Without hesitation, Joseph cut through the cloud of dust and closed in on Kaie.
The proficiency of CP-0 in both Haki and the Six Powers was considerable. Even an Emperor's commander would be torn apart if they were careless, and even Kaie would be vulnerable if she showed an opening.
The price for having faced two of them at once, even for a moment, was now taking its toll on Kaie at this crucial stage.
"Hah… hah…!!"
"You're out of breath. It's no wonder."
Since arriving on this island, Kaie had been fighting nonstop.
She had opened the entrance gate, fought two giants to open the main gate, and carried the Straw Hat Pirates on her back to the front of the Courthouse. In the plaza before the Courthouse, she had fought a considerable number of soldiers, albeit grunts, and had then been fighting two members of CP-0.
Even for Kaie, a Zoan-type user, fighting for so long meant she could not remain untouched by fatigue.
"Not yet…!"
"How persistent."
Joseph dodged Kaie's attack with Soru and hardened his entire body with Tekkai, crashing into her. He knew that Shigan wouldn't do much damage against her durable human-beast form. To bring down a body of that size, the projectile had to be correspondingly large.
She caught Joseph, who had turned his body into a high-speed projectile, but as she tried to counterattack, her arm was slashed by a Rankyaku.
"Your Haki is dulling. You held on for a long time… but it seems that's coming to an end."
Normally, Kaie would not have been cut by a Rankyaku of this power. Her Haki was weakening from fatigue and exertion.
Seizing the opportunity, Joseph intensified his assault, repeating his high-speed movements, alternating between blows that resonated deep within her body and slashes that tore at her from the outside.
"—Let's end this."
Now that her movements were sluggish and her defenses were faltering, he could inflict a fatal blow.
He kicked off the air, broke through the dust cloud, and aimed a Shigan at her heart from behind. That alone would be enough to reduce her to a mere lump of flesh, waiting for death.
Fresh blood danced in the air.
Joseph's finger had unerringly pierced Kaie's back—or so it should have.
"What!?"
But what he had actually pierced was merely a single layer of her jacket.
Perhaps she hadn't been able to dodge completely, for there was a trace of blood… but it was far from a fatal wound.
It was similar to Stussy's specialty, Kami-e "Zanshin," but that was a technique that used a residual image from a moment before as a decoy to evade an attack. It wouldn't have left even a jacket behind.
"Kami-e 'Utsusemi'—as I thought, I'm not as good at it as Lady Kanata."
Originally, Kaie's fighting style was based on high-speed maneuvers. She had prioritized defense over evasion in this battle, making use of her Zoan toughness and large frame, but in a space as large as the Courthouse, she could still fight using her original mobility.
More importantly, Joseph, who had attacked from behind aiming for a fatal blow, had emerged from the rising dust cloud. Here, there was nothing to obstruct her vision.
Kaie, having circled behind Joseph, used the "Evil Eye" of both her eyes to freeze his movements and instantly transformed into her beast form.
The snakes that grew from her head gathered, converging into a single, massive laser that was then unleashed.
"Be swallowed whole and melt away—Convergent Aurora, Gargantua Cetus!!!"
The aurora easily swallowed Joseph and, with its aftershock, half-destroyed the Courthouse, bringing a brief moment of silence.
The dripping blood and sweat were enough to make Kaie keenly aware of her intense fatigue, but compared to the time she had fought Bullet for hours on end, she still had plenty of stamina to spare.
…However, it was also true that she was in dire need of a moment to catch her breath.
Just as her ragged breathing began to calm, she noticed the half-destroyed Courthouse collapsing even further with a loud crash and hurriedly made her way outside.
Emerging into the plaza before the Courthouse, Kaie saw Yuisheeze, his body covered in wounds, yet standing tall, showing no signs of fatigue.
"Kaie, you're safe!"
"…It seems you've taken quite a beating as well. Are your injuries alright?"
"I can still move. It looks flashy, but the wounds aren't deep."
Yuisheeze looked worriedly at Kaie, thinking that her injuries were likely more severe. Her jacket had been used as a decoy earlier, and she was now in only her undergarment and shirt, making her wounds all the more conspicuous. Yuisheeze considered giving her his own jacket, but judging it unsuitable as it was also covered in blood, he sighed and gave up the idea.
"Can you move? We should rendezvous with the Straw Hats as soon as possible. I'm also concerned about Akainu's movements."
"Komurasaki is holding Akainu back. We should be fine for a while."
The intense clash of Haki they had been feeling since a moment ago was likely from their confrontation. Their abilities, magma and lightning, both boasted high firepower. If they weren't careful, they could turn the entire island into a sea of fire. Kaie agreed that they should hurry to meet up with Luffy and the others, and she had no intention of arguing the point.
But even so, her fatigue was not something she could simply ignore.
"…Please give me a moment to catch my breath. I've expended a bit too much Haki and stamina."
"There are almost no enemies left. We've swept away most of the Marines, and it seems someone is dealing with the remaining Cipher Pol agents. There's no need to rush."
