A Cloud Man? / All Flash, No Substance

Yermak cursed furiously to himself. Big Mom paid no attention whatsoever to how her own side was faring, unleashing lightning and flames without restraint. Not only had the Pirate Alliance suffered heavy casualties, but her own forces had also been caught in the crossfire.

Big Mom could not have cared less. To her, these so-called soldiers were nothing more than Homies she could create on a whim. Besides, she had never cared about human life in the first place.

"Ararara~ Looks like I came at a bad time!"

Just as the fighting between the two sides reached a fever pitch, Kuzan's warship suddenly sailed into the battlefield.

"Well, feel free to carry on. Don't mind me!"

Standing on the deck with his arms folded, Kuzan gave the dumbstruck crowd a slightly awkward smile.

"Mamamama! The Navy's here too? How interesting! Little bugs, just stand still and take my fists! Thunderfire Blitz!"

Big Mom was completely lost in her bloodlust and had no intention of stopping. Without so much as glancing at the grim-faced Kuzan, she wreathed both fists in lightning and fire. Her seemingly obese body moved with startling speed, flashing before Yermak and Francis!

Boom!

Terrifying lightning and fire poured into the two men. Yermak barely had time to turn into his element—no, to be precise, doing so would not have helped. Big Mom's attack covered far too wide an area for him to escape.

That single blow nearly beat half the life out of them. Francis, however, escaped without any serious injuries thanks to his Ancient Zoan's thick hide and terrifying regenerative power.

"Ice Age!"

Kuzan quickly assessed the situation and activated his Devil Fruit ability, slowly exhaling a breath of freezing air. A vast stretch of sea, along with the pirates on its surface, became solid ice sculptures. Of course, he had never intended to stand idly by as he had claimed. Both sides had worn themselves down. It was time to hunt!

"Hey, hey, hey! Navy! This is our war! Are you asking to die?"

Big Mom had been thoroughly enjoying the fight, and Kuzan's actions infuriated her. Her predatory eyes locked onto his impassive face as a stream of unsettling laughter escaped her mouth.

"Ararara, my apologies, madam. But this is... my justice! Ice Blade!"

A slender blade of ice instantly formed in Kuzan's hand, and he hurled it viciously at Big Mom's face!

An opening!

Yermak and Francis exchanged a glance, then pulled out of the battlefield in unison. Most of the pirates they had brought were already lost. They had badly misjudged Big Mom's strength. Even Blood Scythe was being overwhelmed by Katakuri and would probably fall before long.

As for Klaus, several of Big Mom's children had him surrounded. Although he held the upper hand, breaking free was clearly impossible.

They had already been considering retreat. Now that Kuzan had willingly taken on Big Mom, they had to leave, or they would likely remain in Totto Land Waters forever.

"Ararara, looks like the Navy will be taking over this battlefield!"

Kuzan glanced at the fleeing Yermak and Francis but made no move to stop them.

"Ice Ball!"

"Sorry! No pirates allowed past here!"

Atlas commanded a medium-sized standard Navy warship stationed around Totto Land Waters. With her far-reaching Observation Haki, finding the two fugitives had been effortless.

"Navy? A commodore?"

Yermak looked at Atlas with disdain. They might have fled a war in the New World with their tails between their legs, but that did not mean some lowly Navy commodore could push them around.

Beside him, Francis also frowned, annoyed by the Navy's deployment. They had actually sent a commodore to take part in a battle of this caliber. He had been hoping to find an opening to ambush Yermak, but this Marine's appearance had thrown a wrench in his plans.

Still, Francis was no softhearted man. The Marine before him would have to fend for herself.

"Flying Finger Pistol: Explosion!"

Atlas had no interest in what either pirate was thinking. She fired an explosive flame straight at Yermak!

Boom!

The explosive beam passed through Yermak's body and struck the distant sea, throwing up an enormous splash.

Yermak returned from his elemental form with a dark expression, his earlier ease gone. Although he had avoided the explosive flame by transforming, he had clearly felt its immense power. He now understood that this Marine was no ordinary opponent.

"How interesting. Francis, looks like we'll have to work together again! What are you do—?!"

