Kaido frowned as he watched the dark spear slowly sink into the ground, shrinking beneath Lloyd's feet until it became nothing more than a shadow.
The ability felt familiar. It strongly resembled the power of Gekko Moriah, whose will had once been crushed by Kaido himself. Still, there was no time to dwell on it. Across from them stood seven Admirals, their presence suffocating, their intent unmistakably hostile.
If anything went wrong today, the Beasts Pirates would be wiped out completely.
There was no escape from that reality. The Navy's current strength was overwhelming. With seven Admirals, their combat power had reached a level where they could act without restraint. Kaido found himself momentarily paralyzed, reminded of the oppressive dominance of the past era.
If he had known things would turn out this way, he would have swallowed his pride and sought an alliance with Linlin. Even that might not have been enough. The Navy still had those old monsters lurking in the shadows.
His expression darkened.
Yamato placed a hand on her chest, still shaken, then suddenly looked up at Lloyd and shouted in anger.
"Hey! You're all despicable! You actually ambushed us! Now I understand how Oden lost. He must have been ambushed by people like you! And Ace too!"
Her outburst was reckless and poorly thought out. Before her words even settled, Lucia transformed into a streak of black light and shot forward.
A slash infused with Armament Haki and violet flames came crashing down toward Yamato.
This time, Yamato reacted. Her strength was far from weak. Having already grasped the basics of Conqueror's Haki coating, she raised her kanabo and blocked the attack.
A sharp clang echoed.
The moment their weapons collided, the ground beneath Yamato shattered. Sweat formed on her forehead as she gritted her teeth, struggling to endure the pressure.
Lucia, in contrast, looked completely at ease. Her expression remained cold as she gazed down at Yamato.
"Oden was nothing but a failure. He was never worthy of standing against Young Master Lloyd."
"What did you say? You're not allowed to insult Oden!"
As Oden's most devoted admirer, Yamato's anger surged. She tried to push Lucia back, but the difference in strength was undeniable. No amount of shouting could close that gap.
Despite her effort, Lucia did not move an inch. Instead, Yamato's footing sank deeper into the ground, her resistance weakening.
Seeing her struggle, the Beasts Pirates moved to assist.
King spread his wings and charged toward Lucia.
In an instant, Kizaru appeared in his path. His body dissolved into light before reforming midair, delivering a devastating kick that sent King crashing downward.
"King!"
Jack roared as he transformed into his beast form and charged forward. Queen reacted faster, raising his mechanical arm and firing a golden laser.
Kizaru's expression remained relaxed behind his sunglasses. He allowed the beam to strike him directly.
The attack did not pierce through him. Instead, it was absorbed seamlessly.
Using a laser against the user of the Glint Glint Fruit was no different from strengthening him.
Realizing this, Queen immediately switched tactics, launching his mechanical arm forward to grab Kizaru.
Before it could make contact, five thick green vines wrapped tightly around it.
Queen turned in shock and saw Aramaki standing casually, picking his nose with one hand. The vines had sprouted from his fingers.
With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, Aramaki smirked.
"A pile of scrap metal. Completely worthless."
Queen's face twisted in anger.
"What do you know? These are the creations of a genius!"
"A genius? You?" Aramaki scoffed. "That's the funniest thing I've heard all day."
His taunts came relentlessly, igniting Queen's fury before the battle had even escalated.
From the side, Aokiji frowned.
"Aramaki, stop wasting time. Just kill him."
As his voice fell, Aokiji vanished, leaving behind a trail of frost.
Before he even arrived, two ice spears shot forward. Queen shattered them with Armament Haki in his hybrid form.
But Aokiji was already upon him.
Placing a hand against Queen's abdomen, freezing air erupted outward.
"Ice Age."
In an instant, Queen was encased in ice. Though he managed to break free by transforming fully, his body barely recovered before he lashed out with his massive tail.
Meanwhile, ten gigantic Numbers charged forward with heavy steps.
Akainu let out a cold snort. His arms turned into magma, erupting violently and obliterating two of the giants instantly.
Their headless bodies staggered forward a few steps before collapsing.
The remaining Numbers met equally brutal ends. Some were drained by vines, others crushed by shockwaves, while the rest were incinerated by magma.
The Numbers, a force capable of destroying entire nations, were annihilated in moments.
Against true top tier fighters, their size meant nothing. They were merely larger targets.
With no other choice, the Tobi Roppo and the Headliners led their forces into battle. Many of their subordinates, having consumed artificial Devil Fruits, resembled a chaotic menagerie.
The battlefield descended into destruction.
Magma surged, forests erupted from the earth, and shockwaves tore through everything. Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru unleashed their full power without restraint.
It was a massacre.
And yet, the strongest among them had not even moved.
Lloyd stood calmly with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on Kaido.
Kaido watched as his crew was slaughtered without mercy. Rage burned within him, but he did not move. He understood that the moment he tried, Lloyd would stop him.
The other Admirals ignored Kaido completely, as if the Emperor did not exist.
They had already entrusted him to Lloyd.
Because they all knew the outcome.
Lloyd would not merely defeat Kaido.
He would kill him.