"Could something like this really happen?" Haruko asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
By now, Straw Hat Luffy should have already been completely defeated by Kaido. He should have absolutely no strength left to resist. Both his stamina and his Haki should be entirely exhausted. It made no sense for him to stand up again after taking such a beating.
"As long as you do not give up, anything is possible. If it were us in his position, the result would actually be the exact same. Just watch closely. This war is definitely not over yet," Yamato said after a moment of quiet thought.
When a person has absolutely no way out, they either choose to fight like a cornered beast or they find a way to survive in a desperate situation. Most ordinary people belong to the first category, while only a very select few belong to the latter.
Sure enough, just a few minutes after Kaido transformed into his massive Azure Dragon form, that fading life force, which had almost completely vanished from the roof, suddenly revived. Once that presence returned, it was immediately followed by a shocking wave of Conqueror's Haki that began to violently ravage the entire sky above Onigashima.
"Could it be..."
King stood up abruptly, a look of utter shock on his face. The Young Miss was right once again. That Straw Hat brat had actually managed to stand up from the brink of death. This powerful Haki crashing down on them could not be mistaken.
"See? I told you he would not be defeated so easily," Yamato said, shrugging her shoulders with a complex expression.
Although she reasonably hoped her idiot father would lose this war, deep down in her heart, a natural part of her still wanted him to win. It was a conflicting emotion that she simply could not control. On one side was her logical reason, and on the other side was her blood emotion.
Up on the rooftop of the fortress, Kaido stared fixedly at the rising figure in front of him. "You can still stand up after that?!"
Immediately after shouting, he noticed that Straw Hat's entire body was turning completely white, and the boy suddenly began to laugh out loud in a bizarre rhythm.
"Did I beat his brain into absolute mush? No, something is completely wrong here. This energy is..."
Kaido watched the boy closely. He saw Luffy's hair and clothes turn snow-white, with a strange white flame cloud circling around his shoulders, making him look like a holy deity from ancient myths.
"An awakening, huh? Interesting. This is truly interesting! To have your Devil Fruit ability awaken at a critical time like this... it seems I can continue to enjoy the pleasure of this battle," Kaido realized what was happening, a massive smile appearing on his weathered face.
Then, Kaido retreated from his full beast form and entered his strongest Dragon Human hybrid form.
"Straw Hat, bring it on!" Kaido roared, swinging his heavy kanabo with immense force.
"Hee hee! Kaido!"
Hearing Kaido's booming voice, Luffy looked over sharply. In this newly awakened state, he felt better and more energized than he ever had before in his life. He had a strong feeling that, as he was right now, he could accomplish anything he wanted—including completely defeating Kaido.
In the next second, Straw Hat Luffy accelerated in place, his legs spinning so fast they turned into literal wheels. The solid ground beneath him was instantly affected by his awakened Paramecia properties, turning into a soft, squishy rubber carpet that bounced with his movements.
Whoosh!
After completing his rapid acceleration, Luffy rushed forward at high speed. One of his arms rotated continuously like a propeller, preparing to launch a devastating attack.
"Thunder Bagua!"
Kaido shouted at the top of his lungs. Powerful purple lightning erupted from his weapon as he launched a fierce strike to meet the boy head-on.
Boom!
The brutal battle between the two powerhouses erupted once again, officially starting their second round.
"Look up there! What is that thing?"
Everyone across the island of Onigashima suddenly saw a white figure appear high above the fortress. The figure was leaping wildly amidst the crackling lightning and running freely through the open sky, looking completely carefree and full of joy.
"A white person?"
Because they were standing too far away from the rooftop, the low-ranking pirates below could not see the details clearly. They could only make out a strange white silhouette bouncing around the clouds.
"Straw Hat?! That specific form... it is a Devil Fruit awakening!"
Black Maria and Haruko recognized the transformation at a single glance. The white flame cloud floating around Luffy's shoulders was the undeniable proof of an awakened state.
"Are you saying that Straw Hat's Devil Fruit ability has actually awakened?!" King asked, looking completely shocked by the news.
He had always known that Devil Fruit abilities could awaken, but he had never personally seen what a Zoan awakening looked like until today. Furthermore, the conditions required to awaken a Zoan fruit were known to be extremely harsh and dangerous. If a warrior failed the process, they would permanently lose their mind and turn into a mindless, rampaging beast. Even his big brother Kaido did not seem to possess an awakened state for his fruit, which proved just how difficult it was to achieve.
