Big Mom narrowed her eyes, instinctive hunger and greed for greater power burning within them. Her gaze was as hot and dangerous as a starving wolf locking onto its prey.
She seemed to have glimpsed far more within that single slash than everyone else had.
A meaningful smile curved across her lips.
"It looks like your Divine Kingdom is hiding quite a few interesting secrets!"
Her fingers unconsciously stroked the weapon at her waist, as though she could hardly wait to uncover those mysteries and claim every last one for herself.
Elsewhere in the sky, clouds churned around a magnificent and terrifying sight.
Kaido had transformed into his majestic Azure Dragon form, his colossal body coiling high above the battlefield beneath an overwhelming pressure.
His scales gleamed with a cold light, resembling countless blades embedded across his body. Beneath the sunlight, they reflected colors that were both dazzling and deadly.
Two streams of scorching steam suddenly burst from his enormous nostrils.
They surged forward like roaring serpents of flame, carrying enough force to destroy everything in their path.
Then Kaido's deep voice boomed across the sea like rolling thunder.
"Wororororo! Not bad! That slash was vicious and absolute!
"That's the kind of power that can shake the whole world!"
His words echoed over the ocean with tremendous force, filling everyone who heard them with instinctive awe.
Kaido had always been infamous for his arrogance.
Few people in the world were worthy of even catching his attention.
Yet no matter how proud he was, he had never withheld his acknowledgment from those who possessed genuine strength.
Ron had just killed Ryokugyu in an instant.
A feat that extraordinary shone like the brightest star in the night sky and naturally earned the high approval of the man known as the Strongest Creature in the World.
Amid the tense, exhilarating atmosphere, the sound of ships cutting through the waves rose from the distant horizon, almost as though answering the overwhelming presence of the three Emperors.
Wave after wave surged across the sea and crashed together with deafening roars, resembling both the charge of an immense army and war drums announcing the approach of a decisive clash.
White spray leaped high into the air and glittered beneath the sunlight like countless pearls scattered across the ocean, creating a scene that was both magnificent and mysterious.
At that moment, the Charlotte Family's elite children approached in a disciplined formation led by Katakuri.
They wore extravagant yet imposing clothing, every heavy step drawing the attention of those watching.
They carried the natural pride and dignity of people born into one of the most powerful families on the sea.
The elite children arranged themselves in perfect order.
They stood silently behind Big Mom's mountain-like figure, each resembling an unmoving peak and radiating an intimidating presence.
Like a pack of loyal and ferocious guard dogs, they were prepared to charge through fire and death for their mother at a moment's notice.
Their hawk-sharp eyes were cold and unwavering, shining with resolve as though they could pierce every obstacle and look directly into the hearts of their enemies.
The powerful auras radiating from them merged into a vast sea of pressure.
It spread outward like a physical tide, freezing the surrounding air until even time itself seemed to slow.
Opposite them, the Marine fleet remained arranged in battle formation.
Warships lined the sea in orderly rows. The soldiers aboard them wore solemn expressions, their weapons gleaming coldly as they watched the approaching enemies without daring to relax for an instant.
With the arrival of the Charlotte Family's core fighters, the formation of the Big Mom Pirates underwent an immediate transformation.
Their already formidable forces became even more powerful.
Every member felt the strength of those reinforcements at their backs, and their morale soared.
At a single command, they looked ready to surge forward like savage beasts released from their cages.
Almost simultaneously, the surviving remnants of the once-feared Beasts Pirates slowly appeared within the smoke-filled battlefield.
However, when compared to the glory of their former prime, the force before them now seemed painfully miserable.
Once, the three All-Stars had towered above the crew like blades suspended over their enemies' heads, their names alone enough to inspire terror.
Now that brilliant trio had been torn apart.
Only Queen the Plague remained.
The obese man, whose body resembled a small mountain, still wore his trademark sunglasses. He repeatedly wiped the cold sweat pouring from his forehead, the enormous droplets rolling down his cheeks and soaking the front of his clothes.
Fear and tension filled his eyes.
He looked like someone who had barely escaped a catastrophe and still had not recovered from the experience.
Jack the Drought had already died in battle, his final, brutal stand buried in the dust of history.
King the Wildfire had been captured by the Marines and was now imprisoned within the dark, heavily guarded depths of Impel Down, stripped of both his freedom and former glory.
The Tobiroppo had also been completely wiped out during the cruel conflict, without a single survivor.
Their old accomplishments and formidable strength had disappeared along with them.
Now, only a handful of wounded, exhausted Gifters followed behind Queen.
Their injuries still throbbed with pain, while fear and confusion over their uncertain fate filled their faces.
Kaido's enormous dragon eyes slowly swept across the broken remains of his once-mighty crew.
A complicated light flashed through his gaze.
There was still savage fury within it, roaring for revenge against those responsible.
