The battle between Admiral Akainu and the two women had long since surpassed the scale of an ordinary confrontation. From the first light of dawn until the crimson glow of sunset, explosions never ceased across the western coast of Ohara.
Magma. Clouds. Mist. Lightning.
The battlefield had transformed into a landscape that no longer resembled an island. Entire forests had vanished beneath rivers of molten rock. Ancient cliffs had collapsed into the sea. Countless craters scarred the ground where enormous fists of magma had crashed down. Thick white steam constantly rose where blistering lava met the ocean.
Yet... neither side had fallen.
BOOOOOOM!!
Another enormous eruption split the coastline apart. Sakazuki's massive magma fist smashed through layers of dense cloud, evaporating everything in its path. The entire sky burned crimson. But once again... it struck nothing.
The clouds dispersed before immediately reforming dozens of meters away. Boa Hancock slowly emerged from the drifting white clouds, her dark-blue wings spreading gracefully behind her. Her Succubus transformation remained active, Although faint signs of exhaustion had finally begun to appear on her face. Her breathing had become noticeably heavier. Several strands of black hair clung to her forehead. Even so... she continued smiling.
Hancock: "You've been swinging at clouds all day."
Sakazuki: "You'll run out of stamina before I run out of magma." He snorted.
His body radiated unbearable heat. Unlike Hancock... his injuries were surprisingly few. A bruise beneath his ribs. Several cuts across his coat. One corner of his mouth stained with dried blood. Nothing more. His overwhelming endurance as an Admiral had gradually begun to tip the battle in his favor.
WHOOSH!!
Golden fairy dust suddenly drifted across the battlefield. Baby-5 reappeared from within the glowing particles, hovering silently above Sakazuki. Her emerald wings fluttered gently. Although still smiling... her breathing had also become uneven. The Fairy Queen transformation consumed tremendous stamina. Maintaining her Mist Logia over an entire battlefield while constantly scattering fairy dust demanded even more. Still... she never stopped moving.
Baby-5: "Behind you."
WHOOSH!!
Sakazuki immediately turned toward the voice.
Nothing. It was another fake, the real Baby-5 had already dissolved back into mist. Every particle of fog surrounding the battlefield carried her presence. Observation Haki could no longer distinguish the genuine body from countless false signatures.
Sakazuki: "...Annoying." Sakazuki clicked his tongue.
Far above... dark thunderclouds gathered once again. Hancock slowly raised one hand. The white clouds beneath her feet expanded until they covered nearly half the sky. Lightning crackled continuously inside them.
BOOOOOM!!
Another colossal bolt descended. Sakazuki answered with a towering pillar of magma. The collision illuminated the entire western shoreline. Steam erupted violently. For several seconds... nothing could be seen.
WHOOSH!!
Then... Hancock burst through the smoke. Her right leg, cloaked in dense clouds and coated with Advanced Armament Haki, swept directly toward Sakazuki's head. Sakazuki blocked with his forearm.
CLAAAAANG!!
The impact created another tremendous shockwave. The surrounding cliffs shattered. The sea itself split apart. Yet neither moved. Both stared directly into each other's eyes.
Sakazuki: "You're stronger than before."
Hancock: "I had an excellent teacher."
Without warning— WHOOSH!!
She dissolved back into clouds before Sakazuki's magma could engulf her.
Several hundred meters away... Baby-5 quietly observed the exchange. Arthur's strategy echoed inside her mind.
Don't fight him head-on.
Make him waste strength.
Force him to chase.
Force him to attack empty space.
She smiled. Arthur had understood the battle from the very beginning. Neither she nor Hancock possessed enough raw power to seriously wound, let alone defeat, an Admiral. But defeating Sakazuki had never been their objective. Keeping him occupied... that alone was victory.
...
Hour after hour... the pattern never changed.
Hancock attacked.
Baby-5 created openings.
Sakazuki counterattacked.
Clouds scattered.
Mist returned.
Fairy dust filled the sky.
Again... and again... and again.
