Although Сarl hasn't yet had time to unleash his full power, it still left Cake Island half-destroyed, with countless pirates perishing in the aftermath—mostly from Big Mom's crew.
Just as Big Mom regained her senses, she saw the ruin of Cake Island below her, sending her blood pressure skyrocketing. Meanwhile, Roger had already landed on the ground.
Roger didn't continue pursuing a fight with Carl. Instead, he used his Observation Haki, listening to the voices around the island. After confirming that Rayleigh was safe and on his way, Roger felt relieved. He then gave the order to Bullet and the others to retreat. As captain, Roger's goal had always been the Poneglyph, and he had no intention of helping the crazy Big Mom fight Carl.
Of course, he wanted to avenge Gaban and his fallen crew, but he knew that, even if he and Big Mom could suppress Carl, they couldn't stop him if he decided to leave. Carl, after all, had come alone and wasn't bogged down by a need for victory or defeat. He could fight without restraint, utilizing his supernatural speed and elusive abilities, sometimes snatching away a few pirates during the battle.
When Roger used to encounter Garp, he enjoyed a good brawl before laughing his way to an "escape." But since Carl had replaced Garp, Roger no longer had such thoughts. Carl was deadly serious!
To speed up their escape, Roger moved swiftly to Shanks and Buggy, grabbing them under his arms and dashing away. Any pirate with a bit of sense knew to keep away from Carl.
However, Big Mom clearly wasn't in the "sensible" category now. After her flame attacks proved ineffective against Carl, she abandoned Prometheus, gripping Napoleon in one hand and Zeus in the other, and charged at Carl with furious momentum.
Without Roger's assistance, Big Mom's threat level to Carl dropped significantly. Carl wielded his cursed blade, Muramasa, engaging her in fierce combat. The few combat-capable members of the Big Mom Pirates clenched their teeth and joined the fight, attacking Carl.
Carl deflected Napoleon with a single stroke, glanced at the charging crew, and chuckled,
"Such a loyal bunch."
He swung his arm, summoning a towering wall of flames to cut off their advance. The pirates hesitated, and Katakuri and the others tried to extinguish the flames. But suddenly, a silver lightning bolt shot out from the fire, piercing through one of the crew members.
With a heavy thud, a tall woman wearing a large sunhat collapsed, a charred hole visible on her back. Seeing this, the eldest son, Perospero, cried out in shock,
"Amande!!!"
Another woman, resembling Amande but with a more robust figure, let out a sorrowful scream,
"Sister!!!"
Charlotte Mondée, another snakeneck-human hybrid and Amande's sister, became consumed by grief. Ignoring the flames, she rushed in, protected by her Armament Haki. Yet Carl's flames were far from ordinary, they scorched her skin and seared her flesh, her screams echoing in agony. The pain didn't last long, as she was soon reduced to ashes within the flames.
Witnessing Mondée's fate, no one else dared to challenge the fire wall. Perospero attempted to smother it with syrup, but his efforts proved futile.
Carl extended his hand, pushing the flames forward. The wall surged closer, and it seemed that if not for Big Mom releasing Prometheus to absorb the flames, more lives would've been lost.
Big Mom, with her incredibly tough physique, was still relatively unscathed. Carl, too, bore no significant injuries. With Katakuri and others joining, a barrage of fierce attacks rained down on Carl.
Carl met their assault with ease. Unlike Garp, who relied on raw physical power, Carl used the Dark-Dark Fruit's area attacks, along with the Vampir Fruit's high endurance, to remain dominant in a battle against multiple foes.
But Carl's purpose wasn't to engage in a full-scale conflict, he merely wanted to aggravate Big Mom and Roger, diminishing their forces slightly.
Big Mom eventually realized that Carl was targeting her children, which stirred her maternal instincts. Protecting Katakuri and the others, she now found herself in a deadly game of "hawk and chicks" with Carl.
Carl, wings spread, circled above, watching Big Mom protectively shielding her "chicks." With a shrug, he observed that he'd already wreaked enough havoc on Cake Island, littering it with countless bodies.
It was time for him to leave—but not without a parting gift for Big Mom.
Black rings began forming around his arms, which he then raised high. The rings lifted off his arms, expanding as they ascended into the sky, eventually vanishing among the clouds. With a smile, Carl waved to Big Mom below, his figure twisting until he disappeared from her sight.
This was the first time Big Mom had seen Carl employ such a mysterious move. She assumed it was a technique for concealing himself. As soon as he vanished, she heightened her Observation Haki to guard against a sudden ambush, fearing for Perospero and the others behind her.
But Carl never reappeared. Instead, what came was a massive meteor, tearing through the clouds and barreling down towards Cake Island.
The meteor was almost half the size of Cake Island itself, and its impact would surely sink the island into the sea. Big Mom's pupils shrank. She quickly summoned Zeus, stood atop him, and, gripping Napoleon, slashed through the sky, shattering the massive meteor with a Sword Slash, then directed Zeus to unleash a storm of violet lightning.
The lightning reduced the meteor fragments to dust. Yet, there was no joy in Big Mom's heart. She hovered silently in the sky, and soon, her furious roar echoed throughout Totto Land:
"Black Dragon!!!"
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+170 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg