Whitebeard retracted his fist, holding his glaive as he walked toward him unhurriedly.
"Is this all you've got, daring to challenge me?"
Crocodile climbed out of the crater, covered in wounds, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
But his eyes remained defiant.
"I'm not... defeated yet..."
He took a deep breath and spread his arms wide.
Sandstorm—!!
Endless grains of sand surged from all directions, coalescing into a massive sandstorm before him.
The sandstorm spun, roared, growing larger and fiercer!
Everything in its path was devoured and torn apart!
"Go—!!"
The sandstorm howled as it rushed toward Whitebeard!
Whitebeard stood in place, watching the sky-obscuring sandstorm, a flicker of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
But only a flicker.
He raised Cloud Cutter and swung it down.
Crack—Boom!!
Space shattered like a mirror!
The force of the vibrations spread in all directions, colliding head-on with the sandstorm!
In the next moment, the sandstorm was utterly obliterated!
Shattered!
Countless grains of sand scattered in all directions, like a sudden sandstorm raining down, covering the entire beach.
As the sand settled, Crocodile's body began to dissolve into grains of sand, drifting away.
Gritting his teeth, he mustered his last ounce of strength:
"Whitebeard... just you wait..."
After uttering this threat, his figure completely turned to sand, carried by the wind toward the sea.
On the beach, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates watched this scene, erupting in mocking laughter.
"Hahaha! Not much strength, but he sure runs fast!"
"Wasn't he acting all arrogant just now?"
"Thought he was something, but turns out he's just this?"
Marco stood beside Whitebeard, also laughing:
"Are all the rookies these days so ignorant of their own limits?"
Whitebeard sheathed his glaive, sat back on the sofa, and took a sip from his wine bowl.
"Gurararara, this must be what they call, 'a newborn calf fears no tiger.'"
...
Wano Country, Ringo.
Snowflakes drifted, the world a vast expanse of white.
On this snow-covered land, the crew of the Moonlight Pirates were frantically digging graves.
Shovels flew, dirt splattered, as coffin after coffin was dragged from the graves and neatly arranged on the snowy ground.
Moria stood before a tombstone, his eyes fixed on the name carved into it—
Shimotsuki Ryuma.
"The Great Swordsman who once slew a dragon..."
"Your corpse will become my strongest zombie!"
Beside him, nearly a hundred crew members dragged coffins from the opened graves.
Besides Ryuma, there were also the remains of Wano Country's past generations of powerful warriors.
As long as he brought these corpses back and infused them with the shadows of strong individuals, he would possess an invincible zombie army.
By then, neither the Marines nor the Four Emperors would be a match for him!
A crew member suddenly cried out in alarm: "Boss! It's the Beasts Pirates!!"
Moria whirled around.
At the edge of the snowy plain, flames soared into the sky.
The flag of the Beasts Pirates fluttered fiercely amidst the firelight.
At the forefront, a tall figure charged through the snow.
He was bare-chested, a massive spiked club resting on his shoulder, a gourd of wine hanging at his waist.
This man was none other than Kaido.
Moria frowned. He knew Kaido was collaborating with Kurozumi Orochi to occupy Wano Country, treating it as his own territory and weapons factory.
But he hadn't expected Kaido to care about this cemetery as well.
"Charge! Kill them!"
With Moria's command!
The crew of the Moonlight Pirates rushed toward the Beasts Pirates!
The great battle erupted!
Moria swung both hands, the shadows beneath his feet writhing wildly.
Scattering Bats!
Countless black bats flew out from his shadow, covering the sky and earth as they lunged at Kaido.
Those bats opened their fangs, tearing at Kaido's body, attempting to devour him with the power of shadows.
Kaido neither dodged nor avoided.
He stood there, letting those bats tear at him.
Those fangs pierced his body, unable even to break his skin.
"That's all?"
Kaido hiccuped drunkenly, his eyes blurred yet disdainful.
He raised his Spiked Club, the club's surface crackling with electricity.
"Thunderous Eight Trigrams!"
Boom—!!
A swing of the club, and the electricity exploded!
Those bats were instantly torn into fragments, the Shockwave sweeping across the snowy ground.
Moria's body flew out like a ragged sack, crashing through three large trees before barely stopping.
"Cough—"
He spat out a mouthful of blood, crawling up from the snow.
A fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
Shadow Horn Lance!
The shadow beneath Kaido's feet instantly transformed into a black spear, thrusting violently upward from beneath the snow.
He couldn't evade in time, struck by the shadow spear at the soles of his feet, his entire body lifted into the air.
Moria clasped his hands together, more shadows surged from beneath the snow.
Shadow Horn Blade!
Countless black blades stabbed toward Kaido in the air from all directions!
Clink clink clink clink—!!
Those blades stabbed Kaido's body as if striking steel plates, breaking one after another.
"Ha ha ha!!"
Kaido laughed heartily, remaining completely calm even in midair.
"My body is so tough even I can't cut it! Your little shadows aren't even enough to scratch me!"
He took a deep breath, his chest swelling, then suddenly exhaled!
Heat Breath—!!
A high-temperature heat ray blasted down from the air!
Wherever it passed, the accumulated snow instantly evaporated, the ground melting into scalding magma.
Moria desperately dodged!
But he was still half a step too slow, his left arm grazed.
Sizzle—!!
Flesh instantly charred black!
Moria screamed as he fell to the ground, his left arm scorched black.
Kaido landed, walking toward him step by step.
His Spiked Club dragged behind him, plowing deep furrows in the ground.
Moria struggled to stand up.
He knew if he didn't fight desperately now, he would die here.
He spread his hands open, the shadow behind him beginning to swell wildly.
Shadow Gathering Place!
All shadows within a radius of several hundred meters—the shadows of people, trees, and tombstones illuminated by moonlight—all surged toward him.
They drilled into his body, causing his size to swell wildly several times over.
Moria's body expanded to the size of a small hill, pitch-black Armament Haki covering his entire form.
He roared violently, punching toward Kaido!
Kaido lifted his Spiked Club, meeting that punch head-on.
Boom—!!
The Shockwave spread outward!
The accumulated snow within a hundred-meter radius instantly evaporated!
The ground collapsed into a large pit dozens of meters in diameter!
The two wrestled, fist and club locked tightly together!
"Now this is interesting!"
Kaido grinned, suddenly exerting force, shaking off Moria's fist.
At the same time, his Spiked Club swept horizontally!
Great Virtue Thunderous Eight Trigrams!
More terrifying electricity than before coiled around the club's surface, smashing toward Moria's chest.
Moria raised his arms to block, but the force was far too terrifying.
Boom—!!
Moria screamed as he was sent flying backward!
He smashed through one tombstone!
Then smashed through another!
Only when he crashed into Ryuma's tombstone did he finally stop!
He collapsed beside Ryuma's coffin, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood.
The power of the Shadow Gathering Place began to fade, and the shadows he had absorbed escaped from his body.
His size rapidly shrank, returning to his original form.