At that moment, another powerful presence stepped onto the battlefield.
It was Admiral Candidate Momousagi—Gion.
She had just finished off Charlotte Ovens, and the scent of battle still clung to her blade. Yet when she arrived, she saw Tokikake still "playing around" with the sweet commander.
Her brows furrowed instantly.
"Kake," she snapped sharply, "what are you doing? Why is he still alive?"
The moment Tokikake saw her, the serious aura he had just displayed vanished completely. He straightened up and put on an exaggeratedly polite expression.
"Oh! Gion-chan! My deepest apologies, truly!" he said with an ingratiating grin. "I was merely warming up. I'll end this immediately—right away!"
Gion's gaze turned icy.
"There's no time for your theatrics. Marines are dying every second on this battlefield, and you're still dragging your feet."
She drew her famed blade, Konpira, the steel singing sharply as it left the scabbard.
"We finish this now."
Tokikake instantly nodded like a chastised subordinate.
"Yes, yes, as you command."
Before his sentence fully ended, both admiral candidates moved.
Their killing intent surged.
Cracker felt it immediately.
Two overwhelming presences.
Two elite candidates for admiral.
Even as he attempted to summon more biscuit soldiers, the pressure was suffocating.
Gion's blade flashed first—elegant, precise, merciless.
Tokikake followed with a sweeping slash that tore through the battlefield like a hurricane.
In the span of a heartbeat—
Two streaks of crimson bloomed across Cracker's body.
His greatsword, Pretzel, slipped from his grasp.
The sweet commander collapsed heavily onto the ruined street.
"Brother Cracker…?"
Flampe had fled nearby, hiding behind broken walls, trembling.
She had always believed Cracker was invincible. His biscuit soldiers were iron walls; even artillery barely scratched them. That was why she had chosen to hide near him instead of running blindly.
Because as long as Brother Cracker stood—
She was safe.
But now—she watched him fall in seconds.
Her mind went blank.
First Brother Snack.
Now Brother Cracker.
Why…?
Weren't the Sweet Commanders the pride of the Charlotte family? The pillars of Totto Land?
Why did they seem so fragile before the marines' vice admirals?
Tears streamed down Flampe's face.
Something inside her finally shattered.
She turned and ran again, sobbing uncontrollably.
Momousagi and Tokikake watched her fleeing figure.
Neither moved to pursue.
Even though Fleet Admiral Sakazuki had issued a strict "kill all" order... neither of them could bring themselves to cut down a girl barely in her teens.
Gion sheathed her blade cleanly.
"The war isn't over," she said coldly to the surrounding Marines. "Stay sharp."
"Understood!"
Across Cake Island, the Seven Warlords advanced like unstoppable tides.
Pirate defenses crumbled district by district. Streets fell. Strongholds collapsed. There was nowhere left to retreat.
High above the rubble, Dracule Mihawk lowered his black blade after cutting down another pirate. His hawk-like eyes scanned the collapsing battlefield.
"It seems," he murmured coldly, "the Big Mom Pirates have reached their twilight."
"Even an emperor of the sea …"
"…will fall before the Marine's full might."
Meanwhile—
Flampe stumbled again, collapsing onto the bloodstained streets.
There was nowhere left to run.
The Marines had already penetrated deep into the city. Gunfire echoed. Explosions shook the ground. The screams of her brothers and sisters rang endlessly in her ears.
Despair consumed her.
Then—
In the distance—
She saw them.
The Phoenix Pirates.
And her brother-in-law, Fossa.
They were desperately holding off a marine admiral, Fossa's blades and Zack's dragon form clashing against the admiral's powerful Haki and swords.
For a moment, hope flickered in her eyes.
But she did not dare run toward them.
That battlefield… was even more terrifying.
Even more merciless.
If she stepped there—
She would only die faster.
On Zack's side, the three of them were locked in a fierce standoff with Admiral Fujitora.
Blades clashed against gravity. Shockwaves tore through shattered streets.
Yet even as they fought, they could see it—
The other battlefields were collapsing.
The Big Mom Pirates were in full retreat.
Zack's expression darkened. He forced back a wave of pressure and muttered through clenched teeth, "The situation's getting worse by the second." …"
Ulti blasted a Marine away with a headbutt and quickly moved to his side.
"Zack," she said urgently, "if this keeps up, we retreat."
Her eyes were sharp and pragmatic. She had no intention of dying on Cake Island. As long as she and Page One could escape, that was enough. Pride meant nothing if you were dead.
"With your pink dragon fruit," she added quickly, "you can take us into the sky. With the four of us covering each other, even an admiral won't be able to stop us."
The plan was sound.
But Fossa hesitated.
He gripped his weapon tightly, jaw tense.
Smoothie.
Though their marriage was recent and affection still shallow, she was his wife. At this critical moment, abandoning them to flee alone—
He couldn't do it.
Blenheim roared over the chaos, "Hold the line! Captain Marco will be here soon!"
The words were brave—
But even he wasn't certain anymore.
Suddenly—
Fujitora paused mid-swing.
His blind gaze tilted slightly upward.
He had sensed it.
Powerful auras.
Dozens of them.
Fast.
Approaching.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion tore through a basement deep within the ruined city. Smoke burst outward—
And from within it shot a figure like a blazing black comet.
Marco.
Behind him, more than a dozen Phoenix Pirates captains surged out in rapid succession. Then came the flood—crew members pouring from the shattered underground passage like a tide unleashed.
The Marines froze.
"That's… Phoenix Marco?!"
"How did he get here?!"
Shock rippled through their ranks.
At the same time, Baron Tamago raised his sword high and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Brothers! The Phoenix Pirates have arrived! Reinforcements are here!"
Cheers erupted from the battered Big Mom forces.
"They're here!"
