I shall now begin...the DISCLAIMER! And our guest for today is Admiral Kizaru! Welcome, Admiral.

Kizaru: How...wonderful to be here!

Thank you. Now, could you please announce the disclaimer?

Kizaru: *Sigh* I guess sooooo...alright. Author-san does not own Naruto, One Piece, or any of the characters referenced within. How interesting...

Scars never really healed.

Sure, they would fade into the flesh, they would reduce themselves in size, receding into the past. However, they never really healed, for the body would patch up the damaged tissue with fibrous tissue – scar tissue, inferior in every way to healthy tissue sans its quick formation – they served as a reminder, one could think, a memento of whatever incident brought it upon the unfortunate soul who bore the laceration tearing apart flesh and blood.

Admiral Sakazuki was no stranger to scars both on body and mind. Even as a young lad, he had been no stranger to violence, having grown up in the North Blue's ghettoes, places where the reek of death reached to the heavens. The inner cities in many a North Blue kingdom were no place for young, orphaned boys; one would be forced to join a gang just to obtain a few old scraps of mould-infested bread, or struggle – and a significant struggle, indeed – to carve out one's own niche within the underworld communities beginning to poison these slums. Sakazuki was a survivor, he would always say, and he had many a scar to prove it from numerous struggles on the street; it had even been rumoured his large tattoo was a means to cover those scars up.

As he began to step off his ship onto Nagatsuki harbour, Sakazuki looked around, turning his head as he scanned the majestic sight in front of him. G-U base was something magnificent, he reflected; Vice-Admiral Uzumaki Naruto's project brought to fruition as a home for many a Marine which would have violated his sensibilities even only five years ago. Now, he chuckled to himself, that wily fox was perhaps the only vice-admiral he could really call 'friend'. Sure, he was held in high esteem by many of his colleagues, but the vast majority would only see 'Akainu' – the red dog devoted to upholding justice, to execute his masters' orders; few would ever recognise Sakazuki – the disgruntled old man too tired of the injustices permeating the world and the wounds piracy inflicted on the lives of men and women alike; the admiral who loathed compromise, for compromise robbed him of everything he held dear; the soldier unwilling to let any more kids remain on the street the way he had due to the actions of pirates, resolving to never let such a tragedy happen again, even if he had to kill every son of a bitch who dared to do such a thing…

There was just something about vice-admiral Uzumaki which made you want to be friends with him, Sakazuki thought. Sure, the Five Elders did not like him at all (though, thankfully, not because of the 'justice' executed on the World Nobles, as Sakazuki did not want to be forced to kill his best friend), often whispering about "The D who is not" amongst themselves, yet he was justification of the impact Uzumaki had on people. "Justice must be thorough," he recalled hearing, "but if it is not fair, then that is not thorough either." Blessed be Uzumaki Naruto's persistence, Sakazuki decided, for he would perhaps have spiralled further into the sink of self-hatred and rage burdened upon him as he progressed through the Marines.

Finally stepping onto the land of the base itself, Sakazuki was greeted by a crisp salute, which he replied to in kind.

"Admiral."

"At ease." He acknowledged with his gruffness leaking through. "Where is your Commanding Officer?"

"He will be here shortly," the Marine leading the group greeting the Admiral replied, his uniform appearing with rank insignia featuring the Marine seagull symbol, an arch and three chevrons – the mark of a Chief Petty Officer. "You've arrived just in time for the remembrance ceremony, though, sir."

"Good." Sakazuki nodded. "I will also be attending, then."

"We would love to have you with us, sir." The Chief Petty Officer replied. "The boys would be relieved to see that Headquarters is honouring our brothers who did their duty."

Scars never healed. But they certainly did fade, he thought, for even the shadow of the Totto land campaign did not hold these Marines down for long.

"We are gathered today to commemorate our comrades," Uzumaki Naruto began as he stood atop a stage – more so a simple, elevated platform overlooking the thousands of Marines at G-U base – delivering the commemoration address, "who performed the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty."

The Marine soldiers present, officers and soldiers alike, all bowed their heads in silence. Even Sakazuki, standing at attention behind Naruto, found himself bowing his own head, remembering the fallen. There were not that many, thankfully, perhaps about two hundred or three, but that was still perhaps too much. More could be said about the great number who suffered grievous wounds throughout the campaign proper, with another three hundred or so forced to retire from active duty. Their names etched on a stone memorial in the centre of G-U base, none would ever forget the names of the lost or the crippled.

"Operation: Cataclysm," Naruto continued, "was our finest hour as G-U base; our greatest success, breaking the back of the Big Mom Pirates as an organisation. Yet," he paused, before continuing again, "it was our darkest hour, for we had given up many of our precious people in our campaign."

He choked up a sob, before he soldiered on through his speech. "Three-hundred of our brothers and sisters died in this war. Many hundreds more were wounded in body and mind. The momentous announcement that Big Mom perished in the fighting, and with her, the war, was met with joyful celebrations around the World. But joy was neither universal nor unqualified. Too many of our family – of G-U base, perished; too many more wounded or made ill by their service. And even more had suffered by the hand of pirates all over the World. As we pause today, two years on, our thoughts turn to war's enormous cost and the toll it takes, not only on those who fall, but on all those who serve."

