The venomous words Sali had spoken earlier were not something he would normally say.
That was because he had used the White Sage Beast's ability to enter Ash's mind, carrying out a partial simulation, or perhaps even a future replacement, before speaking those words in Ash's tone.
At the same time, Sali, whose Devil Fruit had already reached the peak of development and stood on the verge of awakening, used that sudden opportunity to step into the awakened state of his Devil Fruit.
However, because he had not prepared properly, the earlier issue quickly appeared again. His body became unstable, as though he was losing control of himself.
Switching between human form and hybrid form was one thing, but what if...
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Ash's eyes sharpened.
"Damn it, things really happen the moment you think about them."
Before the sentence even finished, Ash grabbed Sali's arm. Their figures flashed, instantly arriving at the center of the deserted island behind them.
The next second...
Boom!
Dust exploded outward as the entire island trembled violently.
A colossal beast suddenly appeared in the middle of the island.
Even lying down, it stretched over a thousand meters long and several hundred meters tall.
The beast resembled a white lion with a single horn on its head and a goat-like beard beneath its jaw. Lightning and frost swirled around its body endlessly.
It was the divine beast form of the White Sage Beast.
Space rippled nearby, and Kirk arrived immediately afterward.
"What's going on? Why did Sali suddenly transform completely?"
"He probably awakened his Devil Fruit," Ash replied with his earlier guess.
"Didn't you say that if a Devil Fruit awakening fails, the user could lose their mind completely and never return to human form?!"
Kirk's expression changed drastically.
"Sali clearly wasn't prepared. If his Devil Fruit awakened suddenly like this, isn't he in serious danger?"
"There's danger, but it's not a major problem," Ash answered casually.
With the editor, there was naturally no reason for him to panic.
Even if Sali truly failed his awakening and permanently lost control, Ash could simply recreate the process manually.
First, he would use another Devil Fruit to replace the White Sage Beast Fruit inside Sali's body.
Once the Devil Fruit disappeared, the beast form caused by the failed awakening would naturally vanish as well.
Afterward, he could use a Devil Fruit capable of stabilizing spiritual energy or directly repairing the soul to reorganize Sali's shattered consciousness.
Once Sali recovered, he could simply consume another White Sage Beast Fruit.
Everything would return to normal.
Of course, it would be far better if Sali succeeded naturally.
Otherwise, the process sounded exhausting even just thinking about it.
Besides, Sali's triplets were already old enough to crawl around everywhere.
If Sali failed and turned into a complete fool, was he supposed to watch a giant White Sage Beast crawl around Cathay Village with three toddlers following behind?
...Actually, that image was strangely ridiculous.
"What are you even thinking about? I asked you something!"
Kirk's voice interrupted Ash's wandering thoughts.
"Huh? What did you say?"
Kirk resisted the urge to glare at him.
Sali was practically having a breakdown beside him, yet Ash still managed to drift off into random thoughts. His nerves really were absurdly steady.
After looking toward the constantly shifting giant beast, Kirk finally said:
"No matter how intense the fighting gets here, the destruction is still limited. But Sali's transformation can probably be seen from hundreds of nautical miles away. It's definitely going to attract unwanted attention. What should we do?"
Ash thought for a moment before nodding.
That was true.
There was nothing shameful about Sali awakening his Devil Fruit, but having outsiders gather nearby would only create trouble.
"Tell everyone to finish things quickly."
After a brief pause, Ash added:
"And let them know that if anyone takes too long, I'll step in personally."
"Got it!"
This was exactly why spatial abilities were so useful.
At moments like this, they became the perfect method of communication.
Kirk immediately relayed Ash's words to every member of the Dawn Faction.
Already worried about Sali's condition, everyone instantly accelerated their attacks.
The Whitebeard Pirates, who had already begun retreating, immediately suffered even heavier losses.
Marco had just lost his original opponent because of Sali's awakening, only to be intercepted immediately by Fidel and McKinley.
Meanwhile, Dicken and Daly Jella, who had been toying with their opponents from the start, were the fastest to finish.
Sixth Division Commander Blamenco and Fifteenth Division Commander Fossa were defeated within moments.
Soon after, Kamakiri and Labham also ended their battles, defeating Thirteenth Division Commander Atmos and Fourteenth Division Commander Speed Jiru one after another.
As for why McKinley could assist Fidel against Marco, the reason was simple.
His own opponent, Tenth Division Commander Curiel, had already been defeated long ago.
It was not because Curiel was weak.
The problem was that when McKinley took over the battle, Curiel had already received "special treatment" from Daly Jack and suffered severe injuries.
Naturally, he could not hold on much longer.
After all, Daly Jack had been fighting five opponents at once.
Unlike his older brothers, who constantly restrained themselves to avoid accidentally killing someone, Daly Jack had no patience for that.
Every strike landed with brutal force.
Curiel especially understood this point, though unfortunately, he was currently unconscious and had no opportunity to complain.
Daly Jack's battle was also nearing its conclusion.
Rakuyo and Kingdew had long since collapsed onto the ground, their conditions unclear.
At the moment, only Blenheim and Haruta, the two swordsmen among the commanders, were barely managing to withstand Daly Jack's relentless assault through combined swordsmanship.
Elsewhere, Daly Jason continued focusing entirely on roasting Diamond Jozu alive.
Wyper was enthusiastically crossing blades with Vista.
And then there was Jebao, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself while fighting Izo.
Fidel had claimed he did not fight women and casually tossed Izo toward Jebao instead.
As for Jebao saying he also did not fight women, that was obviously nonsense.
To the Skypiean Warriors, enemies were enemies.
Gender meant absolutely nothing once battle began.
Still, Jebao had to admit that Izo's strength surprised him.
Not only did the man look feminine and wear lipstick, but his combat ability was genuinely impressive.
At the very least, he was clearly stronger than several commanders who had already been defeated.
Especially those bizarre techniques like Bullet Slash and Rapid Short Gun Fire.
According to Ash, those attacks completely ignored common sense and practically violated physics itself.
Two short firearms somehow unleashing hundreds, or even thousands, of bullets within seconds was utterly ridiculous.
Unfortunately for Izo, ridiculous or not, it still was not enough.
If nobody had rushed him, Jebao would have gladly continued playing around for a while longer.
But since orders had already been given, he naturally intended to finish things quickly.
After all, Wyper had said many times before that while the Skypiean Warriors might not be the strongest members of the Dawn Faction, they absolutely had to be the most obedient.