He never expected that the Straw Hat brat would successfully pull off an awakening under these desperate conditions. No wonder the Young Miss had insisted that the fight was not over yet.
"The Sun God Nika form... it really has appeared in this era," Yamato said, letting out a soft sigh of emotion as she watched the snow-white figure dancing in the sky.
In the history of this world, there never was a real Gum-Gum Fruit. The true identity of that treasure was the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nika. The ancient Sun God Nika was known as the Warrior of Liberation, a mythical being who brought freedom, laughter, and joy to suffering people all over the world. This liberating quality was the exact reason why the World Government had tried so hard for centuries to cover up the existence of this specific fruit.
"The Sun God Nika? Young Miss, are you talking about Straw Hat's fruit? Shouldn't it be the standard Gum-Gum Fruit?" Haruko asked, feeling incredibly surprised by the revelation.
Black Maria and King also turned their heads to look at Yamato, their minds full of questions as to why the Young Miss would make such a massive claim.
"Actually, there is no such thing as a rubber Paramecia fruit. That was just a fake name deliberately created by the World Government to hide its existence. The true name of the fruit that Straw Hat ate is the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nika," Yamato explained calmly to her companions.
Hearing Yamato say this, the executives were all deeply shocked. It was actually a Mythical Zoan type, and a Human-Human model at that. This meant it was the second known variant of that series active on the sea, alongside the one held by former Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Buddha.
"This is an incredibly special fruit. If an unsuitable person eats it, the ability simply behaves like an ordinary rubber body. But once the right person inherits it and pushes it to the absolute limit, it will awaken its true, divine form. This white form appeared a long time ago in history, and the ancient people called it the Sun God Nika, also known as the Warrior of Liberation," Yamato continued.
"The Warrior of Liberation, Sun God Nika..."
Hearing this classified information from Yamato's mouth, Black Maria and the others felt as if they had just discovered a massive secret about the history of the world.
"Young Miss, do you really believe that Big Brother will lose this fight?" King asked, sensing the underlying tone in her voice.
"I don't know the definitive answer either. The final result depends entirely on what my idiot father chooses in his heart. If his original will to fight remains strong enough, then no one on this sea can defeat him. Otherwise..."
Yamato trailed off, stopping her sentence right there, but her implied meaning was already completely clear to everyone present.
"I see," King nodded slowly before sitting back down against the rock.
His mind involuntarily began to recall his entire life history—from meeting a young Kaido in that miserable government research laboratory, escaping from the facility together, and following his lead step by step over the decades to build the feared Beasts Pirates.
"I don't even know when it started, but everything around us seems to have changed completely, and I can no longer see many things clearly. Big Brother, I think I finally remember why I followed you in the first place," King muttered to himself, looking up at the lightning-filled sky. At this exact moment, King seemed to have figured something out, and the desperate hope in his heart for Kaido to win began to slowly dissipate.
"Young Miss, do you believe that our Beasts Pirates can start over from scratch?" King asked, turning his head to look directly at Yamato.
Yamato met King's serious gaze and gave him a warm, reassuring smile. "Of course we can. Isn't that the exact reason why I am standing here with you today?"
Hearing this comforting answer, a relieved smile finally appeared on King's scarred face. "That is good to hear."
"Cough! Cough! That damn, miserable son of Judge..." Queen woke up from his heavy coma at this exact moment, immediately launching into a string of curses. Then, he blinked his eyes and spotted Yamato and the others resting nearby.
"Young Miss, and King... why are you guys just sitting around in this state? Don't tell me you two were also beaten to a pulp by those pirate brats?" Queen asked, looking at King's visible face as he quickly realized what must have happened on the coast.
"I lost my fight fairly. There is an incredibly powerful swordsman standing by Straw Hat's side," King replied, admitting his defeat with complete calmness.
Seeing the proud King so casually accept his loss, Queen found it difficult to keep shouting his usual curses. "Well, it doesn't matter in the end. As long as Big Brother completely takes out Straw Hat on the roof, it is still a total victory for our Beasts Pirates."
