The Big Mom Pirates attempted to exploit the chaos to flee, but found Carl standing in their path with his massive, door-sized blade. The Queen Mama Chanter was caught in limbo, unable to advance or retreat. Big Mom's face darkened with annoyance.
Carl, get out of the way, or do not blame me for being rude!
Hehe, if I give in as you say, would I not lose face? You started all of this, including this war. It would be too cheap for you to simply leave now!
Carl had no intention of letting the Big Mom Pirates slip away easily. They had been the ones on the offensive; he found it absurd that they would expect to dictate the terms of their own retreat. Today was a major victory for the Straw Hats, and with the Whitebeard Pirates raiding the formation, they had no reason to let their enemies escape unscathed. The Straw Hats were generally easygoing, but they were not easily bullied. If their enemies chose to wage war, they had to be prepared for the consequences of failure.
Since that is the case, there is nothing left to say. Let us continue fighting!
Big Mom commanded Prometheus and Zeus to barrage Carl with fire and lightning. Katakuri joined the assault, launching his Nine-Headed Mochi attacks in tandem with her. Carl did not attempt to block their strikes; he focused on dodging while remaining firmly positioned in front of the main ship, refusing to budge.
Big Mom and Katakuri grew increasingly furious. Just then, Katakuri's Den Den Mushi rang. He had a bad feeling and answered immediately. Charlotte Daifuku, the Minister of Beans who had been left behind to guard Totto Land, shouted in panic.
It is bad! Mom, Brother Katakuri, the Eight Treasures Navy, the Ideo Pirates, and the Tontatta Tribe have raided Totto Land! Capone Bege and Chiffon have suddenly rebelled. The situation is dire—you must return quickly!
Nani?! The pirates affiliated with the Straw Hats dare to attack Totto Land? This is ridiculous!
Big Mom was incensed, but she turned her anger toward her son. What are you doing? You were attacked by mere affiliated pirate groups and had no power to fight back? Are you worthy of being my children?
Daifuku could not refute her, and did not dare to try. Katakuri spoke up quickly. Mom, there are no strong defenders left in Totto Land now. It is a vulnerability, but they cannot take the island from us. The most important thing now is to leave here and return to protect our home!
Big Mom hung up the phone without another word. Carl had overheard the call and was surprised by the news. He realized that Sai, Ideo, and Leo were fighting fiercely to encircle Totto Land, attempting to force Big Mom to return by threatening her territory. It was a clever strategy to save the Straw Hats.
On the other side of the battlefield, Blackbeard's crew had flown high enough to exit Whitebeard's attack range. Just as they began to retreat further, a shadow fell over them. A massive, flaming meteorite plummeted from the sky.
I am going! Who is playing here? Are you kidding me? Blackbeard cursed.
The Straw Hat crew was stunned, then burst into laughter. Isn't this an attack from Uncle Issho? So, a Marine Admiral is here!
The Straw Hats knew Issho and were aware he was destined for the Admiral rank, though they had not seen the recent newspapers detailing the current Marine leadership. If someone with Issho's power was present, the main Marine fleet must have arrived. They looked around to see numerous warships surrounding the area. Sakazuki, Borsalino, Issho, and several high-ranking Vice Admirals stood on the decks. The Marines had arrived to profit from the carnage.
Hee hee! Uncle Issho did a great job. Let us see how Blackbeard runs now! Luffy folded his arms and grinned.
Hey, Luffy, it looks like a meteorite is coming our way too, Usopp warned.
Nani? What is going on?
Luffy looked up to see another massive rock heading straight for the Thousand Sunny. It was not just them; both the Big Mom Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates were being targeted. It was a wide-scale group attack, not specifically aimed at Blackbeard.
What are you doing, Uncle Issho? We are friends! Luffy yelled in dissatisfaction.
Luffy, Uncle Issho is a Marine Admiral now. It is only natural for the Marines to fight pirates, his crewmates explained helplessly.
That is true, I suppose, that is fine.
Luffy's expression turned indifferent. He pointed at the falling rock and commanded, Zoro, chop it up.
Zoro nodded casually. Oh.
The two acted as if it were a trivial task, a display of effortless bravado that left Marco and Jinbe rolling their eyes. Even in such a desperate situation, the Straw Hats remained eccentric. Zoro held his sword in one hand, adjusted his breathing, and unleashed a slash that split the massive meteorite in two. By coincidence, half the rock flew toward the Blackbeard Pirates, who had just dodged the first wave, while the other half headed toward the warship where Issho stood.
Blackbeard was speechless, suspecting Zoro had done it on purpose. Shiryu, seeing the projectile, did not stand by; he slashed his own half of the meteorite into smaller pieces, which rained into the sea. He had intended to redirect the debris toward the Thousand Sunny like Zoro had, but his positioning was off. He felt as though he had lost the exchange.
Whitebeard and Big Mom handled the incoming threats with brute force. Big Mom struck hers with Ikoku, and Whitebeard shattered his with a single punch.
Smile at that guy; he can pull off such a gorgeous operation! Sakazuki said with a wide, cigar-choked grin.
The Straw Hats, Blackbeard, and Big Mom were all exhausted, while the Marines remained fresh and heavily armed. If he had not been intercepted by Vista earlier, he would have arrived sooner. He was deeply displeased by Whitebeard's cunning.
Ku la la la! Magma kid, why are you not at your post as Marshal instead of coming to the North Blue? Whitebeard asked mockingly.
I am here to attend the funeral of the Four Emperors, Whitebeard! Sakazuki replied with a grim smile.
He aimed his magma-covered fist toward the sky, and the Great Eruption exploded. It was a massive, lethal group attack.
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