Underwater, Number Zero held his arms high in a guard, his forearms coated in Armament Haki, bracing against the massive Rankyaku slashes raining down. The razor-sharp blades blasted him dozens of meters deeper into the sea. The slashes broke through his Haki, tearing into his muscles and nearly severing his arms.
Immediately after the first slash hit, another followed, slicing down the same trench the first had carved.
Fortunately, Yugdon made his move. He grabbed two massive sea currents and hurled them, smashing into the Rankyaku and deflecting it, causing it to slice the water in a different direction.
The CP0 vice-leader, frustrated, kicked relentlessly. Countless giant Rankyaku blades tore through the surface, plunging into the depths.
Number Zero's eyes were frigid. His arms blurred, his fists flying, unleashing punches that carried the force of the sea to meet the slashes. The ocean rumbled with constant explosions. The entire sea surface churned, sending massive waves rolling in all directions.
The three pirate ships on the surface rocked violently, and crew members were thrown overboard one after another.
"Even Number Zero isn't his match. We have to notify the Captain, now," Zodd said from the seabed. He quickly pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed Bege.
Far away on the ice battlefield of Mid-Chain Supply Island, Bege and Steel Bone Kong were locked in a desperate battle.
The shockwaves from their fight continually destroyed the ice, making the environment even more treacherous for the Marines and pirates fighting below.
A deafening roar echoed across the battlefield. A circular, blood-tinged shockwave once again swept across the ice, sending countless pirates and Marines flying.
"Gurarara! Garp, you think that old fossil Kong will actually get himself killed by the Demon Dragon brat?" Whitebeard looked toward the source of the roar, laughing suddenly.
"Kong won't lose to that kid. You should be more worried about yourself!" Garp snorted, instantly charging Whitebeard, his blackened fist smashing through the air.
Whitebeard met him with his bisento. The moment his blade struck Garp's fist, black lightning crackled, sweeping out for hundreds of meters. Another terrifying shockwave tore across the battlefield.
Bege shot backward like a cannonball, smashing into the distant ice sheet and shattering it. He plummeted toward the sea, but the space around him instantly hardened, preventing him from touching the water.
Bege coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, pushing himself to his feet on the hardened spatial platform. His expression was dark, his blood-red eyes piercing through the explosive spray of water to find Kong, who had also been sent flying.
Without a word, Kong shot into the sky and charged again at high speed.
"Damn it... I refuse to believe your strength is actually endless," Bege muttered, wiping the blood from his mouth. He shot into the sky to meet him.
The two collided in mid-air at high speed, once again becoming a blur of afterimages as they traded furious blows.
It was then that an anxious voice cried out from the distance.
"Mama! Mama! This is terrible! The World Government's Cipher Pol is invading Cake Island! They're destroying everything! Smoothie and the others can barely hold them off!" It was Charlotte Perospero, running frantically toward Big Mom, screaming as he ran.
Big Mom, who had been in a state of high excitement from the fight, turned, her face instantly twisting in fury.
"Invading my Cake Island... again?! Bastards! The World Government and that Demon Dragon are both bastards!" Big Mom grabbed Zeus and slammed her thunder-infused fist into Zephyr.
The devastating lightning punch sent Zephyr flying. She let out a beast-like roar.
She had already been forced to retreat once when Bege used Cake Island's safety against her, an event she considered a deep humiliation. Now, the World Government was also attacking her home base. Her territory being attacked twice in a row... Big Mom was overcome with shame and boundless rage.
"They made it... They finally made it," Kong thought, a flash of joy on his face as he heard Perospero's report.
This momentary lapse was all Bege needed. He seized the opportunity, slashing Kong with his sword and sending him flying.
Bege frowned. He had already considered this possibility.
The Marines' chances of winning this war outright were slim. If they wanted to win, they had to find a way to splinter the pirates' forces. The best way to do that was to force the most powerful Emperor crews to leave... and to do that, you attack their home bases. Just like he had done to Big Mom and Kaido.
It seemed the Marines really did have such a plan.
Bege's gaze hardened. Kong was charging him again, but this time, the aura around him was even stronger, his eyes even more resolute. The successful attack on Big Mom's base was a turning point for the war. Kong was now more certain than ever of their victory, and his conviction grew even stronger.
"Demon Dragon, die!" Kong shot toward him like a bolt of lightning.
Bege instantly sheathed his Fire Cloud Sword and gripped the cursed sword Hannya with both hands. A blood-red aura erupted from the blade.
"We'll see who dies first!" Bege's blood-red eyes widened as he unleashed a "Beast God" slash.
The massive, blood-red slash tore through the air. Kong punched it head-on, completely destroying it. The terrifying explosion sent another shockwave rolling out, and Bege retreated at high speed.
A streak of light burst through the shockwave, chasing Bege. As Bege fell back, dozens of giant crossbow bolts shot from his internal castle. The streak of light smashed through the bolts. At the same time, rockets detonated in mid-air, finally blocking the light's path.
The light resolved into Kong. His face was ugly; he was both enraged and frustrated by Bege's tactics.
Just then, Bege's expression changed drastically. A Den Den Mushi flew out from his castle, Zodd's anxious voice already coming from it.
"Captain! We're under attack by CP0! Moria and Number Zero are barely holding on!"
"CP0... Their goal isn't just to force me back. It's likely they intend to eliminate my forces."
For the World Government's top intelligence agency, CP0, to attack his home base... this definitely wasn't just a diversion. They had other objectives.
"Fire Tank Pirates, to me!" Bege roared, his voice thundering across the battlefield.
Little Oars Jr. heard, sent a Giant Vice Admiral flying with one punch, and began stomping toward Bege.
Modi and the others immediately began to disengage from their opponents, breaking from the battlefield.
"All units! Stop the Fire Tank Pirates!" Kong roared.
Immediately, more Marines surged forward to intercept Modi and the others.
"Enel! The Don is calling for a retreat! Let's go!" Wiper yelled, pulling a rampaging Enel. Enel shot Kizaru a cold snort, and the two vanished in a flash of lightning.
Kizaru, his face grim, immediately gave chase.
The sudden retreat of the Fire Tank Pirates caused instability among the other pirate crews. They looked around, confused and uneasy, wondering why the Fire Tank Pirates were suddenly leaving the battle.
"You wanted to force us to retreat, but now you're trying to stop us from leaving?" Bege roared, his blade clashing with Kong's fist.
I'd rather annihilate you all, Kong thought. As long as CP1 and CP2 can force Big Mom and the Beast Pirates to retreat, we will have a high probability of victory. After that, we can spare the forces to crush the Fire Tank Pirates, either crippling or destroying them completely.