While Whitey Bay, the "Ice Witch," and her entire crew were captured, battles across the other islands did not slow in the slightest.
If anything, they grew more intense.
The Whitebeard Pirates had been confident. Too confident.
They trusted in their strength and reputation, but they lacked accurate intelligence on the Nightfall Pirates. That gap in understanding quickly turned into a costly mistake.
No one had expected someone like Whitey Bay to fall so quickly, let alone be captured along with her entire crew.
On another island, two massive figures clashed like giants.
Diamond Jozu, the Third Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Slada, one of the Nightfall Pirates' executives.
Compared to Gar, Slada was far less known. He had fewer recorded battles and no title to his name.
He had joined the Nightfall Pirates later than the others and had yet to prove himself on a major battlefield.
Even during the conquest of the Sageros Sea, Slada had rarely taken action.
But within the Nightfall Pirates, no one doubted his strength.
Executives often sparred among themselves, and those who had crossed fists with him understood exactly what kind of monster he was.
At the moment, Slada did not even have a bounty. That fact alone made Jozu underestimate him at first.
But the moment the fight began, Jozu's expression changed. He immediately sensed it.
This man was dangerous.
Slada stood over six meters tall, towering even over Jozu.
What truly shocked Jozu was simple.
His strength, the very thing he prided himself on, held no advantage.
This unknown executive was matching him head-on. The members of the Whitebeard Pirates watching the battle were equally stunned.
Diamond Jozu was one of their strongest commanders, a veteran who had helped expand their territory time and time again.
Yet now, he was being held in place by a man with no bounty.
Still, Slada's presence made everything clear. His golden, vertical pupils radiated a terrifying pressure. It was the aura of a predator at the top of the food chain.
The aura of a king beast.
Slada had already entered his hybrid form.
The form where human and beast merged. His entire body was covered in thick, rugged scales. Muscles bulged under his skin, and his already massive frame grew even larger.
In one hand, he wielded a gigantic ship anchor.
Armament Haki coated the weapon as he swung it through the air, carving out a crescent arc that seemed capable of splitting the battlefield in half.
His raw strength alone was monstrous.
Now, amplified by an Ancient Zoan, it became something even more terrifying.
Jozu did not retreat.
Half his body transformed into diamond, gleaming under the light.
He stepped forward and threw a punch.
The ground beneath them shattered.
Cracks spread outward as the two forces collided, sending debris and rock flying in all directions.
No one dared come within a hundred meters of their battlefield. This was a clash between monsters.
Jozu was a veteran of countless battles. Yet even he could not gain the upper hand.
Slada grinned, baring his teeth in excitement.
In this state, he looked almost feral.
Jozu's diamond body granted him one of the greatest defenses in the world. Any part of his body could become pure diamond. It was not just hard. It was nearly indestructible.
That was how he earned the title "Diamond Shield."
Ordinary physical attacks were useless against him. And when he struck back, the same hardness became a terrifying offensive force.
Even compared to Wallace's Iron Body, Jozu's defense was on another level.
Slada felt it clearly.
His attacks were not breaking through.
But that did not frustrate him. If anything, it made the fight more enjoyable.
Jozu was only twenty-two years old. Yet he already held the position of Third Division Commander. A renowned powerhouse of the New World.
Slada, on the other hand, relied on his monstrous physique and Devil Fruit.
In terms of pure strength, he had the edge. But Jozu's combat experience and mastery of Haki allowed him to hold firm.
The two exchanged blow after blow, neither giving ground.
Even if Slada could not break Jozu's defense directly, that did not mean he could not damage him over time. And Slada himself possessed powerful regenerative abilities.
"Brilliant Bash!"
Jozu suddenly burst forward, his speed exploding as he closed the distance.
His diamond arm smashed toward Slada like a falling meteor.
Slada did not dodge. Instead, he laughed and swung his massive anchor straight at Jozu.
The collision that followed sent shockwaves across the battlefield.
