The doctor's face was pale as he examined the wound.
"It was extremely close," he said gravely. "The bullet stopped less than three centimeters from her heart. If it had struck directly, she would already be dead."
Katakuri's fingers curled into his palm.
"Even so," the doctor continued, "several internal organs have been damaged. There's internal bleeding. The bullet must be removed immediately. I'll need to perform surgery at once—and prepare blood plasma."
There was no hesitation.
"Do it," Katakuri ordered instantly.
Brulee's life mattered more than anything.
And beyond that, her ability was irreplaceable.
Without the power of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, the younger siblings trapped inside the Mirror World would have no way out. Their escape route had already been severed once. He would not allow it to disappear completely.
Along the burning coastline of Cake Island, the battlefield had turned into a living inferno.
Sakazuki clashed head-on with Linlin.
Magma and lightning tore through the sky.
The sheer destructive force of the Magma-Magma Fruit forced both Marines and Pirates to keep their distance. No one dared approach. Even Linlin's Homies—creatures born of soul and fire—were instantly melted into slag the moment they touched Sakazuki's magma.
Linlin gripped Napoleon tightly, her eyes bloodshot with fury.
"Mamamama! I never thought I would become your Marines' primary target! So you think I'm the easiest to crush?!"
Sakazuki's response was a cold scoff.
"Hmph. Once you fall, Kaido and Marco will follow."
His fists boiled and cracked with molten fury.
"What Three Emperors Alliance? Now that I sit as Fleet Admiral, I will end the Great Pirate Era Roger started. No arrests. No mercy. Every pirate will be executed."
Linlin's grin twisted, violent and proud.
"Mamamama! As expected of the Marines' dog! You've got the ambition for that chair!"
Her aura exploded outward.
"But I've ruled these seas for decades. You think a greenhorn like you can just erase me?!"
She swung Napoleon—
"BOOM!"
A colossal blade of force split the air.
Sakazuki answered with magma fists the size of houses.
The collision cracked the heavens.
The ground fractured. Lava sprayed skyward. Zeus screamed across the sky in arcs of lightning.
The Yonko and the Fleet Admiral stood locked in a titanic stalemate.
From afar—
"Mama…"
"Fleet Admiral…"
Both sides watched in dread.
Even the shockwaves alone were enough to crush lesser fighters.
"Do not approach Fleet Admiral without authorization!" Momousagi shouted sharply. "Begin clearing the remaining pirates!"
Tokikake raised his arm.
"Pacifista—advance! Eliminate all resistance!"
Mechanical giants marched forward, lasers charging.
On the opposite side, Cracker roared in defiance.
"Biscuit soldiers—forward! Kill the Marines!"
The beach became a warzone.
Steel, lasers, explosions, screams.
From a raised vantage point, Zack watched the invasion unfold, eyes narrowed.
"They came prepared," he muttered. "The Fleet Admiral himself… and two newly drafted Admirals."
He exhaled slowly.
"I wonder just how strong those two really are."
Fossa turned toward Smoothie, concern evident despite his usual composure.
"How's Marco? When can they arrive?"
Smoothie's expression darkened.
"They're being held back by Kizaru and ten warships. They said they'll break through as fast as possible."
Ulti clenched her fists.
"And the Beasts Pirates?"
Smoothie's jaw tightened further.
"They've been intercepted."
Her voice lowered.
"Former Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Former Admiral Zephyr. And Hero Garp… leading ten warships."
Silence fell over them.
Even Zack's grin faded.
"So neither the Phoenix Pirates nor the Beasts Pirates can reinforce us anytime soon…"
He looked toward the horizon, where Marine banners cut through the smoke.
"The Marines planned this perfectly."
A coordinated strike.
Divide the alliance. Stall Marco. Block Kaido. Crush Big Mom first.
The realization settled like a blade at their throats.
At that moment, Katakuri strode over, his expression carved from stone.
He had just secured Brulee in a protected chamber deep within the ruins of the castle. The faint scent of antiseptic still clung to him.
"Since that's the situation," he said evenly, though the steel beneath his voice was unmistakable, "we can only rely on ourselves. Sakazuki has taken the field personally. His justice leaves no room for mercy. If we want even the slightest chance to survive—"
His eyes hardened.
"—we fight to the death."
Zack gave a slow nod, then flashed a sharp grin.
"In that case, let our Phoenix Pirates test the strength of these so-called Marine Admirals."
Katakuri inclined his head slightly.
"Thank you."
Fossa stepped forward, his tone firm.
"Katakuri. Don't try to face an Admiral alone. Their strength is beyond what you imagine."
Katakuri nodded.
He had never crossed blades with an Admiral before—but he knew what they represented. The ultimate military power of the World Government. Even if these two were newly appointed, no weakling could possibly wear that title.
Smoothie tightened her grip on her sword.
"Brother… let's support Mama."
Katakuri didn't hesitate.
"Alright."
Along the shattered shoreline, the battle between Sakazuki and Linlin raged like the collision of natural disasters.
