Rewinding time, Kaido sat on the deck, his massive form flickering in and out of the shadows. His gaze swept over the kneeling Beast Pirates executives as his voice rumbled like thunder:
"What do we do now."
King knelt on one knee, his eyes icy beneath his mask: "Rhett teaming up with Whitebeard was unexpected. But their forces are limited—"
"Shut up!" Kaido crushed the sake gourd in his hand, shards scattering everywhere. "Damn Rhett's mist has already covered all of Wano! Whitebeard's fleet is anchored offshore! You think this is some petty skirmish?!"
Queen wiped his cold sweat, forcing a laugh: "Uhhahaha... Boss, maybe we should retreat for now, wait for them to lower their guard—"
"Retreat?!" Kaido's draconic pupils contracted violently as his Conqueror's Haki erupted, making all of Onigashima tremble. "I'm the 'Strongest Creature'! Not a stray mutt! Everything we've built is in Wano, damn it."
He stood abruptly, grabbing his kanabo "Hassaikai," enunciating each word:
"If they want war... then let this battle reduce Wano to ruins!"
On Whole Cake Island, Charlotte Linlin was savoring her newest dessert,
When suddenly, the Den Den Mushi rang.
"Mamamama... Kaido?"
She licked cream from her lips, tone mocking. "After all this time, what makes you remember your big sister now?"
The Den Den Mushi mimicked Kaido's grim expression: "Cut the crap, old hag. Whitebeard and Blood Dawn are in Wano—they aim to dominate the New World together."
Linlin's smile vanished instantly, the sweet air freezing solid.
Streusen and Perospero and the others held their breath, not daring to make a sound, recalling the terror of being dominated by Rhett.
"...What did you say?" Her voice shot up an octave, her Homies trembling violently.
Kaido sneered: "What, scared?"
"Mamamama—!!" Linlin suddenly roared with laughter, her Conqueror's Haki shattering the palace walls. "Got any sweets?! No sweets, no interest."
"Linlin, if you don't ally with me, you'll never have another chance to rule the world."
Kaido—the man who'd once had rumors with Charlotte Linlin—knew exactly where to strike.
"Mamamama—!! KAIDO!!" She rose abruptly, the giant sword Napoleon already in hand:
"Katakuri! Smoothie! Mobilize all forces immediately! Destination—Wano!"
After hanging up Kaido's call, Charlotte Linlin issued another order—leaving some forces behind, taking only a small portion of her children and a large number of her ex-husbands.
The citizens of the Flower Capital had barely recovered from Orochi's execution when the sky suddenly darkened.
"W-what's that...?" Someone pointed shakily toward the distant sea.
At the edge of the blood mist, the three All-Stars of the Beast Pirates began to appear within the mist,
And further beyond, the light of Zeus the thundercloud and Prometheus the sun pierced through the clouds—the Big Mom Pirates had arrived!
Rhett stood at the shore, blood mist writhing at his fingertips: "Well now..."
Countless pirate ships, large and small, converged on Wano's waters—a spectacle no less impressive than the Edd War, perhaps even surpassing it.
Whitebeard strode up beside him, his naginata on his shoulder, laughing heartily: "Gurarara! Now this is lively!"
Marco spread his blue phoenix wings, his expression grave: "Kaido and Linlin moving together... They intend to completely annihilate Wano!"
Tesoro's golden colossus rose slowly, Enel's thunder drums hummed, and Moriah's shadow doppelganger grinned within the mist.
Oden gripped Enma, flames from his blade shooting skyward: "Everyone, this battle—"
"Will decide whether Wano lives or dies!"
Kaido transformed into his azure dragon form and soared into the air, his roar shaking the heavens: "Whitebeard! Rhett! Today is the day you die!"
On the distant sea, Linlin's fleet had already neared the port, her shrill laughter piercing the clouds: "Mamamama! Wano's souls belong to me now!"
Blood mist clashed with thunderclouds, gold intertwined with flames.
The ultimate war between the four Emperor-level forces of the sea—
Had officially begun!
Rhett, Whitebeard, Kaido, and Linlin stood facing each other across the sea,
But the combatants of the four crews had already clashed. The four leaders had reached an unspoken understanding.
If any of the four entered the fray, there would be rivers of blood, just like at Marineford.
Sengoku and Whitebeard hadn't joined the battle immediately back then either; they had stayed on the sidelines as a deterrent—that was the purpose of military威慑.
This was no longer just about the individual strength of the four, but a比拼 of overall power. Either you beat Kaido to death directly, but if you couldn't finish him off in one blow, the only way to make them stop was to cripple the forces of Kaido and Big Mom.
And those two wouldn't just stand by and watch Rhett and Whitebeard enter the fray and slaughter everyone. Especially Rhett—if he joined, they would absolutely go berserk, and they would also疯狂 begin massacring the enemy's fighters.
If those two were intent on killing普通 people, Rhett couldn't stop them either. Not that he lacked the ability to stop them in terms of strength, but the scale of the战斗 would be so massive that the collateral damage alone would kill many people.
Marco spread his blue phoenix wings and hovered a kilometer in the air, looking down at the surging sea below.
His pupils contracted slightly as he caught sight of a figure leaping from the flagship of the Big Mom Pirates—Katakuri.
"Finally, a worthy opponent." A smile tugged at the corner of Marco's lips.
Katakuri stepped upward into the air as if climbing invisible mochi stairs, his trident "Mogura" gleaming coldly in the sunlight. His red scarf fluttered in the wind, his eyes beneath the mask cold and sharp.
"Marco the Phoenix." Katakuri's voice was low and充滿压迫感. "First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates... Let's see if your strength is worthy of that title."
Marco chuckled lightly, then suddenly flapped his wings and accelerated—
"Azure Phoenix Dive!"
Katakuri's Observation Haki had already predicted the attack. He sidestepped slightly, crossing his trident in front of his chest.
"CLANG—!!!"
Blue flames clashed with the armament-coated spear blade, sparks flying everywhere!
The shockwave exploded outward from the two of them, tearing the clouds apart instantly and sending giant waves surging across the sea!
"Unimpressive." Katakuri snorted coldly, then twisted his wrist violently, spinning his trident and forcing Marco back several meters.
Marco steadied himself in the air, blue flames burning even more fiercely on his wings.
He narrowed his eyes and stared at Katakuri. "Future sight? Tricky indeed... But how many attacks can your Observation Haki see through?"
Before the words faded, Marco's figure suddenly split apart—three azure phantoms simultaneously struck at Katakuri from different angles!
"Azure Phoenix Triple Mirage Strike!"
Katakuri's pupils shrank slightly. His Observation Haki spun into overdrive, instantly distinguishing the real body—to the left! Without hesitation, he thrust his trident, the spear pierciing precisely through Marco's chest!
"It's over," Katakuri said coldly.
However, the impaled Marco revealed a smile of having planned his move.
"Oh, really?"
Marco tanked the attack,
"Phoenix Brand!"
A Conqueror's Haki-coated kick slammed hard into Katakuri's back!
"BOOM—!!!"
Katakuri's body was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through multiple layers of clouds before finally smashing heavily into the ground. The earth caved in, kicking up clouds of dust!
Marco hovered high above, his blue phoenix wings slowly flapping, his gaze locked on the sea below. Blue flames healed the wound he had just received.
Relying on his mythical zoan and powerful regenerative abilities, Marco had almost no disadvantage in this kind of trade-off combat.
Go ahead and try to one-shot him.
"Don't pretend—I know you're not that easy to take down," Marco said as he looked at Katakuri lying in the dust.
Countless mochi tendrils burst out of the ground, weaving together into a giant net, closing in on Marco!