"Whummm!"
After releasing her first volley of pink arrows, the Pirate Empress radiated an overwhelming surge of power.
Yet the horde of red-eyed beasts ahead—mutated monsters brimming with fury—didn't all succumb to Boa Hancock's Conqueror's Haki. Most of them continued charging straight at the group, their claws and fangs gleaming in the light.
These beasts, evolved through several stages of experimentation, now possessed strength equivalent to that of Marine Colonels or even Vice Admirals. They were powerful enough to force Straw Hat Luffy to use his Gear Third—Giant Pistol—to fend them off.
After all, Luffy had once used that very form to defeat Rob Lucci of CP9. The fact that these creatures could endure such power spoke volumes about their monstrous strength.
What made matters worse was that Dr. Indigo had already dosed them with a berserk compound. Now they were mindless engines of destruction, their mental strength so formidable that even Hancock's Conqueror's Haki failed to break through.
"Hmmph!"
Seeing that her Haki hadn't subdued them, Hancock's beautiful face turned cold. A flicker of irritation crossed her expression—she could not allow herself to lose composure in front of anyone, least of all him.
Turning slightly, she glanced over her shoulder at Souta Kiryuu, worried he might find amusement in her failure.
But Souta met her gaze and gave her a small, encouraging nod. That simple gesture brought a soft smile back to her face.
"They're immune to Conqueror's Haki?!"
Bonney, who had been admiring Hancock's explosive display of power moments ago, gasped as only a few of the weaker beasts collapsed. "That's insane!" she cried, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"Hmph! Then I'll just kill them all!"
With a sharp pivot of her heel, Hancock dashed forward, her expression turning icy as she charged straight into the beast pack.
Her long legs flashed like lightning—each kick shattering a monstrous head into pieces. With every elegant step, another beast fell, turned into rubble and stone fragments under her merciless strikes.
"Lady Hancock is incredible!"
Baby 5, her right arm transformed into a sniper rifle, fired into the chaos while gazing at the Pirate Empress in awe. The way Hancock moved through the beasts was like a lioness among lambs—unstoppable and graceful.
"Well, she is the Pirate Empress," someone murmured.
"Sixteen-Flower Bloom: Strangling Grip!"
From the ground beneath them, countless giant arms burst upward—Nico Robin's ability in full bloom—as she crossed her hands and attempted to crush the beasts. But their raw strength made even Robin strain to keep control.
No wonder Shiki the Golden Lion had spent decades developing them—these monsters were his true hidden weapons.
"Hancock's beauty and power are almost unfair," Bonney muttered with a pout, her eyes gleaming with both jealousy and admiration. "World's most beautiful woman, three types of Haki, and that sweet-sweet fruit of hers… it's like the universe handed her every gift!"
Jealousy, envy, admiration—all at once.
Before long, members of Souta's crew were being teleported one by one by Kuma's Paw-Paw ability, appearing safely aboard the Lionhead Ship. Others were scattered to different luxury airships high above.
Meanwhile, the Ark Maxim swooped in, and Souta's Six Paths squad, alongside a unit of Seraphim, joined the aerial hunt.
"Hyahaha! So much for the Flying Pirates!"
Moria's eerie laughter echoed as he transformed into a swarm of shadow bats, appearing aboard one of the luxurious airborne warships. A single Shadow Lance pierced through the deck, impaling a subordinate captain in one strike.
These affiliate captains—recruited from the Grand Line—were small-time compared to real pirates of legend. With bounties ranging between thirty to ninety million berries, not a single one even crossed the hundred-million mark.
Such weaklings had no right to challenge the Arlong Pirates.
This wasn't even a full mobilization.
If the crew hadn't grown restless after so long on Skypiea and the Moon, they wouldn't have bothered launching a full-scale operation against a crippled old lion like Shiki.
"Wait! Don't kill me! I surrender! We'll quit the Flying Pirates and join the Arlong Pirates!"
Desperation filled the air as the Flying Pirates' sub-captains realized their fleet was crumbling. Even the sky—once their sanctuary—offered no safety anymore. Their arrogant, carefree lives as sky pirates were over.
"Heh-heh… sorry," the pale-faced Demon Sheriff Lafitte said softly, spreading his massive white wings as he swung his blade. Countless sword shadows fell upon another captain, cutting him down. His smile never wavered. "You simply don't meet the standards to join the Arlong Pirates."
"Don't think soaring through the clouds makes you untouchable," he continued in a chilling whisper. "I'll give you one chance—pick a spot and jump. If you're lucky, maybe the sea will spare you."
On another ship, Aokino—his body blazing like a miniature sun—rammed through decks and bulkheads with reckless abandon. His molten body left trails of glowing metal as he slammed into a terrified pirate captain, knocking him screaming overboard toward the coastline below.
A tremendous splash followed, the man's body carving a crater in the shallows.
Moments later, red spread through the water like ink.
"Ahahaha! These airships aren't your protection—they're your coffins!"
"Jump, or I'll throw you off myself!"
Aokino's mocking voice echoed as he cornered trembling pirates, their faces pale with terror.
They didn't deserve the luxury of traveling in ships built for Celestial Dragons—ships of gold and pride. They had begged their way into Shiki's Flying Fleet, enjoying the privilege for a few short months. Now, it was time to pay the price for their arrogance.
Each of Souta's lieutenants was strong enough to take down an entire flying warship on their own. Some annihilated the sub-crews outright; others simply tossed them screaming into the sea below.
Meanwhile, Seraphim "Human Path" had begun using the Float-Float Fruit to wrest control of the airships from Shiki himself.
At that moment, Shiki the Golden Lion was locked in a brutal battle against Barrett and Enel. The three titans clashed in the sky, their powers tearing apart the heavens.
To an outsider, it looked like a chaotic three-way fight. But in truth, both Barrett and Enel had their sights set squarely on Shiki. Each wanted the honor of defeating the legendary Golden Lion with their own hands—to rise to power over his fallen legacy.
Shiki was under immense pressure. If not for Barrett and Enel interfering with each other out of mutual distrust, Shiki would've already fallen under their combined assault.
Thanks to the overwhelming might of Souta's Seraphim units, the Arlong Pirates swiftly gained control of the entire Flying Fleet.
When one of Souta's men shouted, "Devil Fruit users who surrender will be spared!", several Flying Pirate captains immediately dropped to their knees. They'd narrowly escaped death and were eager to switch sides.
Many of them even felt relieved.
After all, the Arlong Pirates were far stronger than Shiki's Flying Fleet. Most had only joined Shiki because they couldn't find a way into Souta's ranks before.
Now that Shiki himself was barely holding on, surrender was their only path to survival.
On the Lionhead Ship, the last of the berserk beasts had been turned to stone by Hancock.
Their commander, the gorilla Scarredo, let out a thunderous, grief-stricken roar toward the sky.
"Let's go, you dumb ape!"
Dr. Indigo grabbed Scarredo by the arm and pulled him toward an emergency hovercraft, fleeing from the battlefield.
The situation was beyond saving. Their only hope now was that their half-mad leader, Shiki, could break free from Barrett and Enel's assault long enough to use his Float-Float powers to escape.
"Boss Shiki! Run! As long as Merveille Island still stands, we can rise again!"
Dr. Indigo's voice faded into the distance as the two vanished into the clouds, abandoning the battlefield entirely.