"You're only realizing it now?"
Nao let out a cold laugh.
"Don't worry, Charlotte Linlin. This is only the beginning. The real surprise… comes next."
As he spoke, every ounce of energy in his body began surging wildly toward the tips of his swords.
In the next instant, he swung — unleashing two colossal waves of sword energy that twisted through the air like twin white serpents.
By now, most of Nao's swordsmanship had merged with lightning itself, forming his unique Wind–Thunder Sword Style.
But he hadn't abandoned his earlier mastery of Wind Swordsmanship either. Those foundational techniques, honed through years of relentless training, had evolved far beyond what they once were.
"Twin Blades Flashing Cut: Crushing Jade Slice!"
Ssshhh—!
The two arcs of sword energy interlocked and spiraled forward, carving a massive trench through the ancient forest — a ravine nearly a hundred meters wide.
A stormlike gale erupted from the impact, devouring and shredding everything in its path.
Feeling the overwhelming force emanating from the attack, BIG MOM's eyes narrowed. Her expression grew heavy, serious.
"Spear of Elbaf—Ikoku Sovereignty!!"
She gripped her sword in both hands.
Napoleon was instantly coated in dense black Armament Haki, and with a thunderous roar, BIG MOM swung with all her might.
Vrrrrrm!
A brilliant surge of golden sword energy burst forth, lighting up the sky above the forest.
Its power was so immense that it seemed to shake the heavens themselves.
Pouring nearly her entire strength into this one blow, BIG MOM's attack pushed forward relentlessly — the golden tide gradually pressing back against Nao's twin arcs of sword light.
"That move again, huh?"
Even as his sword energy was forced back, Nao's face remained calm — almost expectant. His eyes burned with fierce resolve.
By now, this was their third battle, and he was well acquainted with this legendary technique — the Elbaf warriors' inherited secret technique.
In their previous clashes, even at full power, he could barely block it; the shockwaves alone had left his body battered and aching.
But now—
This level of swordsmanship was nothing to him. He could crush it easily.
A brilliant gleam flashed in his eyes.
Nao shot upward into the sky, twisting his wrist as he raised the Azakana Sword, pointing it straight toward the sky!
RUMBLE—!
Instantly, the sky, which had just begun to calm, gathered dark clouds once more, rolling with angry thunder. Dazzling lightning split the horizon, seemingly cleaving the entire firmament in two.
Countless gusts of wind also swept up from the ground at this moment, converging into countless howling air currents that surged madly upwards.
And Nao, suspended in the air, poured all his strength into his arms at that same instant, bringing his blade down!
"Wind and Thunder — Doomsday Annihilation!!"
BOOM!!!
A tremendous explosive roar resounded across the sky above the northern forest of the island. The golden sword energy, invincible just moments before, instantly dimmed. Within mere seconds, it was swallowed by the storm akin to the end of the world.
CRACK!!
Below them, hundreds of massive ancient trees split apart, their roots tearing through the soil.
Giant cracks — thick as a man's arm — spread out in a vast spiderweb across the land.
The shockwaves reached all the way to the distant coastline several kilometers away.
The gale still raged strong there; many weaker fighters on both sides nearly lost their footing, stumbling as they fought to stay upright.
And when they finally looked up — gazing toward the storm-torn sky in the distance —
every single one of them froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
——High above the distant forest, a massive, mountain-like figure was suddenly blasted away like a cannonball.
Her body streaked through the sky for over a hundred meters before crashing down into the dense woods with an earth-shaking boom.
"Damn it… how could this be…?"
Cracker, who had just been discovered and forced into a head-on fight with Momonga, froze in disbelief.
His pupils shrank sharply.
"Mama… actually got knocked away by that kid?!"
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
He had personally fought Nao more than two years ago — and had to admit, the man was terrifyingly strong.
But no matter how strong, he was not supposed to be anywhere near Mama's level.
By all logic, he should've been crushed from start to finish — drained of strength and utterly defeated.
Yet now…
"This isn't good…"
Cracker grit his teeth. He still believed his mother would ultimately win, but the unexpected shift unfolding before him filled his chest with a faint, creeping unease.
"Where are you looking, boy?"
