Countless black bats began to descend from the sky.
At first, no one in the quarry noticed what was happening.
Everything still seemed normal.
On the improvised stage at the center of the quarry, Queen was still dancing enthusiastically, completely absorbed in his own exaggerated performance.
His extravagant movements made his enormous body sway from side to side as he sang and danced with great enthusiasm.
Beside him, one of the subordinates participating in the backup choreography noticed something strange in the sky. His face immediately turned pale.
He hurried closer and said:
"My Lord Queen, this isn't the time to dance! Something strange is happening in the sky! An ocean has appeared up there… something must have happened!"
Another subordinate who had also been part of the choreography stopped dancing and spoke nervously:
"That's right! Maybe we should inform Master Kaido immediately! The sea above our heads… that's definitely not normal!"
Suddenly, a commotion began spreading among the prisoners working in the quarry.
They pointed toward the sky, whispering in fear.
Countless dark spots were spreading everywhere, flapping their wings through the air.
There were so many that they looked like a living cloud.
The bats moved in dense clusters, obscuring part of the sky.
"What the hell is that?!"
One of the prisoners shouted.
Queen finally raised his head.
His eyes narrowed.
Then he saw it clearly.
Countless bats were flying in circles around the prison areas surrounding the entire quarry.
The next moment—
Something even more terrifying happened.
Black shadows began to be torn away from the ground.
One after another.
They looked like hundreds of dark lines being violently pulled upward.
All of them rose toward the sky at the same time.
"Kishishishishishi!"
A strange and chilling laugh echoed through the air.
It was a laugh many pirates of the seas knew well.
In the sky, a grotesque figure appeared.
It was Gecko Moria.
He spread his arms dramatically and declared:
"Shadow's Asgard!"
His body began to swell rapidly.
Muscles expanded beneath his pale skin, and his body grew several times larger.
Then he leapt down from the sky.
BOOM!
When Moria crashed into the center of the quarry, the impact violently cracked the ground around him.
Fragments of stone shot in every direction.
"A Shichibukai?!"
"It's the Shichibukai Gecko Moria!!"
Both prisoners and guards were shocked.
Among the prisoners were many pirates who had been defeated by the Beasts Pirates and sent there to work as slaves.
They recognized Moria immediately.
After all, he had once been one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Because information in the country of Wano had not been updated for a long time, many people still didn't know he had already been expelled from the organization.
"Moria…?!"
Queen's eyes widened.
Why was Moria there?
"Kishishishi… Queen, long time no see!"
After absorbing the shadows of hundreds of prisoners, Moria's voice had become deeper and more terrifying.
His technique, Shadow's Asgard, was a powerful support ability in which Moria strengthens himself by absorbing the shadows he has stolen. As he does so, his size and physical strength increase proportionally to the number of shadows absorbed.
Furthermore, the stronger the original owner of the shadow, the greater the boost in power.
However, there was a problem.
This technique required enormous willpower to control all those shadows simultaneously.
At that moment, Moria raised his fist.
And then slammed it down.
BOOM!
The destructive power of the blow shattered the ground instantly.
"Rise… my zombies!"
Suddenly, corpses began emerging from the ground.
One after another.
They were all dead prisoners who had been buried there.
Now, with shadowy bats being inserted into their bodies, they began to move again.
They had become Moria's puppets.
In just a few seconds, hundreds of zombies were lined up behind him.
Meanwhile, countless shadow bats continued flying around Moria.
Seeing that scene, Queen narrowed his eyes.
He spat the cigar from his mouth onto the ground.
"Bah!"
Then he said disdainfully:
"Twenty-one years ago you came to Wano to challenge Kaido… and ran away after all your companions died."
He revealed a cruel smile.
"It's amazing someone like you is still alive, Moria."
Moria burst into laughter.
"Kishishishi… I'm not here because of you."
His eyes turned cold.
"Is X-Drake here?"
"I'm going to get rid of him… and take my revenge!"
Upon hearing that, Queen looked surprised.
"Ah—?"
The next moment, his body began to change.
His bones cracked loudly.
His form expanded violently.
