The battlefield of Ohara had gradually changed.
The deafening clash that had once echoed across the island slowly gave way to heavy breathing, shattered stone, and the crackling of distant flames. Everywhere... Marines lay scattered across the ruins. Yet surprisingly... very few had died.
Broken bones and limbs.
Dislocated joints and small wounds.
Concussions.
Deep wounds.
But almost every defeated Marine was still breathing. That had never been an accident. Arthur's orders before the battle had been clear. Win... but don't kill unless absolutely necessary.
The Art Pirates had followed those orders faithfully. Sabo had struck with lightning instead of crushing skulls. Law had used precise cuts that disabled rather than killed. Bepo had relied on overwhelming physical force instead of his claws. Kuina had broken swords rather than bodies.Koala had shattered weapons before targeting vital points. Sugar's storm of metal had avoided fatal blows. Even Baccarat, despite her inexperience, had never once intended to take a life.
Because of that... although hundreds of Marines had fallen... only a handful had sustained fatal injuries, mostly victims of collapsing ruins, stray explosions, or friendly fire created during the chaos of battle. The battlefield was devastating. But it was not a massacre.
Several dozen Marines still remained standing. None of them charged. None of them dared. They simply gathered together around the wounded, rifles lowered as they watched the seven junior members from a safe distance.
Rear Admiral Comil: "Hold your positions!" He slowly raised one hand.
The remaining Marines immediately stopped advancing. His gaze remained fixed on Sabo, Law, Kuina, Koala, Sugar, Bepo, and Baccarat.
There was no point sacrificing more soldiers. Everyone present understood it. The real battles... Were elsewhere. The surviving Marines silently formed defensive lines around their injured comrades instead of launching another hopeless assault. No one wanted to become another unnecessary casualty.
Sabo: "They're not pursuing us." Sabo rested his iron staff across one shoulder. Small arcs of blue-white lightning still danced around its surface. His Monkey King transformation remained active, but the golden fur covering his arms had begun to fade.
Law: "They're heading toward the Vice Admirals." His breathing had become noticeably heavier.
Sabo: "...Those Rear Admirals were tougher than I expected." He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. Earlier, one of the Marine officers had landed a surprisingly powerful Armament Haki punch. It still hurt.
Law calmly leaned on Kikoku. Several cuts covered his coat. Maintaining ROOM over such a large battlefield had consumed enormous stamina. Even with the Unicorn Zoan enhancing his body... he was beginning to feel exhausted.
Bepo sat on a broken wall. Electro still occasionally sparked across his white fur. His fists trembled slightly from exhaustion.
Kuina quietly cleaned Dojigiri before returning it to its sheath. Only after doing so did she finally exhale. Her swordsmanship had remained flawless... But blocking dozens of Haki-coated weapons was never easy.
Koala rolled her shoulders. Acid slowly evaporated from both fists. Fish-Man Karate consumed tremendous physical energy. Her breathing was steady... Yet sweat soaked her clothing.
High above... Sugar remained airborne. Thousands of floating weapons still circled around her like a metallic storm. Maintaining control over such an enormous amount of metal had begun to strain even her extraordinary Devil Fruit abilities.
Sugar: "...I'm getting tired." Her forehead glistened with sweat but she smiled anyway.
Meanwhile... Baccarat stood quietly behind everyone else. Her clothes had become dirty. Several small scratches covered her arms. She was still the weakest member of the Art Pirates. But unlike before... she was no longer shaking. She had survived her first real battlefield. And that realization alone filled her with confidence.
...
Far above them... Three figures continued circling across the sky. Ikaros, Nymph, and Astrea.
Each still carried one of Arthur's children securely in one arm while holding a customized sniper rifle with the other. Their targeting systems continuously scanned the battlefield.
BANG!!
Another Marine officer attempting to sneak toward Koala immediately collapsed after Nymph's perfectly placed shot shattered the rifle in his hands.
Astrea: "Nice shot." She giggled.
Nymph: "I only destroyed the weapon." Nymph adjusted her scope.
Ikaros quietly watched Arthur's battlefield without saying anything. Little Arthoria slept peacefully in her embrace despite the war raging below. Merlin yawned. Lancelot excitedly pointed toward the explosions in the distance.
...
Not far away... another battle had already reached its conclusion.
Doberman breathed heavily. Blood trickled from countless small cuts across his uniform. His Observation Haki remained active... Yet it no longer mattered.
Paper.
Everywhere.
