More than 40 warships from both sides exchanged relentless cannon fire. The difference? Pirate cannons only left shallow dents on the Marine vessels, while the Marines' cannons easily pierced through the pirate ships' hulls, detonating internally and inflicting devastating damage.
The weather in the New World truly changed in an instant. The storm had fully taken shape—wave after wave of massive swells crashed down indiscriminately, sparing neither ally nor enemy.
Despite the raging storm, the pirates and Marines—already blinded by bloodlust—had no intention of slowing down. Especially the pirate captains with massive bounties and their core officers, who stormed the Marine warships by every means possible.
Indeed, on the Navy's side, even though the show of force was overwhelming—with five vice admirals and over a hundred officers from headquarters deployed—their top commanders, Admiral Sengoku and the Marine Hero Garp, remained in reserve.
Because they were waiting for someone.
[RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—]
At that moment, ominous flashes of thick, purple lightning started to crackle through the thunderclouds above.
"Hm?"
Garp looked up, narrowing his eyes toward the sky—only for the clouds, now fully transformed into a massive thunderstorm, to erupt in chaos.
Bolts of lightning, thick as a grown man's arm, came crashing down in waves. And these were no ordinary strikes—they moved with eerie precision, as if sentient, targeting only the Marine warships… and more disturbingly, the high-ranking officers whose presence on the battlefield burned like torches.
From afar, Shiryu casually cut down two pirates before glancing up at the incoming purple lightning. His voice was laced with surprise.
"Another Logia user?"
...
In the first half of the Grand Line, on the winter island known as the Drum Kingdom—
The weather remained as gloomy and frigid as ever. Snowflakes, as thick as goose down, fell from the sky in wild abundance, carried by fierce, howling winds. People working outdoors, bundled tightly in heavy winter clothing, moved about despite the cold.
Particularly among them were workers dispatched by the World Government. Even with their cheeks flushed red from the freezing temperatures, they continued to push box after box filled with tools and materials onto the now-widened mushroom-shaped cable cars, their thickly gloved hands working without pause.
On another side, the grand staircase of ice—painstakingly crafted by Kuzan—was filled with a seemingly endless stream of people moving up and down. At intervals of every kilometre, spacious platforms had already been constructed, complete with wooden huts and pavilions where travelers could rest.
From a bird's-eye view, one could clearly witness the magnificent scene of the moving crowds. Especially striking was the peak beside Drum Rock Mountain, where the framework of a medical academy building could already be seen taking shape.
At this moment, Doctor Kureha sat among a large group of physicians from various disciplines, all watching a live broadcast projected by a visual Den-Den Mushi while enjoying the underfloor heating that the construction crew had prioritized.
"Wow, someone can actually unleash lava that terrifying?" a middle-aged doctor muttered as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If that hit a person, I wonder how we'd go about treating them…"
"Severe full-body burns, for sure," another doctor chimed in. "If the patient doesn't have extraordinary vitality, surviving it would take nothing short of a miracle."
Just then, Doctor Kureha stood up and left the room.
Truth be told, she wasn't particularly interested in all this. But since the medical academy was now being founded under the World Government's support, she figured it was worth showing a bit of concern.
Now that the Marines seemed to be gaining the upper hand, her patience wore thin. Her mind was far more preoccupied with her research into Amber Lead Syndrome. Even sparing this brief moment of attention was already more goodwill than she usually afforded the World Government.
Besides, she'd recently heard that in a few days, a Marine Admiral would be coming for a medical consultation—or rather, a former Marine Admiral.
As the battle in the 'New World' continued to escalate, the influence of this live, globally broadcasted war only kept growing. More and more people gathered—some in crowds, others staying home—to watch the transmission from their visual Den-Den Mushi, chatting quietly in small groups.
Especially among the royalty and nobles of the affiliated nations, their awe and respect toward the World Government had grown noticeably after witnessing the terrifying combat power of the Navy fleet firsthand.
Even the seemingly weakest sailors displayed strength, speed, and reflexes on par with the generals of their own royal armies.
And those officers draped in cloaks bearing the word 'Justice'—they moved so fast that it was nearly impossible to track them with the naked eye!
10,000 meters beneath the sea, in Ryugu Palace on Fish-Man Island, King Neptune was also watching the massive naval battle between Marines and pirates, joined by Queen Otohime, the Ministers, and other court officials.
"I'm truly glad I agreed to let the Navy establish a branch here," King Neptune said with heartfelt emotion. "That Vice Admiral Sakazuki and Vice Admiral Borsalino are incredibly powerful. I imagine Vice Admiral Kuzan, another candidate for Admiral, is just as strong. With them around, Fish-Man Island won't need to fear pirate raids anymore."