Silence rang throughout the parade ground for a minute, before the call of a bugle broke through, playing the 'Rouse', the wake of the Marines. Suddenly, after the bugle stopped sounding, many a G-U Marine began to sing. Sakazuki could not tell where it began, for it seemed the whole assembly was singing, though he soon found himself joining in…huh, Ocean Guide…Old Zephyr's favourite song, hmm? It certainly fit, Sakazuki realised, for what better a way to honour the lives of fallen Marines, than the requiem for the fallen Marine brethren?

"The ocean sees the beginning of the world,

and the ocean knows the end of the world…"

Heh. A victory for Justice, a victory for the Marines, but it certainly didn't feel like one, did it?

"Thus, it calls us towards the way we must take.

Thus, it leads us towards a proper world…"

These Marines had spirit; they had determination and drive. Something, Sakazuki lamented, lacking in many a Marine today. Sure, the remnants of the Big Mom pirates were still active, still marauding, but the heart of a G-U Marine and their willingness to embark on what other vice-admirals would have dismissed as a fool's errand…

It really made sense, didn't it, if one really thought about who the G-U Marines were, really, Sakazuki reflected as he still sang. They were the downtrodden, the destitute, those that the Marines really should have protected in the past yet let them fall into lives of crime – what he could have been; seeing himself in the Fish-Men Officers – orphans, former slaves, petty criminals pressed into crime and in many a human G-U Marine moved the Red Dog, tears beginning to well up in his eyes, though not yet bursting from the dam. How much more, then, should they be willing to do their duty; to secure for their family, friends, nay, precious persons, a brighter future and safer world?

"Even if I were to disappear,

The omniscient ocean leads the way…"

For all the World Government's words on "Absolute Justice", where was the justice, Sakazuki mourned as he mourned with the Marines of G-U base, in the remembrance of the fallen? He could not remember the last time he had attended such a memorial – when was the last time someone took the time to commemorate the Marines who perished in engagements around the World? God Valley, Marineford, Iwagakure…

"I must not fear, because you are here.

I must not be timid, because my comrades wait for me.

We must advance towards the blue horizon."

As the tones began to fade into the horizon, and Naruto began to dismiss the Marines – some to train, some to mourn still, others to celebrate with their brotherhood and make merry alongside a pint of ale, Sakazuki walked as Naruto left the platform along with the Whirlpool ten – Whirlpool nine, rather, for Laxus had left the base earlier for something – walking back to the base proper. Moving to the somewhat downcast figure in orange trousers, black button-up shirt, and the 'JUSTICE' coat, Sakazuki called out.

"Vice-admiral, will you walk with me?"

Naruto sat by Sakazuki on a tall hill overlooking the old Uzushiogakure village – more accurately, where it had once stood – as the whirlpools surrounding the island wailed and raged against the cliff-faces of the island, Admiral and Vice-Admiral, staring into the setting sun.

"Sometimes, it's just a lot of responsibility, you know?" Naruto could be heard saying over the howl of the winds blowing into the officers' faces. "G-U base, to my boys, isn't just the base they're assigned to. It's their home now…"

"And you have done right by them," Sakazuki congratulated. "The Totto land campaign was by all means a success, no matter what the gossip may claim." He paused for a bit, tasting the words in his mouth, before speaking again. "In a way, your mercy has let Justice stand stronger than ever before."

"I…I remember them. Every single one who sacrificed their lives, those who were wounded in body and spirit…it's really sad to see them like that, you know…"

"It really is."

"I know I can't give up."

"Justice must stand strong, must it not?"

They sat in silence, listening to the soothing sound of the whirlpools battling for dominance against the cliff-face, the melody of the waves battering the shores of Uzushiogakure no Sato.

"I never really told you, Admiral, of just horrible the campaign was, did I? The report couldn't tell all about it, you know, really…"

What was known to the world as the Totto land campaign would begin as Operation: Cataclysm two years ago. It was quite the ambitious goal, as the Marines, for all their firepower, were stretched thin across the Grand Line due to their mandate to protect the citizenry from the Pirate scourge inflicted by the haunting last taunt of Gold Roger.

"You want my treasure? You can have it! I left it all in that place! One Piece!"

The bands of brigands Roger unleashed upon the world would cause much grief for the Marines, compounding their already existing problems in the Four – then three – Emperors, supremely powerful pirates and their crews, having amassed quite the number of subordinates and followers who could match many of the Marines' own elite (admittedly, not necessarily the full Marine force, but they could not always spare such a force), only kept in check because of the rampant paranoia griping the Four Emperors that should one move against the Marines, the remaining three would seize their own gains and territories, dooming them to their demise. The Marines, too, had been long reluctant to engage in what would at best ensure them a pyrrhic victory, at worst, annihilation at the hands of an alliance between Emperors.

