Chapter 97: Lubricate Our Blades With Blood and Tears
"Heave-ho!"
Feiyun, a giant ten times larger than an ordinary one, effortlessly lifted a massive warship. She slammed it onto the frozen sea, crushing it, then moved on to the next vessel, systematically dismantling the Big Mom Pirates' fleet.
The giant warriors who had become her subordinates also attacked, overwhelming the pirates under Big Mom's command. Even the infamous pirates of the New World were no match for the warriors of Elbaf.
Scotch, observing the battle from a distance, muttered, "I'm glad they're on our side…"
"It's not often you hear about giant Devil Fruit users. I wonder how they're doing."
"It's true that Elbaf warriors usually fight with their own strength and weapons… but they don't seem to have any particular aversion to Devil Fruits."
Two giants, having officially become Kanata's subordinates, had chosen to eat Devil Fruits.
Both had acquired Ancient Zoan abilities.
Giants were already incredibly strong. Adding a Devil Fruit to the mix made them practically unstoppable. Few could stand against them.
Scotch, discussing the situation with his subordinates, checked on the battle outside, then took a drag of his cigarette.
"It seems things are under control out here. That leaves Big Mom's brats who infiltrated the island."
"Aren't you going, Scotch?"
"We can't all go deal with them."
Someone had to stay behind and monitor the situation outside. Kanata was currently clashing with Big Mom, the sound of their battle echoed across the island. The roars of the rampaging giants were also audible.
Scotch took out his Baby Den Den Mushi. He had said he wouldn't interfere, but if the others were struggling, they would need his help. Information sharing was crucial.
"Scotch here. We have some free hands. Does anyone need assistance?"
'George here. No problems for now.'
'Southern Residential District here. Junshi and Zen are currently engaged in battle with three enemy executives. The situation is a stalemate.'
"Then they should be fine. I'm not getting involved in that fight."
He had decided to stay put, thinking he would simply continue sinking ships with his cannons, when a call came in.
'It's me! It's me! It's me!'
"State your name, idiot. What is it?"
'I have something I want to try. Can you help me?'
"Oh? Are you planning something troublesome again?"
Whenever Kuro had an idea, it usually led to complications. But the situation was too dangerous to let him wander around alone. Scotch sighed and reluctantly agreed to help.
He grabbed his sword and headed towards Kuro's location, cutting down the occasional Chess Soldier along the way.
***
"Are you really going to do this?"
Teach frowned, skeptical of Kuro's plan. Kuro simply laughed and said, "Of course!"
They were waiting for Scotch in front of a large mirror.
Kaie and Gloriosa had been with them earlier, but they had gone to deal with the Chess Soldiers who were constantly appearing.
The Chess Soldiers, created by Big Mom's ability, weren't weak. Several lay defeated at Teach's feet.
He was wearing his iron claws, ready to fight, wary of more enemies emerging from the mirror. He wasn't sure if Kuro's plan would work, and he honestly wanted to get him away from this dangerous place.
Kuro's death would be a problem.
"At least let's move away from the mirror until Scotch arrives. More enemies will appear if we stay here."
"Hihihi, I'll handle them if they do."
"I'm the one who defeated them!"
Kuro's Devil Fruit ability was powerful, but he was surprisingly weak in close combat. Teach had to protect him from the Chess Soldiers. He could easily handle them from a distance, but…
"Just leave it to me! I have a great idea."
"I have a bad feeling about this."
While they were speaking, Scotch arrived, and Kuro, eager to put his plan into action, immediately began preparing.
"What are you planning?" Scotch asked.
"They're coming from the mirror. If it's a Devil Fruit ability, then there's a Devil Fruit user inside. And a Devil Fruit user… can't… escape… the… pull… of… darkness."
His plan was simple.
He claimed that the Yami Yami no Mi, capable of becoming the natural enemy of all Devil Fruit users, could even pull a Devil Fruit user from another dimension.
Ignoring Scotch and Teach's skepticism, Kuro confidently pointed his right arm at the mirror.
He had already identified the Devil Fruit user inside. Pulling them out would be easy.
"–Darkness Water!"
The infinite gravity of his darkness, from which even light couldn't escape, ignored the barrier between dimensions, and Brûlée, the user of the Mira Mira no Mi, was forcibly pulled towards Kuro.
"Gyaaaaaah! W-What's happening?!"
"What do you think?!"
Brûlée, dragged from the mirror, was immediately restrained by Kuro, her ability nullified. But just before Kuro could touch her, another figure emerged from the mirror.
"Gah! Katakuri?!"
"What are you doing to my sister?!"
Katakuri swung his trident at Kuro with incredible speed. But Brûlée was in the way. He hesitated, afraid of hitting her, and in that instant, Teach attacked from the side. His iron claws slashed Katakuri's arm, drawing blood.
"Damn…!"
