A light drizzle began to fall from the gloomy sky. Outside the waters of Totto Land, Flower Island had long been shattered into pieces by the fierce battle between Allen and Big Mom.
A flash of lightning suddenly illuminated the sky, followed by a deafening roar of thunder. A thunderbolt containing terrifying energy crashed down from the heavens!
*Rumble!!*
"Blackwater!!"
Allen shouted in a low voice, spreading his fingers toward the lightning strike as black mist swirled in his palm.
Under the gravitational pull of darkness, not even light could escape. The lightning strike was no exception; it vanished into Allen's palm without a trace, swallowed clean in the blink of an eye.
Big Mom stood mid-air atop the thundercloud Zeus, glaring viciously down at Allen.
She was empty-handed. Aside from Prometheus earlier, even her Emperor Sword, Napoleon, had been sucked into the dark space by Allen during the ensuing battle.
Allen looked up at the sky. He bent his knees into a half-crouch to gather power, raised his pitch-black wings, and with a powerful flap, launched himself upward at breakneck speed!
Seeing him fly up, the anger on Big Mom's face intensified.
"You relentless little brat! Why won't you just die?!"
Big Mom roared through gritted teeth. She clenched her fist tightly, wrapping her thick wrist in pitch-black Armament Haki, and brought her massive fist smashing down!
A red glint flashed in Allen's eyes. His Observation Haki had already predicted the trajectory of Big Mom's attack. The moment she threw her punch, he flapped his wings and instantly shifted his body to the side.
Evading the strike and arriving right in front of Big Mom, Allen raised his arm—already coated in a layer of pitch-black Armament Haki—and drove his fist fiercely into her large, fleshy face!
*Bang!!*
The punch landed solidly! The Haki on his fist erupted, piercing through her Iron Balloon physique to wreak havoc inside her body!
"Blergh—!!"
Big Mom opened her mouth in agony, spraying fresh blood into the air.
"You damn brat!!"
She gritted her teeth, forcefully halting her body's backward momentum. Glaring viciously at Allen, she raised her thick arm and threw another punch!
Allen slapped his large hand downward, twisting his wrist with extreme finesse. Pressing against Big Mom's fist, he used the momentum to perform a forward flip in mid-air, turning his heel into a battleaxe that chopped heavily toward her face!
"Haa!!"
*Bang!!*
The impact of this kick perfectly overlapped with the spot he had just punched. The Haki, utilizing the Internal Destruction technique, erupted once again, instantly caving Big Mom's large nose right into her face!
Flames ignited across Allen's body. Kicking off Big Mom's face, his body spun rapidly several times like a flaming top.
"Flame Emperor!!"
Allen bellowed. Riding the centrifugal force, he brought up his fist, wreathed in explosive flames, and smashed it forward!
*Bang—Boom!!!*
Another full-power punch slammed into Big Mom's face! The flames erupted fiercely, instantly swallowing her massive body!
This punch sent Big Mom flying straight off the thundercloud Zeus, plummeting diagonally toward the sea.
"Mama!!"
Zeus cried out in panic, hurriedly turning around to dive down and catch Big Mom.
However.
"Blackwater!!"
A powerful gravitational pull suddenly acted upon it, sending the entire thundercloud flying backward uncontrollably.
Zeus whipped around and, sure enough, saw Allen aiming his palm at it, releasing a massive amount of black mist.
"W-Wait! Hold on, please! I don't want to die yet!"
Zeus struggled desperately, screaming in terror. Thinking of the fates that had befallen Prometheus and Napoleon, it immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
Yet, no matter how much it struggled, it couldn't break free from the darkness's gravity in the slightest. It soon fell into Allen's palm, slowly being sucked into the dark space by the black mist.
"Zeus!!"
Seeing this, the falling Big Mom shouted. Looking at the sea below, her eyes widened in panic.
Three Homies created from her own soul fragments had been absorbed one after another. If she fell into the sea now, she would truly be finished!
In this moment of crisis, Big Mom reacted quickly. She curled her fingers and clawed at her own body, ripping out a glowing white orb of light from within!
"Boundless and vast sea! I hereby bestow my soul upon you! Come! Eat it!"
Big Mom roared with a savage grin, flicking her wrist to throw the orb of soul energy in her palm down toward the ocean surface!
The moment it touched the seawater, the soul energy submerged and vanished without a trace.
The next second.
"Ahahaha! That was absolutely delicious!"
An arrogant laugh echoed from the water. The sea suddenly grew turbulent as seawater within a radius of several hundred meters surged toward the center, rising into a solid pillar of water that caught Big Mom's body.
"Mamamama! Beautifully done. From now on, I'll call you Poseidon."
Big Mom laughed, pushing herself up from the water's surface to stand.
Then, the water pillar beneath her feet detached from the sea, slowly condensing into a sphere of water. Eyes and a mouth appeared on the surface of the sphere as it grinned:
"Poseidon, hahaha, I like that name, Mama. Poseidon is at your command."
