"Ahhh!"
Big Mom's roar shook the battlefield.
Half of her massive body was already clamped between the sandworm's monstrous jaws. Its teeth were coated in powerful Armament Haki, biting deep enough that even her iron balloon physique could not fully negate the damage. For the first time in years, sharp pain shot through her bones.
Her hands, which had been gripping Warcury's enormous tusks, were forced to release. She twisted violently, trying to pry apart the sandworm's fangs embedded in her flesh.
The moment she let go, Warcury seized the opportunity.
The colossal Fierce Boar opened his blood red mouth and bit down on her lower body. In an instant, Big Mom was caught between the two monsters, one clamped onto her upper half, the other onto her lower half. They pulled in opposite directions like predators fighting over prey.
The sight was suffocating.
"Mama!"
The Big Mom Pirates erupted in panic. They rushed forward, firing cannons and guns in desperation. Bullets and shells rained down on Warcury and Ju Peter's sandworm form.
It was useless.
The projectiles shattered against their bodies without leaving meaningful damage.
Katakuri moved.
He shot into the air, his Observation Haki already reading the rhythm of the battlefield. His arms swelled enormously with the power of the Mochi Mochi no Mi, expanding like a giant's.
"Let go of Mama! Buzz Cut Mochi!"
Two massive fists crashed down simultaneously.
One struck the sandworm's head, the other slammed into Warcury's face.
The sandworm recoiled instantly. Pain forced it to loosen its jaws, and it spat Big Mom out in a spray of blood and saliva.
Warcury, however, barely budged.
Katakuri's full strength punch made the boar's head tilt slightly, but the Fierce Boar still held Big Mom's lower body firmly in its mouth.
Warcury's voice rumbled with contempt. "So you wish to save her? Then watch carefully as your mother dies."
He opened his jaws wide and flung Big Mom upward. As she rose into the air, Warcury snapped his mouth open again, aiming to bite her cleanly in half.
But Big Mom was still a Yonko.
In that split second, she planted her foot against the lower tusk and braced both hands against the upper one. Veins bulged along her arms as she forced the jaws apart, halting the crushing bite.
"Do not underestimate me, Gorosei!" she roared. "I am Big Mom!"
"Prometheus!"
Flames burst to life in her palm. The Sun Homie materialized instantly.
"Hellfire!"
Blazing fire surged directly into Warcury's mouth. Even the Fierce Boar could not ignore that level of heat. Smoke billowed as he recoiled, forced to spit her out.
Big Mom hit the ground heavily, then bounced backward dozens of meters with surprising agility for her size. For a fleeting moment, when both monsters had been tearing at her body, she had truly felt the possibility of being ripped apart.
Katakuri landed beside her immediately.
"Mama."
Big Mom glanced at her strongest son. A rare trace of warmth softened her grin.
"Mama mama… You did well, Katakuri."
He nodded, eyes sharp. "That boar's defense is extraordinary."
His fist still throbbed faintly from the impact. Even his full powered strike had barely affected Warcury.
Big Mom clicked her tongue. "I noticed."
Ahead of them, Warcury exhaled smoke from his scorched mouth. Behind them, the sandworm circled back into position, trapping mother and son between two monstrous forms.
Katakuri stepped forward slightly. "I will handle the sandworm."
Big Mom did not hesitate. "Good. Leave it to you."
She understood clearly now. Facing two of them at once was too dangerous. She needed to crush Warcury quickly before supporting Katakuri.
The battlefield split into brutal duels.
High above, Marco faced Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro in relentless aerial combat.
Nusjuro moved like a phantom knight, his skeletal horse body galloping through the air with Moonwalk. The Shodai Kitetsu flashed, releasing a horizontal slash that cut across Marco's waist.
A deep wound opened across Marco's abdomen. Frost spread instantly from the blade's chilling aura, ice crystals forming along the cut and slowing his regeneration.
Marco's eyes sharpened.
Black flames surged from within him, melting the frost in seconds. The wound closed rapidly under the healing power of his phoenix flames.
He countered immediately.
With a burst of speed, he drove a heavy punch into Nusjuro's torso, shattering half of his body. Fragments scattered through the air.
Yet Nusjuro showed no sign of distress.
Black energy flared around the destroyed section. The shattered pieces reassembled, knitting together as if reality itself refused to let him fall.
"Hmph. Troublesome flames," Nusjuro muttered.
A violent surge of Conqueror's Haki burst outward from him, blasting away the Destruction Black Flames clinging to his body. Freed from their interference, his regeneration accelerated dramatically.
Marco frowned.
"So this is your immortality."
He glanced toward Saint Marcus Mars in the distance. The great Itzumanade's shattered beak was still regenerating, but far more slowly than Nusjuro's body.
Marco's mind worked quickly.
Earlier, he had struck Mars with both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki infusion. Against Nusjuro, his previous blow had relied primarily on Armament Haki.
The difference in recovery speed was obvious.
A conclusion formed in his mind.
Conqueror's Haki infusion was suppressing their regenerative ability.
Without it, their immortality recovered at terrifying speed. With it, the process slowed significantly.
Marco's gaze hardened as black flames intensified around him.
If that was the case, then the path forward was clear.
To defeat gods, he would have to strike them with the will of a king.
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