"I really didn't expect that after all these years,"
The newly promoted Vice Admiral Comil broke the silence with a bitter smile.
"That crazy old hag, Charlotte Linlin, still harbors such deep hatred for Nao. Her intervention in the G-1 Branch battle last time was one thing, since it was in the New World, but this time she actually crossed thousands of miles to blockade and intercept him in the North Blue…"
"That woman can never be judged by normal standards."
Tsuru slightly shook her head, put down her teacup, and said calmly, "It's useless to talk about this now. We should think about how to provide support."
"There's no way to support him."
Deputy Chief of Staff Chisio sighed, setting aside the stack of reports in her hands.
"The distance is simply too great. None of our top forces are stationed in the North Blue. The closest would be G-5's commander — Aokiji — but even if he departed immediately and traveled at full speed, it would take at least twenty days in the best-case scenario."
Nearly a full month…
Everyone around the conference table fell silent.
Even throughout the entire history of the Sea Circle Calendar, no duel between top-tier powerhouses had ever lasted that long.
Meaning that even if Aokiji set out this instant, by the time he was halfway there, the battle in the North Blue would almost certainly be over.
And as for the result — who would emerge victorious…
Many of the senior officers could only sigh inwardly.
There was no denying Nao's strength — within Marine Headquarters, he was universally acknowledged as the strongest of the new generation.
But his opponent was Big Mom…
That woman — mad though she was — possessed monstrous power. Even Kaido, another Emperor of the Sea, had been forced onto the defensive in their previous clashes.
Without reinforcements… could Nao really hold out against her?
"Does Gion know about this yet?"
Tsuru suddenly turned to Chisio.
"Not yet," Chisio replied, shaking her head. "We were worried she'd lose control, abandon her escort mission, and fly straight to the North Blue."
A year ago, Gion also officially got promoted to Vice Admiral and, after the Reverie, was responsible for escorting two delegations to the South Blue.
At this moment, she was still en route back — even farther than Aokiji.
Even with her Float-Float Fruit, capable of crossing the Red Line directly, the journey to the North Blue would still take at least a month.
"Not telling her is the right choice."
Tsuru nodded approvingly. Then, glancing around the room at the assembled officers, she spoke again:
"Issue the orders. Have the North Blue First Branch deploy their forces immediately. The surrounding branches should also divert as many troops as possible to assist. With over ten thousand pirates besieging the area, the pressure on Branch 128 and the Thunder Hawk is simply too much."
"Yes, ma'am."
A staff officer quickly took notes and hurried out the door to relay the orders.
"As for Nao…"
Tsuru paused here.
When she saw everyone's eyes turn toward her, she smiled faintly and said, in her calm, unhurried way:
"Since we can't send anyone powerful enough to support him, we can only leave the rest to fate. But still… I'd remind everyone — perhaps we don't need to worry about him quite so much."
Her expression softened just a little.
"Don't forget how many miracles he has created that left us in disbelief. This time, let's choose to believe in him again."
Miracles, huh…
The high-ranking officers exchanged looks, their expressions a mix of doubt and contemplation.
Indeed —
Over the years, Nao had created far too many miracles. From killing the Warlord William during his recruit days, to sinking the First Calamity Drought, defeating the vengeful Shiki who attacked Impel Down, to fighting Kaido to a standstill…
And now, two years later — no one had seen him go all-out since then.
Who knew how far his strength had grown in that time?
Maybe…
Just as Tsuru said — this time, another miracle might really happen.
———
North Blue, Marine Branch 128.
By now, it was deep into the night.
Above, the night sky loomed dark and silent…
A sharp, piercing sound split through the air.
A figure shot out like a cannonball — and collided head-on with another, far larger and heavier form.
BOOM!
In that instant, the clouds above the forest were completely swallowed by the terrifying shockwave of the explosion. The two figures were blasted apart, both staggering back in opposite directions.
When the thunderlight faded, Nao was the first to land atop a mountain peak, barely steadying himself.
He looked utterly wrecked — his body covered in blood, his chest a blur of torn flesh, and the wound on his shoulder had widened further.
Gleaming white bone was exposed to the air, half his body resembling a skeleton.
Though his flesh was knitting back together at a speed visible to the naked eye, the sight was still horrific.
"A pure life-for-life fighting style, huh… that crazy hag…"
He panted heavily, raising bloodshot eyes toward Big Mom, a crooked grin tugging at his lips.
"It's been… a long time since I've been hurt this badly."