Hence why Operation: Cataclysm was considered to be something so outlandish, maybe even perverse. Sengoku, perhaps pushed to the breaking point, maybe having been forced into taking action to show even something, had begun to review submitted plans of attack proposed by many a vice-admiral and the admirals alike. Naruto clearly remembered the day he had accepted the order to execute the plans:

"This is a very risky move we are taking," Sengoku had told him in person at his office in Marineford. "You can only succeed. Failure is not an option here."

"I understand." Naruto began to grit his teeth.

"The Marines cannot afford war with the Four Emperors if you falter. There will be no reinforcement, no opportunity for resupply. We will deny everything."

"I…see…"

"Any further questions, Vice-Admiral Uzumaki?"

"…No." Naruto managed to spit out. A suicide mission, huh? One where he and his men were really being asked to die, to perish for Sengoku's pride. No matter. He was Uzumaki Naruto, proud vice-admiral of G-U base; one did not simply tell him the odds of any event and expect him to capitulate. As he walked out of the Fleet Admiral's office, readying himself to return to G-U base, beginning his transformation, he soon stopped in his tracks at the sound of a grizzled voice.

"You're leaving."

"I have to, Issho." Naruto greeted the blind vice-admiral.

Issho tapped his cane as the click-clack of his geta echoed across the hallways of Marineford. Reaching into his yukata, he retrieved his die, nestled into the palm of his hand. "Providence," he rumbled, "seems to have great things in store for you, although I cannot discern whether they will be terrible or good." Idly tossing the die up and down, he shook his head. "Yet I know that whatever I say, you would nonetheless press on; that fate would seemingly bend itself, subordinating it to your will."

"You know me too well." Naruto replied, before turning away, transforming his body into Gamma Rays as he disappeared in an orange flash. An interesting quirk of the Ganma Ganma no Mi, really, for Gamma rays were normally colourless – and they were when produced by this fruit, though a guiding orange light would often be seen with this fruit's usage.

Issho, meanwhile, smiled. "Fate has bet on you today, Uzumaki Naruto. And so will I."

The die's uppermost surface had one single red dot on it.

The plan of action had sounded quite simple; given Charlotte Linlin was the linchpin of the Big Mom Pirates and a direct engagement with the Totto Land Grand Fleet would have been perhaps the most foolhardy action to do, the approach taken would involve a diversionary attack drawing the vast majority of the Totto Land Grand Fleet – the officers of the Big Mom Pirates, many of Linlin's sons and daughters; numerous tarte ships – they were small battleships resembling tarts stacked onto one another armed with cannon batteries on its front; paddle ships with two front-facing triple-barrelled guns; not to mention the Queen Mama Chanter, Big Mom's flagship – and it most definitely deserved its label, what with the gargantuan size of the vessel in conjunction with the unfortunate note that it was alive; animated by Linlin's Soru Soru no Mi powers, the sentient ship would be less vulnerable to deceptive tactics. Ultimately, the diversion had to be flashy, but not too flashy that Big Mom would venture out herself; it had to be something her four sweet commanders could handle together. At the same time, whilst the fleet was drawn away, the objective was to launch a strike force – maybe about five Marine battleships or so, at most – towards Whole Cake Island itself.

But who to entrust with the diversionary attack, and who to take with him for the strike force…

The question plagued Naruto for many days, though the Marines did not simply spend them idling. Good, thrifty soldiers they were, making use of this time to supply, restock and prepare everything they needed. Though Operation: Cataclysm's nature was no secret, what with every Marine realising that this was most undoubtedly a suicide mission that Headquarters assigned to them, but, damn it, they were G-U Marines; nothing would break their spirit, and they could come back from any setback.

It would eventually be announced just hours before the scheduled deployment that Vice-Admirals Gaara, Gajeel Redfox, Juvia Lockser and Inuzuka Kiba would be leading the diversionary force, in addition with much of the G-U fleet, whereas Laxus Dreyar, Hoshigaki Shizuma and Panther Lily were to accompany Naruto as part of the strike force. The diversionary force would land at Cacao island whilst Naruto's flotilla would sail through Futoru and Poripori island towards Whole Cake Island, to strike Big Mom immediately.

At least, that was the plan, though it should not be surprising that elements of the plan did not always conform to reality.

The plan itself seemed sound, and everything seemed to have gone well at the start save for one major thing. Certainly, the diversion was effective – except for one problematic issue.

Katakuri was not there.

The remaining Charlotte family officers – Cracker, Smoothie, Snack, Perospero, and so on were all commandeering their personal warships, themselves sailing at the forefront of the Totto Land Grand Fleet as they, the Tartes and about perhaps seventy Paddle Ships began to exchange cannon fire with the Thirty Marine Battleships brought as part of the diversion. However, though there were many ships resembling the Queen Mama Chanter in appearance, none bore Katakuri's name, nor a likeness of his face.

"Damn!" Kiba swore as he looked over the approaching fleet. "We're missing a sweet commander. The Boss ain't going to be happy about that."

