"Kill!"
"Little ones, attack!"
"Kill these Marines!!!"
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
"Destroy the pirates!"
"Justice Must Prevail!"
As time passed, Perospero led the BIG MOM Pirates' main forces in a surprise attack against the right wing of the Marines, who had attempted to outflank and suppress the pirate fleet from both sides.
The two forces collided in fierce hand-to-hand combat.
A devastating battle erupted instantly.
Countless Marines clashed with pirates, swords meeting with thunderous clangs.
Members of the Charlotte family—including the third son Daifuku, the fourth son Oven, the fifteenth daughter Smoothie, and the sixteenth daughter Praline—fearlessly engaged the elite Marine officers.
"'Candy Man' Perospero!" Vice Admiral Doberman stared with intense eyes at the eldest son of the Charlotte family who commanded the pirates before him, then charged forward.
"Perorin~ Marines Headquarters Vice Admiral Doberman?"
"CLANG!"
Sparks flew as their weapons met.
Perospero, the eldest son of the Charlotte family, showed no weakness whatsoever. His candy cane, coated in Armament Haki, blocked Doberman's fierce assault. He licked his lips and smiled eerily. "This time, you Marines are finished!"
"Stop your nonsense!"
Doberman roared.
The blade in his hand was wrapped in Haki as he slashed violently.
It was well-known that beyond Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the Admiral candidates Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji, even among Headquarters Vice Admirals, significant differences in strength existed.
This Vice Admiral Doberman happened to be the most powerful among the Headquarters Vice Admirals, not inferior to Perospero, the Sweet Commander with a bounty exceeding 700 million Berries.
The two fought evenly.
On another front, Cracker, the tenth son of the Charlotte family with a bounty exceeding 800 million Berries, surprisingly engaged directly with Headquarters Rear Admiral Tsuru.
"CLANG!!"
Their blades collided.
The impact created a shockwave that sent nearby Marines and pirates flying.
The ice layer beneath them trembled violently, cracking with each powerful strike.
"Hmm?" Tsuru stared at the tall, muscular man before her, her Observation Haki instinctively sensing something unusual. "You... there's something strange about you."
"Oh?"
Cracker sneered.
In an instant, two more identical Biscuit Soldiers appeared beside him.
Each wielding an extremely sharp sword, they slashed at Tsuru ferociously.
"Interesting," Tsuru retreated swiftly.
She looked at the additional "Crackers" that suddenly appeared, slightly surprised.
"BOOM!" Her blade, infused with powerful Armament Haki, split the two charging Biscuit Soldiers who, despite their destruction, immediately doubled in number again.
Observing the multiplying Biscuit Soldiers, Tsuru raised her eyebrows, quickly assessing the situation.
"I ate the Paramecia-type Bisu Bisu no Mi. I can create endless Biscuit Soldiers. You cannot defeat me..." Cracker declared proudly.
As he spoke, he directed his Biscuit Soldiers to rush toward Tsuru.
"Ah, young man, if you're fighting with numbers, I'm not at a disadvantage!"
Tsuru replied calmly.
With visible speed, half of her body transformed into a rippling force field.
One after another, identical "copies" similar in size to her body continuously separated from her form.
As if possessing their own consciousness, they rushed forward, engaging the Biscuit Soldiers in battle.
Meanwhile, Tsuru herself gripped her blade and charged toward the startled Cracker.
"Kishishishi~ Such a scene is truly exhilarating!"
Hundreds of meters away on the battlefield, Gecko Moria confronted Headquarters Vice Admiral Flying Squirrel.
Being in such a fierce battle made his blood boil, his fighting spirit surprisingly invigorated.
"'Shadow Master' Gecko Moria, I never imagined someone like you would join the BIG MOM Pirates..." Flying Squirrel said solemnly, his blade dancing continuously to block the shadow bat's attacks.
He never expected that Gecko Moria—who reportedly had suffered a devastating defeat after a fierce conflict with Kaido of the Beasts and retreated from the Grand Line to the West Blue—would join the BIG MOM Pirates.
Just days ago, the World Government had been considering inviting Moria to become one of the new Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Fortunately, the invitation hadn't been sent, or the situation would have been even more complicated.
"Kishishishi~ You know of me? Excellent!"
Gecko Moria grinned widely.
Beside him stood a black figure identical to him in size, its face obscured in darkness, creating an inexplicably chilling presence.
Both Moria and his shadow clone wielded dual blades.
They attacked in unison, slashing at Flying Squirrel, whose expression changed dramatically.
"CLANG..."
Meanwhile, the sixth daughter of the Charlotte family, Opera, and the ninth daughter, Brûlée, battled against Headquarters Vice Admirals Mozambia and Dalmatian, the fight swinging back and forth.
The strength of both Charlotte sisters was formidable, which was why Hikaru had valued them.
Recently acquiring the Paramecia-type Nami Nami no Mi (Wave-Wave Fruit) and Logia-type Kemuri Kemuri no Mi (Smoke-Smoke Fruit) respectively, they had familiarized themselves with their abilities over the past few days, elevating their combat prowess significantly.
Despite their youth, they weren't at all inferior to the elite Vice Admirals who were thirty or forty years their senior and possessed considerable strength.
They were even gaining a slight upper hand.
The third daughter, Amande, and the fourth daughter, Custard, engaged in fierce combat with Momousagi, a rising star among the Marines' new generation of officers.
As a precaution, Hikaru had warned them about the powerful Marine officers. Upon recognizing Rear Admiral Momousagi, they didn't underestimate her at all.
The two snake-necked sisters joined forces without hesitation.
"Flame Slash!"
Amande activated her Paramecia-type Mera Mera no Mi ability.
Her famous sword Shirauo ignited with raging flames.
The astonishingly high temperature distorted the surrounding atmosphere.
She leaped and slashed at Momousagi.
"Whirlwind!" The tall, slender Custard, with her Paramecia-type Soku Soku no Mi ability, increased her speed several times over, moving like a ghost—so fast she was almost invisible to the naked eye.
She rushed in front of Momousagi, her extremely sharp blade coated in Haki, attacking violently.
"CLANG..." Sparks flew as metal met metal.
The famous sword Konpira tore through the air, blocking both Amande's and Custard's attacks.
The powerful force made Momousagi step back before regaining her stance.
Despite her amazing potential, the rising star of the Marines' new generation was still quite young.
"Are all the BIG MOM Pirates this formidable? Troublesome..."
Momousagi's eyes filled with concern.
She sensed that the Vice Admiral-level combat power deployed by the Marines might be insufficient.
She had expected that apart from Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who would likely face the natural disaster that was BIG MOM herself, at least one or two of the overwhelmingly powerful Admiral candidates—Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru—would be free to join the chaotic encirclement operation and help suppress the BIG MOM Pirates' officers.
Unexpectedly, they were all held back by unforeseen enemies.
If this continued, the situation would become dire indeed.