Chapter 98: Flame and Thunder
Endless waves of identical soldiers.
Gloriosa and Kaie struggled against the relentless onslaught of Cracker's Biscuit Soldiers.
"It's no use… There's no end to them… What a troublesome ability," Gloriosa sighed.
No matter how many they destroyed, the soldiers simply regenerated, and their numbers increased with each passing moment. Even Gloriosa, a veteran fighter, couldn't hide her exhaustion.
Their opponent was Cracker, the "Thousand Arms," accompanied by Oven and Amande. While the Twilight Pirates' crew members weren't weak, holding their own against these powerful executives was a challenge.
The Chess Soldiers had stopped appearing, but they were still outnumbered. The difference in their strength was undeniable.
"One becomes two, two become three – You might be able to destroy my Biscuit Soldiers, but that's not enough to defeat me! My Biscuit Soldiers are infinite!"
If they broke, he would simply repair them. If their numbers dwindled, he would create more. Even a simple ability, when mastered, could become a formidable force.
"Hey, Cracker! We're going to help Katakuri! Can you handle this alone?!"
"Don't worry! I'm enough, Brother!"
Oven, having received a message from Brûlée, headed off with Amande. While Katakuri was strong enough to handle most situations alone, the fact that he had requested assistance meant something had happened.
Cracker watched them go, then focused on Gloriosa and Kaie, controlling multiple Biscuit Soldiers. The reinforcements that had arrived were no match for his soldiers. They were simply buying time.
"Are these the best the executives have to offer?! Without Giant Shadow, you're nothing!"
During their previous encounter, Feiyun had relentlessly crushed his Biscuit Soldiers, leaving Cracker with no options. But he had trained since then, honing his skills and his ability.
And these two weren't as strong as Feiyun. Perhaps he could take their heads here –!
"Roll – Pretzel!"
He spun Pretzel, his unique sword, and thrust it forward. Kaie blocked with her scythe, but was sent flying.
Gloriosa attacked the approaching Biscuit Soldiers and their Haki-clad weapons clashed.
Even Gloriosa could only handle one at a time. She could destroy them, but they would simply regenerate.
Cracker's ability was incredibly troublesome.
"Gloriosa! Are you alright?!"
George, arriving as backup, cut down one of the Biscuit Soldiers that had been attacking Kaie. Samuel, in his hybrid form, restrained another.
Gloriosa was relieved to see reinforcements. She created distance between herself and the increasing number of Biscuit Soldiers.
"What are these things…? Are these the Biscuit bastard Feiyun fought before?!"
"I wasn't there then, but… those Biscuit Soldiers, they regenerate instantly, and they're strong. Don't let your guard down."
"The one I cut down was pretty tough. We need a Devil Fruit user. David!"
"Yes, sir!"
David stepped forward, aiming a revolver with no bullets.
It was a custom-made weapon, created by Caterina. The barrel was large, but they hadn't been able to produce bullets for it yet – but David didn't need bullets.
"Gentle Breath Bomb!"
Click! Click!
He pulled the trigger, but of course, no bullets were fired. Instead, he released explosive breaths.
"What? Special bullets?!"
While Cracker had sensed the attack with his Observation Haki, the lack of visible projectiles made it difficult to predict their trajectory. He raised his shield – and the moment the breaths landed, they exploded. The impact, even through his Biscuit armor, sent him staggering back.
The explosions were powerful, but they weren't very effective against Biscuit Soldiers. David had only one option. He charged at the nearest Biscuit Soldier and slammed into it with his entire body.
"Full Body Detonation!"
A massive explosion erupted, and the shockwave reached George and the others.
This time, it seemed to have worked. Cracker was thrown from his Biscuit armor, covered in burns.
"Damn! He actually self-destructed right in front of me…!"
He cursed, but quickly regained his composure, glaring at George and the others. He admired David's determination to self-destruct, but it had only destroyed one Biscuit Soldier.
"You only managed to destroy one. My Biscuits are infinite. One or two less…"
Clap! Clap!
He clapped his hands, creating more Biscuit Soldiers. He spotted a figure moving in the smoke and assumed it was another enemy –
"Damn, it didn't work…!"
"He's still alive?!"
David, who should have been blown to pieces, was getting to his feet. Cracker couldn't help but shout in surprise.
"I'm a Bomb-Bomb Human. My whole body is a bomb! I can't die from explosions!"
"That's his ability?!"
His attack power was incredible. Even if Biscuit Soldiers could regenerate, having to deal with such destructive power was troublesome.
