Koa, determined to end the fight with Big Mom, knew he couldn't back down. Their confrontation was reaching its peak, and now he was up against a fully enraged Big Mom, who was unleashing all of her power in an attempt to kill him. She infused Conqueror's Haki into Napoleon as they clashed, while Koa was only just beginning to grasp the basics of Armament Haki. He was losing—desperately so—but still holding his ground.
This kind of battle ignited rapid growth in Koa. At first, he could only coat his swings with Armament Haki successfully about 30% of the time, but that rate was steadily increasing, reaching 50% as the fight progressed. At the same time, he was analyzing Big Mom's attacks, trying to instinctively master his Haki, while his Observation Haki sat comfortably in its advanced state.
"Come on, remember how you did it last time," Koa thought, choosing not to rely on his Devil Fruit anymore to stimulate growth. This was his greatest challenge yet—the perfect opportunity for his talent to shine and evolve.
As the battle raged on, Koa became more attuned to the rhythm of their fight. His stamina regenerated almost as quickly as it was spent, like a perpetual engine that refused to shut down. Big Mom, however, was no stranger to extended battles. Her god-given power and natural endurance meant she could fight for ten days straight at even higher intensity.
In one brutal exchange, Big Mom caught Koa off guard. Using Prometheus to boost her swing, she struck with blinding speed—an attack reminiscent of Roger striking Oden. Koa was sent flying, but he refused to yield. Mid-air, he unleashed compressed vibrations at his feet, halting his momentum and launching himself straight back toward her.
"This is it—remember the feeling. Will it into existence"
Flying toward Big Mom with everything he had, Koa closed his eyes, reaching deep within himself. When he opened them again, both of his axes were fully coated in Armament Haki. He struck at Big Mom, who responded with a Conqueror's infused swing strike. Their weapons clashed, locking in place for a second—neither blade touching the other directly, but the air between them quivering from the clash of wills.
But Koa was still not a match. Big Mom, growing even stronger in that moment, overpowered him. With a strike enhanced by both Prometheus and Zeus, she delivered a devastating blow that sent Koa crashing to the ground. He nearly blacked out.
He had lost.
But he was proud.
Only nine years old, and he had managed to last this long against Big Mom in her prime—a feat worthy of legends.
Big Mom, having finally defeated Koa, approached him to deliver the finishing blow. But she suddenly paused—her Haki detected a disturbance. Someone powerful had just arrived. With her goal already secured and her pride satisfied, she turned away from the unconscious boy, uninterested in finishing him off.
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Meanwhile, Ginny, Ivankov, and Kuma had reunited after sensing each other's presence—something like a shared instinct guiding them. Suddenly, a Marine soldier's voice rang out through the chaos.
"THE REINFORCEMENTS ARE HERE!"
The trio turned toward the commotion. What they saw was a hulking man with massive arms, leaping from a ship, followed by his crew. Among them stood another striking figure—wearing a fedora, a striped suit, and carrying a sword.
"IT'S VICE ADMIRAL GARP!! WE'RE SAVED!" the Marines cried out, looking at Garp as if a god had descended upon them.
But Garp had only one thing on his mind.
"TELL ME WHERE TO FIND ROGER!" he bellowed, ignoring the other Marines. He trusted his crew to handle the situation. Without hesitation, Garp dashed off in the direction where Gol D. Roger and Rocks D. Xebec were clashing.
Kuma turned to Ginny and Ivankov, concern in his voice.
"Let's go find Koa. When I left him, he was fighting someone strong. What if he needs our help?"
Together, they moved quickly. Thanks to Ginny's efforts and Kuma's repelling abilities, they had managed to save the remaining 20,000 civilians, relocating most of them to the island Ginny had prepared. With their immediate duty complete, the three now turned their full attention to the battlefield.
"Let's help our friend like he helped us!" Ivankov shouted, his voice filled with conviction.
A few Marines turned at the sound, confused, but before they could react, Kuma repelled the trio away, toward the site where he and Koa had earlier divided the Devil Fruits. When they arrived, they found a destroyed cabin, the ground torn apart from the intensity of a recent battle. Ivankov was just about to transform and split himself up to search for Koa when suddenly—
Koa stepped out from behind the ruins, his presence clear. He had sensed their approach.
"What are you guys doing here? I thought you were planning to escape the island," Koa said, playing dumb, though he already knew the truth. He had seen it in their eyes earlier—the resolve to follow him, not just out of gratitude, but loyalty. Their earlier observation of the Roger Pirates—Gabban, Rayleigh, and Roger himself charging into battle while the rest worked to protect the innocent—had cemented their decision. Koa may have been their first reason for leaving the island, but now, he wasn't the only one.
"We wanted to find you," Ivankov said, worry written across his face. "Kuma thought you were killed by that woman."
"I'm alright," Koa replied calmly. "She just left after taking the Azure Dragon Devil Fruit. This place looks like a war zone because she tried to take it by force… but once she got it, she let me go."
It was a lie—but one he told for their sake. They had enough to deal with. No need to burden them with the truth about how close he had come to death.
"That's good," Ginny said, sighing in relief. "But you should've just given her the Devil Fruit right away. You already have one—you can't eat another."
"So, have you decided yet whether to join me or not?" Koa then asked, as he wanted to hear their verbal acceptance.
"Yes, we'll come with you to join the Roger Pirates, but we're not sure yet if we'd want to join your future pirate crew," Kuma replied, as the three of them exchanged glances—almost as if they shared a telepathic understanding.
"I see. That's alright," Koa said with a nod. "You each have your own dreams and goals to pursue. I don't mind at all."
He then turned his gaze to the sky. "Now, let's collect these treasures the Celestials left behind for our payment for us joining the Roger Pirates."
As he spoke, the cabin Koa had earlier sent floating descended gently back to the ground. It was a place he was unwilling to let go of—a hidden stash where he kept his most valuable treasures. Inside were six unclaimed Devil Fruits and a hefty amount of gold he had taken from the King's Vault. Koa planned to keep half the gold for himself and offer the other half to the Roger Pirates as compensation for taking him in, and the other half that he would get from the treasures left behind by the Celestial Dragons.