"We're saved!"
Hope—real hope—flickered in their eyes again.
Marco soared into the sky, black wings stretching wide, dozens of meters across.
Below him—
A massacre.
The Big Mom Pirates had been crushed in barely a few hours.
The sight tightened his chest.
Two or three hours…
At Marineford, it had taken only hours for the Whitebeard Pirates to be torn apart by the full might of the Marines.
History was repeating itself.
His eyes hardened.
"Ace!"
"Already moving!"
Without hesitation, Ace thrust his fist forward.
"Fire Fist!"
A massive column of flame roared across the battlefield, instantly engulfing a Marine rear admiral and blasting him into ash.
Marco's body ignited with destruction black flames.
The air warped from the heat.
"Destruction Black Flame—Dance of the Phoenix!"
From his wings burst countless black phoenixes, each screaming like a living furnace. They streaked across the sky and plunged into Marine ranks.
Where they landed—
They clung.
They burned.
The black flames were vicious, adhesive, and nearly impossible to extinguish. Marines screamed as the fire devoured armor, flesh, and will alike.
Panic spread instantly.
Marco hovered high above the battlefield, wings beating like a war drum.
His voice thundered across Cake Island.
"Brothers—charge!"
"Destroy the Marines!"
"OHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The roar that answered him shook the heavens.
The Phoenix Pirates surged forward like a blazing tide.
Even the broken Big Mom Pirates, who moments ago had stood on the brink of annihilation, felt something reignite within them.
Hope.
The battlefield shifted.
The tide—at last—began to turn.
At this moment, the surviving executives of the Big Mom Pirates raised their weapons and roared across the battlefield:
"Follow our allies—the Phoenix Pirates!"
"Counterattack!"
"Crush the Marines in one fell swoop!"
The despair that had clouded their eyes moments ago was gone—replaced by blazing fury.
"Hahahaha! Our allies have arrived!"
"Marines, your time is up!"
"Show them true fear!"
With the sudden appearance of the Phoenix Pirates, the tide shifted violently. The battered Big Mom forces surged forward in a furious counteroffensive, their blades and cannons roaring with renewed conviction.
The Marines instantly felt the pressure double.
They had been moments away from complete victory. Another push—just a little longer—and the Big Mom Pirates would have been eradicated.
Yet now—
Reinforcements had materialized from inside the island itself.
Not from the sea.
Not from the horizon.
From within Cake Island.
Confusion rippled through Marine ranks.
"How did they get here?!"
Deep beneath Cake Castle, mirrors shimmered.
One after another, Phoenix Pirates emerged from the Mirror World, stepping through reflections like avenging spirits. They poured into the corridors and streets, flooding the battlefield from the heart of Tottoland itself.
On the front lines, Fujitora paused.
His Observation Haki spread outward.
Dozens.
No—hundreds of powerful presences had just appeared.
His brows knit together.
"It seems…" he murmured gravely, "…the situation has grown troublesome."
High above, Marco hovered in the smoke-choked sky, black wings extended wide as he surveyed the battlefield.
Then—
A flash of pink and steel streaked toward him.
Before the strike could land, twin blades intercepted it in a shower of sparks.
Vista's elegant laughter rang out.
"How could I possibly allow you to rush our King so rudely, Vice Admiral Momousagi?"
Momousagi landed lightly, her gaze sharp as she faced him.
"Flower Sword Vista…"
A flicker of seriousness passed through her eyes.
Vista smiled warmly, ever the gentleman.
"You know me? I'm flattered."
"Hmph," she replied coolly, tightening her grip on Konpira. "It would be stranger if I didn't."
Steel met steel once more as the two swordmasters clashed in a storm of petals and sparks.
Meanwhile, Marco's eyes glowed faintly as he activated his system scan.
Gion — Estimated Strength: Strong Yonko Commander Level.
Tokikake — Estimated Strength: Strong Yonko Commander Level.
Fujitora — Paramecia: Gravity-Gravity Fruit. Estimated Strength: Admiral Level.
Dracule Mihawk — Estimated Strength: Strong Yonko Level.
Boa Hancock — Paramecia: Love-Love Fruit. Estimated Strength: Weak Yonko Commander Level.
Cavendish — Estimated Strength: Weak Captain Level.
Trafalgar Law — Estimated Strength: Captain Level.
Eustass Kid — Estimated Strength: Captain Level.
Buggy — Paramecia: Chop-Chop Fruit. Estimated Strength: Crew Member Level.
Marco's gaze sharpened.
Mihawk… stronger than Marineford.
Hancock… stronger too.
But the Shichibukai were fighting without true intent. They were fulfilling obligations, not wagering their lives.
He had no interest in chasing them today.
There was only one man on this island he truly wished to kill.
"Lord Marco!"
Baron Tamago's voice rose desperately from below.
"Please! Hurry and aid Mama and Katakuri! Fleet Admiral Sakazuki and Admiral Ryokugyu are fighting them inside that forest!"
Marco turned his head toward the towering woodland in the distance.
Hundred-meter-tall trees stretched skyward unnaturally—dense, suffocating.
A battlefield created by Aramaki's power.
The air above it shimmered with violent Haki.
Just as Marco prepared to move—
The AI voice echoed in his mind.
"New mission issued."
Mission: Avenge
During the Marineford War, you were overwhelmed by Akainu and left powerless.
Defeat Fleet Admiral Sakazuki and reclaim your pride.
Reward: 10,000 Attribute Points.
Marco's lips curved slightly.
Another "Avenge" mission.
He closed his eyes briefly.
Marineford.
Whitebeard's fall.
Akainu's magma fist.
The humiliation.
When his eyes opened again, they burned with cold resolve.
"Just what I wanted."
Black flames intensified around his wings.
And without another word, Marco shot toward the forest.
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