A hundred meters away, on another ridge —
Big Mom didn't look much better.
Under the moonlight, she stood there drenched in blood, her massive chest heaving violently with every breath. Her long pink hair hung forward, shadowing her face, making her look like a demon cursed by vengeance.
Prometheus and Zeus — her two most powerful Homies of fire and lightning — had lost all their former ferocity.
Now shrunken back to normal size, they floated weakly behind her, drained and flickering.
And in her hand, the Emperor's Sword "Napoleon" — once her proud weapon — had been snapped clean in two by Nao during their fierce melee, leaving only a jagged half-blade.
"Nao… Natsuya… you… brat…"
A chilling, low cry sounded. Big Mom lifted her head, revealing a ferocious visage like a hellish demon:
"Two years… it's been two damn years. Other than that old man Whitebeard, no one's pushed me this far since then!"
"Is that so?"
Across from her, Nao wiped the blood from his mouth, his expression calm and cold.
"Should I feel honored now, or should I feel afraid?"
"What… do you think?"
Big Mom's voice dripped with venom and killing intent, every syllable seething with madness.
BOOM!
As Big Mom's words fell, a terrifying aura that shook the heart and mind suddenly swept out in all directions!
Conqueror's… Haki!
In an instant, the once-still night sky erupted into chaos.
The clouds churned violently, thunder boomed, and the heavens themselves seemed to tremble under the weight of their clash!
As one of the Emperors of the Sea, a ruler of the seas and one of the strongest beings alive, Big Mom's Conqueror's Haki was among the most fearsome in the world — few throughout history could compare to her overwhelming aura.
But at this moment —
Her opponent was Nao.
BOOOOM!!!
Almost simultaneously, an equally terrifying surge of Conqueror's Haki exploded from Nao's body.
Like a raging flood, it blasted apart Big Mom's oppressive aura — sweeping it away in an instant!
In the blink of an eye, his will crushed hers, surging forward like a tidal wave to bear down on her!
RUMBLE!!!
The sea of clouds churned violently as the night sky split apart with jagged streaks of black lightning.
The heavens themselves seemed to crack and splinter beneath the collision of their wills, fractures spreading out across the moonlit sky!
Feeling the crushing pressure closing in on her, Big Mom's pupils shrank slightly — for the first time, her expression faltered.
"Your Conqueror's Haki… is far stronger than I expected, brat…"
She licked her lips slowly, a twisted smile creeping across her bloodstained face.
"At this level… heh. Not just Kaido — even that old man Whitebeard would've fallen behind you…"
The intensity of that Conqueror's Haki—
Perhaps only Rocks D. Xebec, the captain of the Rocks Pirates before the God Valley incident, could have matched it in those days.
"But if that's all you've got— it's not enough!"
Big Mom grinned wide, her face twisting into something monstrous as she thrust out her right arm.
The raging tide of her Conqueror's Haki suddenly drew inward, shrinking like a whirlpool.
In just a second or two, the overwhelming aura condensed and wrapped tightly around her right fist.
At the same time, Prometheus reverted to his flame form and merged with her arm.
Now her entire right arm blazed with a fierce orange-yellow fire, its glow intertwined with streaks of jet-black Haki patterns — a sight so dreadful it made one's skin crawl.
"So she's coating it with Conqueror's Haki…"
Nao murmured to himself, unsurprised.
He'd already seen Kaido use the same technique two years ago, during their clash over the Poneglyph.
For Big Mom, who was even older and more experienced, mastering such an advanced form of Haki was only natural.
As for himself…
Though he had awakened Conqueror's Haki not long ago, there was only Sengoku in the entire Marine he could learn from.
Even now, he was barely at the entry level—far from being able to apply it in real combat.
Still—
Even if Big Mom's mastery of Conqueror's coating gave her an edge in close combat, it didn't mean Nao would be pushed into an irreversible disadvantage.
After all—
As the wielder of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, his tactical options were limitless.
If he needed to, he could just stall her out—wait until she exhausted herself and could no longer sustain her Conqueror's coating—
and then switch tactics to regain control of the fight.
BOOM!
With this thought, he slashed out with his sword towards the roaring, charging Big Mom, using wind and thunder to slightly hinder her speed. Then, with a flash, he turned into lightning and appeared a hundred meters away, easily dodging this attack.
...
As it turned out.
Nao's prediction was right.
Even Big Mom couldn't maintain her Conqueror's coating indefinitely.
By the morning of the third day, her reserves of Haki were spent.
