Rumble—!!
Flames and black smoke wove together into a massive mushroom cloud that slowly rose into the sky. The terrifying explosion caused the entire island to shake violently, as if even the heavens were about to overturn.
Floating in the air, Onigashima swayed intensely. The Flame Clouds wrapping around its base flickered erratically, looking as though they might extinguish at any moment and send the entire island plummeting.
"What's going on?! Is it an earthquake?!"
"How is that possible!"
"We're up in the sky! Where would an earthquake come from?!"
"Could something have happened to Governor-General Kaido?!"
"Idiot! You might as well say it's an earthquake!"
"Everyone calm down! Won't we know if we go out and look? Let's finish off these guys in front of us first!"
Inside the brightly lit and luxuriously decorated banquet hall of the horned skull-shaped castle, countless pirates screamed in panic amidst the violent shaking.
Leading them, several Tobi Roppo members—Black Maria, Who's-Who, and Ulti—loudly reprimanded them to maintain their composure.
Opposite them, Nami leaned on her Clima-Tact against the floor, struggling to steady herself in the fierce tremors.
Aside from the shaking, she could also feel a slight sense of weightlessness. Clearly, Onigashima was currently descending toward Wano Country at a slow pace.
Nearby, Robin stared warily at the Tobi Roppo across from them, her arms crossed in front of her chest, ready to activate her powers at a moment's notice.
Suddenly sensing Nami's gaze, Robin turned her head to meet her eyes and gave a slight nod.
Evidently, she had also sensed the island's downward trajectory.
Nami looked back at the enemies before her and spoke with a grave expression, "Kaido might lose his hold at any moment. We don't have much time. We have to leave here before the island falls."
"In other words, we need to defeat them before Allen defeats Kaido..."
Robin's brows furrowed as she fixed her gaze on the Animal Kingdom Pirates led by the Tobi Roppo.
Hearing this, Who's-Who's lips curled into a frivolous smirk, his tone brimming with mockery as he said, "Hey, hey, beautiful, aren't you misunderstanding something? It's two against five right now. Don't fail to read the situation!"
As soon as his words fell, Who's-Who sprang into action. Executing the high-speed movement technique "Shave," his figure blurred as he took the lead and charged forward!
"Six Powers?!"
Nami's eyes widened in surprise, completely not expecting the opponent to use such a technique.
Fortunately, she watched Allen, Sanji, and Gin spar every day, so her familiarity with this move was by no means low. Reacting instinctively, she spun the Clima-Tact in her hands to spark lightning.
Bzzzt!!
In the next instant, Who's-Who suddenly appeared in front of the two women. Raising his arm, he extended an Armament Haki-hardened index finger, ready to thrust forward with a "Finger Pistol."
However, what greeted him was a massive net woven of lightning that completely covered the surrounding space!
"What!"
Who's-Who's expression shifted in shock as the violent electrical net rapidly descended over him!
Bzzzt!!
"Ahhhh!!!"
Lightning flashed fiercely as Who's-Who bathed in the electricity, letting out an agonizing scream. His bones became visible through his body like an X-ray!
Black Maria scoffed and cursed under her breath, "That idiot!"
"Self-righteous fool! Who told him to charge in by himself? Serves him right! Serves him right!"
Ulti yelled indignantly, showing zero sympathy for Who's-Who's plight.
As the lightning gradually dimmed, Who's-Who's charred body suddenly sprouted numerous arms wreathed in flames.
"Now it's two against four."
Robin's lips curled up slightly. Activating her powers, she forcefully clenched the fingers of her crossed arms!
"Sixteen Fleur: Burning Bone Clutch!!"
Sixteen flaming hands locked onto the various joints of Who's-Who's body and twisted violently, contorting his entire frame into a bizarre, unnatural posture!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
"Uwaaah—!!"
Accompanied by the crisp sound of dislocating bones, Who's-Who wailed in agony. His eyes rolled back, and a spray of blood erupted from his mouth into the air.
Since entering the New World over the past two years, Allen had helped her improve her frequently used joint locks, significantly enhancing the power of many of her moves.
Coupled with the defensive and fire-manipulating traits granted by the Lunarian Lineage Factor, the destructive power of the techniques she unleashed with the Flower-Flower Fruit now far exceeded what they once were.
Nami's gaze darkened. Aiming her Clima-Tact at Who's-Who, she thrust it forward swiftly to deliver the final blow!
"Lightning Lance!!"
Bzzzt!!
Carrying violent thunder, the Clima-Tact struck Who's-Who's body and erupted with immense energy, blasting him away on the spot!
Boom!!
Who's-Who's body flew backward at extreme speed, streaking across the hall like a kite with a snapped string before smashing hard into a corner. The wall collapsed with a crash, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
"Lord Who's-Who!!"