Gaara's voice rang from a transponder snail on his battleship. "Naruto will be fine. There is not so much a need to worry about him. Let's focus on our task at hand; have faith in Naruto, just as he did in us!"

No sooner did the snail return to resting than did Kiba see a rain of huge iron rods begin to rain down on many a Tarte and paddle ship as Gajeel, from about five ships away, began to box in Big Mom's ships. Spurred on by this action, candy boulders launched into the air; cannon fire wailed against an ethereal genie wreaking havoc on the Marine fleet; high-pressure water punched holes into numerous ships doomed to sink as a consequence; biscuit soldiers engaged Marine rank-and-file aboard numerous Marine vessels and Charlotte Cracker's own ship, swords sending sparks into the air. Grinning, Kiba himself launched into the air; no sooner than when he landed on a paddle ship did he begin to shift. Gone was the rugged yet neatly groomed form of the vice-admiral, replaced by a gargantuan, snarling three-headed dog threatening to capsize the paddle ship itself. As red eyes gazed upon cowering figures and frozen chess pieces – very strange indeed, although they were a staple of the Totto Land Armada – Kiba let loose a soul-chilling howl stunning numerous ships easily dispatched by Gajeel firing another bombardment of metal rods.

"Let's go!"

The rallying cry was kept up across the Marine fleet as the soldiers pushed on, determined to advance onto Cacao island proper; biscuit fragments littered the sea as the smoking barrels of Marine gatling guns carried by numerous burly fish-men Marines whirred so loud the buzzing could be heard from the rear-most Tarte ships; cannon fire met cannon fire as the batteries of Marine and pirate ship alike kept at the struggle; even battleships with entire chunks obliterated desperate to sail on, determined to deposit their troops onto Totto land itself.

More Tartes began to appear in the distance, barely coming into one's sight on the horizon.

Candy flew freely from Perospero's ship, throwing off many Marine soldiers with it.

Vice-admiral Gaara jumped to meet Charlotte Daifuku in single combat; the genie, following its master, soon found itself bound by a cursed seal rather quickly.

Cream blobs accompanied butter globs in blocking gun barrels.

The monstrous beast that was vice-admiral Inuzuka Kiba leapt from ship to ship, creaking and cracking many a vessel, condemning it to drown.

Yes, the diversionary attack was working very well; it was now up to the strike force to execute, Gaara thought, as he found himself thrusting a palm into Charlotte Oven's chest, curse seals rapidly spreading across his torso – they looked like worms, the characters and ink scurrying across his flesh.

It was an unfortunate reality that plans often 'went to shit.'

Fortunately for the strike force, everything else followed the plan quite nicely; Poripori island and Futoru island had nary a Tarte ship in sight no matter the wailing of the territorial sea slugs – not that they were a problem after Laxus Dreyar had them blasted with millions of volts of electricity – nor did there appear to be any paddle ship or a personal ship of an officer, much less the Queen Mama Chanter itself along the infiltration route.

Yet the diversion did not seem to be wholly complete, for instead of an empty Whole Cake Island, the flotilla was met by platoons of Chess soldiers and rank pirates alike, dwarfed by two figures.

One towered over all the other individuals on the island proper, and wasn't that a terrifying sight: an old, obese woman with a long nose crooked not unlike a bird beak, cheeks too full and covered with an unholy amount of pasty foundation. Moderately round eyes with orange iris clashed disgustingly with purple eye shadow and the long, curly pink hair – not a gentle pink, nor a baby pink, let alone the beautiful pink of Sakura blossoms, but a nauseating, disgusting pink. And her attire – goodness, whoever designed an outfit should really have been executed for conjuring up such a monstrosity; a pale pink dress with straps barely holding it together dotted with red polka dots and lined with nauseating white ruffles on the neckline and hemline. A wide, rippling cape was attached to its back, the outer surface a cadmium-like yellow whereas the inside was white. Completing her attire, she wore dark-blue high heels reminding viewers of the indigo dye, turquoise pearl wristbands and an egregious number of rings on her fingers. Most notable, however, was a large pink bicorne hat with a yellow stripe across the top and jolly roger on the front. Napoleon, as it was called, for it was alive – well, not really alive, a soul fragment torn from Big Mom's own soul herself and being used as a concealed weapon by the woman, for few would anticipate a weapon masked as a hat. Its sentience was reflected through the talking jolly roger with crossed sabers and white curly moustache.

"Mamamama!" she laughed, a most grotesque laugh, "Katakuri, you were right, when the rest of my useless children could not even see through a simple diversionary attack."

"Yes, Mama." Replied the second figure. Standing about five metres tall, just a head taller than half of his mother's height, Charlotte Katakuri nonetheless appeared to be just as intimidating. An extremely muscular man whose torn leather vest exposed much of his abdominal and pectoral muscles, he also wore a massive, light and ragged scarf wrapped around his mouth and covering his shoulders, with only the barest hint of two scars peeking out from underneath. The spikes on his boots and bracelets synergised nicely with the skull-shaped belt buckle and ornate pink tattoos – stripes on the left chest and abdomen, and a skull with ornament on the left arm – to give him a punk look. Twirling a trident with its side-prongs resembling half-blades and a central spear-head, Katakuri looked no less menacing than Big Mom. "Should I handle these upstart Marines?"

