Amid the deafening cries and the thunder of boots, even more Marine reinforcements arrived. Dense ranks marched in from all directions, forming defensive formations across the battlefield.
The Marines launched their offensive. Muskets flared in bursts of flame. Cannoneers manned distant turrets, unleashing a storm of fire toward the three legendary pirates.
The Golden Lion sneered with contempt, rising rapidly into the air.
His eyes gleamed with sinister crimson light. With an agility that defied his age, he weaved effortlessly between the blasts, dancing through the sky like a phantom.
Bullets and shells rained down like a typhoon, tearing into the ruins of the fortress. Dust and fire shot skyward in a hellish storm.
And yet, moments later—Kaido and Big Mom stepped out from the smoke, completely unscathed.
Bullets and shells struck them only to bounce off uselessly, or merely slow their steps for a moment. None of it inflicted any real damage.
"That actually stung..."
Kaido rubbed his head as he stumbled from the rubble, wincing. His eyes narrowed, gaze locking onto Darren in the distance. But then his expression darkened, turning toward another figure, half-shrouded in smoke.
That punch just now—it had burned. Through his monstrous body, he felt it. Pain.
"You two aren’t going anywhere. Don’t even think about it."
A cold, weighty voice echoed across the field.
Zephyr stepped from the thick black smoke, the white cloak of justice billowing gently behind him. His eyes were sharp, deadly, fixed on the two pirates now blocked from Darren’s view.
"...Whether it’s his life—or his body."
Kaido looked at the immovable former admiral standing like an iron wall before him. Then he turned and sneered at Big Mom.
"Oi, crazy hag... looks old bastard wants to fight both of us."
Big Mom giggled, her voice husky and magnetic. She licked her lips.
"Mamamama~ Well, I suppose there’s no helping it, Kaido... it has been a while since we teamed up."
"I’d love to just carry Darren away, but... it seems that’s not an option right now."
She lifted her gaze toward the purple-haired Marine, smirking in mockery.
"Are you sure, retired Admiral Zephyr? You really think you can stop both of us?"
Zephyr’s gaze hardened as he looked at the two monsters standing side by side.
Kaido and Big Mom—beasts with bodies like fortresses. Even the Marines’ full firepower was barely a nuisance to them.
From their brief clash earlier, Zephyr could already tell: even Marine Vice Admirals would struggle to pierce their defenses.
If these two beasts broke through into the Marine ranks—or worse, the civilian zone—it would be a massacre. No one could stop them. Marineford would drown in blood.
Zephyr couldn’t let that happen.
And more importantly...
He knew he’d be at a disadvantage against the Golden Lion.
Sure, all three of them could fly—but compared to Kaido and Big Mom’s "brute force" flight, Shiki’s aerial agility was far superior.
If it came to close-quarters combat, Zephyr was confident he could bring Shiki down.
But Shiki was sly. He wouldn’t let him get that close.
So instead—he would lock down Kaido and Big Mom himself... and leave Shiki to Darren’s group.
After all, Darren and Borsalino could both fly at high speeds. With Sakazuki’s overwhelming offense and Kuzan’s control, they could stop the Golden Lion.
"Kaido of the Beasts... Charlotte Linlin, Big Mom... if I’m not mistaken, you’re both leftovers from the Rocks Pirates, aren’t you?"
Zephyr muttered, his voice low.
The two froze, then chuckled coldly.
"That’s right—but you weren’t there for the God Valley War, were you?"
Zephyr pulled a cigar from his uniform, lit it, and bit down.
"No... I wasn’t there."
He looked down at his worn, calloused hands—the lines faded by time—and took a deep drag.
Then, after a moment’s silence, he grinned.
"I was never a hero."
"But at the very least..."
He drew in a breath and raised his head high.
And then—under the startled eyes of Kaido and Big Mom—his aura began to rise.
Higher and higher. Fierce. Proud.
"I swear on my life—I will stop you here today!!"
The moment that resolve formed, Zephyr’s eyes blazed with ironclad will.
Jet-black Armament Haki coated his arms like steel. He rolled his wrists and neck, bones crackling like firecrackers.
"As for taking on both of you..."
He grinned, feral and reckless.
"How would I know I can’t—if I never try?"
His boots sank deep into the ground.
And in the instant he pushed off—
The earth around him collapsed, a hundred meters in every direction torn asunder. Rock and soil exploded upward like a fountain.
Zephyr lunged like an unleashed beast, the cigar clamped between his teeth curling smoke as his mouth stretched into a wild grin.
He charged Kaido and Big Mom like a meteor.
Kaido tensed, gripping his kanabo. For a split second, even he felt nervous.
This man—this "retired old dog"—no longer carried any of the decay of age. Only unstoppable confidence.
"Mamamama! Then let’s begin!!"
Big Mom cackled, smacking an incoming shell aside as it exploded beside her.
She threw her arms wide.
Countless pale-white souls burst from her body, screaming in agony as they howled across the battlefield in a chill wind.
"I grant you souls—Arise, my servants!!"
Her voice rang out like a banshee wail. The air itself seemed to warp from the force of her sound.
The souls scattered—into the ground, into stones, into cannon wreckage and broken buildings.
The impossible happened.
One by one, lifeless objects began to move. Infused with her power, they sprang to life—twisted, monstrous forms that stomped the earth in unison.
Hundreds... thousands...
They surged toward the Marine lines in a terrifying tide.
"Bring me my husband!!"
Big Mom shrieked, laughing wildly. She gripped her massive sword—Napoleon—and charged beside Kaido.
The three collided like stars falling to earth.
And the entire island...