The skull-shaped island, with its towering horns, was split in two straight down the middle. Shattered along with this island was Queen's body armor.
A large amount of blood sprayed from his wounds. Amidst the violent tremors, large amounts of rubble and building ruins collapsed. Queen fell with them toward the ground below.
"Alala~, did you eat it?" Her small, smooth feet lightly stepping on the thorns formed of darkness, Leviathan pulled down her raincoat hood, her gaze looking toward the lower level of Onigashima.
The ground before her, turned into mochi balls, shaped itself into four or five drill heads. Coated in a gloomy blue Armament Haki, they spun at high speed and violently crashed into the almost net-like, hanging thorns.
After tearing open a passage, they led the several Charlotte Family's officers out of the blockade of darkness.
Katakuri, also very skilled in Observation Haki perception, sensed the brutal aura at the very bottom, as well as the burning black horse bathed in raging flames.
At this moment, its flame-like, crimson red mane and tail hair fluttered in the wind. It raised its head, which was nearly half as big as Katakuri's entire body. Its nightmare-like gaze stabbed people's eyes, causing burning pain, hard to look at directly.
"What... is that?"
Katakuri's voice was hoarse. His pupils trembled as he avoided looking directly at the monster.
"Mythical Zoan-type, Uma Uma no Mi, Model: Nightmare Form."
Leviathan's voice was like water, supple and calm as it sounded behind Katakuri. "Pretty good, isn't it? Our new recruit."
That posture, that tone, and her actions.
All of it left this Sweet Commander, the leader of the four, who had absolute confidence in his Observation Haki, utterly shocked.
Why...
"Why it can avoid your Observation Haki, is that it?" Leviathan spoke Katakuri's words before he could open his mouth.
"You've also mastered future-seeing Observation Haki! Mochi Singing Result!"
Katakuri's eyes flashed red. His ability constantly eroded the surroundings, turning everything in sight into mochi balls, then manipulating them to form mochi fists, slamming toward Leviathan like a storm.
"No, no, no. Although I can borrow it from Sakura, that can't deceive your perception!"
Taking another step, all the mochi iron fists smashed into the empty ground, kicking up large clouds of dust.
The phantom-like Leviathan once again appeared silently behind Katakuri.
Like a child playing tag, she reached out and patted Katakuri's back leg. "So there's only one way to avoid being detected by Observation Haki… and that is to completely eliminate vital signs!"
Getting the answer from the ship spirit before him, Katakuri drew in a cold breath.
Although Leviathan made it sound easy, trying to learn it would probably result in instant death.
Vital signs are the criteria for determining whether a living thing is alive. Unlike the imperceptible state of suspended animation, completely eliminating them means the living thing has completely died.
But what kind of physiological structure would allow one to leap back and forth between life and death?
Is this reasonable? No!
"Hey hey, how can you be more leisurely than me?"
The ship spirit's languid voice sounded, making Katakuri feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
"Not good! Cutting Mochi!!!"
Suddenly realizing that the other had touched him, Katakuri hurriedly flung out the mochi balls covered in spikes. But it was too late.
"Mm, I've roughly had enough fun~. Let's end this farce here!"
Leviathan's small hand grabbed. A large amount of darkness gushed from her palm, instantly sealing the Devil Fruit ability within Katakuri's body, suppressing it.
—Apocalypse - Seal!
"Damn it! An ability that can seal fruit abilities? You dangerous... ugh ah!"
The chains spread over Katakuri's skin. His Cutting Mochi disintegrated due to the dissipation of his ability before it could hit Leviathan. His Armament Haki also dissipated as his consciousness went silent. His entire body, losing strength, crashed to the ground.
"Katakuri-nii!"
Seeing their perfect elder brother fall, Oven, Daifuku, Snack, Amande, Custard, and others disregarded the blockade of the dark thorns, forcibly charged into the battlefield.
"Oh right, I almost forgot about you guys~"
The small ship spirit tapped her own head. Her squinting eyes opened slightly, revealing a hint of purple.
Instantly, countless darkness surged forth like a waterfall. The several Charlotte Family's ability users, under the infusion of boiling darkness, were devoured.
Only a few screams drifted out, inserting themselves into the dispute of the overlords in the sky.
Linlin, manipulating vines, flames, and lightning, turned her head and saw the complete defeat of the two major pirate crews in Onigashima and the Flower Capital.
'This was troublesome!'
Linlin's brows were tightly furrowed.
If the officers of the Higanbana Pirates, combined with the forces of the Flying Pirates, joined forces to implement a siege on the two-
Then, a week later, the invitations to the Charlotte Family's tea party wouldn't need to be sent out. They could be replaced directly with funeral invitations!
Kaido in the sky, forced back by a slash from Shiki, also fell, landing right beside Linlin.
"Shihahahaha! Linlin, Kaido, you've already lost!"
Shiki, carrying his long sword, descended from the sky. The arrogant smile on his face was just like that of Rocks forty years ago. "If you surrender now, for the sake of our past forty years, I'll spare your lives. But you'll have to watch my rise to power from the prison of Wano!"
"Hey, old lion, rein it in a bit. Careful, too much joy leads to sorrow!"
Sakura, having burned away all the trees with her sword, also stepped on the air and flew to Shiki's side.
Below, Kaido, somewhat out of breath, glanced sideways at Linlin. "Hey, old hag, can you still fight?"
"Huh? Don't use that condescending tone with me, you brat!!!"
Her ferocious face showed anger. Dark thunder coiled around Linlin's massive body.
By now, both of them knew that this duel would be the key to determining the outcome of the battle for Wano.
Even if their crews were defeated, until the kings of the two sides determined the victor, the battle could still be turned around. The situation would just be slightly disadvantageous!
But as pirates, as Emperors of the Sea possessing Conqueror's Haki, wouldn't this insignificant adversity better stimulate the ferocity they had honed on the treacherous seas?
"Worororo, good! Let's go together!"
"Mama mama, it's been a long time since we fought side by side!"
Linlin steered the dark cloud. Kaido resumed his dragon form.
Thunder and flames intertwined with the brutal spirits of the two maritime overlords. Their wills burned. Their roaring Conqueror's Haki made the atmosphere tremble involuntarily, silently wailing.
"Oh, interesting. A last desperate struggle!"
"Hey, Sakura, don't leave me behind!"
Sakura's body donned a storm feather robe. Shiki condensed the gathered rain and snow into the shape of a lion.
Storm and rain and snow echoed with the violent power of the two Emperors. Their Haki condensed into substance, colliding with the other two forces tilting toward them. Dark thunder screamed.
At this moment, the four threw aside everything, forgetting their positions.
With pure conviction, toward each other—
They swung their swords!!!