"Katakuri, who do you think you are?" Big Mom growled out, cowing Katakuri as he moved back behind his mother. "I will deal with these impudent Marines, and their foolish vice-admiral myself!"

A similar discussion had also been taking place amongst the Marine vessels. "Uncle," Laxus asked into his transponder snail's receiver, "should we attack Big Mom?"

"No." Naruto ordered. "Big Mom is far stronger than you are, Laxus. However, Charlotte Katakuri is a reputable threat in his own right, as is the sizable army contingent that he had brought to support her which we ultimately did not predict."

"Uncle, I…"

"Trust in me," Naruto assured, "trust in your comrades, and trust in yourself." He let out a grin. "Besides, I'm never alone."

"Alright, Uncle!" Laxus acknowledged, before quickly dialling a new set of combinations into his snail. "Lily! Shizuma! With me! The rest of you, all ships – open fire!"

As Panther Lily's wings expanded out and he took to the air, wielding his large claymore formerly held on his back whilst Hoshigaki Shizuma leapt from his own ship into the waters of Totto land, Samehada in hand, Laxus transformed his own body into a lightning bolt, landing on the shores of Whole Cake Island between a group of pirates just as the first volley of cannon-fire rang out from the Marine ships. The Big Mom Pirates did not sit there idly either, with chess soldiers and pirate foot soldiers beginning to charge against the three vice-admirals, swords in hand and guns primed to fire.

The decisive moment would however only begin with Uzumaki Naruto and Big Mom's first bout, as the vice-admiral launched himself upward to throw a punch aimed to meet Charlotte Linlin's own. Black lightning began to emit from both fists as they began to approach each other, forming many arcs as it began to dance around both Naruto and Big Mom's fists.

The punches, however, would not collide.

As the two fists approached each other, a massive shockwave emitted from the air between the two hands still imbued with the same black lightning; the Marine ships began to rock up and down on the now-violent waves suddenly generated into existence, whereas the vast majority of the Big Mom pirates' contingent found themselves frothing at the mouth. Panther Lily and Shizuma found themselves on a knee, Laxus and Katakuri barely standing, desperately struggling to hold on. The sky tore itself asunder; a massive rift broke apart the clouds above Whole Cake Island and even the heavens themselves; as if they were forced to take sides between the Emperor of the Sea and the Vice-Admiral.

Amazingly, neither Naruto nor Big Mom budged an inch.

"…such power…" Panther Lily gasped.

"…so, this is the Bossman's true strength, hmm?" Shizuma barely whispered out. "He's been holding out on us…"

"Haoshoku Haki?" Katakuri wondered in awe as he looked upon the clash.

"Uncle…" Laxus managed to heave, as Big Mom and Naruto soon jumped back.

"Mamamama!" Big Mom managed to laugh. "I had never expected such a strong user of Haoshoku Haki to be in the Marines." Her grin seemed to become much more demented, her smile more sick. "And to see that you know the art of Haoshoku infusion! Mamamama!" Suddenly pausing for a moment, she soon began to speak again. "Your skills are wasted in that pitiful organisation. Come, why don't you join my family? I could certainly use someone like you! Mamamama!"

Naruto's response was perhaps just as savvy. "Do you think the bonds between my men and I are so easily broken? It is because of them that I am here today in front of you, ready to bring about your defeat! A heartless psychopath like you could never hope to understand the importance of these bonds!"

"What?" Big Mom snarled as her visage became more visibly demonic.

"I won't let you hurt any more people, Linlin! Not the Marine soldiers under my command, not the Totto land civilians; you will die today!"

"Such insolence!" Big Mom began to shriek. "Napoleon!"

"Yes, Mama!" Responding to her call, Napoleon reappeared as a great longsword with the blade erupting through the top of the bicorne and his face on the blade. As Big Mom again jumped into the air, with Napoleon's blade brought back, ready to swing, Naruto did much the same again, only, instead of a blade, held in his hand was a glowing orb which began to quickly expand in size, eventually growing to a size comparable to Charlotte Linlin herself.

"Ikoku Sovereignty!" Big Mom cried as she swung down Napoleon's blade.

"Ultra-Big-ball Gamma Rasengan!" Naruto yelled, pressing the orb of barely contained Gamma Rays into the blade.

Neither the Big Mom Pirates nor the G-U Marines could do more than look upon the clash in horror. Such overwhelming power – how could they stand against these cataclysmic forces of nature? However, as the shockwaves produced by Big Mom's blade fought for dominance against the multitude of Gamma Rays emitted upon the detonation of the Rasengan, neither looked injured. Instead, both had a smile of sorts on their faces; Big Mom's sickening grin juxtaposed against Naruto's simple upward curve of his lips.