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly caught sight of the unconscious woman lying nearby, and he was immediately startled. "Wait, isn't that the old hag Big Mom?! Don't tell me she got taken out by the enemy as well?!"
That terrifying old woman was supposed to be a literal Yonko. Was she really that easy for a bunch of rookies to take down?
"She was completely outsmarted by Kid and Law during their clash, and they managed to blast her deep into the underground ruins," King explained briefly.
"Are you serious? Since when did this legendary old hag become so completely useless? She is a total disgrace to the title of Yonko! Hey, why don't we just seize this opportunity to finish her off right now?" Queen suggested, his eyes rolling as a wicked idea formed in his mind.
"Third Uncle, you really need to just calm down and rest. Do your injuries not hurt at all? If you actually dare to murder my Great Aunt while she is defenseless, do you honestly believe my idiot father won't beat you half to death the moment he finds out?" Yamato said, looking completely speechless.
At a critical time like this, her ridiculous Third Uncle was still actively plotting to assassinate their own military ally. Just how deeply did he despise Big Mom to bring that up now?
"Fine, never mind then. I was only suggesting it for the ultimate future of the Beasts Pirates. After all, this crazy old hag will definitely turn on Big Brother eventually. If we could permanently get rid of her right now, it would save us a lot of trouble later," Queen defended himself, waving his hands. After speaking, he noticed that every single person in the clearing was staring at him with deadpan expressions, which instantly gave him goosebumps.
"Just forget I said anything," Queen muttered, simply shutting his mouth and pretending to go back to sleep.
As time continued to pass, the brutal clash above Onigashima entered a white-hot state. This time, the exchange was truly going to decide the final winner of the war.
"Straw Hat, come on! I will take your final attack head-on and force you into total defeat! Flame Dragon Torch!"
Kaido transformed completely back into his massive Azure Dragon form, his entire body suddenly erupting in a terrifying sheet of real flames. The heat was so intense it resembled molten magma, wrapping around his scales until he turned into a giant, crimson dragon of pure fire. The extreme temperature radiating from his body was so immense that it literally began to melt the sharp stone horns of the Onigashima fortress.
Meanwhile, high up in the dense thunderclouds, Straw Hat Luffy's fist became incomparably huge, expanding until it was physically larger than the entire island of Onigashima, ready to strike downward. At this exact moment, the internal flame clouds supporting the fortress began to rapidly dissipate, causing the massive island of Onigashima to lose altitude and sink toward the ground.
"You guys stay right here and watch the sky. Witness the final result of this era with your own eyes," Yamato said, glancing up at the clouds before turning to instruct Black Maria and the others.
After speaking, Yamato transformed directly into her divine beast form and flew out into the open air. She generated her own pink flame clouds to firmly bind the sinking island of Onigashima once again, using her strength to drag the massive landmass safely to the side of the capital.
High up in the sky, Luffy spotted Yamato's protective actions below, and the final worries in his heart completely vanished. "Hee hee! Kaido, it's finally time to end this once and for all!"
"Hmph! Bring it on, brat!" Kaido roared, charging upward into the storm.
"Bajrang Gun!" Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs, swinging his island-sized fist down with everything he had.
Boom!
The violent shockwave of advanced Conqueror's Haki instantly scattered every single cloud for miles around. The roaring dragon of fire and the giant fist collided in mid-air, creating a spectacle that was incomparably terrifying to behold.
Yamato continued to drag the weight of Onigashima, slowly guiding it down toward the safety of the mainland. Although her back was turned to the main collision, she could still clearly feel the earth-shattering vibrations echoing behind her.
"Idiot father... let's just start over from the beginning," Yamato whispered silently in her heart.
The tragic hero who sets out to slay the dragon eventually ends up becoming the monster themselves; this ancient saying could not be more fitting for Kaido's life story.
Thud!
The massive island of Onigashima officially landed safely on the wide wilderness of the Hakumai region, causing everyone standing on the island to sway from the heavy impact.
"Yamato!"
"Young Miss!"
At the front gate of the fortress, Jack and the remaining members of the Beasts Pirates looked up at Yamato's landing figure and gradually stopped their fighting. The Nine Red Scabbards and the samurai forces were also standing nearby, watching Yamato's movements with extreme vigilance.
"Everyone stop fighting immediately. This war is officially over," Yamato said indifferently, her voice echoing as she looked down at the massive armies.
