The sea area of the New World was vast.
The Charlotte Family directly controlled only about thirty islands, known collectively as Totto Land, while the rest were essentially under their broader sphere of influence.
For instance, islands at a considerable distance on the periphery flew the flag of the Big Mom Pirates and offered tribute to the Charlotte Family in the form of wealth or other goods.
But for Big Mom, the tributes were mostly unique sweets specific to each island's culture.
Although they hadn't been long since leaving Dressrosa—only three days—they had already entered the territory of the Big Mom Pirates.
Not long before, a scout ship in the distance was heading toward the Rose Hunter.
The other ship seemed to recognize the vessel, just as the two ships were approaching, the dessert-themed pirate ship made a sharp turn and swiftly moved away.
Issho didn't take action, mainly because Cyrus wasn't present, and he couldn't be sure whether they should engage in conflict at this moment.
Besides, there were two other VIPs on board now.
What Issho didn't expect was that shortly after that scout ship left, his Observation Haki detected something entirely different.
High up in the sky, an extremely powerful presence was moving rapidly through the clouds toward them.
In Issho's Haki perception, this life form, though still at a considerable distance, possessed incredibly vigorous vitality—so strong it was almost unbelievable.
Cyrus!
After alerting Robin and the others, Issho turned his sightless gaze to the sky, lost in thought.
Only once before had he sensed such immense vitality—from Cyrus himself.
Of course, that was without Cyrus employing his peculiar, explosive full-power state.
Issho raised his sword before him, gripping the hilt in a reverse hold.
Seeing Issho's battle stance, Robin grew more vigilant.
Just as her guard was fully up, Issho suddenly spoke.
"Kaido of the Beasts!"
The entity with formidable vitality drew closer.
Through his Observation Haki, Issho 'saw' the massive dragon-like monstrosity and immediately recognized who it was.
The world's strongest creature, Kaido of the Beasts.
One of the undisputed overlords of the New World.
'Why would he appear here?' Issho wondered, but then he recalled that Kaido often transformed into a giant dragon and appeared randomly throughout the New World.
There had been numerous reports of the Emperor seeking death in bizarre ways across the region.
If Issho were alone, he might have relished testing this overlord.
But now... beneath him was Cyrus's ship, carrying Robin and Baby 5.
Though none of them were weak by New World standards, getting involved in a battle of this scale could easily lead to severe injury.
Cyrus had explicitly entrusted the ship and its crew's safety to him, so he had to carefully consider the consequences of an Emperor clash.
However, while Issho pondered this, Kaido amidst the clouds above had other violent ideas.
Charlotte Linlin's indirect refusal of his alliance proposal had left Kaido deeply furious.
Spotting the ship on the sea below, Kaido opened his massive maw.
"Boro Breath!"
A scorching torrent erupted from his mouth, morphing into a thick, concentrated stream of fire aimed directly at the ocean's surface.
The blast struck the sea, triggering a massive explosion.
The blazing heat made contact with the water, vaporizing millions of gallons instantly.
Continuous bursts of fire arced across the sea, homing in on the Rose Hunter.
"Gravity Blade: Fierce Tiger!" Issho's expression turned grave as he drew the sword in a reverse grip and swung heavily.
The diagonal slash perfectly intercepted the curving blast.
Intense wind pressure, amplified by immense gravity, completely shattered the incoming attack.
The fragmented breath swept harmlessly past the Rose Hunter, only to be reconnected by subsequent bursts from the dragon.
Yet, this time, the blast dissipated moments later.
Above, the dark thunderclouds gathered. A massive azure dragon emerged from the clouds, peering down at the tiny ship below.
Kaido was genuinely astonished.
A mere venting of random rage, and he'd encountered a powerhouse? Though it wasn't a full-powered blast, casually blocking and shattering it was no feat for just anyone.
As Kaido processed this, his eyes focused on the ship sailing steadily below.
"Wait!" Kaido's draconic eyes widened, fixed intently on the vessel.
The rose figurehead, the modest tonnage, the ornate but functional design... why did it seem so familiar?
'Wasn't this the Flame Demon Cyrus's ship?'
Back when Cyrus was at the Sabaody Archipelago, the ship's distinctive appearance had been photographed and spread globally via newspapers.
Anyone aware of Cyrus's power naturally kept tabs on his whereabouts, and his flagship had been memorized by many.
'To avoid future encounters where I might not recognize them and end up provoking them—that would be unlucky.' Kaido was in exactly such a situation now.
Upon recognizing the Rose Hunter, Kaido's dragon body tensed up instantly, and the Emperor entered a state of extreme vigilance.
'It's Cyrus's ship, so who was it that attacked just now?' Kaido paused. 'Wait a minute...'
Observation Haki completely enveloped the sea below.
The Rose Hunter continued sailing across the sea shrouded in lingering steam.
"It seems... I don't sense that guy's presence?" Kaido stared hard with his dragon eyes.
His Haki only detected a handful of people: the blind man who followed Cyrus, and a two women.
'Should I capture them?' The thought flashed through Kaido's mind in an instant.
Just as Kaido was considering the hostage play, he suddenly felt the atmospheric pressure from above him intensify rapidly.
His dragon head turned to look up at the sky.
A massive, burning meteor was falling from the exosphere at incredible speed, its high velocity turning it into a giant, apocalyptic fireball.
"Demolition Gust!"
Instantly, Kaido opened his mouth, unleashing countless enormous, crescent-shaped wind blades toward the descending meteor.
...
On the Rose Hunter below.
After using his ability to pull down a meteor, Issho, gripping his sword in a reverse hold, turned to look at Robin.
"I'll hold off this guy. You steer the ship away and dock at the nearest island. I'll find you after I break free."
With that, Issho's body floated directly upward into the sky.
Robin said nothing more and immediately used her blooming abilities to control the ship's rigging and swiftly depart.
'The figure in the sky is Kaido of the Beasts. Could Mr. Issho handle him?' Robin suddenly realized that only when Cyrus was by her side did she feel that absolute sense of security, as if nothing that happened mattered.
Baby 5 transformed her hands into heavy firearms and looked up at the sky.
The meteor descended, and the massive wind blades struck it, shattering the giant rock into countless smaller fragments that rained down onto the sea below like shotgun fire.
Baby 5 fired the cannons she had created, shattering the meteor fragments that could potentially harm the ship.
Working together, the two women ensured the Rose Hunter quickly left the immediate danger zone.
...
Meanwhile, on a random pirate ship in the distance, the crew stared dumbfounded at the scene ahead, which resembled a literal rain of fire.
'What is happening?'