If someone were observing from a high vantage point, peering down through the chaotic clouds of the Grand Line, they would undoubtedly notice the extreme mayhem currently engulfing the two separate battlefields: Water 7 and Enies Lobby.
The intervention of a third party had come as a major surprise to both the Marines and the pirates, throwing the carefully laid plans of the Buster Call into disarray.
High above the ocean, Ray continued to clash with Big Mom.
The air around them crackled with red and black lightning as they exchanged sword strikes and blade slashes in a furious back-and-forth.
Thunder roared from Zeus.
Their battlefield had gradually shifted farther and farther from Enies Lobby, drifting over the open sea like a storm of violence.
During the combat, Ray clearly felt the pressure mounting on his shoulders.
After all, he was facing a Yonko.
Even if this was theoretically the "weakest" version of a Yonko compared to the prime Whitebeard or Kaido in his memories of the one piece world, Big Mom was still a monster that defied nature.
Ray had to circulate his Demonic Power at maximum speed, pushing his body to its limits.
Simultaneously, he was employing advanced Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, and Observation Haki just to fight on equal footing with Big Mom.
Compared to his earlier "performance" battle against Aokiji, Ray was clearly struggling much more.
Of course, this didn't necessarily mean Big Mom was significantly stronger than Aokiji.
Their attributes were fundamentally different.
Big Mom resembled a berserker tank with top-tier magic and impenetrable defense.
She was a blunt instrument of destruction. Aokiji, on the other hand, was an all-round close-combat mage, relying on speed, versatility, and deadly crowd control.
If Big Mom and Aokiji were to fight, Aokiji would likely control the pace. He could kite her, freeze her, and annoy her with hard crowd-control effects.
But he would struggle to actually damage her.
Even if Aokiji managed to freeze Big Mom solid, her violent Conqueror's Haki would shatter the ice in an instant.
To actually injure Big Mom one needed to use Ryuo or Conqueror's Haki infusion to bypass her tough skin and attack her internal organs directly.
And to do that, one had to get in close.
But once in close range, Big Mom held the advantage. This old woman was both incredibly durable and possessed monstrous physical strength that could crush giants like ants.
Thus, Ray found himself in a dilemma.
Against a defensive powerhouse like Big Mom, dealing effective damage required his most powerful, concentrated attacks.
But his strongest attacks required charging time.
And during that charging period, Big Mom would already be in his face, swinging Napoleon with enough force to split an island, forcing him into defensive close-quarters combat.
While Big Mom's speed was inferior to Ray's, during intense combat, her sudden bursts of acceleration left no time for proper charging.
At best, Ray could barely pierce the Iron Balloon's skin with quick strikes.
Worse, Big Mom's thick layer of fat and tough skin could trap his weapon if he struck too deep, leaving him vulnerable to her counterattacks.
After exchanging over a dozen blows, Ray's strategy became clear.
Continuing this head-on confrontation was futile. In his current state, he could only fight evenly with a Yonko-level opponent for a short time when going all out.
His stamina would drain faster than hers.
Against Aokiji, Ray could intentionally create openings, trading injuries to ultimately exploit his perfect Demonic Power's superior regeneration for a comeback victory.
But trying to trade blows with this damned old hag? He simply couldn't match her vitality yet.
She was a freak of nature.
That leaves only one approach.
Thinking this, Ray activated his Demonic Power, creating a burst of green wind.
WHOOSH!
He instantly retreated backward, using his speed advantage to put hundreds of meters between them in a heartbeat.
"Running away?!" Big Mom roared, chasing after him on Zeus.
While Big Mom was pursuing him, Ray turned mid-air.
"Azure Dragon Break!"
He unleashed an ordinary version of his signature move.
A 200-meter dragon made of blue energy charged toward her, imbued with Haki.
Seeing the colossal dragon charging toward her, even someone as powerful as Big Mom assumed a defensive stance.
She didn't want to take that head-on without bracing herself.
Swinging her sword, Napoleon, with both massive hands, she shouted.
"Elbaf Spear: HAKAI!"
A powerful, spiraling beam of energy composed of pure Conqueror's Haki shot toward the colossal azure dragon.
BOOM!
The two attacks collided, producing a massive, blinding sphere of light in the sky.
It looked like a second sun had appeared!
Moments later, the sphere exploded, its dazzling radiance obscuring all vision for miles around.
Yet Big Mom showed no concern for the explosive shockwaves. She continued pursuing Ray, intending to charge straight through the blinding light sphere, determined to capture the retreating figure.
"I see you!" she shrieked.
At that moment, Ray switched the weapon in his hand.
He sheathed Tokijin and drew Tenseiga.
"Meido Zangetsuha!"
Ray had been waiting for this moment.
Taking advantage of the obscured vision from the explosion and the chaotic energy temporarily disrupting Big Mom's Observation Haki, he swung Tenseiga.
A gigantic black moon, darker than the void, surged toward Big Mom as she charged blindly through the light.
Instantly, the roles of attacker and defender reversed.
The enormous black moon, spanning a hundred meters in diameter, began to twist space itself. It devoured all the raging energy from the previous explosion and was on the verge of swallowing Big Mom whole into the underworld.
However, as the light dissipated, the clarity of Big Mom Observation Haki returned to normal.
