Before leaving, Borsalino unleashed a devastating attack, his "Yasakani no Magatama" rainiru down upon the port of Whole Cake Isnd. The attack reduced the harbor to ruins. Meanwhile, Kuzan froze the surrounding seas, cutting off any ce of pursuit by the Big Mom Pirates.

  As for Kaido, he could still fly, of course. But by the time he returned, Cudius and his team had already regrouped, with all the heavy hitters gathered together, making aaliation futile.

  Kaido's massive frame stood amidst the wreckage of the harbor. His expression was one of fury at first, but after a few moments, his anger gave way to thoughtfulness.

  "Queen, what's the situation here now?" Kaido asked in a deep voice.

  "Boss," Queen began, his usual grin slightly strained. "Linlin was taken away, and Katakuri's been captured as well. Most of the remaining Big Mom Pirates avoided being captured, but they're all io some degree. Smoothie's injuries are the most serious—she's still being treated."

  Kaido's expression darkened, his voice dropping to a mutter. "So the old hag's gone… Katakuri too. Smoothie's out of ission. In other words, the Big Mom Pirates are headless now."

  "Perospero's still alive," Queen added thoughtfully.

  Kaido suddenly burst into ughter, his booming voice eg across the destroyed harbor. "Ahahahaha! Perospero, huh? That dy maniac is smart enough."

  Quinn tilted his head, already suspeg what Kaido lotting. "Boss… what exactly are you pnning?"

  Kaido grinned maliciously. "Without that old hag, the Big Mom Pirates are nothing but a scattered mess. As her former crewmate, it's only right for me to extend a helping hand… for the sake of 'old friendships,' of course."

  He ughed again before deg, "We'll absorb the Big Mom Pirates into our ranks! With them under me, her Whitebeard nor the Marines will stand a ce. Just wait—when my ultimate army is plete, who in the world could possibly stop me?!"

  Kaido's crazed ughter filled the air as his iions became clear: to e the remnants of the Big Mom Pirates and strengthen his forces.

  ---

  While Kaido schemed, Cudius and his group were already en route back to safety, their mission deemed a resounding success.

  Cudius y on a bed in the ship's , his face thoughtful as he touched his . "Now that I think about it… maybe we shouldn't have retreated so soon," he mused.

  Borsalino, sitting nearby, raised an eyebrow. "Yhness, you and Sakazuki were both seriously injured. Staying any longer would've put you in unnecessary danger."

  It was true—both Cudius and Sakazuki had sustained signifit injuries during the operation. Cudius's wounds, however, were rgely self-inflicted due to the extreme strain he'd pced on his body during his final csh with Big Mom.

  Sakazuki's injuries, oher hand, came from direbat. At the start of the battle, when both sides were at their peak, he had faced Linlin head-on. Sakazuki fought recklessly, trading blows and sustaining heavy damage.

  Thanks to the bined efforts of the team, including Sakazuki's earlier battle with Linlin and support from other masters, Cudius had been able to end their fight more quickly. Later, Sakazuki faced Oven, severely wounding him, but the injuries Sakazuki accumuted prevented him from killing or capturing Oven before the operation ended.

  At the moment, Sakazuki's dition was more critical than Cudius's, and he was undergoing treatment elsewhere on the ship.

  Cudius waved off Borsalino's expnation, turning his attention to Bartholomew Kuma. "Kuma, your ability lets you expel injuries and fatigue from the body, doesn't it? 't you use it to restore me to full strength?"

  Kuma hesitated, then shook his head. "Yhness, my ability doesn't work that way."

  After a brief pause, Kuma added thoughtfully, "Though… it's an iing idea. Perhaps it's a dire I could explore further as I develop my abilities."

  Cudius blinked in surprise. He had been vihat Kuma's powers could perform such feats—wasn't there something called the "Paw Healing" in his memory? If that had been possible, he could've restored himself mid-battle and perhaps even taken down Kaido.

  But now it seemed he'd overestimated Kuma's current abilities. Shaking off the thought, Cudius asked, "What about the rest of the team? Any notable gains?"

  Stussy, who was sitting nearby peeling an e for him, spoke up with a look of . "Yhness, Kuzan mao capture Katakuri as well."

  Cudius chuckled at the news. "That 'perfect man' Katakuri, reduced to this? pletely tered and captured alive by Kuzan, huh? Impel Down is waiting for him, no doubt."

  Adding Linlin to the mix, who was already on her way to Marineford thanks to Kuma's ability and Gion's escort the operation's results were undeniable. While they hadn't achieved absolute perfe, taking dowwo leaders of the Big Mom Pirates was still a moal success.

  "Kaido… that bastard," Cudius muttered, his tone low. "If he hadn't shown up, we might've wiped out the Big Mom Pirates pletely. But now… things might get plicated."

  Borsalino nodded in agreement. "Kaido isn't oo let an opportunity like this go to waste. The bance of power on the seas is about to shift again."

  Cudius exhaled deeply before speaking. "Still, the Wover isn't walking away empty-handed. Have you reported the situation to Sengoku? He'll o prepare for the fallout."

  "Kuzan's on it," Borsalino replied. Just as he spoke, Kuzaered the room, holding a Den Den Mushi in his hand. "Yhness, I've already passed all the relevaails to Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

  ---

  At Marineford, Sengoku was walking toward the port alongside Garp, Zephyr, and Tsuru.

  Garp, doughnut in hand, gnced over at Sengoku. "What's the rush? Are we heading out on a mission? And how's Cudius holding up?"

  Sengoku smiled, clearly pleased. "I've got to say, this CP-X unit is far more reliable than the rest of the Cipher Pol groups we've dealt with in the past. Every mission with them ends in success!"

  Garp blinked in surprise. "It's done already? I figured it'd take at least three to five days…"

  Zephyr chuckled. "It wasn't a one-on-one fight. With the amount of firepower we deployed, it was bound to quickly."

  Sengoku nodded but added, "Still, there were… plications. Kaido showed up out of nowhere."

  He quickly reyed the report he'd received, outlining how Kaido's interference had prevented a total annihition of the Big Mom Pirates.

  Garp ched his fists, his voice rising. "So you're saying if that lunatic Kaido hadn't barged in, Cudius might've pletely destroyed the Big Mom Pirates?!"

  "That's right," Sengoku firmed, his toinged with regret. "Kuzaiohat Cudius mao defeat Charlotte Linlin almost entirely on his own. With Bartholomew Kuma's assista could've beeurning point for the Big Mom Pirates' colpse… if not for Kaido."

  Zephyr sighed. "Still, capturing Charlotte Linlin and Katakuri is a massive victory in itself."

  Tsuru looked over at Sengoku. "So why are we heading to the port?"

  Sengoku smiled again. "We're here to receive 'express delivery.' Thanks to Kuma's ability, Gion and Charlotte Linlin are en route to Marineford as we speak. We o secure her as soon as possible to avoid any acts."

  The group reached the port and stood watg the horizon, waiting for Kuma's arrival. The sky was overcast, the sun sinking halfway into the sea. But there was no sign of their "express delivery."

  "How long does it take for Kuma to send someone from Totto Land to Marineford?" Garp asked suddenly.

  "Two days, at most," Zephyr guessed.

  Garp groaned. "Then what are we doing standing here like idiots?" He turo leave, muttering angrily.

  Sengoku scratched his head awkwardly before , "Ahem, my mistake. Why don't I treat you all to dinner instead?"

  Garp immediately stopped in his tracks, his mohtening. "I know just the pce!"