Sakazuki and Kuzan were still locked in argument when both suddenly froze, their expressions shifting sharply as they turned toward the sky.
Someone was coming.
Whoever it was had managed to get so close without either of them noticing.
Sakazuki's heart tightened with alarm.
Kuzan, though equally shocked, immediately thought of the marines of the G-5 branch.
If someone could break through the warship perimeter and reach this place, then the G-5 marines must have already met a grim fate.
They were guarding the vicinity of Punk Hazard only so Sakazuki and he could duel in peace…
It was their stubbornness that had sent those soldiers to die meaningless deaths.
A deep rumble—
A silhouette flashed down, stirring up a cloud of smoke along the jagged border between ice and magma.
A hand reached through the mist, parting it aside—revealing the man beneath the tricorn hat.
It was him.
Davy Jones?!
Kuzan couldn't have been mistaken. A shiver ran through him as flashes of memory surged in his mind.
Sakazuki, too, recognized Davy Jones—the same pirate who had brought such humiliation upon Marineford during the Paramount War.
If his instincts were right, this man would one day claim the title of Emperor of the Sea—a new threat to world stability.
But why was he here? Had he come upon some intelligence and chosen to infiltrate Punk Hazard—to strike at them both?
Sakazuki's mind raced. After eight days of relentless combat, both he and Kuzan were already near their limits—physically and mentally.
Could it be that Davy Jones intended to seize this moment… to eliminate them both in one stroke?
Anger and alarm surged together. Whatever their ideological divide, Sakazuki knew this was no time to fight each other.
They would have to unite—take down this brazen, ambitious pirate first.
He turned toward Kuzan—only to stop short.
Something was wrong with him.
The world itself seemed to darken and distort as Davy Jones stepped forward.
Kuzan suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his palm. He raised his hand—and saw the black mark there had spread, a small, devouring void threatening to swallow his entire hand.
It must have been from that day at Marineford…
Something Davy Jones had done to him back then—that was the root of his recurring nightmares.
If he wanted to escape the nightmare, he would have to destroy its source.
Kuzan's thoughts snapped into focus. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, frost condensing around his fists into icebound gauntlets, and swung them toward the "Deep Sea King."
Victory—and everything he had lost—would be his to reclaim!
Davy Jones raised his own hand to meet the blow. Ice shards exploded outward as their Haki clashed—neither side yielding an inch.
Kuzan felt a surge of confidence.
This time would be different.
This time, unlike at Water Seven or Marineford… he wouldn't let Davy Jones escape.
He could win—
"Kuzan! What the hell are you doing?!"
Sakazuki's eyelids twitched violently as he shouted toward him.
To his horror, Kuzan was striking at thin air—swinging again and again, each punch releasing waves of freezing wind powerful enough to level a building.
But every blow landed on nothing.
Sakazuki had never seen Kuzan so unhinged. After his initial shock, realization dawned, and his eyes snapped toward Davy Jones.
"What did you do to him?! What is he seeing?!"
"A curse," Davy Jones replied coolly, sparing Kuzan a glance before meeting Sakazuki's gaze.
"Those who are defeated by me—if they fall deep enough into fear—I can lay a curse upon them."
"He now sees only what he wants to see, trapped in his own illusion.
To be honest, I don't even know what it is he's seeing right now."
Sakazuki stood silent for a long moment before his voice rumbled like magma.
"How can the curse be broken?"
Davy Jones didn't hesitate.
"The closer you are to me, the stronger the curse grows.
But if I disappear… the curse fades with me."
"I see…" Sakazuki's body twisted, his arms transforming into molten torrents.
"Then it seems I already intended to do exactly that."
"Anyone Kuzan can kill—I will kill.
Anyone Kuzan can't kill—I will still kill."
He surged upward, magma spreading across the sky like a crimson tide, crashing down toward Davy Jones' head.
"Ha… ha… ha…"
Tashigi's head snapped around just as Hina collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
"Hina!" Tashigi cried, rushing to her side. She caught the woman in her arms, brushing aside her disheveled hair. "What's wrong?!"
Hina's eyes fluttered open briefly before rolling shut again. Sweat poured down her face as her chest heaved violently—then her head lolled back, and she fell into unconsciousness.
"Hina! Hina!" Tashigi shook her desperately, calling her name—but there was no response.
"Stop shaking her."
The gruff voice came from Smoker, who had just rejoined them.
He spat out his cigar, crouched, and grabbed Tina's wrist, pulling off her glove.
Her palm lay open—blackened, grotesque, and pulsing faintly like a living wound.
Tashigi froze. "Vice Admiral Smoker… that black mark—was it really the cause?"
Smoker nodded grimly.
"Yeah. It's probably been there since the Reverse Mountain Campaign. Damn it… with Davy Jones so close, she can't suppress its influence any longer."
They had known. Smoker and Tashigi had both long since noticed something was wrong with Tina—had even caught glimpses of the secret she was trying so hard to hide.
The three of them had worked together for years.
How could they not notice when one of their own was suffering?
But Hina had been too stubborn, unwilling to confide in them—and they could only watch in silence.
Their pursuit of Davy Jones wasn't just about revenge.
They'd also hoped that by finding him, they could free her from her torment.
Instead, bringing her close to him had only made things worse.
Smoker rose to his feet.
Behind him stood the remnants of G-5—and the terrified, giant-sized children who had once been human test subjects.
All of them looked anxiously toward the fallen Tina in Tashigi's arms.
Smoker barked an order:
"What are you waiting for? Take the kids and get to the ships—leave Punk Hazard immediately!"
"But Hina—"
"She'll be fine," Smoker cut him off. "She's just exhausted. Tashigi will take care of her. Move!"
"But…" one marine hesitated. "What about the two Admirals? And Vice Admiral Vergo?"
"Instead of worrying about Akainu and Aokiji," Smoker growled, "you should be worrying about yourselves."
He shook his head, then added more quietly,
"As for Vergo—I've already contacted him. He's safe. He'll catch up soon. We move first."
The marines of G-5 finally exhaled in relief.
"That's good… thank goodness Vice Admiral Vergo's safe."
Smoker's frown deepened.
In truth, he had never made contact with Vergo.
Ever since learning the truth about the human experimentation at the research facility, everything had become clear.
To carry out kidnappings within G-5's patrol waters—to deceive both subordinates and superiors alike—someone high-ranking in the Marines had to be complicit.
And when the gas disaster struck Punk Hazard, only one officer from G-5 had gone missing—while the others were trapped in the gas perimeter.
The identity of the mole was obvious.
Smoker had simply chosen to stay silent—to keep morale intact.
He clenched his jaw. Never would he have imagined that since joining G-5, he had been blind to the monster hiding among them.
If this rot was allowed to remain…
then the real threat to the seas—the true oppressor of innocent people—
wouldn't be the Davy Jones Pirates.
It would be them… the Marines themselves.
The thought made Smoker's head ache.
But this wasn't the time for reflection, nor was it safe to linger any longer.
Right now, the priority was clear—
to evacuate the children and what remained of G-5 before Davy Jones clashed with the two Admirals.
Before meeting up with Hina and Tashigi, Smoker had already destroyed the gas launch controls in the command room.
With the source disabled, the toxic fumes on Punk Hazard should no longer be spreading.
As long as they wore gas masks and Smoker led the way—repelling the poison clouds—they could make it to the ships safely.
With that resolve, the G-5 soldiers and the giantized children began moving again, heading for the research facility's outer gates.