"Huh?!" Big Mom's eyes widened.
She immediately foresaw the terrifying future of herself being swallowed by the black hole.
"ZEUS!"
She unleashed her full power at once.
She channeled all her soul energy into the thunder cloud beneath her feet. Zeus roared, turning pitch black.
She turned and flew in the opposite direction of the suction force with desperate speed.
VROOOOM!
Witnessing this, Ray could only sigh in admiration.
"As expected of a Yonko," Ray muttered. "Such swift reflexes and immense raw power."
She had actually managed to barely resist the gravity well of the Meido Zangetsuha.
A normal opponent would have been erased.
Of course, Ray was well aware that if a Yonko could be killed so easily, they wouldn't be a Yonko.
He wasn't disappointed.
After all, he was not one to plan only one step ahead.
Ray's purpose in unleashing the Meido Zangetsuha wasn't to kill her—it was to restrain her.
Ray switched swords again.
Toxic green energy spread across his left hand, turning his nails into razor-sharp claws.
His right hand gripped the demonic energy-fused Tokijin.
"Poison Claw: Meteor Shower!"
Ray launched a barrage of toxic energy blasts first, forcing Big Mom to deflect them while struggling against the black hole.
Then, he gathered everything he had.
"Azure Dragon Break: OMEGA!"
He unleashed a full-powered attack.
Infused with Advanced Conqueror's Haki and his perfected Demonic Power, a colossal azure dragon spanning 350 meters erupted from his blade.
It was the most powerful attack Ray could currently muster.
However, Ray did not aim his assault at the center of the Meido Zangetsuha.
Instead, he aimed at the side of Big Mom.
This was part of Ray's calculation. Although he harbored absolute killing intent toward Big Mom, now was not the time to kill her.
He still didn't know how Big Mom had managed to control Chouchou.
What if Chouchou's life was linked to hers?
Trading Big Mom's life for Chouchou's would be an immense loss in Ray's eyes.
He wouldn't risk it.
Thus, in his plan, this full-power strike was only meant to injure Big Mom severely and buy himself time to rescue Chouchou while she recovered.
So far, this chain of attacks had proceeded smoothly.
While resisting the suction force of the Meido Zangetsuha behind her, Big Mom was forced to endure Ray's full-power attack from the side.
KABOOM!
The moment the Meido Zangetsuha closed on its own, Big Mom was struck squarely by the dragon.
She screamed as she was sent flying across the sky, drenched in blood, crashing into the ocean miles away!
…
Ray did not pursue the injured Yonko.
His priority was clear.
He immediately sensed Chouchou's direction with his Haki and flew toward it like a streak of silver light.
But the moment he saw Chouchou, Ray stopped mid-air as he erupted in fury.
CRACK!
Chouchou was hovering near the Gates of Justice... but he wasn't moving.
He was completely frozen inside a massive block of ice created by Aokiji!
Even worse, inside the ice, Ray could see that the fur on Chouchou's chest was stained crimson with blood.
A large hole had been pierced through him.
It was clear that Chouchou had been beaten by Aokiji—and not just once.
Although Chouchou was a Great Demon dog, when facing an Admiral like Aokiji seriously, Chouchou ultimately fell far short.
...
Flashback: A Few Minutes Earlier
At the moment Ray began his aerial duel with Big Mom.
Below, Aokiji had just emerged from the sea. He stood on the water, looking at the army of sea beasts charging toward Enies Lobby.
"Ice Age!"
Aokiji prepared to freeze the entire ocean to stop the invasion instantly.
ROAR!
But just as Aokiji raised his hand, a massive white demon dog fell from the sky, crashing into the water in front of him.
It was the berserk Chouchou, controlled by Breed and Big Mom.
Chouchou immediately unleashed a highly destructive Demon Beast Roar breath attack.
BOOM!
The blast shattered Aokiji's ice, forcing the Admiral to dodge.
Immediately after, the berserk Chouchou frantically consumed its own demonic energy, launching wave after wave of suicidal assaults against Aokiji to protect the sea beasts.
"Out of my way, mutt!" Aokiji shouted.
During the fight, Aokiji repeatedly froze the enraged Chouchou.
Yet Chouchou, disregarding his own life under the mind control, kept burning his demonic power to break free from the ice, shattering his own frozen skin in the process.
He always managed to intercept Aokiji just before the Admiral could attack the other sea beasts.
Finally, infuriated by the delay, Aokiji hardened his heart.
"Partisan!"
Aokiji created a massive ice spear and threw it.
SHK!
The spear pierced clean through Chouchou's chest from front to back, spraying blood into the water.
Then, Aokiji followed up with a Haki-infused punch that sent Chouchou flying backward.
"Ice Time Capsule!"
Before the dog could recover, Aokiji froze him solid in a coffin of ice to stop him permanently.
However, because of the berserk Chouchou's desperate interference, Aokiji had failed to stop the main force.
The frenzied sea beasts had swum past them during the fight, smashing through the Gates of Justice and breaching Enies Lobby!
...
The Present
At that very moment, Ray arrived.
Having knocked Big Mom away, he looked down and saw his loyal companion frozen, bleeding, and defeated by Aokiji.
Ray's red eyes glowed with a terrifying light as he looked at Aokiji.
"You..."