The shifting tide on the Marine flagship did not go unnoticed by the two Yonko looming in the sky.
"It looks like those old fossils finally couldn't help themselves," Charlotte Linlin said, her eyes widening with a predatory gleam. "What do you say, Kaido? Should the two of us go down there and finish this?"
Kaido didn't offer a verbal reply. Instead, a surge of overwhelming Conqueror's Haki erupted from the battleship below. The atmosphere buckled under the pressure; the sky began to bleed into a deep crimson, and jagged bolts of red lightning tore through the air. The display was so violent that every combatant on the field was forced to stop and look.
"Oh? Have the old-timers finally decided to give in?" one pirate shouted.
"Kaido!!!" Garp's roar thundered from the deck of the battleship. He clenched his fists so tightly that the sound of his knuckles cracking echoed across the water. "I didn't get my fill of fighting you during our last encounter! Shall we pick up where we left off?"
Linlin's eyes sparkled at the challenge. "Hey, Kaido, listen to that! That old man Garp is actually calling you out!"
In truth, even Linlin was uncertain of the true extent of Kaido's current power. During the previous war at Marineford, Kaido had famously held his own against the combined might of Garp and Sengoku. However, she hadn't witnessed that duel firsthand. Seeing how formidable his subordinates had become, she was increasingly curious to see the strength of the man who led them.
"Alright," Kaido rumbled, his massive, lantern-like eyes staring down at the fleet. He exhaled a breath of freezing air. "It's about time."
Linlin looked confused, and Garp, standing on the deck below, was equally stunned. Neither understood what Kaido meant by those words. But the realization was coming—not just for them, but for the nearby Woka Kingdom and the entire New World.
A crimson fire ignited in Kaido's pupils. From his gargantuan dragon form, a shockwave of Conqueror's Haki erupted that defied all imagination. It felt like a roar from the earth itself, and in an instant, Garp's own Haki was completely suppressed. The world seemed to wail in agony as the environment turned a deep, blood-red hue. Thick, heavy clouds rolled in as if a supernatural storm were approaching, and the sea began to churn with the force of a rising tsunami.
Scarlet lightning radiated from Kaido's body in every direction, snaking into the clouds and disappearing into the horizon as if the power were traveling to distant lands. On the surface of the sea, the pressure was unbearable. Ordinary soldiers, whether Marine or pirate, collapsed instantly. They fell like stalks of wheat before a scythe, row after row. Even among the elite, the effects were devastating; a Marine Vice Admiral's eyes rolled back into his head as he fainted dead away.
"This... this pain!" Aramaki, still in his giant form, became a lightning rod for the red bolts. He groaned in agony and was forced to dispel his ability. In the sky, Kizaru's flight faltered, and he plummeted toward the deck, cold sweat pouring down his face. He looked up at Kaido in sheer disbelief.
A massive crimson phantom flickered before the eyes of the survivors. It felt as if a demon had awakened from the deepest pits of hell, intent on subjugating the entire world.
"Hey, hey, you've got to be kidding me!" On the shores of Woka Kingdom, Donquixote Doflamingo was drenched in sweat. He trembled violently, barely managing to stay on his feet. Beside him, Crocodile stared at his own shaking hands, unable to process the scale of the power. Only Dracule Mihawk seemed to fare better, though his wide eyes betrayed the shock he felt.
At the Revolutionary Army's position, the situation was just as dire. Koala fainted the moment the Haki swept over them.
"Koala!" Emporio Ivankov gasped, dropping to her knees as if a mountain had been placed on her shoulders. She pulled Koala close, looking up at the sky in terror. "This is horrifying! This feeling... it's even more terrifying than Rocks was back then!" Sabo, standing nearby, stared at his trembling body, unable to remember the last time he had felt such pure fear.
Elsewhere, Buggy the Clown and his entire crew had already been knocked unconscious.
"No way... is this really a power a human can achieve?" Eustass Kid, hidden among the crowd, felt his legs give way. He propped himself up with his hands, his eyes wide with terror as he looked at his trembling palms. Law was in no better shape, slumped on the ground with a face as pale as a ghost.
Even the "Dark King," Silvers Rayleigh, stared upward in disbelief. "How is this possible? This Haki... even Roger..."
Charlotte Linlin, who was closest to the source, could only babble in a frenzy. "No... impossible! Kaido, you bastard, when did you gain such immense power?"
The phenomenon wasn't limited to the waters near Woka Kingdom. In Wano Country, the battle was reaching a breaking point. The two members of the God's Knights were being overwhelmed by Queen's fifty-fold cannon and the relentless recovery of Gunzi, while Natsume Locke remained locked in a fierce duel with King.
In that instant, the Conqueror's Haki washed over them all.
"Boom!!!"
Their bodies stiffened as if they had been struck by a physical blow. They let out cries of pain, and Gunzi's legendary recovery speed noticeably slowed. On the island, the giant monsters that had been rampaging vanished instantly, disappearing like deflated balloons the moment the Haki touched them.
At Marineford, the current Marine G1 base, a skeleton crew remained. Although the main force was away, Admiral candidates Tokikake and Momousagi had stayed behind to guard the headquarters. They had been watching the broadcast of the battle when a powerful aura swept through the base, filling them with an involuntary sense of dread.
They exchanged a look of sheer alarm and turned toward the direction of Woka Kingdom.
"How is this even possible?" Momousagi gritted her teeth. "Woka Kingdom is at least a thousand nautical miles from here!" Even the fastest battleship would take three days of non-stop sailing to cover that distance. Yet, Kaido's Haki had arrived in mere heartbeats.
Tokikake's expression turned uncharacteristically grave. "Vice Admiral Garp and the others are in serious trouble."
Meanwhile, in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, the Five Elders were disturbed. The tea and desserts they were enjoying were forgotten as the pressure reached them.
"This... this Conqueror's Haki..."
"Joy Boy... only Joy Boy from the legends could have done this."
"What is happening? Even with the bloodline of the Ancient Giants, Kaido shouldn't possess power on this scale!"
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in their command center began to ring.
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