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Thunder and Lightning
"BOOM..."
The crackling of thunder echoed across the battlefield.
While the fierce battle on the right wing raged in full intensity, approximately ten miles away on the left wing, more than 15,000 elite Marines who had landed on the ice rushed toward the battlefield in light combat gear. They were shocked to discover the entire sky had turned ominously dark.
Thick thunderclouds blotted out the sun, making visibility nearly impossible. Lightning bolts intertwined in the sky, creating an atmosphere so oppressive it caused cold sweat to break out on the Marines' skin.
In the distance, the sounds of combat occasionally broke through—clear evidence that the highest-ranking officers of Marine Headquarters were engaged in fierce battle with the pirates led by "Big Mom" Charlotte Linlin.
"Everyone, increase your pace and prepare for combat!" Vice Admirals "Steel Fist" and "Flying Insect" maintained serious expressions as they directed the Marines to advance in formation.
They had all received the coded message from Admiral Aokiji. The Marines' original plan was likely facing unexpected complications. Fleet Admiral Sengoku's situation could be dire.
At this moment, Charlotte Perospero, the eldest son of the Charlotte family, was leading the Big Mom Pirates' forces toward the right-wing troops.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Compote remained with the fleet, commanding an army of 30,000 Homies. She had ordered a large number of them to dismantle all the naval cannons on board. They formed a defensive line, standing at the ready.
"Lady Compote, the Marines have arrived..." A lookout from the Big Mom Pirates observed the Marine left-wing troops entering firing range and reported to the eldest daughter of the Charlotte family.
"Do you want us to open fire?" one of her subordinates asked.
"Hohoho~" Compote laughed. "Since Smoothie is so confident, let's let her try..."
She looked at the oppressive thunderclouds in the sky, feeling a tingle of excitement run down her spine. Placing her hand on the long sword at her waist, Compote grinned and said, "I've been traveling with my sister for a few months now, and that girl has truly become promising! I want to see what kind of tricks she has up her sleeve!"
"THUNDERBOLT—"
"BOOM..."
As Compote's words faded, a dozen horrific lightning bolts crashed directly onto the Marines on the ice below.
The air was unbearably charged.
"AAAAAHHH!"
Some Marines who couldn't dodge in time were scorched black instantly. Even those nearby weren't spared as the shocking current spread across the ice. They screamed and collapsed where they stood.
"WHAT?!"
"Watch out for the lightning!"
"Everyone, stay alert!"
"Big Mom claims to be the woman who conquered weather—this must be an enemy attack!"
"Spread out! Don't stay too close together!"
The expressions of many Marine officers changed drastically as they observed the unusual thunderclouds and intense flashes of lightning. Cold sweat dripped from their foreheads as they shouted orders to the stunned and panicking Marines.
High above in the dark clouds, an ark floated silently.
Olibu, exhausted but excited, watched the Marines below being struck by lightning. Despite his fatigue, he smiled at Smoothie: "The Marines are almost completely within range, Lady Smoothie. They can't escape now!"
"Thank you for your hard work, Olibu. We couldn't have condensed these thunderclouds so quickly without you," Smoothie said, looking down at the panicking Marines below with a chuckle. "But this is just the beginning!"
As she spoke, she raised her right hand. An astonishing beam of electric energy surged directly into the thundercloud, stimulating the electric particles within.
"Ten Thousand Thunderbolts!"
"Mamamamama!"
"CRACKLE... CRACKLE..."
In an instant, within the dark clouds, hundreds of lightning bolts became increasingly violent, dancing like dragons and serpents before slamming down toward the terrified and angry Marines below.
"BOOM..."
"AAAHHHH!"
"FULL CHARGE!"
"A mere thunderbolt cannot frighten righteous Marines!"
"Don't retreat! Military order must be maintained!"
"Rush forward and cut through their lines!"
"Justice will prevail! The Marines will triumph!"
The Marines scattered everywhere, passively accepting the seemingly endless, indiscriminate bombardment of thousands of lightning bolts. In a short period, hundreds were killed or injured.
Even Vice Admirals like "Flying Insect" and "Steel Fist" continued shouting orders. They maintained constant communication and had learned that the main Marine force on the right wing had been attacked by the Big Mom Pirates.
If they didn't charge toward the frozen fleet ahead, they would remain trapped in the thundercloud's range, suffering passively as casualties mounted. Moreover, if the right-wing Marine main force was surrounded and annihilated by the Big Mom Pirates, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Rather than accepting such a fate, they chose to fight through and potentially suffer heavy casualties to break through the enemy's defensive line and support the main right-wing force.
"Whoa..."
"Is this Lady Smoothie's power?"
"It's truly amazing—controlling lightning just like Mama..."
"Those Marines are completely scattered now! They're in total disarray!"
On the distant fleet, the pirates and Homie legion forming the defensive line were completely shocked by the thunder and lightning crashing down on the ice in front of them. Many felt their scalps tingle with a cold fear.
"This technique is almost as impressive as Mama's 'Heaven's Disaster,'" Charlotte Compote, the "Minister of Fruits," remarked as she watched the dark thunderstorm and the lightning continuously striking down. "As expected of the most powerful Logia-type Devil Fruit among the three types. Smoothie's luck is truly enviable!"
"That is—"
"Good heavens! Could it be?"
"How is this possible? Am I seeing things?"
The very next moment, the eldest daughter of the Charlotte family felt her pupils contract as cold sweat ran down her face.
The countless Homies in the legion stared in disbelief, their mouths hanging open.
Above the battlefield ahead, it appeared as though the apocalypse itself was approaching.
A suffocating, violent aura continued to spread. Within the densely packed black clouds, countless electric lights intertwined and shone fiercely.
"BOOM—"
A super-giant thunderball, massive enough to completely engulf all the Marines on the left wing, carrying extraordinarily violent lightning, slowly formed from the endless dark thundercloud at a speed visible to the naked eye. It descended mercilessly toward the ice below.
The visual impact was indescribable, the shock immeasurable.
"Is this... some kind of joke?"
"No, it's impossible! I must be dreaming..."
"Dear God, can a human actually do this?"
"There's no escape this time!"
"It's like the end of the world..."
"It's over... we're doomed!"
The first to face this terror were the thousands of Marines directly beneath the massive thunderball.
One by one, they instinctively raised their heads, their eyes widening in disbelief as they stared blankly upward. Chills ran through their bodies from head to toe.
"CLANG! CRASH!"
Guns, swords, and other weapons fell from their hands. It was as if their spirits had collapsed, filled with despair and panic.
Even the Marine Vice Admirals "Flying Insect" and "Steel Fist" couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat, their complexions changing drastically as they faced this helpless situation.
Meanwhile, floating above the ark that flew across the sky, beyond the range of the thunderclouds, was Smoothie.
"Mamamama!"
Shrouded in lightning, she hovered there like a majestic, inviolable goddess of war.
Her raised right palm continuously sent dazzling lightning toward the dark thundercloud, constantly stimulating the violent thunder and lightning particles above. Relying on the ability of her Logia-type Thunder-Thunder Fruit, she manipulated the giant thunderball that spanned several kilometers, pressing it down upon the Marine "wolves" before her.
"Sink them all to the bottom of the sea, Marines..."
"LIGHTNING IMPACT!!!"