"Mamamama! Excellent. Now then, show me your power, Poseidon."
Big Mom's expression shifted to fury. She glared up at the sky where Allen had just absorbed Zeus into his palm, and slapped her large hand down onto Poseidon!
*Smack!!*
"Roaring Wave Taiko!!"
Big Mom bellowed. Beneath her feet, Poseidon expanded to over twenty meters in diameter. Its anthropomorphic cheeks puffed up as it continuously spat out water cannons from its mouth!
The water spheres were four to five meters in diameter, each weighing hundreds of tons, blasting out at extreme speeds like cannonballs!
Having finished absorbing Zeus, Allen waved his hand to dispel the black mist in his palm. Facing the water cannons flying toward him with crushing momentum, his face remained completely unfazed.
A red light flashed in the depths of his eyes. The flight trajectories of every single water cannon mapped themselves in his mind. Flapping his black wings, he dove straight down toward Big Mom!
Poseidon continuously fired water cannons, adjusting its aim to track Allen's position like an anti-aircraft gun.
Every water cannon that missed and hit the sea blasted a massive crater over a dozen meters wide into the water's surface.
Allen's movements were as swift as the wind, constantly dodging through the barrage of heavy water shells. In the blink of an eye, he slipped through the dense attack and descended upon the sea!
"Abyssal Isonade Great Incarnation!!"
Big Mom roared furiously, her soul resonating with the Homie. Poseidon's size rapidly expanded, its body spreading outward like a tsunami!
Seeing the surging blue wall of water rushing toward him, Allen flapped his wings and hurriedly halted his forward momentum.
Although it had been turned into a Homie, its body was still composed of seawater. Not daring to make direct contact, Allen quickly flew backward to retreat.
Within a few breaths, Poseidon completely transformed into an aqua-blue sea monster resembling a giant shark, measuring over a hundred meters in length.
The Isonade had a ferocious visage, its upper half floating above the sea. Its back was covered in numerous jagged fins and spikes, with currents of water surging across its surface.
"Tear him to shreds!!"
Big Mom shouted angrily from atop the Isonade's head. The giant water-shark swam forward, opening its cavernous maw as it charged at Allen with incredible speed!
Allen's gaze grew solemn. Blackwater couldn't absorb such a massive, wide-range attack in a short amount of time.
Physical combat was also useless against a behemoth made of fluid. After all, the opponent was just a mass of water; punches wouldn't deal any damage.
As he flew backward, Allen's mind raced. Suddenly thinking of something, he began to rapidly transform his body.
Allen arched his back as his body continuously expanded and grew larger. Crimson scales, pterosaur wings, fangs, and sharp claws emerged.
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a red Ember Dragon, also over a hundred meters long, with flames spilling from its jaws.
Allen flapped his wings, elevating his massive body slightly higher above the sea. He raised his dragon head, gathering magma energy within his chest cavity.
*Splash!*
The giant shark sea monster burst out of the water! Its terrifying jaws clamped down hard on one of Allen's legs, tearing at it as it tried to drag him down into the sea.
Right at that moment.
Allen lowered his head and fiercely erupted a torrent of blazing magma from his mouth directly onto the giant shark's head!!
*Boom!!!*
Big Mom's eyes widened in horror, watching helplessly as the terrifyingly high-temperature magma swallowed her whole!
*Sizzle—!!*
The scorching magma and the freezing seawater collided. Poseidon, in its giant shark form, let out an agonizing wail as its body instantly collapsed.
As extreme heat met cold, massive amounts of scalding white steam billowed out, rapidly spreading across the ocean surface!
*Whoosh—!!*
The giant dragon broke free from the steam, a few wisps of black mist wrapping around its bleeding leg to heal the wound.
Allen's golden slit-pupils stared downward. He raised his wings, kicking up a hurricane that blew away the thick steam blanketing the sea.
"Ocean Might: Abyssal Twin Sal Trees!!"
The moment the steam parted, two massive water pillars, each a hundred meters in diameter, suddenly rose from within. The tops of the thick pillars bloomed with countless branches like the crowns of trees.
Looking closely, those thousands of branches were actually sharp water arrows condensed from high-density seawater!
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
The densely packed, high-pressure water arrows tore through the air, emitting ear-piercing shrieks as they blasted out at supersonic speeds!
Immediately after launching this attack, Big Mom turned around, steering Poseidon to carry her swiftly away from the battlefield.
"Let's go, Poseidon! Find me a place to heal first!"
Big Mom gritted her teeth, her expression furious and gloomy.
Underestimating her opponent at the start had resulted in significant injuries, but that didn't mean she was afraid of Allen.
It was just that with Zeus, Prometheus, and Napoleon successively absorbed, continuing the fight would only put her at a greater disadvantage.
She needed to find an opportunity to heal first, then create new Homies to replace Zeus and Prometheus to restore her combat power.
"Souls! I need more souls! Head that way, Poseidon!"