"Naruto," Kurama rumbled from his slumber. "Let's show her our power."

"Senjutsu chakra will do for now, Kurama."

"Hmph. Are you so sure, Naruto?"

"Trust me, partner. Let's do this!"

As Big Mom began to call to her what looked to be a living sun and thundercloud to her right and left hands, Naruto was experiencing changes of his own. Gone were the warm eyes evoking the calming nature of the sea and its freedoms; in its place were orange toad-like eyes lined with orange-eye shadow. The eyes, and Naruto's own body, began to hum visibly with power. Big Mom herself noticed that the Vice-Admiral in front of her was strong indeed! To think he still had more power to show…Mamamama!

"Zeus! Prometheus!"

"Yes, mama!" both the cloud and sun replied in unison.

"Attack!"

"Yes, mama!"

As the sun began to spew a sea of flames from its mouth, whilst the thundercloud charged Big Mom's left fist with crackling lightning jumping from bits of skin to bits of skin, Naruto reacted. Senjutsu chakra humming through every fibre of his being, he began to prepare his own technique to counter Big Mom's renewed assault. In his right palm, it appeared to be an orb not unlike the first one, albeit held in Naruto's hand. However, this orb's guiding orange light appeared to be much more intense than that of the previous one – to the extent that arcs and sparks began to appear around it. Growing until the orb resembled a sphere closer to Big Mom's head in size, Naruto launched the technique as Big Mom's fist began to descend towards him.

"Raitei!"

"Sage Art: Big Ball Gamma Rasendan!"

The lightning bolt summoned by Big Mom's thundercloud soon found itself deftly overpowered as the Rasendan punched its way through, pushing both the thundercloud and Big Mom back some steps. Pressing the advantage, Naruto willed his body to disappear, before re-materialising in an orange flash in front of Big Mom's face. By this time, Big Mom had already re-oriented herself, her heels digging into the ground as she prepared to strike him with Napoleon set alight along the length of the blade by Prometheus' flames.

"Cognac: Blade of Destruction!"

Naruto barely managed to de-materialise in time, for he had barely picked up the hum of Busoshoku Haki surrounding the blade just as it had approached him, this time, re-appearing behind Big Mom, his right-hand glowing orange.

"Sage Art: Gamma Frog Strike!"

The pulsating nature chakra and gamma radiation mixed in rippled from the point where the palm struck as Big Mom found herself being knocked away. She did not stay down for long, however, as she soon turned herself around, Napoleon still in hand.

"That," she wiped away some blood at the edge of her face, "actually hurt."

"I'm full of surprises, you know!"

"Mamamama! Aren't you the smart Logia, hmmm? How many decades has it been since I felt such pain? Very well, Uzumaki! I acknowledge you! You have come to overthrow me; try and take it! My throne as an Emperor of the Sea!"

At the same time, Charlotte Katakuri and Laxus Dreyar had finally begun their fight upon the pressure from the clash of the two titans slightly dissipating. Coating his arms black in Busoshoku Haki – for just as Katakuri's Mochi Mochi no Mi, though a Paramecia, was a Logia in all but nature (for Mochi was man-made) and could not be harmed by strikes lacking Busoshoku Haki, how much more could normal attacks do towards the user of the Goro Goro no Mi, one of the 'invincible' Logia fruits – Katakuri struck with several mochi fists protruding from his body, flying towards Laxus. Laxus did not simply sit their idly either, transforming into a bolt of yellow lightning soon pursued by Katakuri's mochi fists appearing to strike ever so precisely where Laxus should have been just milliseconds ago.

"I see," Katakuri murmured. "Your lightning is still faster than my mochi, even…"

He was too shocked to finish his sentence as he tried frantically to shift his Mochi body around, for Laxus had returned to a human form, his hands glowing with black lightning he summoned forth.

"Black lightning: Thunder Dispatch!"

Fast, too fast! Katakuri thought. Even his future sight, honed from his advanced skill and experience in Kenbunshoku Haki could not have helped him here. Where could he have fled; how could he have shifted his mochi body? Black lightning thrumming with Busoshoku Haki filled the space around him as bolts danced and struck, dominating the entire area. Barely managing to deflect the remainder of the blast away with his trident acting as a lightning rod, Katakuri glared. That fucking hurt, he wanted to growl, he wanted to scream, yet he could not afford to show weakness; Mama would never allow it, and to think of the reaction from his subordinates…

Gritting his teeth, Katakuri began to focus within…there!

Transforming his forearm into a mochi one, he began to compress it – more, more, more – there it was, so hot, overheating from the pressurised mochi – then boom, the Haki-imbued fist launched from his forearm as it exploded, straight towards Laxus as he began to move into its path.

"Dammit!" Laxus snarled out as he barely escaped with naught but a graze. It was almost like if…

"You can see the future, can't you?"

