In the New World, Gransen Island, a large-scale Marine base, was also under siege by pirate crews.
In the waters surrounding the island, pirate ships swarmed in for an attack. At the center of this fleet were the Big Mom Pirates, with the largest cake-themed ship, the Queen Mama Chanter, serving as Big Mom's personal vessel.
In addition to the Big Mom Pirates, numerous other crews had joined the assault.
They had charged straight through, destroying Gransen Island's outpost and were now bearing down on the main island itself.
Simultaneously, a fleet of warships set out from Gransen Island to intercept them.
On the prow of the largest central warship stood a crimson figure: Admiral Akainu, Sakazuki. Gransen Island was under his command.
"Admiral Akainu, we'll be in artillery range in three hundred meters," a Rear Admiral behind him reported after calculating the distance.
Thick black smoke began to billow from Akainu's body, and a terrifying heat radiated from him, so intense it felt as if the air itself was about to combust. The Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals around him all backed away.
His fist turned to magma, and his eyes burned with a fierce, murderous intent.
"If they're in range, then so are we. They outnumber us; we'd be at a disadvantage in an artillery exchange. Before that happens, let's make sure they're too busy to fire," Akainu said. He raised his magma fist, and his entire arm quickly transformed.
He then threw a punch. A massive magma fist, several meters wide and over ten meters long, shot through the air. It obliterated three pirate ships in a row. The wreckage was incinerated by the intense heat of the magma, and the pirates aboard were instantly burned to cinders. All except for those who had managed to leap into the sea first were killed.
Akainu didn't stop there. He threw punch after punch, sending a barrage of magma fists across the sky, destroying one pirate ship after another. In less than half a minute, over a dozen ships from the pirate fleet of several dozen had been annihilated.
The sea itself began to boil where the magma had fallen, and the pirates who had jumped into the water screamed in agony.
This was the terrifying destructive power of a top-tier Logia-type Devil Fruit.
A giant magma fist hurtled toward Big Mom's ship, and her children instantly sprang into action.
A bizarrely shaped, colossal biscuit soldier leaped into the air and, with a swing of its massive biscuit sword, split the magma fist in two.
Another man, a rugged-looking youth with a long nose, a burly physique, and a wool coat, his head seeming small in comparison to his body, swung a large katana and also effortlessly sliced a magma fist apart.
These two were two of the Big Mom Pirates' Four Sweet Commanders. The first was the Biscuit Knight, Charlotte Cracker.
The other was Charlotte Snack, the one who would later be defeated by a member of the Supernovas and stripped of his rank, reducing the Four Sweet Commanders to three.
Big Mom's other children were no less capable, and by working together, they managed to block the magma fists.
However, Akainu's relentless assault had halted the advance of the pirate fleet, which infuriated Big Mom.
"Perospero, I'm going to kill Akainu!" she roared.
As Big Mom's eldest son, Charlotte Perospero knew exactly what she meant. He leaped from the ship into the sea, and a vast amount of red candy surged from his body, forming a candy ship on the water.
Big Mom jumped onto the candy ship, and Perospero controlled it, causing it to roll forward at high speed, carrying Big Mom towards Akainu.
Akainu quickly spotted Big Mom. He immediately ceased his attack on the pirate ships and turned his attention to her.
A volley of magma fists flew toward Big Mom, aiming to sink her.
Big Mom snatched the bicorne hat, Napoleon, from her head. It transformed into a giant sword, and with a single swing, she unleashed a massive slash of energy that cut the magma fists apart. The astonishing slash then tore through the sea, heading for the warship.
A figure immediately shot out from the warship. He was a man with a mohawk and a light mustache, dressed in a light purple striped suit and a dark blue shirt.
His name was Momonga, an elite Marine who had been trained by Zephyr in the same class as Onigumo. Like Onigumo, he held the rank of Vice Admiral.
He instantly drew his sword and struck the massive slash. With a loud boom, he was sent flying back by the force of the attack, crashing onto the deck of the warship.
But he had managed to cut the slash apart.
Vice Admiral Momonga's face was grim, the arm holding his sword numb. He hadn't expected a single slash of energy to be so terrifyingly powerful.
"Sakazuki, I've come for your head!" Big Mom roared, her face contorted in a ferocious grin. She raised her left hand, and the thundercloud Zeus and the sun Prometheus rapidly swelled to an enormous size.
They flew towards the warships. Countless bolts of lightning and waves of fire swept over the fleet. The dozen or so warships were instantly engulfed in thunder and flames, and countless Marines perished.
Akainu's eye twitched with rage. His entire body transformed into magma and shot into the sky. With two punches, he sent Zeus and Prometheus flying.
But Big Mom had already arrived, her maniacal laughter echoing as her terrifying killing intent boiled over.
Meanwhile, on Gransen Island, a Fish-Man quietly came ashore on a cliff on the side of the island. He took out a mirror from his coat.
"I've reached Gransen Island," he whispered into the mirror. Ripples suddenly appeared on its surface, and an ugly, witch-like woman poked her head out before ducking back in.
Her name was Charlotte Brulee.
She was the user of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, able to travel freely through the Mirror World. She could also bring others through mirrors to any location where a mirror was present.
A moment later, she brought a large group of the Big Mom Pirates' crew members out from the Mirror World.
Their leader was the first of the Four Sweet Commanders, Charlotte Katakuri.
They were the surprise attack force, responsible for ambushing and occupying Gransen Island. With most of the island's military forces drawn away by the main pirate alliance, it was the perfect time to strike.
"Brulee, it's going to be dangerous from here on out. You should go back first," Katakuri said calmly.
"I understand, Big Brother. Take this mirror. I'll be watching you from the Mirror World," Brulee nodded seriously. She took out a mirror and handed it to Katakuri.
He took it and tucked it into his pocket. A look of joy spread across Brulee's face, and she vanished back into the mirror.
Katakuri's expression instantly turned fierce. "Our mission is not only to occupy Gransen Island but also to eliminate Akainu if possible. We need to quickly dismantle the island's defenses and then take the ships to flank his fleet from behind."
"Yes, sir!" all the pirates nodded grimly. They then followed Katakuri and charged towards the heart of Gransen Island.
The battle for Gransen Island lasted for a full day and ended in a crushing defeat for Akainu. Not only did he lose the island, but the vast majority of the Marines under his command died in the battle. He himself was severely injured and only narrowly escaped Big Mom's clutches.
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