A sickly smile spread across Yermak's face as he prepared to call Francis over to kill the Marine together. What nearly made his jaw drop, however, was that Francis walked toward the Navy without the slightest caution!

Even more shocking, the Marine made no attempt to stop him, simply ignoring Francis.

Hey, hey, hey! What happened to no pirates allowed? Are you fucking blind? Can't you see that full-grown man right in front of you?

"Damn it! That bastard Francis is a mole!"

Seeing Francis behave so strangely, then recalling the role he had played in bringing about this war, Yermak gradually calmed down and finally understood.

Cloud-Mist Man?

"Brat! So all of this was a Navy scheme? Hmph, hahahaha! Sengoku certainly lives up to his reputation as the Tactician!"

Yermak looked angry, yet helpless, a low chuckle rumbling from his mouth. He felt like a mouse being toyed with by a cat, and an ugly smile twisted his face.

"My apologies, Mr. Yermak. A piece of seaborne... trash with a bounty of 700 million Beli! You know too much, so I'm afraid you'll have to die!"

Atlas regarded the pirate dressed like some sickly gentleman and spoke without a trace of emotion in her eyes. Bounties were not generally as inflated now as they would be over a decade later, after Luffy set sail. Those later figures were simply the result of Beli depreciation and inflation.

That made Yermak's 700-million-Beli bounty genuinely substantial. His strength could not be underestimated.

"Hmph, hahahaha! What a big mouth you have, brat!"

Although Yermak had already glimpsed a fraction of Atlas's strength, his pride as a great pirate would never let him surrender without a fight!

"Thundercloud: Descent!"

Yermak grinned viciously. A mass of dark clouds immediately gathered overhead, with flashes of lightning slowly brewing within.

Suddenly, a pillar of lightning descended from the sky, striking straight at the top of Atlas's head!

Boom!

An immense surge of lightning instantly engulfed Atlas!

Yet no delight appeared on Yermak's face. He knew perfectly well that the woman before him would not die from an attack like this.

"Hmm? That felt good. It's been ages since I felt this refreshed!"

The lightning dispersed, revealing Atlas standing completely unharmed. Dense Armament Haki coated her entire body, though the terrifying heat had reduced her top to ashes, exposing armor-like muscles.

Atlas rolled her neck slightly, making her sturdy bones crack. To her pleasant surprise, the lightning had actually strengthened her physique a tiny bit, even if the improvement was almost negligible.

"My turn!"

Atlas flexed every muscle and unleashed explosive power beneath her feet. The force drove a depression into the sea's surface, and her terrifying speed brought her before Yermak in practically the blink of an eye.

"Tekkai: Armament: Shatter!"

Her arm abruptly swelled, radiating a terrifying sense of power. The friction against her skin ignited blazing sparks!

"Cloud Shield: Armament!"

Almost simultaneously, an enormous wall of clouds coated in Armament Haki rose before Yermak!

Clang!

The sensation was strange: hard, yet slightly soft, without the crisp metallic ring of clashing Armament Haki. Its tremendous elasticity seemed to dissipate nearly a third of Atlas's force, while the Armament Haki weathered the rest head-on.

"Heh! I'm a Cloud-Mist Man who ate the Logia Cloud-Cloud Fruit! My Cloud Shield combines the softness of clouds with the hardness of Armament Haki. You'll never break through it!"

Yermak laughed smugly. As far as he was concerned, the Marine before him was troublesome, but nothing more. She was hardly an unbeatable opponent. Following the fine tradition of the pirate world, he immediately began explaining his abilities and techniques with enthusiasm.

"Is that so?"

Atlas gave no definite response, but suddenly poured more strength into her arm. At the same time, she activated the Dragon Talisman's explosive power, conjuring fierce flames around her fist!

Boom!

"Whew~ That felt better!"

Watching Yermak fly backward, Atlas let out a long breath.

In the distance, Yermak forced himself to regain his footing. Looking down at his now-tattered gentleman's attire, he felt an inexplicable rage rise within him.

"Hey, hey, hey! Now you've really pissed me off, Marine!"

The moment he finished speaking, dense clouds billowed over the sea. Like a white continent, the thick cloud layer lifted Yermak high and slowly rose into the air. Meanwhile, a mass of clouds began closing around Atlas.