The members of the Animal Kingdom Pirates cried out in shock. Who's-Who's sudden defeat caught everyone completely off guard.
From the moment he attacked to his defeat, the entire process occurred in just a few short breaths. It ended before he could even display his true strength.
"Hey, are you kidding me? That bastard actually went down just like that."
Black Maria gritted her teeth and growled with a heavy expression.
Although she was annoyed by Who's-Who's arrogance, losing a powerful combatant in an instant was undoubtedly highly disadvantageous for them.
"Don't underestimate them anymore! Let's attack together!"
Black Maria shouted loudly. Her body rapidly expanded as eight massive black spider legs sprouted from her lower half.
Spider-Spider Fruit, Ancient Type, Model: Rosamygale grauvogeli!!
At the same time, Ulti and Page One also began to transform. Their bodies quickly swelled and grew, turning into the human-beast forms of a Pachycephalosaurus and a Spinosaurus in the blink of an eye!
"Maria's Net!!"
Black Maria shouted, raising her hands. From the tips of her ten fingers, she shot out streams of tough spider webs that darted toward Robin and Nami from all directions!
Coordinating with her assault, Ulti and Page One charged forward simultaneously from the left and right!
"Watch out, Nami!"
As Robin called out a warning, a pair of black wings rapidly unfurled from her back. With a fierce flap that whipped up a gale across the floor, she quickly flew away from her spot, dodging the incoming webs.
Nami likewise activated her Lunarian bloodline. Sprouting wings, she swiftly took flight. Her skin tone gradually darkened to a deep brown, and a streak of white rapidly dyed her hair down to the tips.
"Ulti-Mortar!!"
Ulti stomped heavily on the ground, launching herself upward like a comet. A flash of black coated her forehead as she imbued it with Armament Haki and viciously headbutted the newly airborne Nami!
Bang!!!
Nami hastily raised her Clima-Tact to block, but she was sent flying by the opponent's immense strength. Her body plummeted, smashing a deep crater into the floor!
"Cough, cough... What incredible power...!!"
Amidst the swirling dust, Nami quickly got up. Resting on one knee, she coughed twice and looked up at Ulti with a solemn expression.
Fortunately, her defense was extremely formidable after activating the Lunarian Lineage Factor; otherwise, she likely wouldn't have been able to withstand even a single hit.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
At that moment, several spider webs shot out from the surrounding dust, their strong adhesive tightly binding her wrists and ankles.
"Hmph."
Black Maria sneered coldly. Sensing she had hit her target, she manipulated the webs and gave a violent tug!
"Oh no!"
Nami's eyes widened in alarm as her body was violently yanked in all directions by the webs, leaving her suspended in the air with her limbs spread wide.
"Now's your chance, Ulti!!"
"Shut up! I know!"
Ulti yelled back in a disgruntled tone, leaping forcefully into the air.
Reaching the ceiling, Ulti hung upside down. Planting her feet against the ceiling, she pushed off with all her might, plummeting toward Nami like a meteor!
Seeing this, Nami hastily generated flames across her body to burn the webs. At the same time, she let go of her Clima-Tact and shouted, "Little Qing!!"
"Coming!!"
The Clima-Tact rapidly transformed into a ghost doll draped in white cloth. Upon appearing, Little Qing immediately looked up, aimed at the descending Ulti, and roared out a blast of heavenly lightning from its mouth!
The lightning, brimming with destructive energy, tore through space and arrived in an instant before Ulti's terrified eyes!
Rumble!!
The deafening roar of thunder echoed as the violent lightning viciously struck Ulti's body, blasting her away.
Nami burned away the webs and broke free from her restraints. Upon landing, she immediately spread her wings and, taking Little Qing with her, flew straight toward the falling Ulti!
Seeing Nami in this state, a grave look appeared in Black Maria's eyes.
"White hair... black wings... and the flames on her body. She's exactly like that guy, King."
King's combat form involuntarily surfaced in her mind—he also possessed the ability to manipulate fire and boasted ridiculously exaggerated defenses, capable of withstanding even Kaido's attacks.
Thinking of this, she quickly drew a long polearm from behind her back. The front end of the weapon featured a giant wheel that spun rapidly, generating flames that wreathed around it, with a human head embedded in the center of the wheel.
[Wanyudo]. This was her exclusive weapon, its true form being an artificial SMILE Fruit user.
Using all eight of her lower legs, Black Maria gripped Wanyudo and scurried forward rapidly to support Ulti.
However, right at that moment.
"Gigantesco Mano: Giant Flame Tree!!"
Countless arms wreathed in flames sprouted from the ground in front of her. The densely packed fiery hands intertwined to form two even larger arms, rising from the floor like towering giant trees!