"Your Majesty is wise," the Left Minister said with a deep bow.
In truth, many of the fish-man officials and the Sea King Army soldiers charged with the palace's defense were visibly shaken by the scenes playing out in the projection.
"Your Majesty," an aide said cautiously, "I've also heard that the current commander stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago, Vice Admiral Dragon, is a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. He's also the son of Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Oh?"
King Neptune turned in surprise. He was familiar with the name Dragon, the base commander at Sabaody, but hadn't known anything about his abilities.
"Well, that's good news. The stronger Dragon is, the safer our citizens will be when they travel or move to the Sabaody Archipelago."
He returned his gaze to the projected battlefield—but the screen had turned into a blinding mass of golden light, with nothing clearly visible. The king didn't seem to mind.
...
Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
On the social plaza of Pangaea Castle, Imu was now reclining on a lounge chair, joined by Mihawk, Gion, and Stussy, watching the high-definition projection of the battle playing in the sky above the plaza.
Early that morning, he had introduced Mihawk to Gion and Stussy.
What made things interesting was that Gion actually recognized Mihawk—or rather, had heard of his infamous reputation from the outside world.
The 'Hawk Eyes' swordsman, wielder of the Supreme Grade Black Blade: Yoru!
She never imagined she would meet him in this place—let alone that he would be a Celestial Dragon!
So now, Gion couldn't help but be full of curiosity about Mihawk. Even while watching the live broadcast, she kept sneaking glances at him as he watched the battle with quiet intensity.
"Ugh... I really want to fight him," she muttered internally. "But he's a Celestial Dragon... so what the hell am I supposed to do?!"
Just then, a flicker of purple lightning twisted through the stormy clouds on the projection screen.
'The main players have arrived. First on the field... Charlotte Linlin, is it?' Imu smiled.
The next moment, streaks of violent purple lightning filled the entire screen. Like wild, fang-baring serpents, they whipped through the air at terrifying speeds, lashing toward the Marine warships and the officers in the midst of battle.
In an instant, over a dozen lower-ranking officers and hundreds of Marines across various divisions had been electrocuted and taken down. Only those of colonel rank and above, who had mastered Haki, were able to withstand the assault!
"Is that a Logia user?" Mihawk asked, visibly surprised.
"No," Imu said softly. "That's BIG MOM."
Sure enough, thanks to the skilled filming of the Public Affairs Division staff, a flag soon came into view—bearing the image of a skull wearing a chocolate-colored top hat, framed by pink curls and crimson lipstick.
...
"That's the Queen Mama Chanter, flagship of the Big Mom Pirates!"
A reporter familiar with the major pirate factions shouted the identification from a plaza in the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Has the Pirate Emperor entered the war?!"
...
"Hahaha! Move out, boys! The big guns are finally here!"
"Yes, sir!!!"
About one nautical mile from the battlefield, a pirate ship flying the Jolly Roger erupted in a chorus of excited roars. Immediately, the crew sprang into action, adjusting the sails and rudder to accelerate.
And they weren't the only ones. Numerous pirate crews in the area had chosen to observe the battle unfolding around the Navy fleet. Thanks to the World Government's public live broadcast, it was now much easier for them to monitor the situation in real time.
But the reason they hadn't acted sooner was simple: the Navy's lineup was formidable, and it wouldn't be easy to take them on.
So these opportunists had opted to wait it out.
They were simply waiting for the heavy hitters to step in and hold off Sengoku and Garp—ideally even dragging those two admiral candidates into the fray. That would be their chance to snatch a treasure-laden merchant ship… or maybe even hijack a naval vessel.
Now that the Big Mom Pirates had finally arrived—and Charlotte Linlin herself had personally taken action—there was no longer any reason to sit still.
Elsewhere, aboard another pirate ship, one of the officers gave his captain a puzzled look.
"Boss, aren't we joining in? One of the Yonko is here!"
"Hmph, idiot. You haven't even sized up the scope of this naval battle. There are only two merchant ships. So tell me, in a mêlée involving ten naval warships and dozens of pirate crews, what are the odds that we manage to snatch even one?"
The captain shot his subordinate a look of contempt. The latter scratched his head in confusion. "Then why did we come here in the first place?"
"Hmph… hmhmhm—" The captain took a drag from his cigar, exhaled a plume of smoke, and grinned smugly. "I'm waiting for the battle to end. Waiting for those who survive the bloodbath—exhausted and broken."
"…"