Kaido remained silent for a moment before suddenly charging straight toward Big Mom.
Sakazuki secretly let out a sigh of relief when he saw this.
Even if it were him in that position, he would have immediately joined forces with Big Mom to counter those shockingly powerful clones instead of coming to rescue him.
However, Sakazuki never expected that after Kaido went to join Big Mom, Mon, who had been fighting Kaido, did not follow him but instead rushed straight toward Sakazuki.
"No one can save you, Sakazuki!"
Reddy quickly assessed the situation and was very satisfied.
Kuzan alone was holding off four clones. Although he was at a disadvantage, he firmly kept the four restrained and had no energy left to support Sakazuki.
On Sakazuki's side, Pyo and Shadow had already gained the upper hand through their coordinated attacks.
Now, with Mon joining the fight... Reddy couldn't even imagine any possibility of Sakazuki escaping.
As for Kaido and Big Mom's genetic samples, he no longer cared.
Since high-tier combat power was still insufficient, he would just create a few more clones and directly attack Onigashima and Whole Cake Island later.
Sakazuki and Kuzan's Devil Fruit abilities and genes were also excellent materials.
"Killing me won't be that easy!"
Sakazuki had successfully persuaded Kaido to join forces, increasing their chances of victory. He immediately unleashed a burst of power, forcing Pyo and Shadow back.
At the same time, Kuzan also erupted.
An intense wave of cold spread out.
Control and the other four clones had their feet frozen, temporarily losing mobility.
Kuzan, while restraining four clones, activated his Devil Fruit ability again and launched a high-speed ice ball.
Mon had no time to dodge and could only take the hit.
The ice ball struck its target, instantly freezing Mon solid.
Kuzan, while simultaneously restraining five clones, pushed his Devil Fruit ability to the limit, continuously injecting massive amounts of cold energy to reinforce the ice sealing the five clones.
Cracks sounded one after another.
Every time Control and the other clones shattered the ice, they were immediately refrozen by a surge of cold energy.
Kuzan's shining moment even made Reddy take notice.
Meanwhile, Sakazuki, with Kuzan's support, only had to face two clones. With his full power unleashed, he actually managed to reverse the situation, briefly suppressing Pyo and Shadow.
"Linlin, let's team up!"
Kaido had already regrouped with Big Mom, swinging his Hassaikai, wrapped in black lightning, toward Ray 1.
"MAMAMAMA... You came just in time, Kaido!"
Big Mom, relying on her nearly impenetrable Iron Balloon defense, hadn't suffered much damage. However, this was a humiliation to her, and she had long been seething with anger.
With Kaido taking on one clone, she grinned savagely and swung Napoleon toward Ray 2.
At this point, Ray 1 and Ray 2 had already received Reddy's orders, and their fighting style abruptly changed. They avoided direct confrontations with the two Emperors, focusing solely on harassment.
With their power levels not too far apart, even the Emperors found it difficult to suppress a clone.
Though the two clones lacked Devil Fruit abilities or named swords, they had shadows of CP9 members implanted in them, granting them mastery of the Six Powers.
Whether it was Soru or Geppo, their mobility had greatly increased.
Kaido or Big Mom alone could defeat one clone, but with Ray 1 and Ray 2 purely evading, no amount of power mattered if they couldn't land a hit.
At this moment, both sides were fighting desperately, trying to seize the advantage.
If Kaido and Big Mom defeated Ray 1 and Ray 2 first, they could break away to support Sakazuki.
Three Emperor/Admiral-level monsters fighting two clones would almost certainly end in victory.
Once Pyo and Shadow were defeated, the three monsters could immediately assist Kuzan, who was struggling to hold on.
Like an avalanche, a single weak point could lead to total collapse.
Kaido and Big Mom saw this.
Sakazuki and Kuzan saw this.
And Reddy saw it too.
Even Jinbe and the others watching the final battle from afar held their breaths, silently waiting for the outcome.
"The key now is whether those two clones can defeat Akainu first!"
Jinbe didn't pay attention to the two Emperors' battle, keeping his eyes fixed on Sakazuki's side.
Fights between top-tier fighters wouldn't end quickly.
But Sakazuki was clearly in his final struggle. Once that last burst of energy ran out, defeat was inevitable!
"Kuzan... It seems he will be the next Admiral."
Crocodile had been watching Kuzan the whole time, his expression shifting unpredictably. No one knew what he was thinking.
Sakazuki was indeed in his final struggle.
After a brief burst of power suppressed Pyo and Shadow, he was soon overwhelmed again by the two clones.
Frequent bursts had drained too much of his stamina.
Meanwhile, Pyo and Shadow had been conserving energy while forcing Sakazuki to expend more of his.
At this point, Reddy also stopped shooting, signaling the Maid to revert to her original form.
The next moment.
A door opened in the air.
Reddy stepped inside with the Maid.
The door soon vanished.
The closer they got to the final stage, the more cautious Reddy became.
He didn't care about appearances. Once the clones started gaining the upper hand, he had already summoned one of Mon's clones to his side, ensuring no one could attempt a decapitation strike.
"The outcome is decided!"
Jinbe and the others saw Reddy disappear into the door and relaxed.
At this point, no one believed Reddy could still lose this war.
Just then, Sakazuki's final burst ended, and Pyo seized the opportunity to punch him into the ground.
The sword Yuki Yukino followed like a shadow, about to pin Sakazuki to the ground.
But at that moment, a mirror suddenly appeared in the air nearby.
A mass of mochi shot out from the mirror, restraining Shadow.
"Don't resist!"
Katakuri extended another mochi arm, wrapping it around Sakazuki and yanking him back into the mirror.
Sakazuki's face darkened, but he didn't resist, allowing Katakuri to pull him into the mirror.
Resisting meant staying behind with no hope of survival.
Accepting meant he at least wasn't afraid of Kaido or Big Mom, especially with Kuzan by his side.
The choice was obvious.
A second later.
The mirror vanished.
It reappeared behind Kuzan.
"Get in!"
Kuzan, barely holding off five clones, was clearly at a disadvantage, but the situation had improved somewhat.
Hearing Katakuri's shout, he didn't hesitate before retreating into the mirror.
The mirror vanished again.
This time, it appeared near Kaido and Big Mom.
"Mom, he has too many men."
Katakuri only needed one sentence to calm Big Mom's rage.
"Mr. Kaido, we underestimated them this time."
His next sentence convinced Kaido as well.
"Let's retreat for now, Linlin."
Kaido also knew Katakuri's decision was correct. After knocking Ray 2 back with his club, he was the first to step into the mirror.
"I won't give up on you, Dr. Reddy!"
Big Mom left behind a threat before slashing at Ray 1 and retreating into the mirror with Zeus and Prometheus.
The mirror then disappeared.
Katakuri's sudden interference caught everyone, including Reddy, off guard.
By the time they realized what was happening, Katakuri had already completed the rescue.
Reddy remained silent for a long time before suddenly smiling.
"I got too arrogant. When Sakazuki proposed teaming up with Kaido, I should have realized they could use the Mirror-Mirror Fruit to escape."
"We'll meet again!"
"Next time, I will capture all of you alive!"
"But for now, it's time to harvest the fruits of victory!"