The outcome was still uncertain, but the atmosphere was suffocating.
Katakuri, who was hiding his presence in the shadows of the Garden, wore an extremely grave expression.
He gazed up at the split sky, where the clouds had been torn apart like wet paper.
"It's been a long time since I've seen a battle fierce enough to tear the sky apart," Katakuri murmured to himself.
He knew clearly now: the fight between Emperors powerhouse had begun.
As for the freshly cracked sky? It was probably utterly speechless.
In less than two weeks, the Grand Line's ceiling had been forcibly split open three times.
Two of those were caused by Ray and Big Mom, and one by Whitebeard and Shanks.
'These people really give the sky no peace,' Katakuri thought, shaking his head.
...
Down below, the once fragrant, dessert-filled six-star banquet hall of Whole Cake Island had been reduced to rubble.
In that brief period, Ray and Big Mom had clashed with Haki-infused attacks nearly ten times.
The shockwaves alone had pulverized the furniture.
Fortunately, after five massive collisions, the two monsters moved away to fight in the open courtyard, giving the survivors a chance to breathe.
Smoothie and the other elites were frantically rescuing people amid the chaos.
Especially Smoothie.
Despite her newly reattached arms, her massive legs were sprinting back and forth.
She carried one sister under her left arm and another under her right, occasionally kicking two slower brothers out of harm's way with a swift kick.
"Move it, you idiots!" she yelled.
Watching the intense battle in the distance, aside from complaining about the trouble these two were causing her, she also felt a deep, primal yearning.
'Such immense power,' she thought, watching Ray deflect a lightning bolt with his bare hand.
'Someday, I'll fight like that too. I won't be a spectator like this.'
...
In the distant open area, Ray and Big Mom collided once more.
BOOM!
Using the impact's force, they separated and stood facing each other again, panting slightly.
After these clashes, Big Mom's expression had grown extremely solemn.
Her playfulness was gone.
"Ray," she growled, her voice vibrating with Haki. "You've grown much stronger compared to two weeks ago."
Having experienced both battles firsthand, Big Mom clearly felt the difference.
At Enies Lobby, he was struggling to keep up.
Now? Ray was handling her with obvious ease.
Every collision she had with Ray just now was executed with utmost seriousness.
She wasn't holding back.
Yet, Ray merely used his fists to withstand her greatsword Napoleon.
In terms of raw strength, she no longer held any advantage.
In terms of speed, Ray was faster.
He was so fast, often circling behind her before she could even turn her head.
The same applied to Haki.
'This is troublesome,' Big Mom thought, sweat beading on her forehead.
'He hasn't even used that strange green energy from before. He's still holding back.'
Especially the sword at Ray's waist—that terrifying black moon technique, capable of devouring space itself, had yet to be unleashed.
Big Mom remembered the suction force.
She had to reserve enough mental focus to guard against it at all times.
'I need to switch tactics,' she decided. 'I can't suppress this head-on. I need overwhelming firepower.'
"PROMETHEUS! ZEUS! NAPOLEON!"
Big Mom suddenly activated her Soul-Soul Fruit ability to the max. Her wavy pink hair shot upward like flames as she levitated into the air.
The homies immediately transformed.
Prometheus, the sun, turned from orange to a blinding blue-white.
Zeus, the cloud, swelled to the size of a mountain, turning pitch black.
"TENMAN DAIJIZAI TENJIN!!" (Heavenly Full Freedom Deity)
This was Big Mom's ultimate form, she became a literal storm goddess.
With a casual wave of her hand, a terrifying wave of blue fire, capable of scorching space itself and covering an area of nearly 500 meters, surged toward Ray.
WHOOSH.
Faced with such a hellscape, Ray naturally had no intention of tanking it.
He vanished, reappearing fifty meters to the left.
CRACK-BOOM!
But just as Ray dodged the fire, the trap sprung.
Countless bolts of sentient lightning abruptly descended from above him. They tracked his movement, curving in mid-air.
