Far out at sea—
An inferno of roaring flames and smoke filled the skies.
"Ahhh!"
From within the blaze, a figure was blasted backward.
A shadowy, battered figure flew back over a hundred meters and crashed onto the deck of the Beasts Pirates' warship.
"Sanji!!!"
"Sanji, are you okay?!"
Nami and Usopp shouted in panic.
Chopper, the Straw Hat ship's doctor, immediately rushed over with a first aid kit.
"That was a Marine admiral, after all... we were reckless to think we could handle him head-on!"
Bepo, the white bear mink, said weakly.
"No doubt about it... I felt like my whole body was about to shatter!"
Sanji coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Sanji, don't move! I'll treat you right now!"
Chopper said anxiously.
"No need... it's just a few broken bones."
Sanji waved him off.
Thanks to the awakening of his Lineage Factor, Sanji had become a monster among monsters within the Straw Hats.
No matter how severe the injury, he could recover in no time.
"But still—"
"Don't worry about him, Chopper. That curly-brow freak isn't even human anymore," Zoro muttered.
"What did you say?! Cough cough..."
Sanji growled as he forced himself to stand and bicker back with Zoro.
As they argued, the sound of bones popping and realigning echoed from within Sanji's body.
In moments, his injuries began to fully heal.
"So this is what they call a perfected Germa soldier at the peak of evolution... Even as an ally, I'll never become a fan of that evil army," Trafalgar Law declared with a grim expression.
"Captain, now's not the time for that... the Marine Admiral is coming this way!"
Bepo warned nervously, pacing in panic.
"No need to rush. Let's stick to the plan. Time to make the sea itself rage."
Law remained calm, his face composed from start to finish.
---
Meanwhile—
On the Marine guerrilla submarine a few hundred meters away, the aftershocks of Sanji's Ifrit Jambe and Zephyr's Crush Bunt slowly subsided.
The massive submarine's deck had been torn apart, jagged and melted in places.
At the center of it all stood former admiral Zephyr, unmoved.
But the Battle Smasher—his massive mechanical arm—showed clear signs of damage.
"Who the hell was that guy just now?!"
"To fight Zephyr-sensei to a standstill—who is he?!"
Binz, the green-haired user of the Mosa Mosa Fruit, shouted in disbelief.
"Zephyr-sensei, are you alright?!"
The blue-haired girl Ain rushed forward, visibly worried.
"Don't underestimate your old teacher. But... he got away. That part's on me."
Zephyr shook his head.
He hadn't expected that Sanji could unleash such explosive speed and retreat so cleanly at the last second.
But rather than anger him, it only made Zephyr more intrigued.
He wanted to know—
Who else was hiding on that Beasts Pirates warship?
Thinking that, Zephyr took a step forward, preparing to storm the enemy ship.
But suddenly—
The air was cut by a terrifying wave of sword aura.
The black-stockinged girl, Ain, turned her head sharply—
her gaze locking on the Beasts Pirates' ship several hundred meters away.
"A swordmaster?! Just who are the people on that ship?!"
---
"Santōryū..."
At the edge of the Beasts Pirates' warship, Zoro unsheathed his three swords.
With dense, inky-black Busoshoku Haki, he coated Wado Ichimonji, the black blade Enma, and Sandai Kitetsu in obsidian gloss.
A terrifying sword aura surged forth, splitting the very clouds above without a sound.
"1080 Pound Phoenix!!!"
Zoro slashed.
Three waves of cutting force spiraled from his blades.
They merged midair into a single devastating shockwave.
Back during the Dressrosa Arc, Zoro had used this attack to slice giant Pica with ease.
Now—after the Wano War—
this technique had become even stronger.
From hundreds of meters away, his strike could easily cut through a warship.
Zephyr had no choice but to defend.
He didn't use his damaged right arm. Instead—
He clenched his left hand into a fist.
Coating it in powerful Black Arm Haki, he prepared to shatter Zoro's shockwave with a single punch.
But a moment later—
Everything changed.
Before Zephyr's Black Arm could land—
Zoro's 1080 Pound Phoenix suddenly dipped low—
It didn't strike the submarine.
Instead, it hit the sea.
BOOM!
It blasted a deep crater in the ocean.
"Room!"
Back on the Beasts Pirates' ship, Trafalgar Law raised his hand.
His surgical Room expanded, enveloping Zephyr and the surrounding several hundred meters.
"Baton!"
With a twist of his right hand, Law caused the sea itself to spin—
centering around the shockwave crater left by Zoro.
A massive whirlpool formed.
It dragged all three of the Marine guerrilla submarines into its vortex.
"Let the storm rage harder!"
Nami had finished preparing her "Weather Magic."
With no warning, violent wind and rain poured down—
Making things even worse for Zephyr and the Marines.
---
Elsewhere—
The downpour had also greatly weakened Cracker's biscuit soldiers.
What once required Luffy's Gear 4 to break through—
now softened across the board.
"Hahaha! Even the weather's on our side!"
Eustass Kid grinned wide.
"Damn it! I have no grudge with you—why are you targeting me?!"
Cracker, soaked and exhausted, shouted.
His confidence was gone.
The storm was crippling his abilities.
He couldn't block Kid's onslaught anymore.
Even his real body had been forced out.
"And you call yourself a commander of the Yonko? How naive."
"Pirates don't need a reason to kill each other!"
Kid raised his iron arm with a sneer.
"Kid! End it quickly—we don't have time to waste!"
Killer urged from the side.
Kid didn't argue.
A giant metal fist loomed in the sky and smashed down on Cracker's exposed form.
"Roll Pretzel!"
Cracker gritted his teeth and raised his swords.
BOOM!
His biscuit ship exploded.
---
Back on the candy warship—
"I remember you."
Straw Hat Luffy emerged from the ship's cabin with arms full of cake and meat.
His eyes locked onto Perospero.
"What did you just say?! Put that cake down now! That's not something a brat like you should touch!"
Perospero shouted, furious.
"Even though that event hasn't happened yet... I still remember it."
"You're the one who hurt Pedro... and for that, I'm gonna punch you."
Luffy said, determined.
"Hah?!"
Perospero couldn't understand his words at all.
But an overwhelming sense of danger surged through his instincts.
Without hesitation, he erected multiple candy walls as defense.
But at that moment—
Luffy's right arm stretched out a hundred meters—
His fist wrapped in blazing Armament Haki.
Fwoosh!
Flames burst from his fist, evaporating the rain around him.
"Fire Fist — RED HAWK!!!"
BOOM!
The blazing Gomu Gomu Red Hawk pierced straight through the candy walls—
And landed squarely in Perospero's stomach.
One hit.
Perospero—defeated!
"Luffy, come back now!"
Yamato (Post-Timeskip) called out.
"Mm!"
Luffy nodded cheerfully and returned with both Yamatos to the warship.
Franky and Brook followed close behind.
"Room."
Law extended his ability once more and swapped all the remaining food from the other ships aboard theirs.
Finally—
With Captain Eustass Kid back aboard—
The full crew was reunited.
"Alright, everyone! Ready yourselves!"
Helmsman Jinbe smiled.
"YAAAHHHHHHH!!"
The whole crew roared together.