Magma surged like volcanic rivers. Lightning tore through smoke-choked skies.
Sakazuki's fighting style was relentless—brutal, forward-pressing, suffocating.
And for the first time in years—
Big Mom was being pushed back.
It wasn't that she lacked strength.
It was fear.
Not fear of death—
But of the magma.
The destructive force of the Magma-Magma Fruit was monstrous. Moments ago, she had taken one of Sakazuki's magma-coated punches head-on. The searing heat and Haki-infused impact had burned deep, even through her monstrous durability.
She could still feel it.
Her skin throbbed.
Her bones vibrated.
She knew she could not afford many more blows like that.
After all—
During the Marineford War, even Whitebeard had lost half his head to this man's fist.
Big Mom gritted her teeth.
She would not repeat that mistake.
The battlefield locked in a violent stalemate.
Then—
A shrill, arrogant laugh sliced through the smoke-filled sky.
"Gyahahahaha! Sakazuki! I'm here to lend a hand!"
Every fighter on the field instinctively looked up.
Floating in mid-air was a tall figure, a strange spinning flower blooming from his back like a grotesque halo.
Sakazuki's gaze sharpened.
"Aramaki…"
Whispers of shock rippled through the Big Mom Pirates.
"That's Admiral Ryokugyu—!"
"How did he get here so quickly?!"
"Damn it… Fleet Admiral Sakazuki and a Marine Admiral together… Can Mama handle both?!"
The arrival of Aramaki turned the battlefield's balance sharply.
The Marines' pincer was complete.
Uncertainty flickered across the faces of the Big Mom Pirates.
At that moment, Big Mom's expression darkened to something almost monstrous.
She and Sakazuki were already locked in a brutal stalemate. In a true one-on-one, she wasn't even certain she could defeat him decisively. And now—
Another Admiral had entered the battlefield.
Her situation had gone from dangerous… to dire.
Sakazuki's eyes gleamed faintly at Aramaki's arrival. His tone remained calm, but the killing intent beneath it was unmistakable.
"Since you're here, we'll finish this quickly. Join forces. The sooner we take down this old hag, the fewer unnecessary casualties."
Aramaki burst into loud laughter.
"Gyahahaha! That was my intention from the start! That's why I rushed over the moment I was done clearing the coast!"
Before Big Mom could respond—
"Mama!"
Katakuri and Smoothie landed beside her.
Seeing her two strongest children, a fierce smile curled across Big Mom's face.
"Mamamama… You're finally here, Katakuri. Smoothie."
Sakazuki's gaze turned glacial.
"Hmph. Two more overconfident fools."
He didn't hesitate.
"Aramaki. Move."
"Gladly."
The grin remained on Ryokugyu's face, but his presence shifted in an instant. He slammed both hands to the ground and roared:
"Everyone, clear out! Do not enter my range!"
The Marines who understood his power immediately retreated without question.
Then—
His arms transformed into writhing branches.
"Grow wildly!"
"Forest-Forest Fruit — Forest Sea Descends!"
The earth responded.
With Aramaki at the center, the ground trembled violently. Roots split the soil apart. Towering trees erupted upward like spears. Vines burst forth in endless waves, spreading outward at terrifying speed.
From afar, it looked as though an entire primeval forest had been summoned in seconds.
Even the Marines screamed as they retreated.
"Get back! That's Admiral Ryokugyu's ability!"
The Logia-type Forest-Forest Fruit user—Marine Admiral Aramaki—had become the incarnation of the forest itself.
Hundred-meter-tall tree columns twisted toward the sky. Giant vines lashed outward like living tentacles, blotting out the sunlight. The battlefield transformed into a suffocating green nightmare.
Pirates and Marines alike felt their scalps go numb.
Even members of the Charlotte Family—hardened veterans of countless wars—couldn't hide their shock.
Smoothie scanned the rapidly closing forest walls, her voice low and tense.
"He's sealing us off… Is he planning to trap us here and finish us all at once?"
Katakuri's jaw tightened.
The intent was obvious.
Isolation.
Divide and exterminate.
Linlin snorted loudly, trying to mask the tightening noose around them.
"Mamamama! This ability of yours would make fine landscaping, little Ryokugyu!"
Aramaki ignored the taunt entirely.
Instead—
He increased the output.
The vines accelerated.
They smashed into the streets of Cake Island, splitting stone like paper. Buildings cracked. The ground shattered. The entire island trembled as the forest swallowed it whole.
When the vines encountered pirates or Homies, they moved with predatory precision—wrapping, constricting, capturing.
Some failed to dodge in time.
The moment they were bound—
Sharp thorned tendrils pierced their bodies.
And then—
Their life force began draining.
Pirates screamed as their skin withered. Homies shrieked as their soul fragments were siphoned away.
The battlefield had turned into a living execution ground.
And at the center of the encroaching green hell—
Big Mom, Katakuri, Smoothie—
And two Marine monsters stood ready to decide the fate of Totto Land.
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