Just as quickly as they had appeared, the Blackbeard pirates vanished from Egghead, leaving behind only destruction and confusion, and somehow in the chaos Caribou had managed to tag along with them, clinging to the opportunity like a parasite. He had been lurking since Wano, waiting for a moment like this, clearly obsessed with Blackbeard and eager to spill everything he knew about the ancient weapons, how someone like him would end up shifting the balance of the world was unclear, but the fact that he might was enough to make it unsettling.
Meanwhile the Pacifista continued their assault, their mechanical bodies turning in perfect unison as they unleashed relentless beams of light upon the Marine fleet, explosions tearing through ships one after another under Bonney's orders, the sea below erupting into chaos as debris and bodies were thrown into the waves. What was meant to be a decisive Buster Call had been halted mid-execution, completely derailed, and from the Marines' perspective it was turning into a nightmare, giants storming the battlefield, their own weapons turned against them, everything collapsing at once.
There was only one solution left.
Take back control.
And that meant eliminating Jewellery Bonney.
Under normal circumstances that would have spelled disaster, but the situation had already gone far beyond normal. Franky, Bonney, Atlas, and the unconscious Kuma found themselves suddenly surrounded by towering figures, the giants closing in, their massive shadows casting over them. For a brief moment there was hesitation, instinctive fear at the sheer size and presence of the warriors, but it was cleared up almost immediately as the giants recognized them, their intentions unmistakably aligned.
Without wasting time, the group climbed aboard, hitching a ride atop the giants as they moved across the battlefield with thunderous steps, each movement shaking the ground beneath them. The captains and other warriors broke off, heading straight toward the center where the real battle was unfolding, where Luffy, Sanji, Ryo, and Vegapunk were still holding out.
Franky couldn't help himself, staring in awe at the sheer scale of it all, the power, the presence, the raw force of the giants moving through warships like they were nothing more than driftwood.
Elsewhere, Saturn steadied himself.
His breathing was heavy now, slower, more deliberate, and then his body began to shift again.
Bones twisted.
Flesh warped.
And something far more grotesque emerged.
A massive, horned, spider-like creature took form, his upper back now wreathed in a burning orange flame that flickered unnaturally, his beard longer, more unkempt, his face still recognizable yet deeply wrong, his eyes completely devoid of anything human. His arms had transformed fully, merging into his form until he now stood on eight legs, towering and monstrous, the irony unmistakable as the man who had looked down on others as insects now resembled one himself.
He moved.
Each step deliberate, each movement radiating something unnatural as he made his way back toward the battlefield.
Where Kizaru and Sanji stood.
The admiral's posture remained as relaxed as ever, almost casual, but there was something off in his tone that didn't quite match his usual demeanor.
Kizaru: this hasn't gone at all how I expected, it sure stressing me out
Sanji took a slow drag from the cigarette resting between his lips, the ember glowing faintly as smoke curled into the air around him, his expression calm but sharp.