Thousands... no... hundreds of thousands of sheets drifted throughout Ohara.
Every ruined wall.
Every broken pillar.
Every surviving tree.
Every Marine uniform.
Every floating piece of debris.
WHOOSH!!
Everything had become one of Monet's teleportation marks. She appeared behind him. Doberman reacted instantly.
WHOOSH!!
Monet: "Too slow." She had already vanished again. Then another teleport.
Another.
Another.
Onigumo spun violently, gis six swords slashed through countless Monets. Each dissolved into fluttering paper. Illusions. Every one of them.
Onigumo: "...Damn it!"
For the first time during the battle... The normally composed Vice Admiral shouted in frustration. His Observation Haki could no longer distinguish reality. His eyes could no longer identify truth. His instincts had become meaningless.
Every direction... Contained Monet.
Every piece of paper... Could become Monet.
The battlefield itself... Belonged entirely to her.
WHOOSH!!
The real Monet suddenly appeared directly between both Vice Admirals. Her fox ears twitched. Nine tails spread elegantly behind her. Monet simply raised one hand.
Monet" "Checkmate. [Swap]." She smiled.
Both Vice Admirals instinctively attacked simultaneously. Their positions instantly exchanged. Doberman's Haki-coated sword crashed directly into Onigumo's crossed blades. The impact staggered both men. Their balance disappeared.
That single opening... as all Monet needed. Paper wings resembling blooming flowers burst open behind her.
Her claw struck once. Twice. Three times.
Not deep. Not lethal.
Only precise strikes aimed at vital pressure points, each reinforced with Armament Haki. Both Vice Admirals collapsed to one knee simultaneously. Their muscles refused to respond.
Doberman: "...What..." He tried to stand. His vision blurred.
Monet: "You've both fought wonderfully." Monet quietly walked toward them.
Monet: "[White Cocoon]." She gently touched their foreheads.
Thousands sheets of paper wrapped around their faces before spreading across their entire bodies. Moments later... both Vice Admirals collapsed unconscious.
Marine: "Vice Admiral Doberman..." Silence spread across the battlefield.
Marine: "Vice Admiral Onigumo..." The surrounding Marines stared in disbelief.
Commodore: "They lost..."
Monet: "I've finished here, Captain." Monet slowly looked toward Arthur's battlefield.
Only several hundred meters away... Robin spread her white wings beneath the branches of the Tree of Knowledge. The ancient tree rustled gently behind her. Petals drifted across the battlefield like snow.
Momonga slowly wiped blood from his forehead.
Dalmatian's breathing had become ragged.
Both Vice Admirals were covered in bruises. Neither had expected Robin to become this powerful. Thousands of blooming arms continued emerging from every direction.
From ruined walls. From broken streets. From shattered rooftops. Even from the air itself.
Robin floated gracefully high above the battlefield. Calm. Elegant. Untouchable.
Momonga: "We attack together." Momonga tightened his grip on his sword.
Dalmatian: "Ready... " Dalmatian nodded. Both vanished with Soru.
Robin: "Cien Fleur..." She simply smiled.
Gigantic arms bloomed beneath both Vice Admirals simultaneously. They leaped away. More arms appeared.
Then more. Then hundreds.
Every escape route vanished. Dalmatian finally broke through. He reached Robin. His blade coated in black Armament Haki. Robin looked directly into his eyes.
Then... She began to sing. A gentle melody drifted across Ohara. Dalmatian's body froze for the briefest instant.
His sword slowed.
His thoughts became hazy.
Momonga: "Don't listen—!" Momonga immediately realized the danger.
Robin: "Mille Fleur: Bullet Rain." Robin quietly crossed her arms.
Thousands of gigantic arms erupted simultaneously. They wrapped around both Vice Admirals from every direction.
Arm after arm wrapped around them. Layer after layer. Neither could escape.
CRAAACK!!
The sound echoed across the battlefield as bones cracked beneath the overwhelming pressure.Both Vice Admirals struggled desperately. Robin slowly lowered her hands. The giant arms squeezed once more. Both men lost consciousness simultaneously. The countless arms gently lowered them onto the ground. Robin landed softly before them.
Robin: "...Sleep peacefully." She looked at the two unconscious Marines for several seconds.
She turned away. Behind her... The Tree of Knowledge continued swaying gently beneath the morning wind.
For the first time in twenty years... The scholars of Ohara were no longer alone. Someone had finally protected the home they had sacrificed everything to preserve. The will of Ohara had finally been protected.