"Zehahaha! I didn't think it would actually work!"
Teach, who had been skeptical, was amazed by Kuro's success. Kuro tightened his grip on Brûlée. They might have been able to counter her ability, but once she was restrained by Kuro's touch, she couldn't use her Devil Fruit powers.
Now, all they had to do was defeat Katakuri, who had come to protect her, and the Big Mom Pirates would crumble. They could then pick off Big Mom's children one by one, now that they had lost their escape route.
"You're full of surprises. Why don't we just kill her? It'll stop them from coming out of the mirrors."
"I don't know. If her ability created the Mirro-World, killing her might send the trapped soldiers back through the nearest mirror."
They didn't know what would happen to the enemy soldiers trapped in the Mirro-World if they killed Brûlée. It would be fine if they were simply trapped, but they decided to avoid any unnecessary risks.
It was best to keep her alive for now and deal with her after they had defeated the remaining enemies.
"I won't let you!"
"Try it if you can!"
Teach intercepted Katakuri's attacks, his massive frame wielding a trident with incredible speed. Kuro, carrying Brûlée, retreated to a safe distance.
If Katakuri got close, he might be able to retrieve his sister. Of course, Katakuri wouldn't allow that… but Teach wasn't alone. Scotch was there as well.
"Hundredfold–"
He coated his right arm with Armament Haki, hardening it, and aimed carefully.
"–Guillotine Lariat!"
With a speed that even Katakuri's advanced Observation Haki couldn't react to, he unleashed a devastating lariat.
The impact sent Katakuri crashing into a wall.
"What do you think?!"
Scotch pumped his fist, mirroring Kuro's earlier gesture.
Teach, still wary, kept his eyes on Katakuri, who emerged from the dust cloud seemingly unharmed.
"He's barely scratched… Big Mom's brats are tough."
"He's a Sweet Commander. I shouldn't have underestimated him."
"Next time… I won't miss."
Katakuri twisted his spear-wielding arm, spinning it like a rifle, and thrust it forward.
"Mochi Thrust!"
"Whoa!"
Scotch blocked the attack with his Haki-clad sword, but was sent flying. Teach took his place, charging at Katakuri.
Katakuri didn't underestimate Teach because he was young. He used his Mochi Mochi no Mi ability to its fullest, increasing his attacks, aiming to take Teach down.
Teach dodged and deflected, desperately searching for an opening. But Katakuri's target wasn't Teach.
"Help me! Brother!"
"Stop struggling! You're going to drag me back!"
Kuro, one of the weakest fighters in the Twilight Pirates, wouldn't be able to handle Katakuri if he got close.
He could only hope that Katakuri wouldn't notice him, desperately trying to restrain the struggling Brûlée – but his hope was dashed. Katakuri, using his stretchy mochi arm, reached for Brûlée.
Before Kuro could react, Brûlée was snatched away, and he was thrown aside.
"Are you alright, Brûlée?"
"S-Somewhat…"
"Hold on tight. I'll take you back to the Mirro-World… No, that won't work."
As long as Kuro was present, Brûlée would simply be dragged back. It was safer to keep her within reach. And he had to take this opportunity to eliminate Kuro.
"Damn, he's targeting me now."
Kuro realized the danger and drew two daggers, his only weapons. They weren't much, but he wasn't going to die without a fight.
"He's a future threat – It's best to eliminate him here."
"Hihihi, try it if you can! I'm not going down that easily!"
Katakuri, holding Brûlée in his left arm, pointed his spear at Kuro with his right. He only needed one hit to kill him, but he intended to make sure of it.
– But his attack was intercepted by Scotch.
"Teach!"
Teach attacked from behind, and Katakuri, using his fluid mochi body, dodged.
But Teach's attack didn't end there. He kicked off the air and, as Katakuri turned, slashed at his left eye.
"Zehahaha! You let your guard down!"
The Twilight Pirates were allowed to learn Rokushiki.
Teach and Kaie, who were already exceptionally strong for their age, had mastered several techniques.
While it wasn't a fatal blow, the three deep cuts on Katakuri's eye, bleeding profusely, significantly impaired his vision. He could rely on his Observation Haki, but it still affected him.
"Damn…!"
"Brother?!"
"I'm fine. But this is… not good."
He could defeat both of them, even with Brûlée as a hindrance. But he couldn't send his soldiers out of the Mirro-World, and if he was stuck here… they would be overwhelmed by the sheer difference in numbers.
"Brûlée, contact Cracker and Brother Perospero. Things are more complicated than we anticipated… We've lost."
Kuro's presence had ruined their plan. They couldn't continue attacking from within. They needed a new strategy.
Katakuri began formulating a new plan.
***
– The weather worsened.
Lightning struck randomly, and a storm raged, unleashing torrential rain and howling winds. It was hard to believe this was the work of a single person.