The best course of action was to rendezvous as quickly as possible and escape the island, and they both understood that. They should move as soon as Kaie had caught her breath—or so they thought, when the island shook with a particularly violent tremor. At the same time, the Haoshoku Haki of a conqueror struck their skin.
The two, who had been taking a brief moment of rest, tensed their faces and turned in the same direction.
"…It seems we don't even have that much time."
"So it seems. It can't be helped, let's hurry, Yuisheeze."
The two of them immediately broke into a run, heading for the Sea Train station.
***
They ran, panting for breath, and passed through the main gate of the island.
Everyone was exhausted, but the first to reach his physical limit was Iceburg, who had come to this island seriously injured after an assassination attempt.
Fatigue and his wounds were eating away at his body. Pushing himself any further would be life-threatening.
"The Sea Train is just ahead! I'll carry him!" Tom declared.
"Wait a minute, Tom-san! You're injured too, aren't you!?"
"Mine's just a scratch, it's nothing! I've been a craftsman for many years, I'm still in my prime! Carrying one Iceburg is nothing—"
CRACK. An unpleasant sound was heard, and Tom's movements froze.
Stopping dead in his tracks, Tom, with sweat pouring from his brow, told Franky, who was beside him.
"…M-My back…!"
"I told you not to push yourself!! Don't go getting more people injured at a time like this, you idiot!!!"
"Robin, can you handle him too?"
"I don't mind. But with this many people at once…"
She was making them move by sprouting feet on each of them with her ability, but it wasn't as simple as just sprouting them. If their steps weren't in sync, they would lose their balance and fall, and it wasn't very fast to begin with. No matter how much they rushed, they probably couldn't go any faster.
There might be allies at the main gate… but considering they were fighting the warships in the surrounding area, it was more likely that there weren't. There was also the possibility that soldiers fleeing the island had swarmed the area. They might have to fight their way through a large number of soldiers even if they reached it.
…But still, since this was their only escape route, they had no choice but to take it.
"I'd like to scout ahead before we reach the main gate if possible…"
Caterina had not been briefed on the detailed movements of the Twilight units. She could only pray that they had cleared a path for them to secure a bridgehead.
And it was then.
"You guys, are you alright!"
"We were worried!"
"Oimo, Kashi!"
The two giants who had been near the main gate peeked their heads out.
The fact that the two who had already defected to their side were here meant that the area in front of the main gate had been secured.
They could escape.
A smile bloomed on Caterina's face at the sight of hope, and she asked the two for help.
"You two, I'm sorry, but we have a lot of injured! Can you give us a ride!?"
"What!? That's terrible, leave it to us!"
"I'll help too!"
According to them, the moment Twilight's reinforcements arrived, several giants had rampaged from the main gate to the front of the Courthouse, leveling the ground. They had swept aside the Law Enforcement Squad and the soldiers, fighting to secure an escape route. Now, only Oimo and Kashi were waiting for Luffy and the others to return, while the other giants were apparently putting on a grand show against the warships.
"I never thought I'd see so many familiar faces."
"You know the giants from Twilight?" Zoro asked.
"Yeah. They're our old crewmates from the Giant Warrior Pirates."
They probably never thought that a member of the Giant Warrior Pirates, who had once rampaged across the world, would be used as a gatekeeper in a place like this. The ones who had met Oimo and Kashi had all been wide-eyed with surprise. But they had put their long-awaited reunion aside and had rampaged across this island with all their might.
Hearing this story, Zoro thought vaguely, "This is a story Luffy and Usopp would love…"
In any case, now that it had come to this, all that was left was to prepare for their escape.
The injured were carried through the main gate to the Sea Train by Oimo and Kashi, where they were immediately treated by Caterina and Chopper and put on strict bed rest. Sanji and Usopp, who had woken up, got to their feet and looked toward the island, waiting for Luffy and the others to return.
"Can we use the Sea Train?"
"It's fine. It's not broken. I'll need you to load the coal."
"Super leave it to me!"
Caterina, having finished the treatment, checked the various gauges on the Sea Train, while Franky shoveled coal into the furnace to build up steam. The train's run for the day was originally scheduled to end upon arrival at Enies Lobby, so the fire had already been put out and the steam released. It would take some time to get it moving again.
"Can't we use the Rocketman?"
"We rolled it over quite a few times, so it might be warped somewhere. If we can use a normal Sea Train, it's better not to use that one."
Franky, looking at the overturned Rocketman from the window, suggested that it would be faster, but Caterina rejected the idea. The Rocketman was a failed prototype whose brakes didn't work. If they didn't want to get injured, it was better to use a normal Sea Train.
Having finished most of the pre-departure preparations, all that was left was to wait for the steam to build up… Caterina then moved to where Zoro and the others were waiting in front of the Sea Train for Luffy's return.
"…I wonder if Luffy's okay."
"Don't worry, Chopper, he's a man who gets things done!"
"You're the one who looks most worried."
Sanji couldn't help but retort to Usopp, who was trying his best to encourage Chopper with a worried expression and beads of sweat on his face.
Everyone wished they could go and help him if they could. But no one here had enough strength left to intervene in the fight between Luffy and Lucci. In the first place, even at full strength, no one but Tobi could have been a match for Lucci.