Katakuri's eyes narrowed. "My Kenbunshoku Haki is unrivalled. Not even your speed can match it. Give up, Laxus Dreyar. You will try and rage up a thunderbolt," at this, Laxus was shocked – so shocked, in fact, his hands stopped glowing with electricity. How did he know? He had just started! Undaunted, Katakuri continued, "and then attempt to rush at me with a lightning lariat."

"Lariat!" Laxus screamed as he coated his physical figure with lightning; sparks flew from his body, jumping from muscle to muscle; it was no matter that Katakuri had predicted his movement, Laxus determined, for what could he do against him if he went faster? Undaunted, Katakuri simply let the blow connect, for there was no Haki within the blow; what had he to fear from – oh, that blow fucking hurt. Lightning…of course. How could he have gotten so cocky? Sure, that shock didn't kill him, but goodness, his mochi body was not suited for this. No matter. He wouldn't let it happen again; he knew much better than that now.

"Your ability…" Laxus managed to pant out, "is nothing that special."

Katakuri merely said nothing, simply compressing his mochi arms into a square shape as the coat of Haki began to run up his arms.

"You're not the first one to be able to see the future," Laxus continued as he would himself transform his own fists into black lightning. "And they taught me a valuable lesson. You can't stop something if you can't react to it in time!"

Black Lightning fists clashed against hard mochi strikes as neither Laxus nor Katakuri gave ground against one another, though Katakuri took extra care not to let the black lightning itself anywhere near his body. Barely managing to maintain the status quo thanks to his advanced Kenbunshoku Haki enabling to glimpse into the future, Katakuri's sweating began to intensify. However, Laxus himself was not doing that well either; his breathing became more haggard, his panting more heard. Black lightning imbued with Busoshoku Haki was not something that could just be thrown around that easily, after all.

As Laxus and Katakuri battled for supremacy, Big Mom and Naruto's clash continued to shake the heavens. Haoshoku Haki still emanated from the epicentre of the fight as neither combatant gave ground against the other. Big Mom's attacks suddenly appeared to have an intensity to them not previously seen; her anger showed itself not only in the newfound ferocity she swung Napoleon in, but also the searing heat of Prometheus' flames both running along the blade and spewed from the living sun's mouth. Naruto's own strikes, too, became much more lethal as the mix of Senjutsu chakra and gamma rays emitted from his blows led to many a helpless Big Mom Pirate too close to the clash collapsing to the ground and trembling; others began vomiting, lying in their own sick; still others suffered horrific burns on their skin, red patches painfully contrasting pale skin.

Big Mom herself could feel it; she was weakening. That brat…no, not a brat anymore…that damned vice-admiral; to think that he would push her this far! He must have done something, for she had never experienced such a reduction in strength during a fight. Each blow took longer, each strike felt sloppier. Even her concentration and Kenbunshoku Haki took its own beating; it became harder to think, harder to focus. She knew that she had to end this quickly; her death otherwise seemed to loom near. A pity, indeed, that this vice-admiral seemed to be fearless; robbing her of the convenience of simply ripping his soul from his body. No matter, she thought, as her forearms rippled with Busoshoku Haki, flame endings at its end, ready to punch – nay, that wouldn't be enough; Uzumaki must die, and he must die now, she had thought.

"One year…two years…no, five years of my lifespan should be enough!" Tearing her own soul again, Big Mom changed – perhaps an understatement, really, for how do you otherwise describe a colossal enlargement of her body in conjunction with the glowing mist emanating from her eyes in words? Towering over even the Marine battleships, Big Mom bellowed out her challenge.

"UZUMAKI!" Her snarling almost seemed demonic. "I WILL CRUSH YOU LIKE THE INSECT YOU ARE!"

Naruto met her challenge with his own blast of Haoshoku Haki. "Bring it on! Believe it! Kurama, switch!"

Upon his own yell, he too began to shift. Gone was the vice-admiral in human flesh, instead, where Naruto was, there towered a gargantuan nine-tailed fox glowing not unlike the sun, black markings in solid lines running throughout the body. Towering over even Big Mom's new form, the beast looked quite hungry for blood, if the fangs bared were any indication. Many a Marine felt their spirits rise in response – and what should have otherwise happened, really, for everyone knew about Kurama, the grumpy nine-tailed fox whom Naruto called friend and comrade – whilst the Big Mom Pirates began shaking in terror.

"Hmph." Kurama snarled through his avatar. "Big Mom, huh? You remind me way too much of Kaguya."

"Mamamama! And you sound much too like Kaido, that accursed thing." Brandishing an enlarged, blackened Napoleon with Prometheus infused into the blade proper, she leapt at the gigantic beast, just as Kurama's form began to gather chakra in its maw.

"Cognac: Mother's Blaze!" Big Mom cried as she swung the blade down.

"Sage Art: Gamma Tailed Beast Ball!"