She was forced to return to normal combat, while Nao abandoned evasive tactics and resumed full-on, blow-for-blow melee combat.
Day four. Day five.
It continued the same way—
an unending, brutal slugfest between monsters.
Until the night of the sixth day—
BOOM!
Nao's body was hurled through the air, crashing into a mountain several hundred meters away, shattering it to rubble.
"Huh?"
Steadying himself, he wiped the blood from his mouth and pressed a hand against the massive dent in his chest.
He looked up sharply at the onrushing Big Mom.
"Her speed and power… they've both increased again."
As he recalled the sheer destructive force of that last punch, his expression hardened.
"This crazy old hag… is she burning her own life force now?"
That could only mean one thing—
Even when she'd been fighting in a berserk frenzy earlier, Big Mom's power had never been this terrifying.
At the very least, there was no way she should've landed a direct punch to his chest without him even having time to react — not when he had always held an absolute advantage in speed.
"So… she's realized the tide's turning and doesn't plan to drag this out any longer, huh…"
Countless thoughts flashed through Nao's mind as his gaze flicked toward the harbor.
In an instant, he understood Big Mom's plan.
Just a few hours earlier, marine reinforcements from nearby North Blue bases had arrived in waves.
The Marines' numerical disadvantage had been erased in an instant — turning the tide of battle completely.
Obviously—
As the Marine's advantage continued to grow, Smoothie and Cracker were starting to falter, barely holding on under mounting pressure.
And now, with Big Mom's own battle deadlocked, she had grown desperate.
She no longer intended to drag things out—
instead, she had unleashed her full potential, forcing her body into a state of terrifying overdrive.
"This is going to be troublesome…"
Nao drew in a deep breath, his eyes flashing with grim resolve.
The next stretch would be the decisive phase of the fight.
Whether he could endure this onslaught would determine the final outcome.
...
Day Seven — Before Dawn
BOOM!
Amidst the deafening explosive roar, countless bolts of lightning and flames interweaved and flickered. Under the immense impact force, Nao's figure staggered, abruptly retreating several steps.
"Come again!"
He heavily stomped his heel, instantly steadying his body. He looked up at the demon-like Big Mom opposite him, his expression cold and stern:
"Let's see how long you can keep this up— in that overdrawn state of yours!"
Buzz—!
He slashed out with both swords, carrying vast, mighty wind sword energy, and collided heavily with the tattered Emperor Sword Napoleon in Big Mom's hand.
After a stalemate of several seconds, his body was forced back several steps again, trampling the ground beneath his feet into a huge, spiderweb-like crack.
Big Mom, meanwhile, remained unmoving—
but the sword in her hand had reached its limit.
With a heart-piercing wail, the legendary blade shattered completely, fragments scattering like dying embers.
The Emperor's Sword "Napoleon," one of her most powerful Homies, was gone—erased from the world.
Yet Big Mom, now completely unhinged, didn't even flinch.
She paid no mind to the loss of her lifelong weapon; her blood-red eyes were locked solely on Nao.
"Nao… Natsuya… you… brat…"
She repeated these four words, one by one, then let out a shrill, piercing howl. The sound contained powerful Conqueror's Haki, sweeping out in all directions.
Countless patches of scorched earth were rolled up, along with the undamaged vegetation and trees further away, as if ravaged by a storm, toppling and collapsing, breaking into pieces.
The subordinates on both sides in the surrounding battlefield couldn't help but change their expressions, forced to retreat simultaneously to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
"Go… and… die!"
With a bone-rattling scream, Big Mom stomped the ground and vanished, her massive frame becoming a blur.
Her thunder-wreathed fists came crashing down toward Nao's head.
CRACK!
The sound of a sonic boom split the air—
but her strike hit only empty space.
Hundreds of meters above the ground, Nao's figure materialized midair.
He looked down calmly at the raging titan below.
"Looks like… it's about time."
Sensing that Big Mom's body was nearing its limit, Nao made a decision. He abruptly tightened his grip on the Yone dual swords. A terrifying, heart-palpitating aura began to rapidly gather on his body.
Originally, he had expected this battle to last several more days and nights before a victor emerged.
After all—
The Four Emperors possessed physical endurance beyond mortal comprehension.
He had planned to gradually push her to her physical limits, and only then unleash his ultimate technique to end it in one decisive strike.
But plans rarely keep up with reality.
Because Big Mom had forced her body into premature overdrive, burning through her strength—
after barely ten hours, Nao could already sense it—
a massive, fatal opening.