On another island, a very different battle was taking place.
Namur, the Eighth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, faced Mog Ratoon.
A fight between two fish-men.
Among fish-men, there was an unspoken rule. Most would not willingly fight against the Whitebeard Pirates. After all, Fish-Man Island had long been protected under Whitebeard's flag.
That protection had brought them peace. It was a debt many fish-men remembered.
But Mog Ratoon was different. Standing before Namur, he felt no hesitation.
Under Slada's training, Mog Ratoon's strength had grown rapidly.
He had sparred against powerful opponents again and again.
Combined with his own talent and bloodline, his growth had been explosive.
His Devil Fruit only made him stronger.
Namur frowned as he looked at him. He felt it immediately.
A pressure from bloodline alone. Both were shark-type fish-men. But one was ordinary. The other carried the ancient bloodline of a Megalodon.
Mog Ratoon stood nearly nine meters tall. A massive figure, still growing. He had not yet reached his limit. In time, he could easily surpass twelve meters.
Namur was not intimidated. His body was compact and muscular. He was fast, agile, and strong. Everything a fish-man needed in battle.
The fight began.
Mog Ratoon radiated a brutal killing intent.
During the past three months, he had trained on a beast island, fighting and killing constantly.
The experience had sharpened him.
It had also awakened something deeper in his bloodline.
A savage instinct.
Namur moved quickly, darting around Mog Ratoon's massive frame. His claws slashed across Ratoon's body, leaving streaks of blood.
The pain only made Ratoon more excited. He did not even bother using Armament Haki to defend. His body alone was enough. His skin, his muscles, his regeneration.
All of it combined into a natural defense.
On the beast island, he had fought giant creatures with nothing but his body.
This was no different.
At first, he struggled. Namur's speed was difficult to handle. His attacks landed again and again.
But slowly, things began to change.
Ratoon adapted. His movements became sharper. His reactions faster.
Then it happened. Namur appeared behind him, ready to strike. But Ratoon reacted instantly. He swung his arm backward with terrifying force.
Namur barely had time to block. Even so, the impact sent him flying.
Namur rolled across the ground before stopping himself.
His expression grew serious.
"A monster…"
He could feel it clearly. Ratoon was improving mid-battle. Adapting in real time.
The fight continued.
Elsewhere, Mobius faced Haruta, the Twelfth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Haruta was small, quick, and skilled with the sword.
Despite his young age, he had already earned his position.
But against Mobius, he was outmatched.
Mobius no longer relied on swords.
His serpent-like arms lashed out like whips, forcing Haruta on the defensive.
The two had met before.
Back when Mobius had stayed aboard Whitebeard's ship with Teach. Haruta had been just a child then.
Now he was strong. But not strong enough.
Mobius activated his ability.
In an instant, Haruta's world went dark.
Sight, sound, touch.
Everything vanished.
Haruta froze. That moment was enough. Mobius struck.
Again and again.
"Haruta!"
Nearby Whitebeard Pirates shouted in alarm.
But they were too late.
By the time Haruta regained his senses, it was already over.
Seastone cuffs locked around his wrists.
He had been defeated.
Captured.
On another battlefield, Nelson faced Layock, a veteran pirate wielding a meteor hammer.
In direct combat, Nelson was at a disadvantage.
Layock was older and more experienced. His Haki was solid.
But Nelson had something else. The ability of the Steal-Steal Fruit. His strange teleportation made him unpredictable.
Layock could not pin him down.
Neither could win.
The battle dragged on.
Across the islands, clashes continued.
The Nightfall Pirates fought not only the Whitebeard Pirates, but also other forces.
Still, one conflict stood above the rest.
The war against the Whitebeard Pirates.
One was a rising power, on the verge of becoming an Emperor. The other was already a legend of the sea.
Because of that, more than half the world's attention was focused on this war.
Everyone was watching.
Waiting to see who would come out on top.