The giant girl collapsed.
Burns covered her body, blood pooling beneath her as she fell. Zen was the most shaken by the sight.
He had raised Feiyun like a parent, traveling with just the two of them until they joined Kanata's crew. Even for a warrior of Zen's mental fortitude, watching her defeat left him unable to maintain his composure.
"Damn it..."
He immediately tried to rush to her aid, glaring at the Admiral standing before him.
But Zephyr noticed the wavering in Zen's focus. Seizing the opening, he drove his fist straight into Zen's guard.
Caught between Zephyr's punch and the frozen ground, Zen coughed up blood as the impact crushed through his defense.
"Caring for your comrades is admirable, but you're still too soft."
Observation Haki only works when your mind is calm.
Lose your composure and reading your opponent's movements becomes impossible. Against someone stronger, that mistake was bound to lead to this outcome.
Zen's Armament Haki was far from ordinary, but it still couldn't surpass Zephyr's.
"Zen!"
"Can you really afford to look away from me?!"
Kanata's attention snapped toward Zen's defeat for just an instant. Sengoku didn't waste that opening, bringing down his massive golden fist. Even though Kanata blocked it, the force drove her to one knee.
Her Observation Haki hadn't faltered enough to make it a fatal blow, but Sengoku's head-on strike carried tremendous weight.
Worse yet, with Zen down, Kanata now had to face both opponents alone.
"Your formation has crumbled."
Zephyr's gaze shifted toward Kanata as Zen lay defeated at his feet.
Fighting Sengoku alone had already pushed her to her limits. Adding Zephyr to the equation reduced her chances of victory to nearly zero.
But even so...
"As long as I'm still standing, we haven't lost...!"
"Let's see how long that bravado lasts. I don't underestimate you. I'm coming at you with everything I've got!"
Kanata broke away from Sengoku's assault and deflected Zephyr's follow-up punch with a kick.
She closed the distance and drove an elbow into Zephyr's abdomen with her full momentum, sending him flying back.
While Kanata's spear gave her considerable reach, that didn't mean she was weak at close range. Trained under the philosophy that "the spear is an extension of one's limbs," she could fight more than adequately even unarmed.
Besides, Zephyr wasn't unscathed either. The damage Zen had dealt was definitely accumulating.
"Two against one or not, don't think you can break me so easily... Show me an opening and I'll snap your necks."
"You're a terrifying woman."
"Indeed... If we don't finish this here, she'll become an inevitable threat."
Even if she hadn't harmed civilians yet, there was no guarantee she wouldn't in the future.
In terms of raw strength alone, she was already more than threatening enough. They couldn't afford to hold back.
Sengoku and his forces knew full well that a drawn-out battle favored them over Kanata. They would methodically wear her down, tightening the noose around her throat.
Will I run out of strength first, or will reinforcements arrive... I can't count on it.
No one on their side could face Sengoku and Zephyr head-on anyway.
Zen was already down. Junxi had his hands full defending the ship. She couldn't expect their guests, Dragon and Tiger, to risk themselves.
Kanata had to overcome this alone.
Against these monsters.
Who struck first became impossible to tell.
Three shadows crossed paths almost simultaneously, and the frozen battlefield groaned under the impact.
☆
By the time Dragon realized the danger, events were already in motion.
While defeating lieutenant commanders and commanders, he looked between Feiyun and Kanata, then called out to Ivankov nearby.
"Iva! I'm going to help Kanata. You go assist Feiyun!"
"Got it, Sweetie! But Dragon, are you sure you want to draw this much attention?"
"It's too late for that now. Besides, if our comrades are in danger, we help them, right?"
"Hehe, true enough! Good luck!"
"You be careful too."
Ivankov leaped from the ship and ran along the island's coastline toward Feiyun.
Dragon descended onto the ice field Kanata had created, heading to her aid.
"I'd like to go as well, but..."
"Your opponent is me. The other commanders seem inadequate against you."
A silver-haired, handsome man with glasses stood before Junxi, sword in hand.
Multiple daggers hung from his waist. Junxi raised his spear defensively, sensing this man's Haki far surpassed the other officers. He judged him the most dangerous opponent among them.
And that judgment was absolutely correct.
"My battle stance is perfect. Come."
"Then I'll take the initiative!"
Belk dodged a series of high-speed thrusts by a hair's breadth, closing the distance despite the reach advantage and slashing at Junxi.
Beyond the formidable Haki, his pure physical strength was overwhelming.
Blocking the sword strike with his spear, Junxi was forced back several meters, unable to fully absorb the impact.
"Such weight... and he's only a commander...!"
"In a military organization like the Navy, factors like age can prevent promotion. I have no intention of losing, even against a vice admiral."
"That's quite the confidence."
But it was probably true.
Despite only fighting defensively against an Admiral, Junxi was holding his own against this man.
The fact that Belk still had reserves suggested that underestimating him would be fatal. Junxi steeled himself.
The situation looked grim. With Feiyun down, the two giant Marines she'd been facing would likely head this way soon.
Ivankov went to help Feiyun, but one person won't be enough. If there were one more...
With Zen down and Dragon rushing to aid Kanata, they were stretched thin defending the ship. They had no spare forces.
Samuel was probably heading this way, but how much help could one person provide?
Besides, surrounded as they were, escape was impossible. And there was no telling when this battle would end.
Even claiming they wouldn't retreat against Zephyr and Sengoku didn't mean Junxi believed they could win. They had to create an opportunity to escape somehow.
"Lost in thought? But against me, that's a fatal opening."
