Even after Saint Marcus Mars was sent crashing through the sky, the remaining Elders showed no sign of panic.
Their composure came from absolute confidence.
Each of them had been granted a form of immortality by Imu. Whether their bodies were pierced, shattered, or even decapitated, time alone was enough for them to recover. A broken beak or severed limb meant little in the face of such power.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro moved next.
His form shifted into a terrifying hybrid state. His upper body retained its human shape, stern and composed, while his lower body became that of a skeletal warhorse. In his hands, he gripped the Shodai Kitetsu, its cursed blade radiating a frigid, sinister aura. The air around him seemed to dim as if touched by the underworld itself.
Using Moonwalk, he charged through the sky like a phantom cavalryman.
The blade was wrapped in both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki infusion, the power almost tangible as it coiled around the edge. Frosty energy spiraled outward, turning the surrounding air bitterly cold. With a single ruthless swing, he unleashed a slash that tore through the heavens toward Marco.
An intense sense of danger exploded in Marco's mind.
His Observation Haki screamed a warning. If he took that strike head on, even with his phoenix regeneration, the damage would be severe.
Without hesitation, Marco accelerated, his wings flaring as he twisted aside at astonishing speed.
The eerie green slash streaked past him like a wandering ghost and struck the clouds beyond. The thick cloud layer split cleanly in two, severed with terrifying precision.
A sharp chill spread through the battlefield.
Marco felt it instantly. The temperature around him had dropped.
Tiny ice crystals drifted in the air, formed by the freezing energy carried within Nusjuro's slash. The sword aura itself had frozen the atmosphere as it traveled.
Marco narrowed his eyes.
"Is this a unique sword style, or the power of his ability?"
Either way, it was not something to treat lightly.
Below, Dracule Mihawk's hawk like eyes gleamed.
He had been observing the battle in silence, detached from both sides. But after witnessing Nusjuro's slash, a rare flicker of excitement crossed his face.
A swordsman.
And not an ordinary one.
As the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk had long stood alone at the summit. Few could even approach his level. Yet that single strike carried the weight of a true master.
However, the excitement quickly faded into disappointment.
Nusjuro was one of the Five Elders. A man of that position would never lower himself to a duel for the sake of swordsmanship alone. Worse still, he was not a pure swordsman, but a Zoan user enhanced by monstrous power.
For Mihawk, who sought a worthy rival, that was a quiet regret.
Elsewhere, Big Mom's expression darkened.
She had not expected the Five Elders to personally descend onto the battlefield. Of them, she recognized Jaygarcia Saturn's Ushi oni form all too well.
More than thirty years ago, during the God Valley incident, she had clashed with him. Despite her overwhelming power, she had been unable to finish him. His near immortality had rendered her attacks meaningless, eventually forcing her withdrawal.
And now, two of them stood before her.
Saint Topman Warcury in his massive Fierce Boar form.
Shepherd Ju Peter as a colossal sandworm.
Big Mom's eyes sharpened.
Even in her prime, facing one had been troublesome. Facing two simultaneously would be no simple matter.
Still, as one of the Four Emperors, she would never show weakness.
She threw her head back and laughed.
"Mama mama mama! You truly think highly of me, sending two of you to deal with this old lady."
Warcury's deep voice rumbled with disdain. "Cease your arrogance. You are nothing more than an insect. Being trampled is your natural fate."
Big Mom's grin widened rather than faded. "If you think you are qualified to trample me, you are welcome to try. I am Big Mom."
Ju Peter's voice carried cold superiority. "Emperor is a meaningless title. You pirates are pests crawling in our garden. Had you remained obedient, we would have ignored you. Instead, you dared to resist the gods. Sakazuki may be a hound we raised, but he was not for insects like you to put down."
Big Mom burst into louder laughter.
"So even a Fleet Admiral is just a dog in your eyes? Is that why you crawled down from the Holy Land, to avenge your pet?"
Warcury lost patience. "Enough. Die."
The colossal boar roared and charged.
The ground shook violently under his momentum. At the same time, Ju Peter's enormous sandworm form dove underground, vanishing from sight.
Big Mom did not hesitate.
"Napoleon, Zeus, Prometheus, combine."
The three Homies merged instantly. Prometheus ignited along Napoleon's blade while Zeus surged through it in crackling arcs of lightning.
"Yes, Mama."
With a roar, Big Mom swung downward.
"Maser Cannon."
A blinding beam of compressed energy erupted from the sword's tip, slamming directly into Warcury's face. The explosion thundered across Whole Cake Island, smoke and debris spiraling into the sky.
"It hit!"
Members of the Big Mom Pirates shouted in relief.
But when the smoke cleared, Warcury was still charging.
The attack had barely slowed him.
In the next instant, the Fierce Boar closed the distance. His massive tusks thrust forward like unstoppable spears.
Big Mom's eyes widened.
There was no room to evade.
She caught both tusks with her bare hands, bracing herself as the impact drove her backward across the ground. The force was overwhelming. Even her monstrous strength struggled to hold him at bay.
Veins bulged across her arms. Her teeth clenched as she roared, pouring all her power into resisting the charge.
Gradually, the boar's momentum faltered.
Warcury's eyes narrowed in disbelief. His full force assault had been halted.
Big Mom's lips curled into a fierce smile as she prepared to counterattack.
At that exact moment, the ground behind her exploded.
The gigantic sandworm burst forth, its horrifying maw wide open. Moving with terrifying speed, it lunged from behind.
Before Big Mom could turn fully, the sandworm swallowed her upper body whole.
The battlefield froze.
Katakuri's voice cracked in shock.
"Mama!"