Every time Sakazuki believed he had cornered one of them— they disappeared.
Every time Hancock found an opening— Baby-5 had already disrupted Sakazuki's Observation Haki.
Every time Baby-5 exposed herself— Hancock's lightning forced Sakazuki onto the defensive.
Neither woman attempted reckless attacks. Neither fought for glory. They fought exactly as Arthur had instructed. Perfectly.
As the afternoon sun slowly descended... even Sakazuki finally acknowledged the situation.
This battle... was becoming a war of endurance. His magma continued reshaping the battlefield. Yet the two women refused to give him a decisive opening.
...
Marine: "...The Admiral still hasn't defeated them." Marine officers watching from a safe distance exchanged uneasy glances.
Marine: "...How long has it been?" Another Marine swallowed nervously.
Rear Admiral: "... Nearly an entire day."
Silence followed. No one had expected two pirate officers to hold an Admiral in place for an entire day.
...
The western sky gradually turned orange. Long shadows stretched across the ruined coastline. The battle slowed for the first time. Not because anyone wished to stop... But because every fighter had finally reached their physical limits of continuous combat. Hancock hovered above the clouds. Baby-5 floated beside her, fairy wings beating much more slowly now. Sakazuki stood amid an ocean of cooling magma.
All three silently watched one another. No one spoke. The result had become obvious. Although Sakazuki remained stronger than either woman individually—and still held the advantage even against the two of them together—he had failed to accomplish his mission.
Arthur remained untouched.
The Art Pirates remained standing.
And Ohara had not fallen.
From a strategic standpoint... the Marines had failed.
...
Far away... the battlefield between Arthur and Kuzan had also reached a temporary standstill.
Ice covered half the island. Crimson blood constructs lay frozen across the shattered ground. The two swordsmen stood facing each other, both still ready to continue.
Then—
Pururururu... Pururururu...
A Den Den Mushi suddenly rang inside Kuzan's coat. For a brief moment... Neither man moved.
Kuzan: "...Yeah." Kuzan slowly answered the call.
Sengoku: "Kuzan... This operation is fail. Withdraw immediately." The familiar voice of Fleet Admiral Sengoku emerged immediately.
Sengoku: "That's an order." Kuzan remained silent. Sengoku continued.
Several long seconds passed before Kuzan finally sighed.
Kuzan: "...Understood." He slowly closed the Den Den Mushi.
Arthur: "Retreat?" Arthur lowered Komainu onto his shoulder.
Kuzan: " Orders from Fleet Admiral Sengoku." Kuzan nodded once.
Before Arthur could reply... Another voice emerged from the still-open Den Den Mushi. Vice Admiral Tsuru.
Tsuru: "Arthur... Thank you." Arthur quietly looked toward the tiny snail. The battlefield fell strangely silent.
Arthur: "I'm only returning the favor." He smiled faintly.
Kuzan glanced sideways. He understood exactly what Tsuru meant. Arthur had spared countless Marines today. Even after winning... he had ordered his crew to incapacitate rather than execute. Thousands had survived because of that decision. Tsuru remained silent for several moments. Then the call ended.
Arthur slowly turned toward the retreating Marine forces. His crimson eyes swept across the surviving officers.
Arthur: "Tell Sengoku something for me."
Kuzan: "What is it?" His step paused.
Arthur: "Today... we chose to stop after defeating your soldiers." Arthur's expression gradually became cold.
Arthur: "Next time..." He slowly rested Komainu across his shoulder.
Arthur: "...the Art Pirates won't stop at merely incapacitating our enemies." Dark lightning quietly crackled around his blade.
Arthur: " The next battlefield... will claim lives... won't end with mercy." His crimson eyes locked onto Kuzan's.
The evening wind carried those words across the shattered island. No Marine answered. As the last rays of the setting sun disappeared beyond the horizon... The Battle of Ohara finally came to an end.
Not with victory. Not with defeat. But with a warning...
It ended with a warning. One that echoed across the seas. The next war between the World Government and the Art Pirates would not end with mercy... but with death.