Belk tossed several daggers into the air, then struck their spinning handles, launching them toward Junxi.
Deflecting and dodging, Junxi created distance and redirected Belk's charging slash.
"Damn... No time to think!"
He could feel himself being cornered.
Unless they turned things around somewhere, defeat was inevitable.
☆
Her gigantic form released, Feiyun had returned to normal giant size.
Burns from cannon fire covered her body, with bruises and lacerations from Saul and Lonz's combined assault.
Size alone had allowed her to fight two vice admirals, but the gap in fundamental ability was too great.
"Ugh..."
"First time I've ever looked up at someone."
"Same here. The sea's a vast place."
Neither had sustained major injuries. They caught their breath before the fallen Feiyun.
She was conscious but couldn't move due to the extensive damage.
However, if she received treatment and recovered, she'd be a threat again. They needed Seastone cuffs. Both men remained there since it would take both of them to restrain her.
"Do you have Seastone?"
"It's on the ship. I've sent my subordinates to fetch it."
"I see. We've taken down the 'Giant Shadow.' Now... 'The Witch' is being handled by Admiral Zephyr and Vice Admiral Sengoku. Let's head for the ship."
"Sounds good."
With two giant vice admirals joining the fray, they could defeat the opponents currently giving them trouble.
They turned toward Kanata's ship—and a massive face filled their vision.
"Huh??"
"What... is that?"
"Mmm~ Face Spectrum!!"
Ivankov leaped high, moving their face at high speed to create afterimages.
Their eyes snapped open and locked onto Lonz.
"Galaxy... WINK!!"
Continuous explosive blasts from mere winks fired at ultra-high speed. Caught off-guard by surprise, Lonz was blown backward.
Ivankov then turned toward Saul, blinking with their giant face.
Saul didn't budge from the impact and glared at Ivankov.
"One of the 'Witch's' crew? You seem pretty strong, but I can't hold back."
"Mmm-hehe! I don't need you to hold back! I'm not here to play around either!!"
That said, Ivankov wasn't reckless enough to think they could defeat two giants. If they could just find an opening to reach Feiyun, they could revive her with the Horm-Horm Fruit's power.
Even if it meant pushing her body beyond safe limits, it was better than being captured and sent to Impel Down.
Whether aware of this or not, Saul positioned himself between Ivankov and Feiyun.
The blown-back Lonz stood up, dusting off his clothes and readjusting his iron mask.
"That hit me. But it won't work twice."
Neither man was careless or overconfident.
Though they lacked major injuries, fatigue was setting in. They understood the danger of facing a subordinate of the 'Witch' whom Zephyr himself was wary of.
Saul took his stance and stepped toward Ivankov—then suddenly defended his arm against Samuel's leaping bite attack.
"Grrrrr!!"
"A Devil Fruit user..."
Samuel's fangs could pierce a giant's thick skin, but the size difference was overwhelming. Saul swung his arm like swatting an insect, throwing Samuel off, then followed with a downward punch.
"Whoa!?"
Samuel barely dodged, rolling across the ground before shifting to his beast-man form beside Ivankov.
Without looking at Samuel, Ivankov called out to him.
"How long can you last?"
"I'm at full stamina. But if you're asking whether I can win..."
"Me too. But we have a chance. I need to get close to that girl, so will you help?"
"To Feiyun? Alright, leave it to me!"
Before any detailed explanation, Samuel charged forward, leaping at Saul.
Ivankov clutched their forehead as if getting a headache, but couldn't leave things as they were. They launched forward as well, standing before the axe-wielding Lonz.
☆
The sky split, the ice field cracked, and in the freezing air, Kanata fought Zephyr and Sengoku.
Against Sengoku alone, she could hold her own, but with Zephyr joining in, falling behind was unavoidable.
While no direct hits had landed, their relentless, methodical assault wore her body down.
"Hah... hah...!"
The sun was beginning to set.
Her limit approached. Already, she'd overtaxed her Haki to the point of exhaustion.
Though considerable time had passed since Zen's defeat, he still hadn't regained consciousness.
Even with all options seemingly exhausted, the light hadn't left Kanata's eyes. Sengoku refused to let his guard down, swinging his fist with full force to finish her.
In that instant—
"Dragon Claw Fist—Dragon's Breath!"
Sengoku's fist stopped with a thunderous crash.
The one who caught it right before Kanata's eyes was none other than Dragon.
"You alright, Kanata?"
"Barely... But I didn't expect you to come help."
"This is the best way to earn your trust, isn't it? Sharing meals, sailing together, fighting side by side—there are things you only understand through that."
"...Heh, true enough."
Dragon's gaze never left Sengoku, but he knew Kanata had smiled.
Her body was so overtaxed she could barely use Haki anymore, making movement difficult. But that didn't mean she could flee either.
Zephyr appeared from the side, his fist closing in. Just before it struck Dragon, someone emerged from beneath the ice.
"I'm here too!"
The one who caught Zephyr's punch head-on was Tiger, who had traveled through the water to reach them.
Dragon and Tiger each stood before Sengoku and Zephyr, protecting Kanata.
"How long until your Haki recovers?"
"...Against those two? About thirty minutes to get back to minimum fighting capability. But can you manage?"
"We can handle that much. Right, Tiger?"
"Yeah. We can fight pretty well ourselves."
Perhaps having bonded during their time on the ship, Dragon and Tiger both grinned as they said this.
Whether they could win remained uncertain, but they still had cards to play.
In that case—there was no reason to give up.
***
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