Truly worthy of the name "Full Freedom"—she manipulated nature like a toy.
At the same time, Big Mom swung Napoleon.
"IKOKU SOVEREIGNTY!"
A condensed, concentrated shockwave of pure Haki, sharper and faster than the one at Enies Lobby, shot straight for Ray's chest.
At this moment, Ray was boxed in.
If he dodged the lightning, he'd be hit by the beam. If he blocked the beam, the lightning would fry him.
"Hmph." Ray merely let out a cold snort.
He didn't dodge.
Calmly, he reached for the sword at his waist—not drawing it, but holding the scabbard in front of him.
'Tessaiga Scabbard Barrier.'
Seeing this, Big Mom froze.
'Is he insane? He's blocking with a sheath?'
Even she and Kaido, renowned for their invincible bodies, wouldn't willingly tank a combo of heavenly lightning and Ikoku Sovereignty head-on.
BOOM!
The attacks landed.
A deafening roar echoed through the world, shaking the entire island.
The guests who had just woken up screamed in terror.
"Its like a natural disaster!"
"Did mama's win?" Perospero whispered, shielding his eyes from the blinding light.
Big Mom's children started cheering.
"Mama's is invincible!"
"What a pity for such a handsome man," a daughter sighed.
"It's fine. There are plenty of handsome men in the seas. Although he... wait."
"HOLY SHIT."
"HE'S FINE."
As the smoke cleared, the cheering died in their throats.
They saw Ray enveloped in a spherical, transparent barrier.
The violent energy of the lightning and the shockwave washed over it harmlessly, rippling like water.
Inside the sphere, Ray stood with his hands in his pockets, completely unharmed.
Not even a speck of dust on his coat.
Smoothie stared, her jaw dropping.
"As expected of Ray-sama~~."
In the shadows, Katakuri let out a long sigh of relief.
...
Ray felt the scorching heat radiating from the sword scabbard in his hand.
'Impressive,' he thought. 'The barrier held.'
However, he could feel the limit.
One more attack of that magnitude, and the scabbard would overheat and crack.
'No need to test it again.'
Ten seconds earlier, when Big Mom saw the sphere covering Ray, she realized her ultimate attack had failed.
So ... she switched to numbers.
"LIFE OR SLAVE!"
Big Mom pushed her Soul-Soul Fruit to its limit.
She released countless green energy particles—fragments of her own soul and the souls she had stolen over the years.
The green lights drifted into the ground, the trees, the broken statues, the rubble.
RUMBLE.
The island came alive.
Trees pulled their roots from the earth.
Rocks assembled into golems.
Big Mom created an army of nearly a thousand "Homie" monsters in seconds. Each one stood over ten meters tall, exuding an intimidating presence.
"Get him!" Big Mom ordered.
She planned to use swarm tactics.
Even if they couldn't kill Ray, they would distract him, drain his stamina, and serve as meat shields while she prepared a killing blow.
...
Ray scanned the horde of monsters charging toward him and he almost laughed.
'Fate is funny,' Ray mused.
'She brought an army of fodder to fight a sword designed to kill armies.'
This scenario was practically tailor-made for Tessaiga.
Ray's right hand settled on the hilt.
"Hmph. Tessaiga... don't disappoint me."
Ray exerted force.
FLASH.
A blinding golden light erupted as he drew the blade.
When the light faded, the rusty katana was gone.
In its place was a massive, transformed Demon Blade—a giant fang with a thick blade back and a circle of fluffy silver fur dangling from the hilt guard.
...
Smoothie's eyes widened, "So this is the true form of that sword? A sword that can grow? How extraordinary."
In the shadows, Katakuri squinted. "A transforming blade? Did the sword eat a Devil Fruit?"
At that moment, a figure leaped out from the bushes and landed beside Ray with a flourish.
"Behold!" Cavendish shouted, striking a pose.
He pointed at Ray. "Watch closely, you peasants! My Boss is about to do something incredibly cool!"