Big Mom shouted in a deep voice, grabbing a cluster of souls and injecting them into her broken bones and torn skin to force them to automatically repair themselves.
Her gaze locked onto a forest-covered island in the distance. Her Observation Haki had already sensed a multitude of souls present there.
A ruthless glint flashed in Big Mom's eyes.
Beneath her feet, Poseidon sped across the sea, dragging a long white line of wake behind it.
Allen withstood the barrage of high-pressure water arrows. The dragon scales on his body were shattered in several places, leaving bloody, mangled flesh, but wisps of black mist emerged to cover and heal the wounds.
He deactivated his giant dragon form and reverted to his human shape, retaining only the burly physique of the Buccaneer Tribe and some physical traits of the Lunarian Tribe.
Watching Big Mom gradually distance herself, Allen flapped his black wings to accelerate his pursuit, a hint of solemnity appearing in his eyes.
Every Emperor of the Sea was an undeniable monster.
Although he was confident that his own strength had reached this level, he didn't believe taking down an Emperor was something that could be done in a short amount of time.
If they fell into a stalemate, he and Big Mom could easily fight for eight or ten days. He would be fine, but Sanji and the others would be in trouble. Facing Totto Land's endless army, they would definitely be overwhelmed very quickly.
Right now, his fleet was deep within Totto Land's waters. A full retreat was practically impossible.
Unless they willingly sacrificed a portion of the fleet, they wouldn't be able to break through the encirclement of the endless army.
Of course, there was another path: he could quickly defeat Big Mom and then lead everyone to completely conquer Totto Land!
As for whether it was possible for him to lose...
That was out of the question.
Big Mom's offensive methods relied almost entirely on her Homies, and the vast majority of Homie attacks were countered by the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Although Big Mom's Iron Balloon physique was incredibly tough, his Internal Destruction Armament Haki practically bypassed her defenses. As for her terrifying strength that surpassed even giants...
As long as she couldn't hit him, no amount of strength mattered. Allen's Observation Haki was a step above Big Mom's, and his physical combat skills completely outclassed hers in every aspect.
Under these circumstances, Allen taking down Big Mom was only a matter of time. He couldn't even imagine how careless he would have to be to actually lose.
Inside the Seducing Woods, the thousands of elites from the Fourth Fleet led by Sanji were engaged in a bloody battle against the Homie army led by Katakuri and the Charlotte Family.
Suddenly, a fierce gale whipped up above the forest. Dark clouds surged wildly, as if even the sky itself had grown enraged.
Sanji and Katakuri clashed with fists and kicks. After a single exchange, they quickly separated and simultaneously looked up.
*Whoosh!!*
A massive water pillar streaked across the sky. Covered in wounds and looking somewhat disheveled, Big Mom rode atop the pillar, descending imperiously over the Seducing Woods!
"Big Mom! Why is she here?!"
"Mama?!"
Sanji and Katakuri voiced their shock at the same time. The fiercely battling crowd all stopped their movements and looked up.
Before anyone could process why Big Mom had appeared here, a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki suddenly erupted from her body!
*Boom!!!*
"Life or Dead!!"
Big Mom glared down with a ferocious expression. The shockwave of her Conqueror's Haki swept through the entire forest, infused with the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit, combining with her Haki to terrify every living creature present!
The fierce winds raged, bending the surrounding trees. Dark red lightning faintly crackled as an overwhelming, oppressive sense of dread rapidly spread through everyone's hearts.
Out of everyone present, only Sanji and Katakuri managed to successfully resist this Conqueror's Haki pressure combined with soul intimidation!
However, Katakuri's expression was far from pleasant. He clenched his fists tightly, his face so dark it was almost twisted.
"This technique...!"
"Could it be! Soul Pocus!!"
"Wait, Mama! We're on your side!"
Realizing Big Mom's intentions, countless pleas for mercy and wails of despair instantly erupted across the battlefield.
Most of them came from the Homies, but there were also several Charlotte Family members who had been terrified by the mental shock.
"What's going on?! What's happening to them?!"
"Uwaah! My soul!"
"Hey! What the hell is going on?!"
Soon, souls were extracted from people's bodies one by one, including Ideo and his crew who were present.
Watching their souls being pulled from their bodies, looks of sheer terror appeared on the faces of all the pirates!
"Stop it, Mama!!"
Katakuri practically roared, "Oven and the others are still here! Are you going to kill them all?!"
"Shut up, Katakuri! I'm only taking half their lifespans! Once the battle is over, I'll naturally return their souls to them!"
Big Mom glared at him furiously, shouting with a savage expression, completely ignoring the screams of her own flesh and blood.
Whether human or Homie, the souls of everyone present were extracted, converging toward Big Mom's body from all directions.
"Ah!!"
Suddenly, an agonized scream rang out from behind.
Katakuri whipped his head around, only to see a girl with twin-tails collapsing to her knees in pain, her face deathly pale and extremely weak!
"Pudding!!"