"NO!!!"
Charlotte Opera's scream echoed through the ruins of the Whole Cake Chateau.
He had seen it. The lightning and fire piercing his mother's chest. The fall of the Emperor.
He grabbed a Transponder Snail, his voice trembling with despair.
"Mama... Mama has been killed!"
The news spread like a virus across Totto Land.
The invincible Big Mom was dead.
Panic erupted. Without their Emperor, the Big Mom Pirates were just a collection of frightened children.
"Hold your positions!" Charlotte Mont-d'Or roared into the network. "We must avenge Mama! Anyone who flees will be executed!"
He was trying to hold the crumbling empire together. Even without Mama, they still had their fleet. They still had their territory. If they let these intruders escape, the World Government would crush them.
"Stop them! Don't let Straw Hat leave!"
On the coast, Luffy and Sanji were running for their lives.
"Nami-san! Robin-chan! I'll protect you!" Sanji shouted, kicking a chess soldier into oblivion.
But there were too many enemies.
Suddenly, a shadow passed overhead.
"Don't be afraid, big sister! Klee is here to help! Jumpy Dumpty!"
BOOM!
A rain of bombs fell from the sky, clearing a path of fire through the enemy lines.
"It's that little girl!" Nami gasped. "She's saving us!"
"Run!"
They sprinted towards the coast, where The Alcor was waiting.
Mona stood on the deck, waving. "Over here! I'll get you out!"
"But... what about the others?" Nami asked, looking back at the burning chateau. "Rosalyne and the others are still inside!"
"Don't worry," Mona smiled. "They'll leave on their own once the mission is done. Protecting you is the priority."
Luffy sat down on the sand, stubborn. "No! They saved us! I can't leave them!"
Mona laughed. "Luffy, trust me. They have their own way. Just get on the boat."
Pedro grabbed Luffy's arm. "We have to go! This is our only chance!"
Reluctantly, Luffy boarded The Alcor.
The ship roared to life, its rune engines propelling it away from the island at incredible speed.
Behind them, the Big Mom Pirates fired their cannons, but the shells fell harmlessly into the sea, unable to match The Alcor's speed.
"Damn it... they're getting away!"
"Forget them," a pirate muttered. "Mama is dead. We need to worry about ourselves."
The alliance was crumbling. Without fear of Big Mom, loyalty was evaporating.
But the escape wasn't over yet.
Ahead, a fleet of submarines surfaced, blocking the path to the Thousand Sunny.
Mont-d'Or stood on the deck of the lead sub, grinning viciously. "You think you can leave? I've planted bombs on your ship! Surrender, or I blow it up!"
"What?!" Chopper screamed. "The Sunny!"
Luffy gritted his teeth. "Bastards..."
If they attacked, the ship would be destroyed. It was a checkmate.
"Please!" Nami begged Mona. "Help us! You're strong!"
"Relax," a cool voice drifted over the water. "Someone is already handling it."
Swish.
A spear of pure ice pierced the ocean surface.
CRACK.
In an instant, the sea froze. The submarines were encased in ice, their engines dying. The Thousand Sunny was gently held in a cradle of frost, the bombs frozen solid and inert.
Mont-d'Or stared in horror. "Aokiji?"
No.
A woman with long white hair descended from the sky, landing lightly on the ice. The Calamity Queller in her hand hummed with cold power.
Shenhe.
"Fire!" Mont-d'Or screamed.
But his soldiers couldn't move. They were already statues of ice.
Shenhe pointed her spear. A beam of cold light pierced Mont-d'Or's chest before he could even activate his Book-Book Fruit.
He fell, frozen mid-scream.
"So strong..." Luffy whispered, stars in his eyes. "Is she stronger than Beidou?"
"Yes," Mona said simply. "Shenhe is... specialized."
Nami and the others were stunned. To think there were so many monsters in that group.
They boarded the Thousand Sunny, checking for damage. Thanks to Shenhe's control, the ship was fine.
"We're clear," Jinbe said, taking the helm. "Let's go!"
As they sailed away from Totto Land, the mood was heavy. They had survived, but only because they were saved.
"Captain," Jinbe said solemnly. "The New World is terrifying. We are not ready."
Luffy nodded, his face serious. "Yeah. I need to get stronger. Much stronger."
He looked back at the receding island, where the lightning and fire of the Liyue team still raged.
"One day," he vowed. "I'll be that strong."
On the deck of The Alcor, Jean landed, her storage bracelet full.
"How was the haul?" Shenhe asked.
"Nine islands stripped bare," Jean said with a satisfied smile. "And Keqing took the rest. Mondstadt won't be poor for a long time."
"Good. Mission complete."
The group vanished in a flash of light, leaving a ruined kingdom and a changed world behind them.
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