Hearing Yamato say this, the warriors from both sides looked up at the open sky in perfect unison. In the next second, they witnessed the massive dragon of fire get completely overpowered. The flames disintegrated into nothingness, and a single, unmoving figure came crashing down from the highest clouds.
"Big Brother!"
"Lord Kaido! How is something like this even possible?! I don't believe it! How could the invincible Lord Kaido actually be defeated?!"
Every single member of the Beasts Pirates stood completely dumbfounded in the dirt. They absolutely could not bring themselves to believe that it was Kaido who had lost the final clash.
"What on earth is that old man Kaido doing up there? He actually went and lost to a brat," Ulti muttered, frowning deeply as she slammed her weapon hard onto the ground in frustration.
"Older sister, please don't say anything more right now," Page One said, shaking his head sadly. Kaido's definitive defeat was something that every single warrior on this battlefield had just witnessed with their own eyes.
Right at this emotional moment, Yamato flew up into the air and safely caught her father's falling body before he could crash.
"Idiot father... I never thought I would actually live to see the day where you would be completely defeated by someone," Yamato sighed softly. She looked down at Kaido, who felt weaker and more exhausted than he ever had in his entire life.
With her eyes, she could easily see that Kaido's internal will to continue fighting had hit rock bottom, which meant that her father had personally accepted his defeat in his heart. Otherwise, given his monstrous physical durability, the final result of this battle would definitely not have ended in a total loss. Pushing the match to a draw would not have been difficult for him if he had kept his pride.
"Big Brother!"
Seeing Yamato safely land on the grass with Kaido's body, Jack and the remaining executives hurriedly rushed over to surround them.
"Don't panic, he is still very much alive. He is just unconscious right now, and honestly, it is completely voluntary on his part," Yamato said, transforming back into her human form to comfort the panicked crew.
"Yamato, this war does not have to end here! We still have you standing with us! You are the true Young Miss of the Beasts Pirates!" Jack shouted, clenching his fists tightly as his face filled with raw hostility toward the samurai. Even if Kaido had somehow lost his match to that Straw Hat brat, Jack was still completely unconvinced that their crew was finished.
"That's right! Lord Jack is absolutely right! We still have the Young Miss with us! The Young Miss is just as strong as Lord Kaido himself! Our crew has not lost this war yet!" the surrounding subordinates began to shout in agreement.
The military morale, which had completely plummeted after witnessing Kaido's fall, actually began to rise rapidly once again, showing clear signs of intensifying into a second round of violence.
Yamato looked at the shouting crowd without saying a single word. She could perfectly understand their intense feelings because she was also raised as a member of the Beasts Pirates, but she had no intention of getting angry. She simply accepted the natural result of the battle.
Looking at the incredibly angry subordinates who were ready to throw away their lives, King slowly stood up from his resting place. "That is enough, everyone. This war is officially over."
Seeing the respected King speak up with such authority, Jack and the remaining soldiers instantly quieted down, though their expressions remained tense.
"Second Brother, are we really just going to throw up our hands and admit total defeat like this?" Jack asked, his voice filled with deep indignation. Regarding Kaido's sudden fall, he was the one who found the reality hardest to accept.
"Jack, Big Brother is not dead. Even Big Brother himself has not denied the reality of his defeat today. What do you think you are doing by forcing a continuation? Is this reckless behavior not a direct insult to Big Brother's personal warrior pride?" King said in a deep, commanding voice.
"But..." Jack muttered, gritting his teeth in frustration.
"Do you honestly believe that Big Brother could be defeated if he did not allow it? If Big Brother truly did not want to lose this fight today, how could that rookie ever hope to bring him down? Rest your weapons and obediently accept this defeat with dignity. This outcome was also Big Brother's personal choice," King said, shaking his head at his younger brother.
Hearing these profound words from King, Jack closed his eyes tightly for a long moment. When he finally opened them again, the raw anger had drained from his face, and his clenched fists slowly loosened to his sides. "Fine."
"Lord Jack!"
"I said cut the crap! If you call yourselves men of the sea, then learn to admit defeat with some goddamn dignity!"
Hearing Jack's booming roar across the fields, the dangerous fighting spirit that had just ignited among the remaining subordinates was instantly extinguished, bringing a final peace to the wilderness of Wano.