Big Mom stood before the encircled Marines like an immovable mountain of flesh, her eyes gleaming with savage delight. A suffocating killing intent spread from her body, pressing down on the battlefield like a storm cloud ready to burst.
In an instant, the world around the Marines seemed to collapse into boundless darkness. The battlefield vanished. Sound disappeared. Light was swallowed whole. Within that endless void, only one figure remained visible, Charlotte Linlin herself. In the suffocating blackness, she appeared even larger, towering above them like a god of death. Compared to her overwhelming presence, the Marines felt like ants trembling before a predator.
They had fallen under the influence of the Soru Soru no Mi.
Vice Admiral Yamakaji witnessed the scene unfold. Though fear tightened around his heart, he understood the nature of her ability. Forcing himself to remain steady, he shouted, "Do not panic. Do not be afraid. Everything you see is an illusion born from her power. The moment you let fear take hold, she will steal your lifespan."
A Marine nearby trembled violently. "Vice Admiral, even if we know that, how can we not be afraid?"
Another cried out, "She defeated Fleet Admiral Sakazuki. How are we supposed to fight a monster like that?"
Yamakaji's warning echoed through the darkness, but reason alone could not suppress instinct. Big Mom's immense presence, combined with the pressure of her Conqueror's Haki, crushed their resolve. Fear seeped into their hearts like poison.
Soon, wisps of white soul fragments began drifting from the bodies of the more timid soldiers.
"Is that… my soul?" one of them whispered in horror.
"You fools!" Yamakaji roared. "If you do not fear her, she cannot take anything from you."
But the more they tried to calm themselves, the more the fear grew. Seeing their comrades' souls pulled from their bodies shattered what little composure remained. The instinctive terror of death swallowed them whole.
Big Mom watched with greedy delight as the white soul fragments floated into the air. Without hesitation, she opened her mouth and uttered the incantation that struck directly at the core of their beings.
"Life or death?"
Her voice carried the power of the Soru Soru no Mi and the crushing force of Conqueror's Haki. The question was not merely spoken, it reverberated within their souls.
The Marines broke.
They screamed and fled blindly through the darkness, desperate to escape. Yet the illusion only deepened the more they feared. The black void tightened around them, trapping them in a prison of their own terror.
"I do not want to die!" "I have a family waiting for me!"
Even Vice Admiral Yamakaji felt his resolve falter. A few wisps of his own soul began to drift outward, though far fewer than the others. He clenched his fists and shouted again, "Stand your ground. Strengthen your will. The more you fear, the stronger she becomes."
But his words no longer reached them. Panic ruled the battlefield. The illusion existed because of their fear, and fear was now absolute.
Time passed in dreadful silence.
At last, a cruel smile curved across Big Mom's lips. Since none of them could answer her question without terror, the result was decided for them. The soul fragments fully separated from their bodies.
She raised her massive hand.
An invisible force pulled the drifting souls toward her palm. One by one, the fragments tore free from their hosts. The Marines collapsed instantly, their faces drained of color, their bodies falling lifelessly onto the ground.
In a single sweep, the illusion shattered.
Reality returned, but hundreds of Marines now lay motionless. Their lifespans had been mercilessly harvested.
Big Mom absorbed the stolen years into herself. A sensation of vitality coursed through her body. The fifteen years of lifespan she had previously sacrificed felt partially restored.
Drool slipped from the corner of her mouth. Her bloodshot eyes gleamed with madness.
"Mama mama mama. I have recovered a few years at last, but it is not enough. You dared to push this old lady into such a miserable state. I will take all of your lifespans before this war ends."
Earlier, in her clash with Sakazuki, she had suffered severe injuries. To restore her combat strength, she had sacrificed fifteen years of her own lifespan and one hundred thousand Homies from Totto Land. Even if victory were achieved, the Big Mom Pirates had already paid a tremendous price. Her former military advantage within the alliance of Emperors was gone.
She would reclaim what she had lost, no matter the cost.
Without hesitation, she turned toward another group of Marines. Once more, the air darkened as she prepared to reap their souls.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, flames and foliage clashed violently.
Marco confronted Admiral Aramaki in a fierce exchange. Aramaki's body had transformed through the power of the Mori Mori no Mi into a colossal treant towering over thirty meters high. Thick roots tore through the earth while massive branches lashed out like whips.
Marco did not hesitate.
"Destruction Black Flame, Dance of the Phoenix."
Black flames erupted from his body, spreading outward in sweeping arcs. The fire surged across the battlefield, clinging to the massive wooden form. Unlike ordinary flames, Marco's Black Flame adhered stubbornly to its target, burning relentlessly.
Aramaki gritted his teeth as the fire consumed his wooden limbs. "Damn it. What kind of flame is this? Why will it not go out? Is this the power of a Devil Fruit Awakening?"
He avoided close combat, fully aware that engaging Marco at short range would be disastrous. Instead, he continuously generated dense layers of wood to shield himself, reinforcing his defenses with Armament Haki.
Marco's expression hardened. His eyes shone with cold determination.
"Destruction Black Flame, Phoenix Wing Strike."
With a powerful beat of his wings, an overwhelming surge of Black Flame engulfed the towering treant. The inferno roared skyward, devouring branches and roots alike.
Within the sea of fire, Aramaki let out a pained roar as the flames tightened around him, burning with terrifying intensity.