Marco took a heavy punch to the head from Aokiji, his eyes immediately rolling back. If it weren't for the absurd regenerative abilities of the Phoenix Fruit, he would have already been out of the fight.
He forced his buzzing head to steady, then desperately flapped his wings, tearing himself free from the ice.
Aokiji formed two ice spears around his body and hurled them at Marco.
The spears pierced into Marco, leaving behind two pale blue spirals.
Such attacks, of course, were nothing to a Phoenix Fruit user. Marco didn't even bother paying attention to the ice spears lodged in him.
But Aokiji only smiled. He clenched his hand in the air toward the flying Marco—and the two spears embedded in Marco suddenly spread a massive wave of freezing cold, locking Marco's upper body and one wing completely in ice.
Marco immediately lost balance in midair, plummeting toward the ground.
Just before hitting, he twisted his body so the unfrozen wing faced downward, avoiding smashing the frozen one to pieces.
After all, while the Phoenix's healing factor was strong, it wasn't limitless—take enough damage, and even in phoenix form, death could come.
Whoosh!
Aokiji appeared at Marco's side again, stomping down hard on his back.
"Don't underestimate a Marine Admiral!" he said coldly.
...
On the other side, Whitebeard's face darkened when he saw Marco pinned. He called for others to rescue him, but before he could act, Kaito lunged in, launching another lightning-fast kick that struck Whitebeard squarely. With a faint smile, he said softly,
"You let yourself get distracted in battle, Whitebeard."
Whitebeard was sent flying. Shanks quickly swung Gryphon toward Kaito's head.
The Susanoo armor flared to life again, and Shanks's strike once more had no effect. He cursed inwardly and flashed off toward where Whitebeard had been sent flying.
Kaito's eyes narrowed. Explosions suddenly erupted along Shanks's retreat path across the ice. Shanks couldn't dodge in time; he stumbled, nearly falling into one of the fresh craters.
Before he could regain his footing, a sinister whirl of darkness opened behind his head, radiating an overwhelming pull that nearly twisted his face out of shape.
Darkness curled around Kaito's left eye.
"Dark Prison!"
Shanks barely tore himself free from the Dark Prison, panting. Without hesitating, he rushed to Whitebeard's side and helped him up.
To Kaito, the two together looked just like Nagato and Itachi—a perfect "weak, sick" combo.
With a slight smile, Kaito summoned the Sword of the Sequel again and charged at them—
—when suddenly, a massive fireball plummeted from the sky, landing before him and erupting into a sea of towering flames.
"Hm?"
Kaito arched a brow and looked upward.
From the clouds emerged a massive azure dragon—Kaido of the Beasts.
He carried every ship of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates on his back. That fireball had been launched by Big Mom through Prometheus.
Big Mom stood atop Kaido's dragon head, Napoleon in hand, with Zeus and Prometheus floating on either side. She looked down at Kaito and let out a strange laugh.
"Aaa, so you're Shikiryū? Those eyes really live up to the rumors. How about having a child with me, boy?"
At those words, expressions around the battlefield became… complicated. In Marine HQ, Gion, Kalifa, Ain, Hancock, and the other women immediately shouted,
"Shameless!!!"
And from Mary Geoise came a furious roar—
"I'll gut that ugly, fat old hag myself!!!"
On Kaido's dragon face, embarrassment flashed. He bitterly regretted letting Big Mom stand on his head. If not for the huge favor he owed her, he'd never have agreed to this.
Now, he'd had enough. He snapped his head and flung Big Mom off.
But she didn't get angry—in midair, she twisted and landed on Zeus, then dove straight toward Kaito.
Kaito, however, was already feeling nauseated from her words. Gripping his Susanoo blade, he took a sword-drawing stance and unleashed a deep violet slash toward the incoming Big Mom.
Big Mom's smile vanished. She swung Napoleon, sending out a powerful slash.
Boom!
The sword waves collided in midair—Big Mom was blasted off Zeus, landing hard on the ice.
Her grand, imposing entrance had been utterly ruined.
...
At Marine HQ, Akainu saw that all Four Emperors had arrived. He no longer stayed behind—he transformed into a massive eruption of magma, blasting himself toward the battlefield.
Before he even landed, his furious roar rang out—
"Great Eruption!!!"
Big Mom, still dazed on the ice, didn't even react before a colossal magma fist crashed down from above, smashing her deep into the ice layer.
Kaito, who had been planning to finish her off, froze at the sight.
Up above, Kaido felt a bad premonition. He dove toward the ice, shaking the ships off his back before reverting to hybrid form.
A pitch-black kanabo appeared in his hand. Without hesitation, he swung it in a Thunder Bagua toward the just-landed Akainu.
Akainu had no time to check on Big Mom—he spun around to counter.
Kaito appeared between them in an instant, Susanoo blade clashing with the kanabo. Black lightning crackled from the impact, casting Kaito's figure in alternating shadows and light.
Behind him, Akainu's gaze lingered for a moment on the two kanji for "Justice" billowing from Kaito's back.
Without turning his head, Kaito said in a deep voice,
"Sakazuki, focus. Watch your feet!"
Akainu's battle instincts needed no explanation—he instantly understood. Both arms became magma as he unleashed a relentless barrage of magma fists into the ice below.
The frozen surface shattered under the molten onslaught, spraying towering jets of magma—until, moments later, Big Mom's hulking frame burst from one of the cracks.
But Akainu gave her no chance to breathe—
From his arm, a magma hound shot forward at terrifying speed.
The Magma Fruit's destructive force was undeniable—even Big Mom dared not take it lightly. She grabbed Prometheus, fused him into Napoleon, and swung a slash at the incoming hound.
The explosion was deafening—Big Mom's strike shattered the magma hound. She and Kaido exchanged a glance, then both retreated toward Shanks and Whitebeard.
At that moment, Kizaru and Aokiji arrived at Kaito and Akainu's side.
Four Marine Admirals stood opposite the Four Emperors and an eerie silence settled over the battlefield.