While Momoshiki and Imu were engaged in fierce battle high in the sky, the submarine below, amidst the churning water, fell back to the sea surface.
This showed the exceptional level of Vegapunk's technology.
If it had been some Supernova's submarine subjected to such an impact, the people inside would probably have been shaken into mincemeat.
In fact, the submarine had already initiated its so-called 'cushioning mechanism' while still in mid-air.
For example, nozzles opened on all sides, ejecting high-pressure air currents.
Another example was the giant airbag that rapidly inflated beneath the submarine.
Of course, even more crucial were the micro-robots working frantically between the submarine's inner and outer hulls.
They constructed various buffering structures, ensuring that the vibrations from the outer hull wouldn't threaten the passengers inside the cabin.
Boom!
Seawater splashed in all directions as the submarine successfully landed.
Seizing the moment the waterspout disappeared, Stussy ordered Medusa to pilot the submarine and dive into deeper waters.
"Stussy-sama, are we leaving directly?"
Medusa operated quickly at the control panel.
"...Let's go. Get as far away from this danger source as possible."
Stussy issued what seemed like a ruthless command, gently stroking the sleeping Adam with her finger, recalling the earlier scene in her mind.
If this were the old her, she might have tried to investigate exactly what was happening here.
After all, agents were naturally sensitive to intelligence.
And intelligence was also an agent's best weapon.
But now that the World Government no longer existed, she, Stussy, no longer needed to be that cold, ruthless, multi-faced female agent.
And after casting aside that identity, who was she?
The underworld ruler of the Pleasure District?
No... that wasn't what she wanted.
Right now, she is just an ordinary mother.
Those jewel-like eyes now held only one kind of light.
Stussy's gaze was firm.
Before having Adam, her concept of 'family affection' had been particularly vague.
As an agent, she clearly understood others' feelings for their loved ones and was adept at manipulating such emotions to achieve her own goals.
But if you truly asked her what family affection was, she couldn't articulate it.
Before Adam, no matter how many things she experienced, Stussy found it difficult to truly empathize.
And now, she gradually came to understand the light that shone in Hancock's eyes every time she gently touched her own belly.
It was a light that could sacrifice everything for another life, including one's own life, principles, and dignity.
"I think I made myself quite clear just now."
As if sensing something, Stussy gently turned around, looking at Kalifa who had appeared at the cockpit entrance at some point... and the newly awakened Naomi.
"While I still don't want to kill you, you'd better know when to stop."
Stussy's words gradually grew cold, her tone increasingly firm.
"I cannot put my child in such danger. For him, I am capable of anything."
"You'd better not test my resolve."
As Stussy said this, Medusa beside her, while continuing to pilot the submarine, shifted part of her attention to the two who had suddenly appeared.
At Stussy's command, she would immediately act to kill them both.
"Heh... you've really changed a lot, haven't you?"
However, Kalifa showed no fear now, as if she had figured something out.
Hearing this, Stussy's eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn't respond.
"Don't worry, we understand your feelings, and there's no way we would ask our savior to voluntarily return to a dangerous place."
Kalifa's gaze was firm, and Naomi behind her poked her head out, looking somewhat fearfully at Medusa beside Stussy.
Her snake-like keen senses had been sounding frantic alarms from earlier.
This little one was very dangerous!
"So... you're giving up?"
Stussy raised an eyebrow.
And Kalifa's response was an immediate shake of her head.
"No, of course not."
"What I mean is, please put us back on the surface. We'll find another ship... or maybe a raft or something."
As she said this, there was no avoidance in Kalifa's eyes. Naomi beside her also nodded.
"Thank you for saving our lives, but I'm truly sorry, I've thought it through very clearly."
"Captain stayed behind to buy us time. She's also a Devil Fruit user. Even if we can't help in the fight, at the very least, if she runs out of stamina and falls into the sea, we can fish her out."
"Just like you did for us."
Saying this, Kalifa bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle to express her gratitude to Stussy, then straightened up.
"Just like your dedication to Adam, we also have our dedication."
"..."