Atlas felt as though a pair of enormous hands had seized her body, their grip tightening with every passing moment!

Bang!

Explosive flame erupted, instantly blasting an enormous hole in the clouds restraining Atlas. But under the control of Yermak's Devil Fruit ability, they swiftly knit back together at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Seeing this, Atlas kicked off with Geppo and used Razor, quickly escaping the clouds' grasp.

"Flying Finger Pistol: Explosion: Gatling!"

A ruthless gleam flashed in Atlas's eyes. Her index finger unleashed a torrent of fire, sending a dense barrage of Armament Haki-coated explosive bullets at Yermak!

Yermak reacted without hesitation. Clouds rapidly coiled around his arms, followed by Armament Haki Hardening. Two enormous black fists slammed fiercely into the explosive flames.

Boom, boom, boom!

Explosions rang out one after another, and a white shock wave burst outward with Yermak at its center.

Atlas seized the opening and flashed into the cloud of air as her body transformed dramatically. She rapidly shrank to two meters tall, the Armament Haki coating her growing denser. Intricate patterns traced across her chest and back, while two tear-like streaks extended from the corners of her eyes to her neck.

Life Return: Armament Kami-e Martial Body!

Unlike War God Body, Kami-e Mushin gave Atlas faster reactions and greater agility. War God Body, on the other hand, granted her a giant's strength, perfectly complementing the divine strength bestowed by the Ox Talisman!

"Wild Dance: Snake!"

Yermak's Observation Haki had picked up Atlas the moment she charged, so he attacked first.

Countless giant pythons made of clouds surged toward her. A faint layer of Armament Haki flickered over their bodies, clearly intended to catch Atlas off guard.

Do you think my Observation Haki is just for show...?

Atlas narrowed her eyes. Two deep crimson gleams spilled from them as she pushed her powerful Observation Haki to its limit!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

With Kami-e Mushin enhancing her movements, Atlas evaded every cloud python with near-perfect precision. Since her last battle with Katakuri, the range of her Observation Haki had not increased, but the fineness of her perception had improved considerably.

"Explosion: Battle Axe!"

Almost instantly, Atlas passed through the clouds and hovered directly above Yermak. She raised her right leg high, drawing her body taut like a great bow, then brought it crashing down wreathed in explosive flame!

Bang!

Although Yermak erected a cloud wall in an instant, the terrifying force still knocked him out of the sky!

Thud!

A dull impact sounded. Yermak had not fallen into the sea's embrace, thanks to the layer of clouds he had previously created with his Devil Fruit ability to restrain Atlas.

All Flash, No Substance

"You won't get another opening! Starfall!"

Atlas would not give Yermak even a moment to catch his breath. Her body rapidly grew enormous, the markings on her face curling upward to converge on her forehead. The sharply defined muscles across her back formed a demonic face, while steaming heat continuously rose from her body.

The battered Yermak slowly climbed to his feet atop the thick clouds. Suddenly, a black object plummeting at tremendous speed entered the range of his Observation Haki. Before he could take a closer look—

Bang!

The tremendous acceleration smashed a hole straight through the clouds. Waves dozens of meters high erupted and crashed violently into Yermak nearby.

I dodged it!

Yet Yermak felt no joy. Instead, cold sweat poured down his forehead. Atlas had not struck him squarely, but... his left arm was ruined! He could clearly feel that the bones in it had been shattered. It was completely useless in combat.

"Isn't she a Devil Fruit user?"

Yermak was shocked. Atlas's explosive power had clearly led him to assume she was a Devil Fruit user, but the current situation proved he had been mistaken.

Meanwhile, lurking beneath the sea, Atlas was also absolutely certain that her attack had inflicted some damage on Yermak.

Boom!

An enormous spray of water burst upward. Like a tiger shark darting at full speed, Atlas charged straight toward Yermak's position, aiming her Armament Haki-hardened head at him!

"Cloud Shield: Armament!"

Yermak had not expected such a ferocious onslaught. One attack followed another, leaving him almost no chance to breathe. An intense sense of danger drove him to deploy a cloud shield coated in Armament Haki in an instant!