In just a few seconds, the fat man had transformed into a gigantic dinosaur.
It was the power of the Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Brachiosaurus.
An Ancient Zoan.
Queen roared furiously.
"I asked… what the hell you came here for!"
He opened his enormous jaws and lunged forward to bite Moria.
But Moria raised his arms and grabbed the massive brachiosaurus head.
Then he replied coldly:
"Then I'll ask again… where is X-Drake?!"
---
---xXx---
Meanwhile…
News of the events was spreading rapidly throughout Wano.
The chaos at the Udon quarry.
And the battle between the Emperors of the Sea near the Flower Capital.
Both reports reached Onigashima almost at the same time.
As Kaido's secretary, Bao Huang immediately summoned the main officers of the Beasts Pirates.
Soon, several important members had gathered.
Among them were:
Jack, one of the Three Disasters.
Known as "Jack the Drought."
His bounty exceeded one billion berries.
Also present were the Tobi Roppo, the Flying Six:
Who's Who, user of the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Saber-Toothed Tiger.
Sasaki, user of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Triceratops.
Ulti, user of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Pachycephalosaurus.
Page One, user of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Spinosaurus.
Black Maria, user of the Spider Fruit, Model: Rosamygale.
And also…
Yamato, who was dressed like an oiran.
Seeing her appearance, Ulti immediately burst into loud laughter.
"Puhahaha! What is that, Yamato?! You look ridiculous!"
She bent over laughing while holding her stomach.
Page One, her younger brother, looked more serious.
"Sis… now's not the time to joke around."
Yamato was being stared at by everyone.
That made her visibly uncomfortable.
She shifted awkwardly.
"Bao Huang… why were we called here?"
Black Maria sighed lazily.
"I was busy giving Yamato some special training…"
Bao Huang looked around the room.
"Everyone's here… no, wait."
She frowned.
"Where's Drake?"
Jack snorted coldly.
"At the quarry."
"Oh, right."
Bao Huang remembered immediately.
Since Drake was a recent addition to the Tobi Roppo, he had been sent to supervise the prisoners.
But at that moment she quickly shook her head.
"Forget about Drake!"
"Kaido-sama's situation isn't good!"
Everyone was startled.
Bao Huang continued rapidly:
"You saw what happened outside the castle, right? The inland sea of Wano was lifted into the sky!"
"It was Straw Hat Luffy who did it! Kaido-sama and King went to the Flower Capital to fight the Straw Hat Pirates! We need reinforcements!"
"Kaido is fighting Straw Hat?!" Black Maria looked shocked.
"Yes!" Bao Huang replied quickly. "The Straw Hats killed Kurozumi Orochi… we still don't have all the details!"
Then Black Maria suddenly noticed something.
"Yamato?"
She turned her head.
"Hey! Yamato-sama! Where are you going?!"
In the middle of the conversation, Yamato had already run out of the hall.
---
Flower Capital
The Straw Hat Pirates had moved to the outskirts to watch the battle between Luffy and Kaido.
Running alongside them were Kozuki Hiyori and her retainer Kyoshiro.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Explosions of Conqueror's Haki occasionally echoed across the battlefield.
The pressure was so overwhelming that no one dared to approach.
Even from afar, everyone could feel their bodies trembling.
There was a clear difference in the battle.
Luffy was dominating Kaido.
"Hahaha!"
Luffy burst into laughter.
"Kaido, you can't handle this!"
He had transformed into a giant.
His body looked like it was made entirely of rubber.
Luffy grabbed Kaido's dragon tail.
Then he started spinning him.
And then—
BOOM!
He slammed the dragon violently against the ground.
"Straw Hat!!!"
Kaido roared furiously.
He tried to break free.
But he couldn't escape.
His head slammed violently into the ground.
First to the left.
Then to the right.
The relentless barrage of blows was leaving him completely disoriented.
The dragon form was simply too large.
And it was also a massive target.
Finally, realizing this…
Kaido's body began to shrink.
In an instant, he abandoned his dragon form.
And transformed once again into his hybrid form.
---
(End of Chapter)