The air was silent for a moment.
"You really have changed, Kalifa."
Stussy stared directly at Kalifa for a few seconds, then ordered Medusa beside her.
"Prepare to surface."
"I'll only give you ten seconds. This is your last chance to change your minds."
"After surfacing for ten seconds, we will leave."
"Don't regret it."
"We won't regret it!"
Naomi, not knowing where she found the courage, suddenly spoke up to make her presence felt.
But the moment Stussy smiled and looked at her, this one immediately wimped out and shrank back behind Kalifa.
The moment Naomi was stared at by Stussy, the sense of threat she felt from her suddenly surpassed even Medusa's.
The submarine's descent gradually slowed.
Just then, Stussy suddenly thought of something and turned to ask Kalifa.
"What about that White Horse Prince? Are you taking him too?"
Hearing this, Kalifa shook her head.
"If possible, could you please take him along?"
"This guy's way of speaking is strange, but he really is a good person. He tried to help us earlier."
Upon hearing this, Stussy simply nodded to show she understood, seeming unconcerned about Cavendish's situation.
"Stussy-sama, the high-energy reaction is disappearing."
Just as everyone was waiting in silence again, Medusa spoke once more.
"Oh?"
"It seems your Captain's battle is over—"
"Warning! Detecting a massive object rapidly descending. Position... directly above us!"
Whether it was an illusion or not, Naomi felt she heard a hint of urgency in that cold-faced white-haired loli's voice.
"Can we dive to avoid it?"
"No, Stussy-sama. The target is far too large and descending at extreme speed. Calculations show its impact potential energy will directly destroy the submarine."
"How could this..."
Hearing this, Kalifa's face immediately turned ashen.
"It's my fault..."
"No, it's not your fault."
Stussy had no time to dwell on Kalifa's self-blame. Instead, she turned her attention to the display screen filled with various dense parameters.
"Even if we didn't surface, our speed wouldn't be enough to avoid it either."
"...It's Hachinosu!"
At this moment, Naomi also snapped back to reality, quickly adding.
"Earlier, that fat black guy used his fruit power to send the entire Hachinosu into the sky!"
"Captain must have won, so his ability disappeared."
Hearing this, however, Stussy simply shook her head.
"Hachinosu's diameter is roughly twenty kilometers. If it were the entire island, the destructive force would be far greater than this."
She looked at the calculated parameters, silently comparing them in her mind.
Roughly equivalent to a meteorite.
"It seems your Captain did her best to minimize the fragment size... but even so, this fragment is still lethal to us."
"Medusa, activate the escape pod. You take Adam and leave."
Ignoring everyone else's expressions, she directly ordered Medusa, then turned to the others.
"I'm sorry to say, but although it's called an escape pod, it was originally just a capsule used to carry some form of memory storage. We can't fit in it."
Stussy wasn't lying. That thing was originally used to hold part of the [Punk Records]. After some modifications, it could barely accommodate Medusa plus Adam.
Hearing this, Kalifa had nothing more to say. She couldn't ask Stussy to do any more.
Her fingernails dug into her palms from excessive force. Kalifa looked up, her gaze piercing through countless obstacles toward the sky.
'Captain Karin...'
Hum—
Just then, a strange humming suddenly sounded. The very air seemed to begin vibrating.
'What was happening?'
Everyone felt as if they couldn't breathe, as if something even more terrifying had appeared.
Before anyone could react, the submarine's alarm blared.
"Warning! Warning! High-energy reaction detected above! Evacuate immediately!"
Meanwhile, on the sea surface, a pitch-black beam of light capable of destroying everything extended from somewhere unimaginably far away.
This black flash was also wreathed with strands of lightning. If Big Mom and Kaido had seen it, they would have been shocked to realize this move looked exactly like their combined ultimate technique, [Conquest of the Sea]!
Hum—
Where the beam passed, everything turned to nothing.
That island fragment, no different from a meteorite, was precisely struck by this black light. Before even a speck of dust could rise, it was erased cleanly from this world, like a drawing rubbed out by an eraser.