Big Mom whose massive frame rivaled even a giant's, laughed and unleashed her Haki outwards.
"Mamahahaha! Emperor's Sword Cognac – Haha Slash!"
She imbued Napoleon with Prometheus, and swung it with all her might. Her monstrous strength, combined with the power of her Haki, made it a fatal attack. But that only applied to those weaker than her.
"–God Slayer."
Kanata's attack, her spear imbued with both Haki and her ice ability, clashed head-on with Big Mom's sword. The impact sent shockwaves through the air followed by explosions.
Big Mom immediately grabbed Zeus with her free hand and swung it at Kanata.
"Thunderbolt!"
Kanata sensed the attack with her Observation Haki. Her upper body was blown apart and disintegrated. But she instantly regenerated, unharmed, and kicked the shaft of her ice spear towards Big Mom.
Big Mom twisted her body slightly, dodging the spear, and their weapons clashed again.
"You're strong. Any other pirate would be dead by now."
"Don't lump me in with those weaklings!"
They were locked in a stalemate, their blades pushing against each other, each searching for an opening to deliver a fatal blow.
Prometheus and Zeus moved independently, trying to create an opening for their master. Zeus fired a bolt of lightning, and as Kanata dodged, Prometheus, expanding to an enormous size, attacked.
"Burn!"
"Prometheus… I couldn't handle you before, but don't think I'm the same now."
Prometheus, a sentient flame, couldn't be harmed by Haki. But Kanata had learned the Kitsunebi-ryu style in Wano.
A sword style that focused on burning and cleaving flames.
"Kitsunebi-ryu – Flame Cleaver!"
It was a style that cleaved flames with a single slash, but for Kanata, it didn't matter if the weapon was a sword or a spear. She swung her Haki-clad spear, bisecting Prometheus, who had descended upon her.
"Gyaaaaaaaaah?!"
"Prometheus?!"
Prometheus, who had never been injured before, screamed in pain. The shock was so great that even Big Mom stared in disbelief.
That momentary distraction, that brief lapse in focus, was fatal against an opponent like Kanata.
Big Mom's body was incredibly tough, impervious to cannon fire and ordinary blades – but against Kanata, it was as fragile as paper.
"–Kneel."
Kanata swung her Haki-clad spear, slashing diagonally across Big Mom's body.
Big Mom fell to one knee, but she didn't collapse. She glared at Kanata with rage.
"Hmm… I didn't cut deep enough."
Her attack had bypassed Big Mom's Haki, but it hadn't been powerful enough to fatally wound her. She was a Yonko, after all.
Kanata prepared to attack again, aiming for Big Mom's heart.
"Damn… Prometheus!"
Big Mom grabbed the bisected Prometheus, forcing the two halves together, and enveloped herself in flames.
The heat from the flames began to melt the ice beneath her feet, but she didn't care. She climbed onto Zeus, ignoring the unstable footing, and swung her sword in a fury.
Clang!
The blade aimed for Kanata's neck. Their weapons clashed, creating a shockwave.
"Clever. You can't be harmed by Prometheus if you're enveloped in flames."
But even if Big Mom could control the flames, it wouldn't be enough to defeat Kanata. Using Prometheus defensively meant she had one less weapon to attack with. Zeus alone wasn't powerful enough to overwhelm Kanata.
"Don't underestimate me…!"
Blood flowed from her wound, but her imposing presence remained unchanged. It was a serious injury, but she didn't even seem to notice.
Kanata, still wary, created another ice spear in her free hand, wielding two spears to counter Big Mom's attacks.
"I'm not underestimating you. I knew I had to be prepared for this if I wanted to fight you."
Dealing with Zeus was still a problem, but at least she had neutralized Prometheus.
They had been caught off guard, but their preparations were mostly complete. If they could take Big Mom's head here, they would achieve one of their objectives.
Big Mom also seemed to have a plan, but Kanata hadn't received any reports of a major crisis.
Then, naturally – she would annihilate the Big Mom Pirates here.
"This is where you end."
Shiki, Kaido, Newgate – she had reason to target all the former Rocks Pirates. She would eliminate the legacy of her parents' sins with her own hands.
…Shakky, however, hadn't shown any hostility, so there was no need to fight her.
"End?! You're telling me to end?! Don't be ridiculous! You're the one who's going to end here!"
"–!"
Big Mom unleashed her Conqueror's Haki. Kanata braced herself.
Big Mom's blade, enveloped in flames, swung with incredible speed. Kanata deflected each attack with her two spears, occasionally allowing herself to be pushed back to create distance for a counterattack.
She charged at Big Mom, aiming for her heart, and as Big Mom deflected the spear, Kanata thrust her other spear – but at that moment…
"–Gotcha."
Streusen, the Gourmet Knight, had been waiting for his chance. He swung his blade at Kanata's heart upon appearing in her blind spot while she was focused on Big Mom.