A calm, cold voice came from directly overhead.
Cracker's eyes widened — and then a sword came crashing down, wind howling violently in its wake.
"Not good!"
He quickly raised his blade to block, sparks exploding from the impact.
The clash thundered between them as Cracker clenched his jaw, staring through the gap between their swords into the unflinching eyes of Momonga.
...
Almost the exact same scene played out hundreds of meters away, near the island's southwestern coast.
"Hmph…"
Smoothie's sword pressed down hard, keeping Onigumo pinned and unable to move.
Looking down at the ugly, struggling man before her, she smiled faintly and said:
"You're stronger than I expected, but that's all. Who gave you the audacity to be distracted in front of me?"
"When a Sea Emperor gets blown away like that, how can I not take a second to appreciate the sight?"
Though his face flushed red with strain, Onigumo still grinned through his teeth, letting out a rough laugh.
"But you, as her daughter, didn't even turn your head. What, not worried at all? How cold-blooded…"
"Sharp tongue."
Smoothie sneered.
"Worried? What is there to worry about? With Mama's personality, it's not unusual for her to suffer a surprise blow at the start of a fight. There's no way she can lose to your Vice Admiral. You, on the other hand…"
Her tone turned icy.
"You should worry about how much longer you can last against me!"
As the words left her mouth, a flash of killing intent gleamed in her eyes. She suddenly increased her strength, and Onigumo could no longer withstand it — he was sent flying dozens of meters, crashing hard against a jutting boulder and coughing up a mouthful of blood.
And in the next moment—
Smoothie activated the moisture she had stored within her body. Her height soared, growing rapidly until she towered nearly ten meters tall — a looming figure like a mountain.
Whoosh!
With a sudden sound of slicing air, Smoothie struck, slashing her sword from a distance of dozens of meters away.
The sword energy, infused with the essence of water, roared forth like a bursting flood, unstoppable and absolute.
"Damn it…!"
Just as Onigumo barely managed to get back on his feet, his expression changed at what he saw. Without hesitation, he activated his Life Return ability. Behind him, his long crimson hair spread out like spider legs, each strand gripping a sword as he tried with all his strength to block the incoming slash.
But at that very moment—
A roaring, milky-white gust of wind suddenly shot in from another direction, colliding head-on with Smoothie's sword energy before Onigumo could even swing.
BOOM!
With a thunderous explosion, the water-blue sword energy shattered instantly into mist, while the milky-white wind merely dimmed slightly before continuing to surge straight toward Smoothie.
"Hm?"
The white blur rapidly expanded in her vision. Smoothie froze for a heartbeat before instinct kicked in — she gripped her sword with both hands and swung hard upward, barely managing to block the strange wind attack in time.
Who is it?
She frowned, turning to look. To her surprise, what appeared before her wasn't a human, but a small, white, chubby pigeon flapping its wings.
So… so cute…
For a brief moment, Smoothie's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes sparkled as an almost childlike urge welled up inside her — she wanted to crouch down, hold out her hands, and rub that fluffy little head bald.
Unfortunately, her daydream was abruptly shattered by Onigumo's furious, rasping voice echoing from nearby:
"Hey! That woman's my opponent! Don't just butt in out of nowhere, you damned bird!!"
"..."
Little Luo tilted its head, giving him a sidelong glance — a look Onigumo instantly understood.
It screamed pure disdain: Don't try to act tough, idiot. Do you really think you can handle her on your own?
"Don't underestimate me!!"
Onigumo roared in fury, swinging six swords at once. With a Soru, he vanished and reappeared above Smoothie's head, blades crossing as they slashed downward.
But the towering white-haired giantess only glanced up coldly — and in the next instant, swung her sword upward with crushing force.
BOOM!
The air exploded. Onigumo let out a scream as his body was flung through the air like a severed puppet, crashing once again onto that same jutting boulder.
"Coo-coo-coo~"
Little Luo placed a wing to his forehead, shaking his head in exasperation as if he couldn't bear to watch anymore. Without waiting for Onigumo to get up, he turned his sharp gaze toward Smoothie.
"What's wrong, little cutie?"
Smoothie asked with a calm, teasing smile, twirling her sword lazily.