Yet beneath that anger lay a faint loneliness, mourning the glory his crew had lost.
"What goes around comes around."
...
It seemed like some enormous joke played on them by fate—or perhaps a curse they had never been able to escape.
Maybe this had always been their destiny.
In the ruthless world of pirates, even the greatest powers eventually declined. Glory and disgrace rose and fell in an endless cycle.
"Hahahahaha! What thrilling power, Ron! It's enough to make me tremble!"
Douglas Bullet's laughter rolled across the battlefield like thunder, seemingly powerful enough to shake the surrounding space apart.
He stood like a towering mountain, his enormous arms bulging as every muscle tightened and swelled like tangled tree roots. Thick veins stood out clearly beneath his skin, each one carrying strength capable of overturning mountains and seas.
Bullet slammed his fists together.
Boom!
A deep explosion of compressed air erupted like a thunderclap, sending visible ripples through the atmosphere around him.
His eyes burned with limitless fighting spirit.
He stared intently at Ron with such focus and obsession that it seemed he was not looking at a man, but at a priceless treasure.
His thoughts drifted back to their first clash in Impel Down.
Ron had already been frighteningly powerful back then, but compared to what he had become now, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.
The present Ron could casually erase a Marine Admiral with a wave of his hand.
That overwhelming leap in strength left even Bullet deeply shaken.
"Now that's more like it! That's the kind of power you need to turn this whole world upside down!"
Bullet laughed again, genuine delight at finding a kindred spirit mixing with his usual madness.
Meeting a rival capable of standing on the same stage was one of life's greatest pleasures.
Beneath that exhilaration, however, burned an even stronger competitive desire.
Ron's growth had inspired Bullet to push himself further, to break through his limits in future clashes and reach an even greater realm of power—one capable of challenging every rule and order imposed upon the world.
Not far away, Sir Crocodile stood tall, though an almost imperceptible tension ran through his body.
He tried to maintain his usual cold composure, acting as though nothing around him could possibly disturb him.
Yet the cigar resting between his lips betrayed the change within him.
Its previously steady stream of smoke faltered for the briefest instant, like a ripple suddenly spreading across calm water.
Crocodile narrowed his deep-set eyes.
Complicated emotions flickered within them—shock at what he had witnessed and a trace of caution he could not entirely suppress.
Hidden beneath his wide sleeve, his right hand unconsciously stroked the familiar golden hook. The faint scrape of his fingers against the metal was almost impossible to hear, but it revealed the turmoil beneath his outward calm.
His thoughts surged like violent undercurrents.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
The words rolled from his throat in a low voice filled with disbelief and bitterness.
Memories of his first meeting with Ron in Alabasta flashed through his mind like scenes from a film.
Back then, Ron had still been an inexperienced young man, his face carrying traces of youth and uncertainty.
Faced with complicated circumstances, he had been forced to rely upon carefully constructed schemes, drawing different forces to his side and maneuvering between them merely to survive.
Every decision had carried enormous risk.
Every step had been taken as though walking across thin ice.
Yet now?
In what felt like the blink of an eye, that boy who had once needed others and planned every move with extreme caution had completely transformed.
Through absolute personal strength, Ron now stood proudly at the summit of world power, facing the Emperors as an equal.
What unsettled Crocodile even more was the faint impression that Ron had already begun to surpass them.
That rate of growth defied all common sense.
It was like watching a monster from ancient myth come to life—both astonishing and terrifying.
Crocodile slowly drew a deep breath from his cigar.
The heavy taste of tobacco spread through his mouth, yet did nothing to disperse the shadow hanging over his thoughts.
He exhaled several thick white rings of smoke, which drifted through the air and merged together like the confusion inside his mind.
Then he spoke in a hoarse voice devoid of any obvious emotion.
"In the end, only genuine strength decides who rises and who sinks upon this vast and violent sea."
Every word left his mouth with heavy significance, expressing his deep understanding of the merciless laws that governed the ocean.
Bullet's wild laughter had yet to fade, its arrogance still rolling freely through the air.
The shock had not disappeared from Crocodile's face, and Whitebeard's contemptuous ridicule of the Marines continued echoing across the endless sea like the tolling of a great bell.
Then, amid the suffocating tension, a lazy voice carrying unmistakable authority spread clearly throughout the enormous Marine fleet.
It cut through all the noise like lightning splitting the darkness, instantly silencing the entire sea.
"Honestly… haven't you said enough already?"
Every gaze turned toward the source at once.
Admiral Kizaru.
At some point, he had begun floating slightly above the deck.
His body seemed as light as a bird, yet radiated an indescribable pressure.
Dangerous golden particles of light flickered into existence around him, dancing and jumping through the air like tiny spirits while releasing a chilling presence.
His usually unreadable face remained perfectly still.
There was no visible joy, anger, sorrow, or fear.
...