But his attacks were explosions. He couldn't use them recklessly inside Hachinosu.
While Cracker was distracted by David, a sound of something breaking echoed from the direction where he had sent Kaie flying.
"…I don't like this form, but it can't be helped…!"
Her lower body transformed into a snake, her hair becoming a mass of serpents – the mythical Gorgon. Kaie, now in her gigantic beast form, stood before them. George, Samuel, and Gloriosa also assumed combat stances.
Even this might not be enough against Cracker's army of Biscuit Soldiers, but they trusted their comrades to handle the other enemies.
"…There seem to be a lot of monsters in the Twilight Pirates. Fine, I'll take you all on!"
Clap! Clap!
Cracker clapped his hands, creating more Biscuit Soldiers.
Having to deal with Cracker alone was a significant drain on their resources, but the Twilight Pirates had many Devil Fruit users. They could at least say they were evenly matched.
All they could do was pray that Kanata would defeat Big Mom quickly and focus on the enemy before them.
"We need to take this guy down quickly and deal with Big Mom's other brats. Get ready!"
"Wahahaha! He seems strong. I'm always up for a good fight!"
"Don't underestimate me! I'll defeat you all!"
Cracker, the "Thousand Arms," versus George, Samuel, David, Gloriosa, and Kaie.
They stood their ground against the Biscuit army.
***
– Fresh blood splattered on the ice.
The blade that had been aimed for Kanata's heart had missed and sliced through her arm instead. Streusen, who had launched the surprise attack, deflected Kanata's counterattack with his saber.
They created distance, and Kanata, ignoring the blood flowing from her wound, glared at Streusen.
"…So you're here as well."
Streusen, the Gourmet Knight.
A powerful fighter who had been with Big Mom since the founding of her crew. He had also been a member of the Rocks Pirates, surviving that chaotic era where betrayal and murder were commonplace. His survival was a testament to his strength.
Perhaps he had been spared because of his culinary skills… but even then, it was a crew where anyone who displeased the captain was killed. He couldn't have survived without strength.
"Your Observation Haki is exceptional. I knew this was my only chance, but… I didn't expect it to fail."
Kanata had reacted faster than he anticipated. He had planned the ambush based on Octavia's abilities, but it was probably due to the difference in their natural strength. If this was the case with Kanata, it would have definitely failed with Octavia.
"The ambush might have failed, but a wound is a wound."
All they had to do now was defeat Kanata with Big Mom's help. Victory was assured.
Big Mom raised her weapon, and Streusen followed suit, lowering his saber.
"Don't underestimate me. You think this little wound can stop me?"
The cut on her right arm wasn't deep. She raised her spear, preparing to attack – but Streusen was faster.
He charged at her, swinging his saber, and Kanata created a wall of ice to block his attack. But the ice wall was instantly breached. It hadn't been sliced or shattered. It had transformed into cotton candy.
"What?!"
She had intended to stop him, but he had bypassed her defense. Kanata quickly deflected Streusen's saber with her spear, creating distance.
Streusen had eaten the Kuku Kuku no Mi, making him a Cook-Cook Human.
He could transform anything into food. Even Devil Fruit-created substances weren't exempt.
No matter how strong a wall, if it was transformed into something soft and edible, it was easily breached.
And while Kanata was distracted by Streusen, Big Mom was moving, hidden from her Observation Haki.
"Thunder–"
She deflected Streusen's saber again, preparing to counterattack, but Big Mom appeared, taking Streusen's place. She wielded Napoleon in her right hand and Zeus in her left.
"–bolt!"
A powerful bolt of lightning struck the frozen sea. Kanata narrowly dodged the attack.
They had fought together for a long time. Their coordination was impeccable… or perhaps, it was more accurate to say that Streusen was adapting to Big Mom's movements. Either way, it was a problem for Kanata.
"Troublesome…"
But she wasn't helpless. She created another ice wall, this time to restrict Streusen's movements. But Streusen simply smiled. He could easily transform it into food and bypass it.
"–What?!"
No matter how strong a wall, it was useless if it could be transformed. But there was a way to counter a Devil Fruit ability.
She imbued the ice wall with Armament Haki, turning it black. The hardened ice blocked Streusen's blade and nullified his ability.
"I'm better at Armament Haki – This is nothing."
She wasn't neglecting her Observation Haki either. She could see a few seconds into the future and could distinguish lies from truth by sensing a person's emotions. But she was particularly skilled at manipulating Armament Haki.
She stood before Big Mom, who was swinging Napoleon, her flame-clad sword, and clashed with her.
