shoulder in a careless shrug. "I always liked Pudding more than you anyway."
Smoothie's expression shifted instantly. Her foot almost slipped on the rock she stood on as her eyes widened in disbelief. "What…?" she muttered, blinking once. "You like my sister more than me…?"
Yami leaned forward slightly, his grin widening. "Only time will tell whether she joins me willingly or not." His words were casual, but there was an underlying sharpness that sent shivers down even the bravest pirate's spine.
Smoothie's jaw tightened, her teeth grinding. "Stay away from her!" she snapped.
Yami didn't answer. He simply pointed his massive netherite sword at her. With a roar, a torrent of blazing blue fire burst from its edge, rushing toward her in a serpentine wave of heat and destruction.
Smoothie's eyes narrowed. She pulled out her sword in one fluid motion and jumped, slashing the fire apart midair. Liquid light shimmered from the blade as she twisted, absorbing part of the flames into her sword using her juice fruit ability. "This bastard…" she muttered under her breath as she landed, the blue flames turning into a ball of steaming juice that splashed harmlessly into the sea.
Without pause, she lunged toward Yami, her blade now crackling with haki as she thrust it straight at his heart.
But Yami was already prepared.
His aura exploded outward—pure black and violet arcs of lightning screeched in the sky as his Conqueror's Haki clashed against hers. The air trembled. Smoothie flinched just slightly—enough.
Yami grinned wickedly. "Gotcha."
His palm whipped out, and with a loud SMACK, it struck Smoothie across the cheek.
"Ungh—!" Smoothie grunted as her head jerked to the side. She stumbled back, a red mark rapidly forming on her cheek. Rage bubbled in her eyes as she steadied herself.
'He hit me… He slapped me!?'
Yami looked completely unbothered, his expression more playful than anything. "Relax," he said, twirling his sword lazily. "It's just a love tap."
Smoothie didn't speak. She turned and sprinted toward the ocean, her feet touching the water like it was solid ground. She sucked in gallons of seawater through her fruit ability, her body rapidly growing in size. Her limbs stretched, her torso thickened, her sword increased in length—she now stood equal in size to Yami, towering and majestic.
"Hmph. Finally got serious," Yami muttered, his wings spreading wide.
Smoothie roared and sent a barrage of flying slashes toward him. But Yami deflected each one, his blade ringing with every impact. Sparks flew. Waves split.
Then came the thrust.
Smoothie lunged, sword-first, aiming for Yami's chest.
Yami sidestepped casually, chuckling as he moved. With a snap of his wrist, he smacked her on the Ass. SMACK.
"Nice ass," he grinned.
Smoothie shrieked in outrage, her face burning red with fury. "You bastard!"
Yami laughed heartily. "I've got better things to do than drag this out," he said, brushing dust from his coat. "So let's wrap it up."
Then, he vanished.
Smoothie blinked. "What—!?"
A moment later, she felt a massive hand close around her throat.
BOOM!
Yami slammed her into the ground with enough force to crack the earth, sending shockwaves rolling through the island. Craters split under her body.
"Ugh—!"
Her sword whipped toward him in desperation, but Yami's free hand summoned a long, glowing blaze rod. He batted her sword aside and drove the rod straight through her hand.
"AAARGH!!"
Her scream echoed through the battlefield.
Yami's grip on her throat tightened, his palm now glowing with an eerie black light. "You're strong," he said softly. "But I'm stronger."
And with that—FLASH!
Her body glowed, twisted—and in the next moment, she was gone.
Only a photograph remained in Yami's hand, showing Smoothie frozen in her last pained moment, her eyes still blazing with fury. He slid it into his inventory beside Doflamingo's and Jack's.
Three commanders. Three photos.
Yami turned, his piercing eyes now scanning the remaining Big Mom pirates aboard the ship, all frozen as his iron golems stood like giants above them, fists clenched and eyes glowing.
Nami strolled out of the shattered remains of Caesar's lab, her boots clicking softly on the cracked stone. Dragging behind her was a half-dead Caesar Clown, his body twitching slightly, singed and bruised beyond recognition. His clothes were burnt in several places, and his eyes were rolling back into his head as soft groans escaped his lips.
Nami, however, looked completely unbothered. In fact, there was a cheerful bounce in her step as she twirled a lock of orange hair between her fingers.
Just a few steps away, Yami sat on a large rock, casually munching on a juicy red apple. His sword lay beside him, humming softly with residual energy. Surrounding him were two hundred pirates—minions from both Big Mom and Kaido's crews—tied up, beaten down, and completely subdued. Iron golems stood like towering statues, glaring silently at the slightest twitch from the prisoners.
Yami looked up and smirked as he saw her approach.
"Well, well. Took you long enough."
Nami smiled brightly, tilting her head as a light blush dusted her cheeks. "Aww, don't be like that," she said playfully. She stuck out her tongue and winked. "I might've… gone a tiny bit overboard. Thi-hi."
Yami raised an eyebrow, glancing down at the charred and twitching Caesar, whose scorched hair was still slightly smoking. "A bit, huh?"
'No one would ever guess that this beautiful, innocent-looking girl could torture someone half to death,' Yami thought, amused. 'She really is something else with that lightning Logia.'
He chuckled and stood up, brushing his fingers through his hair. Reaching out casually, he grabbed Caesar by the collar.
With a dull black flash, Caesar's body vanished—compressed, sealed, and instantly transformed into a photograph. The photo fluttered lightly for a moment before Yami caught it midair and slid it neatly into his inventory. Another trophy.
"Done," he muttered.
The two turned as footsteps approached from behind. Nojiko, Tashigi, and Makino returned from their exploration of the underground vaults. All three women looked satisfied, but it was Nojiko who stepped forward, grinning ear to ear.
"You guys won't believe what we found!" she said excitedly.
Yami raised a brow. "Try me."
Nojiko pulled out the bag Yami had given her earlier—an enchanted, high-capacity storage pouch capable of holding an entire mountain's worth of loot. She set it down and tugged at the zipper.
"Feast your eyes," she declared.
The contents spilled out onto the ground in a dramatic cascade.
Rows of golden orbs tumbled out—200 SMILE fruits, each one glistening unnaturally. Then came two sealed glass boxes—one holding five regular Devil Fruits, the other housing a single glowing fruit etched with dragon-like scales: the SMILE fruit of the Azure Dragon. Following that, a leather case burst open to reveal 1 billion berries in neatly stacked cash, and finally, a crate full to the brim with pure, glistening gold bars.
"Oh. My. God," Nami gasped.
Her eyes instantly turned into money symbols as her body twitched like she'd just won the lottery. "MINE!!" she shouted, diving headfirst into the pile of cash and gold like a swimmer jumping into water.
She rolled, kicked, and laughed as she hugged stacks of bills. "I'm gonna buy so many clothes—wait no—land! Wait no—an island! No! A golden ship!"
Yami couldn't help but chuckle at her antics, his lips twitching into a grin. Makino and Tashigi giggled, while Nojiko placed a hand on her hip and shook her head fondly.
"She's hopeless when it comes to money," Nojiko said, smiling.