As soon as Big Mom got over her initial shock, she suddenly laughed. It was a laugh that carried a hint of madness—something that sent chills down Koa's spine. She was now releasing the full weight of her Conqueror's Haki, and with her Devil Fruit adding to its effects, the pressure now targeted his will and spirit.
"If I ever falter, my life would be over," Koa thought, as Big Mom's aura flooded the battlefield.
Big Mom was serious now—no longer underestimating him. At first, she was so confident that Koa wouldn't even be able to break through her normal defenses. But now, her arm was bleeding.
"HOW DARE YOU, BRAT! NO MORE FUCKING GAMES! THIS TIME, I'LL KILL YOU!" Big Mom roared.
She was enraged. The Devil Fruit was now gone—stored away by Big Mom in who knows what location. Her Conqueror's Haki was now discharging lightning all around, and Prometheus burned even more intensely. The first to initiate an attack was Zeus, who summoned a massive lightning bolt aimed at Koa. Koa dodged immediately—his full attention now locked on the battle.
"This is it… this is the fight that could awaken my Armament Haki. If not… I guess I'll die here," Koa thought.
As he focused everything on dodging, he began to see glimpses of Big Mom's attacks. But sometimes, even when he saw them coming, his body couldn't move fast enough to evade. At one point, he was mid-strike, and Big Mom deliberately dropped her guard. She had noticed that Koa never used Armament Haki and concluded he didn't have Conqueror's Haki either.
She exchanged blows with him, cloaking herself in Armament Haki, and struck with Napoleon, infused with Conqueror's Haki. When they clashed, Big Mom was unharmed—her natural defense, amplified by Haki, blocked Koa's axe. Meanwhile, Koa was heavily wounded, bleeding profusely from a massive gash in his side that left some of his internal organs exposed. He collapsed to the ground, still conscious.
Koa vomited blood. The Dog Talisman was already repairing his wounds, but the pain was so severe it nearly made him faint. Yet his willpower held firm. He thought of everything he had done to reach this point, of his determination to be the strongest. Despite his youth, he was fighting in a war where only the strongest survived.
Koa stood up again.
Big Mom looked at him with an incredulous expression—she couldn't believe it. Despite that kind of injury, he was still standing.
Koa decided to use his Devil Fruit, levitating both of his axes using the Rooster Talisman. Instead of relying on his weapons, he decided to use his fists—he had never trained to integrate his Devil Fruit powers into his axes. He jumped toward Big Mom, who was confused as to why he had discarded his weapons.
Big Mom slashed at him.
Koa punched back with his full strength—a direct hit to her stomach. Big Mom, sticking to her previous tactic, decided to exchange injuries again. But something had changed.
Koa's punch carried the force of a magnitude 10 earthquake.
Big Mom staggered as she coughed up blood. Her outer defense, even enhanced with Armament Haki, could not shield her internal organs. The impact had gone straight through, causing severe internal damage.
Meanwhile, Koa's wounds were healing rapidly, though it drained his stamina.
Without hesitation, he followed up, channeling lava into his right hand. He threw another punch at Big Mom, who had not yet recovered. This one struck like an earthquake and a volcanic eruption combined, inflicting massive damage.
Big Mom, who had tanked the hit, slashed toward Koa as well. The force of their attacks sent both of them flying back, each sustaining injuries in the process.
But this time, Koa's wounds weren't healing as fast.
His stamina was almost completely drained. The two full-power punches, empowered by his Devil Fruit, had consumed his energy at an alarming rate. Though he was recovering bit by bit during the brief pauses in battle, the stamina consumption far outpaced the recovery.
Worse, the Invisibility Talisman was still active, draining stamina every second it remained in use.
"I can't afford to use my Devil Fruit like that anymore," Koa realized grimly.
Reaching for his axes again, he gripped them tightly. Channeling his Observation Haki, he scanned the island—his perception expanding like a radar.
He found her.
Big Mom was already standing.
"Man, this bitch has some crazy durability and stamina," Koa muttered to himself, impressed and annoyed."Well, I guess I've got those genes too—being part Lunarian and part Oni."
He could feel it—his stamina slowly starting to return, albeit gradually. His body's regenerative systems were working overtime, especially now that the Dog Talisman's healing had returned to its normal rate. Earlier, the healing had almost shut down due to his depleted energy reserves, but now... he could feel it picking back up.