"It's alright. Kaie, Yuisheeze, Kawamatsu, and Izo are here. As long as Komurasaki is holding back Akainu, there will be no hindrance to our escape."
They were all skilled individuals who could hold their own against an Emperor's commander. They would not lose, even against CP-0.
So she believed.
***
The building continued to collapse.
Even after taking the ultimate technique of one who had mastered the Six Powers to their limit, the Rokuogan, three times, Luffy maintained his Gear Second without falling, and continued to hammer his fists into Lucci until he collapsed.
His final, desperate attack had defeated Lucci.
—But.
As a result, Luffy's body, too, had stopped moving, not even twitching.
"For Rob Lucci to lose… it is a surprise, but it seems Straw Hat has also exhausted his strength."
"Luffy-san…!"
Akainu had recognized that the main culprit of this incident was not Twilight, but Straw Hat, who had acted with their assistance. Though they had moved their forces on a large scale, he had come to this overall judgment based on the fact that most of their actions were to help Luffy.
Therefore, Akainu, who had still not given up on capturing Robin, turned to kill Luffy, the cornerstone of the crew. Before Komurasaki, he had decided that Luffy was the higher priority.
"Die, Straw Hat!!"
"Tch! I won't let you!!"
No matter how superior a lightning user's speed was, a skilled individual like Akainu could move at a considerable speed using the Six Powers.
Using the brief respite gained by firing a slash to deflect the melting magma arm, Komurasaki scooped Luffy under her arm and dodged Akainu's attack.
"Sorry, you saved me!"
"No, it's alright. More importantly, can you move?"
"I've been trying to move my body for a while now. But it's no good, it won't move at all."
"It seems you've pushed your body quite hard. You shouldn't use that technique too often."
"I couldn't have won if I didn't."
"…That may be so, but."
She had said it out of genuine concern, but Komurasaki understood that there were times when one had to push themselves to the limit to get through. Well, there was no point in saying anything more here. If he couldn't move, she would have to carry him, and she would have to find a way to deal with Akainu.
Immediately launching a follow-up attack, she caught Akainu's fist with Enma, held in her right hand, and used the recoil to gain distance.
Thinking that activating her lightning ability while holding Luffy would electrocute him, Komurasaki tried to gain distance, wanting to entrust him to someone else so she could focus on fighting Akainu.
But Akainu was not an opponent so lenient as to allow that.
"Kuh…!"
"You seem to be having trouble, why not put down that luggage!!"
"I can't very well do that, can I!"
She parried Akainu's fist twice, three times, somehow deflecting the attacks aimed at Luffy. Wanting to gain distance, even temporarily, with minimal movement, Komurasaki swung Enma with one hand.
"Kamusari!!"
"Gunu…!!"
However, perhaps because the Kamusari swung with one hand lacked power, Akainu parried it with both his arms and closed the distance.
Faced with the roiling magma, Komurasaki instinctively released her lightning to cancel it out.
Relieved to have weathered the attack, she worriedly spoke to Luffy, who was tucked under her arm.
"I'm sorry, are you alright!?"
"I'm fine."
"Why are you fine!?"
The lightning she had released to overcome Akainu's magma had been considerably powerful. She had released it while holding him, so he should have been electrocuted, but Luffy didn't seem to feel anything. It wasn't that he was acting tough; he felt no pain whatsoever.
A question mark danced in Komurasaki's head, but she remembered that she hadn't asked in detail what kind of ability user Luffy was.
"Come to think of it, what kind of ability user are you?"
"I'm a rubber man."
"Rubber… Because he's rubber, lightning… No, that can't be…"
The urge to deny it was strong, but this was no time for that.
In any case, if lightning didn't work on Luffy, that was convenient in its own way. Komurasaki sheathed her sword once, readjusted Luffy onto her back, and tied his arms in front of her chest so they wouldn't come undone. To be honest, it wasn't something a human body should be able to do, and it was a rather unsettling sight, but the rubber man Luffy not only was immune to lightning but also felt no pain from having his arms tied like this. Besides, he was so exhausted he didn't even have the strength to hold on to her, so it couldn't be helped.
In this state, both her arms were free, and for the time being, there was no danger of him falling, so she could somehow manage to fight. She would be forced to defend if he dodged by flowing, as it would hit Luffy, but.
"You're pretty reckless yourself…"
"It can't be helped. It's quite difficult to fight while carrying you."
Komurasaki drew Enma once more.
She turned her attention for a moment toward Caterina's group, who had escaped, and heard them having a conversation that sounded like they had safely reached the Sea Train and were waiting for her.
In that case, even if she fought a little more flamboyantly, the impact would be minimal. All that was left was to escape.
"Well then—I suppose it's time for one last push."
Komurasaki released her Haoshoku Haki, clad Enma in it, and swung it down from an overhead stance.
Akainu met it without dodging, and the impact caused the entire island to shake with a particularly violent tremor.
It was a signal to Kaie, Yuisheeze, Izo, and Kawamatsu, who remained on the island, to make a hasty escape.