Entire chunks of Whole Cake Island were torn off as the attacks collided, for these individual attacks would have already been terrifying enough as they were – the Cognac techniques themselves possessed wanton destructive power greater than Ikoku Sovereignty, and to think Big Mom had further consumed five entire years of her lifespan to strengthen her already awesome power…

Moreover, the Tailed Beast Ball itself greatly contributed to the nine tailed beasts their reputations of wanton destruction and devastation spoken of in the legends. One would not meet an individual familiar with the tale who did not speak of the mythical creatures with fear and terror, for stories abounded of cataclysms and apocalyptic wastelands created by the rampage of such beasts immortalised into myth and song. A Tailed Beast Ball combined with Senjutsu chakra and transformation into Gamma Rays upon detonation – who could bear to witness such a thing?

Whole Cake Island was reduced to – well, it couldn't really be called Whole Cake Island anymore. Gone were the many cakes which wowed and stunned those who set their eyes upon this land, instead leaving flattened earth and many a pockmark. Big Mom, having crashed into one such cake building, began to pull herself up; lunging with fist thrown back, coated in Busoshoku Haki, she struck; only a desperate last-minute switch from Kurama's control to Naruto's, destroying the avatar, prevented the blow from impacting. Nonetheless, the shockwave travelled through, greatly damaging the flotilla of ships which, until now, had been bombarding the remaining Big Mom Pirates on the shores of Whole Cake Island.

"Naruto," Kurama growled. "We don't have much time left. Stop playing around, and finish this!"

"Kurama…"

"My chakra won't be much help here; you'll need to use that accursed fruit's maximum power!"

The remaining vice-admirals barely held themselves together, having been stuck in the middle of the fight. Panther Lily and Shizuma were admittedly performing valiantly, though it did seem that they were almost being overwhelmed. Samehada did leave many corpses in its wake – all shredded and shaved, with the corpses displaying quite a large extent of mutilation as the sentient weapon hummed excitedly in Shizuma's hands; Panther Lily's own Bustermarm sword – the name of his wickedly sharp blade – took down a not so dissimilar number of Pirate combatants and chess soldiers as he swooped from the air to strike over-head.

Yet it would not be until a division of Marines broke through the main lines at the front that the vice-admirals' victories began to translate to turning the tide of the engagement, for though Shizuma and Pantherlily were powerful, they were still cut off; unable to take advantage of their victory. As the squadron began to establish a perimeter, the one heading it revealed itself. A young man with dulled grey eyes and hair mismatched – black on the top contrasting wildly with the bleach-blonde sides approached the two vice-admirals. In addition to being adorned with stud earrings and demure piercings along the right eyebrow, he wore a Marine jacket over a sleeveless blue vest, dull green shirt, and tight-fitting pants.

"Rear-admiral Kawaki!" Panther Lily greeted, though wary. "Why…"

"Father wouldn't appreciate it if you two died here!" Kawaki snarled as he transformed his left arm into a series of small nano-machines, before they took on the shape of a cannon. "Now, let us kill these motherfucking sons of bitches!" He yelled, pointing at the Big Mom Pirates, to a resounding cry of cheers from the Marine soldiers behind him.

The Nano-Nano no Mi was an interesting Devil Fruit for sure. Though similar to a Logia or Special Paramecia's ability to transform into a substance, unlike the infinite generation of material through the intangible elemental body, Kawaki could only transform his body into nano-machines to an extent limited by the sustenance and materiel already present, for any duplication of these nano-machines had to be manually done by each nano-machine. However, the true, terrifying power of the Nano-Nano no Mi lay in its ability to assimilate abilities into and enhance his human body itself; having adopted Naruto's chakra into his systems.

Charging up his chakra cannon arm, Kawaki began firing blasts of explosive chakra towards the horde, beginning to clear out entire regions of troops. He would not let his adoptive Father – someone much greater than that motherfucker who brought him into this world – die here; he would not lose Father, nor his cousin; not after Naruto saved him from that hell and gave him a home, a family, a purpose…

Then suddenly, the battlefield came to a standstill. Pirate and Marine alike refused to budge any further as the heavens and earth themselves shook even more wildly than before. There Naruto and Big Mom were, in the air, Haoshoku Haki clashing yet again, each appearing to jump off from bits of the sky to other parts of it; Napoleon's blade struck against Haki-coated fist, and again, and again, and again, before Naruto suddenly jumped back. Transforming his body as he flashed behind Big Mom, his hands began to glow.

Katakuri looked upon the fight just as he ducked a lightning fist from Laxus, and suddenly lapsed in his focus. "No…Mama!"

However, none heard his cry. How could they have done so? The fight between Naruto and Big Mom dominated one's psyche and will, demanding the attention of the pirates who looked upon it. Such was a fight between titans, really, so strong that the world itself bent to their will.

"Cognac: Hell Harvester!" Big Mom cried as Prometheus' Blades on Napoleon increased in intensity even further, the blade now appearing white-hot as flames licked it throughout. Haoshoku Haki also extended throughout the blade; black lightning arced throughout the blade length. The blade swung backwards, Big Mom having just noticed that that was where Uzumaki Naruto was…

"Sage Art: Cataclysmic Nuclear Destruction!"

There was silence again, and then the world turned itself upon its head.

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