Though they were Yonko, both Whitebeard and Shanks understood deep down that no single force could absolutely dominate the seas forever. Even the overlord of the ocean forty years ago, Rocks, had been shattered under the iron fists of Garp and Roger.
The position of the Four Emperors was stable, but in terms of pure individual strength, they still struggled to match the monsters of the Rocks era. And the man who dismantled the Rocks Pirates, Garp, was the disciple of the old man standing right before them.
How could they not be wary?
Just as everyone was reeling from the shock of Rowan's punch, a sharp, piercing shriek suddenly echoed across the ocean.
"It's coming from the direction Doflamingo was sent flying!"
Someone immediately pinpointed the source of the cry, and heads turned toward the horizon in unison. The moment their eyes lifted, a collective wave of horror surged through their hearts.
In the azure sky, a massive, flaming "bird" was gliding toward them. Clutched in the creature's talons was Doflamingo, looking down at Rowan with a face full of pure malice. Rowan's punch had nearly knocked him unconscious, and it had taken him quite some time to regain his senses.
Though he had been rendered powerless by that one strike, Doflamingo didn't believe he was truly no match for Rowan; he merely felt he had been caught off guard. And now, he had backup! Today, he would make Rowan pay the price—for his officers, and for his own dignity!
The giant bird carrying Doflamingo reached the space above the crowd and hovered in mid-air. Looking at this strange, prehistoric creature, everyone felt a chill creep up their spines. This was no mere bird. In the New World, there was only one man with the form of a Pteranodon, wearing a black uniform and wreathed in flames.
"The Yonko... Lead Performer of the Hundred Beasts Pirates... One of the Three Calamities... King the Conflagration!" someone stammered.
Another member of a Yonko crew! And this man was the strongest under Kaido himself. In the Hundred Beasts Pirates, his status was equivalent to Marco the Phoenix. He was a Right-Hand level figure—an "Emperor's Vice"!
Furthermore, his bounty surpassed all other first mates: 1.39 billion Berries!
Rumor had it that if anyone fell into his hands, they would suffer the most brutal tortures known to man. Thinking of the legends surrounding King, the onlookers shuddered.
But some people's attention wasn't on King. They were staring past him, toward the direction he had come from. As the head of the Calamities, how could King have come alone?!
"He's... actually... here..."
Aboard a pirate ship directly beneath King, a scout with a telescope began to tremble uncontrollably. In his lens, a massive ship decorated with a beast's head was charging toward them at full speed. Seated at the prow was a man of monumental stature, his expression deathly grim.
The moment the scout saw that man, his back was instantly soaked in cold sweat. With a clatter, his expensive telescope slipped from his numb fingers and shattered on the deck. He didn't care. He turned and screamed at his captain with a face distorted by terror.
"Captain! He... he's here! Kaido of the Hundred Beasts... is here!"
Kaido... of the Hundred Beasts?!
Though the sight of King had prepared them, the actual mention of the name caused a collective intake of breath. Thousands of terrified eyes fixed on the horizon.
As the seconds ticked by, a gargantuan pirate ship emerged into full view. When the figure at the bow became clear, a sense of total suffocation slammed into the crowd.
Drip... drip...
Cold sweat poured down faces. Spines turned to ice. Under the weight of absolute dread, many people's minds went blank.
It was really him! One of the four Emperors, Captain of the Hundred Beasts Pirates, the Strongest Creature in the World—Kaido!
Above Kaido's ship, dark clouds were visibly coalescing. As the vessel neared, the storm followed it. The sheer atmospheric pressure made it hard to breathe. It was just one ship, yet it carried the weight of a falling mountain.
"JOKER!"
Suddenly, Kaido tossed his sake jug aside and stood up, his voice booming toward Doflamingo. That single roar snapped the onlookers back to reality.
"MOVE! GET US OUT OF HERE!"
Aboard the ship directly below King, Captain "Mad Wolf" Walker—a man with a bounty of over 200 million—shrieked with tears in his eyes. Years ago, he had entered the New World with a 93 million bounty and grand dreams of becoming the Pirate King.
He had fantasized about taking Whitebeard's head, punching Kaido, and making a name for himself by defeating Big Mom or Shanks. But today, he had seen the elegant yet terrifying Shanks and the majestic Whitebeard. And the moment the malice-filled Kaido appeared, his last shred of resolve collapsed.
Before these monsters, his 230 million bounty was a joke. Trying to touch a Yonko was like an ant trying to topple a giant tree—pure suicide.
Not just Walker, but every ship in King's path scrambled to flee. Within minutes, the once-crowded sea was emptied. Even the World Government's intelligence vessels retreated to a safe distance.