"Slap!!"
In the next second, two flaming giant palms, dozens of meters tall, descended from the sky!
Black Maria hastily rolled to the side to dodge.
Boom!! Boom!!
The giant flaming palms slammed heavily onto the ground, smashing out two scorched, circular craters.
After dodging, Black Maria quickly got up and snapped her head back to look behind her.
The sight of Page One collapsed on the ground entered her vision. His entire body was scorched black and smoking, his eyes rolled back—he had clearly lost consciousness.
Robin stood a short distance away, her arms crossed in front of her, staring at her with a cold gaze.
"How could this be...!!"
Black Maria looked on in disbelief, tinged with a bit of panic. She never expected Page One and Drake to be defeated so quickly.
Wait... Where was Drake?!
She suddenly realized and quickly scanned the area, soon spotting Drake standing on a ceiling beam.
His sword and axe hung at his waist, completely undrawn. He actually looked like a bystander watching a show!
"Drake! What the hell are you doing!!"
Veins bulged on Black Maria's forehead as she roared at him furiously.
Faced with her questioning, Drake's expression remained completely unruffled, and he offered no response. He merely gave Black Maria a faint glance before turning and leaping away from the area.
Having infiltrated the Animal Kingdom Pirates for so long, he hadn't waited for the Marines to close the net, only for another Emperor's crew to wipe them out all at once.
Now, with three Emperors converging on Wano Country, the situation was complex, and Marine Headquarters was powerless to intervene. They had only told him to judge the situation for himself and act accordingly.
And his judgment was that the Animal Kingdom Pirates' luck had run out; there was no need to remain undercover any longer.
This wasn't a baseless guess, but a choice made after careful consideration. When he learned that the Demon Lion Pirates and Ace's crew had landed in Wano Country at the same time, he knew Kaido's fate was sealed.
Perhaps the outcome would be the exact opposite of his judgment, but at least for now, Kaido's odds of winning weren't enough to make him risk attacking the other two crews.
"You traitor!!"
Seeing Drake leave without a word, Black Maria gnashed her teeth in anger. But no matter how furious she was right now, she couldn't do anything to Drake. Consequently, she turned her gaze toward Robin.
"The situation is now two against two. It looks like you don't have much of a chance at winning," Robin said with a light chuckle. Clenching her hands, she activated her powers again, manipulating the previously sprouted giant arms to launch a clapping strike!
"Giant Flame Tree: Push Palm!!"
Rumble!!
The two giant flaming palms plowed across the ground, pushing forward fiercely. From Black Maria's sleeves extended a pair of pale yet powerful arms. Sweeping her polearm horizontally, the spinning wheel of fire viciously smashed into the attack!
Bang!!!
The two powerful forces collided heavily.
Transformed into an ancient tarantula, Black Maria stood nearly ten meters tall. Combined with the superhuman strength granted by her Oni bloodline, she could clash head-on even against giant palms that resembled towering walls!
Unfortunately, if it were Robin in her normal state, the phantom limbs would likely have crumbled and dissipated upon receiving an attack of this intensity, with the damage reflecting back to her real body.
But now, the weakness of limb damage reflecting back to the main body was no longer fatal, thanks to the formidable defense of the Lunarian Tribe.
With a thought from Robin, the giant palms pushed down with all their might!
At the same time, dozens, even hundreds, of flame-wreathed arms continuously sprouted from various parts of Black Maria's body, creating a visual reminiscent of purgatory!
"Crimson Lotus Flurry: Clutch!!"
Robin shouted deeply. The countless flaming hands curled their fingers into claws, scratching and tearing relentlessly at the giant tarantula's body!
"Ugh—!"
A look of pain crossed Black Maria's face. Gritting her teeth, she used Armament Haki with all her might to resist the burning flames!
Robin's eyes darkened, and she mercilessly activated her powers once more.
"Gigantesco Mano: Purgatory Serpent!!"
Thousands of flaming hands continuously sprouted from the ground beneath Black Maria's feet, converging and intertwining to form over a dozen massive arms!
Those arms, like giant flaming pythons, slithered up Black Maria's spider legs and quickly locked her limbs and torso in a death grip!
"Stronghold!!"
Robin roared deeply. The purgatory serpents violently constricted, executing the ultimate joint lock to twist Black Maria's body downward!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
"Ahhhh!!!"
Accompanied by the loud popping of joints, Black Maria let out a hoarse, agonizing wail. Her entire body was twisted backward, crumpling into a ball!
Unable to maintain her Armament Haki, it dissipated. The fierce flames scorched her body, making it sizzle. In the blink of an eye, she collapsed into the sea of fire, rolling around continuously.