"Don't tell me you want to take his place and fight me one-on-one?"
Little Luo didn't respond.
Under Smoothie's astonished gaze, its form blurred — the tiny bird expanding and transforming, feathers stretching outward until it became a majestic, powerful white hawk, its eyes now cold and piercing.
"Oh my, how surprising."
Smoothie's expression steadied again.
She glanced at the barely conscious Onigumo, then shrugged with a faint smirk.
"But with eyes that fierce… you're not cute anymore.
So if I end up slicing you apart too—" she lifted her sword, smiling wickedly,
"—I won't feel guilty in the slightest."
——————
BOOM!
The scorching air trembled as countless massive orange-red fireballs rained down from above, forming a dense and terrifying field of death, turning the scorched earth below into a rolling sea of flames.
Within the rain of heavenly fire, Nao's figure moved with effortless grace — weaving through the falling infernos, face calm, eyes clear as still water.
The terrifying waves of flame — hot enough to warp the very air — dissolved into harmless sparks before they could even touch his skin, neutralized by the crackling currents of lightning that danced faintly around his body.
On the other side of the battlefield—
"Brat…"
Big Mom, controlling the inferno from afar, wore a ghastly, almost demonic expression. Her enormous body was torn and bloodied, flesh hanging loose, patches of skin burned away to reveal the raw, rapidly regenerating pink tissue beneath.
"That sword strike just now wasn't bad… but don't think for a second that something like that could defeat me!"
She let out a savage, beastlike growl. An endless torrent of soul power burst from her body, surging outward like a hurricane.
The density of the surrounding flames rose once again — an inferno so fierce it seemed ready to burn everything around it to ash.
"Her vitality really is monstrous…"
Feeling the temperature around him spike violently, Nao's gaze hardened.
Moments ago, his sword had left Big Mom heavily wounded — yet instead of weakening, she'd become even more ferocious. Her soul power surged, her body strengthened further, her sheer will forcing her strength to climb another level.
Even for him, it was now difficult to suppress her the way he had a few minutes ago.
After all, a Yonko was still a Yonko.
But then again —
he was no longer the same man who'd once fought her back on Whole Cake Island.
Even setting aside his honed swordsmanship and his control over the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, his stamina and physical resilience alone now stood at the pinnacle of the world.
Even against a natural monster like Big Mom — known across the seas as the "Iron Balloon" — he could fight her head-on, strike for strike, without fear.
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath his feet as deep cracks split outward in every direction.
From within the sea of flames, a massive silhouette suddenly lunged forward — Big Mom, her gigantic frame moving with impossible speed, a fist like a cannonball driving straight for his chest.
CRASH!
The impact erupted like a dam bursting — Nao's body arched under the blow, sent flying backward like a shell from a cannon. He tore through massive trees one after another, carving a deep trench more than a hundred meters long before finally crashing to a halt at the forest's edge.
"Mamamama! That must have hurt, didn't it?"
Big Mom let out a wild, manic laugh, then stomped the ground and launched herself forward again. Her bloodshot eyes gleamed with a bone-chilling light as she roared,
"Die for me, brat!"
This crazy old hag… starting close-quarters combat again, Trading blow for blow?
Nao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked down at the horrifying injury on his chest. He sneered, licking his lips. When he looked back at Big Mom, an unprecedented look of frenzy began to surge in his eyes:
"Fine then… come on!"
"Let's see who breaks first!"
Confidence is premised on having sufficient strength!
Now, at this point, whether it's Devil Fruit abilities, swordsmanship, or pure physical combat, no matter how Big Mom changes her tactics, he can match her to the end!
BOOM!
Another deafening impact. Lightning split the heavens once more, thunder shaking the island as their figures clashed in midair, tearing apart the forest below in a storm of chaos and destruction.
...
Meanwhile — at Marineford.
An emergency meeting was underway, personally convened by Fleet Admiral Kong himself.
Around the massive table sat only the highest ranks of the Marines — every officer at least a Vice Admiral, with Admiral Sengoku and Chief of Staff Tsuru among them.
They silently passed around the latest emergency report from the North Blue.
Each face darkened as they read, and for a long time, no one spoke.
The tension in the conference room grew thick enough to choke on.