Koa attacked once again, this time attempting to channel the earthquake powers of his Devil Fruit into his axes. He tried to limit the magnitude of the attack—he needed to conserve his stamina, especially now that he could sense another powerful group approaching the island.
For his first attempt, Koa tried to replicate what Whitebeard had done at Marineford: projecting a massive shockwave through his weapon. But he failed—he could only summon the power in his hands.
Big Mom capitalized on the moment. She landed a punch infused with Armament Haki—not Conqueror's this time—which hurt, but not nearly as much as before.
Still, Koa was undeterred. He continued experimenting with his Devil Fruit powers mid-fight, trying to adapt and fuse them more fluidly into his combat style—even though he was facing one of the most dangerous people in the world.
As time passed, Koa's senses sharpened. Through his Observation Haki, now in overdrive, he confirmed what he had suspected:
The Roger Pirates had arrived.
He could hear Roger's voice echoing across the battlefield, clashing with Rocks. Meanwhile, Whitebeard was engaged with four individuals whose Haki felt entirely different from the rest—more refined, yet terrifying. Koa realized they must be God's Knights.
This distraction proved costly.
Big Mom launched an attack.
Koa, through his Observation Haki, foresaw the outcome if it landed. Panic surged through him. He saw himself being struck by an attack infused with Conqueror's Haki. That wasn't the worst part.
What followed was Prometheus engulfing his body in fire, taking advantage of his vulnerability. The damage would be catastrophic—enough to drain all his remaining stamina.
If that happened, the Invisibility Talisman would deactivate.
Everyone would become visible again, including Ginny, Ivankov, and Kuma, who were in the middle of rescuing civilians. Kuma, right in the heart of the chaos, ignored the fighting around him, focused only on saving lives. But if Koa failed now, they'd all be exposed—and probably slaughtered.
Koa's body screamed at him to do something—anything.
And then... it did.
Unconsciously, Koa compressed the power of his Devil Fruit, shaping it into a solid shield of condensed earthquake energy. At the same time, his axes began to change—he saw glimpses of hardening, their edges blackened and gleaming, as if starting to manifest Armament Haki for the first time.
Big Mom's full-power attack collided with the barrier.
The impact only wounded Koa slightly.
And in that split-second, as Prometheus moved to follow up, Koa managed to swing his axe, sending a flying slash that intercepted Prometheus mid-air, stopping the flames before they could reach him while he was knocked back from the force.
"I saw the future. I awakened my Advanced Observation... and my Armament Haki is starting to manifest."
"It seems it's time to end this battle," Koa thought, focusing his energy.
He attempted to replicate what he had done earlier—merging the power of his Devil Fruit with his attacks. The technique was still fresh, unrefined, but his instincts were guiding him now.
Meanwhile, Big Mom stood across from him, seething with humiliation. She was a 30-year-old cadre of the Rocks Pirates, one of the most feared pirates on the sea, and she was being pushed to her limits by someone who didn't even look a day older than fifteen.
"How is this possible?" she thought in disbelief.
"Even Kaido wasn't this strong at that age..."
Now taking in Koa's appearance for the first time, she noticed the horns, the black skin, the white hair...
"A hybrid. Just like Kaido... and a Lunarian too?"
"No wonder."
Her anger mixed with awe, but she knew now: this boy was a threat.
------------
Meanwhile, as Koa and Big Mom clashed, Kuma wore a look of sheer determination. He was using his Devil Fruit at a speed and efficiency that seemed almost unnatural. At first, it had taken him time to visualize an island, locate civilians, and send them away. But now, everything was flowing with instinctual precision.
It felt as though the Devil Fruit was meant for him.
Kuma's once solemn expression had shifted into a wide, genuine grin—a sharp contrast to the despair that had clouded his face before.
"Dad... I'm doing it. I'm saving those who were oppressed. I'm fighting for freedom."
"I hope you and Mom are proud of me."
With that thought, he launched himself toward the next group of civilians, repelling himself through the air at blinding speed.
By now, Kuma had already rescued thousands of slaves. His Devil Fruit, with its strange and powerful ability, was proving to be a perfect tool for liberation.
Not far from him, Ivankov and Ginny were doing the same, saving more people than they had ever thought possible. Like Kuma, they were growing more and more comfortable with their Devil Fruits, their movements more fluid, their power more refined.
Together, they were turning the tide.