Their weapons didn't touch. Their Haki clashed, creating shockwaves that shook the air.
"You… little brat…!"
"Your flames are weak. And for such a large body, your strength is surprisingly… underwhelming."
Despite the significant difference in their size, Kanata was matching Big Mom's strength.
The flames from Prometheus, which Big Mom had enveloped herself in, were incredibly hot, but Kanata had imbued the ice beneath her feet with Haki, making it resistant to heat.
The shockwaves from their clashes, which would have shattered ordinary ice, were now easily endured.
Streusen, realizing he couldn't break through the ice wall, took advantage of his small size and agility to attack from behind. But an ice wolf, created behind Kanata, intercepted his attack.
"A black… ice wolf?!"
The frozen ground beneath Streusen rose, forming a giant wolf's maw, attempting to swallow him.
But Streusen was too skilled to be caught so easily. He narrowly escaped the wolf's jaws. He couldn't cut or break the ice, and he couldn't transform it either. He had no choice but to dodge. If he could do any of those, dealing with Kanata would be easy, but he couldn't bypass her Armament Haki.
Big Mom slammed Zeus at Kanata, but it was blocked by an ice shield imbued with Haki. Things weren't looking good for them.
"Linlin! No holding back!"
"Don't order me around, Streusen!"
Big Mom was enraged. If there was a fire nearby, Prometheus could regain his full power, but… there were no flames on the ice. Prometheus' weakened flames couldn't melt Kanata's ice.
As the weather worsened, Big Mom fed the swirling thunderclouds in the sky to Zeus, maximizing his power, then imbued Napoleon with that power.
"Flame and Thunder – Emperor's Sword Cognac!"
She combined the power of Prometheus and Zeus into a single devastating attack. It was similar in principle to Kanata's God Slayer – a technique that combined a Devil Fruit ability with Haki.
But Big Mom's attack was focused solely on destruction.
"–Majesty!"
A technique passed down among giants – a flying slash, honed to its limits. Flames and lightning trailed behind it, piercing through Kanata's ice wall. It was a fatal attack. Kanata, however, met it head-on.
"Frost Giant Jötunn."
Kanata channeled her Haki into the frozen ground beneath her feet, turning it black, then layered more Haki, changing its color from black to blue-violet.
The ice gradually shifted, taking the form of a giant's upper body. The giant, wielding a spear, moved in sync with Kanata. Its imposing presence rivaled even Big Mom's, radiating an aura of power, fueled by Kanata's Haki.
"Behold my might, my spear –"
Unfazed by Big Mom's approaching Imperial Power, Kanata raised her spear. She assumed a throwing stance. Her left hand extended forward, measuring the distance. Her right arm pulled back, aiming carefully.
"–Great Winter, become calamity. Fimbulwinter Güllveig."
The spear was thrown with a sound like thunder. It flew faster than sound and collided head-on with Big Mom's Imperial Power.
Slash and flame-thunder, thrust and ice. Both attacks were imbued with immense Haki, and the moment they collided, the storm clouds overhead were blown away.
The frozen ground, infused with Kanata's Haki, shattered, clearly demonstrating just how powerful both their attacks were.
The stalemate, though brief, felt like an eternity to the three figures present. Their attacks canceled each other out, leaving a massive crater in the frozen ground.
"…You're not giving up yet, are you? Linlin."
"Of course not. I'm not leaving until I kill you!"
They had unleashed such devastating attacks, yet neither showed signs of fatigue. Big Mom grinned ferociously, while Kanata smiled coolly. They clashed again.
***
– The conflict between the Twilight Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates lasted for three days and nights, a relentless battle that shook the very world.
The Marines and the World Government, concerned by the situation, had assembled their forces for the worst. But on the third day, the situation changed drastically.
Reinforcements arrived – an army of giants, the warriors of Elbaf.
It was clear whose side they were on. The Big Mom Pirates were already at a disadvantage, facing the Ancient Zoan giants and the numerous Devil Fruit users among Kanata's crew. Now, with the world's strongest army joining the fray, the tide turned quickly.
The result was the Big Mom Pirates' retreat.
However, Charlotte Linlin hadn't been defeated. While her forces had weakened, she was still a formidable force, capable of repelling the Marines who saw this as an opportunity to strike.
The Twilight Pirates continued to clash with the Golden Lion Pirates, who were expanding their influence. They maintained a silent non-aggression pact with the Whitebeard Pirates, who roamed the seas freely. And they continued to target Big Mom, seeking her head.
As the great powers clashed, years passed – and Gol D. Roger achieved his goal of circumnavigating the world.