"You're saying Jack was defeated?! Hey, what's this about the invaders being the Demon Lion crew? Are you sure it's them?!"
A fierce battle was raging in a street outside the Shogun's Palace. A bare-chested man wearing a white military cap and a cape with a flame pattern questioned the Transponder Snail in disbelief.
[Tobi Roppo: Sasaki; Bounty: 472 million Berries; Ancient Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Triceratops!]
As soon as he learned of the invasion of Wano Country, Sasaki had set sail from Onigashima with Jack. Upon arriving at the Flower Capital, the two split up to handle the pirates at the Shogun's Palace and in the city. Yet, not long after separating, news of Jack's defeat had already arrived.
Although he didn't like Jack, the man's strength was absolutely undeniable.
"It's actually the Demon Lion crew... Are you kidding me..." Sasaki gritted his teeth.
That was an Emperor of the Sea, a great pirate on the same level as Boss Kaido. He and Jack alone were nowhere near enough to handle this.
"Did you tell Boss Kaido? Request backup from Onigashima! Hurry up and get King and Queen over here to support us!"
"Yes! Lord Jack's personal Transponder Snail already received the message. The Governor-General and the All-Stars are already on their way to Wano Country!" the voice on the other end of the Transponder Snail hastily replied.
Hearing this, Sasaki finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. He looked up at the fiercely contested street ahead of him. At that moment, a red-haired, spiky-haired man was slowly walking toward him.
"That's good. When Boss Kaido gets here, we'll definitely make those bastards pay a heavy price!"
Sasaki curled his lips into a cold sneer. Like Jack, he possessed Fish-Man blood, revealing two rows of sharp teeth in his mouth. He stared playfully at the red-haired man opposite him.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're one of the Supernovas with a bounty of 470 million Berries, 'Captain' Eustass Kid."
"Oh? Even in this closed-off country, people have heard my name? Looks like I'm quite famous after all." Kid flashed an arrogant, ferocious smirk, cracking his knuckles as his eyes gleamed with eagerness.
Sasaki's eyes turned cold at his words, and he scoffed disdainfully.
"Tch, rookies who just entered the New World are always so full of themselves. Even though our bounties are similar, our strength is worlds apart."
"You're right about one thing—I'm way stronger than you!" Kid retorted bluntly. He reached out, releasing his magnetism to attract a massive amount of weapons from the battlefield in the street.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Numerous swords, spears, halberds, and various metal objects clung to his hand, deforming, restructuring, and combining into a massive, menacing mechanical arm.
A fierce, savage look appeared on Kid's face. He quickened his pace, charging forward and swinging the giant mechanical arm down!
"Punk Gibson!!"
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!
The colossal mechanical fist crushed all defenses in its path, blasting toward Sasaki with overwhelming momentum!
Facing this earth-shattering attack, Sasaki's gaze sharpened. His body rapidly expanded and grew, rough green skin manifesting on his surface. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a massive Triceratops!
Bang!!!
The three sharp, giant horns slammed viciously into the mechanical fist, erupting with a deafening roar. A powerful shockwave rippled outward, shattering the surrounding houses into dust and rubble!
Sasaki, in his Triceratops form, was pushed back, sliding continuously. His four thick, pillar-like legs plowed trenches over ten meters long into the street's stone floor.
Bang!!
Sasaki stomped his hind legs hard to halt his retreat. The giant horns on his head flared with Haki as he thrust them forcefully upward, forcibly shattering the tightly bound mechanical fist held together by magnetism!
Boom!!
The mechanical arm exploded, sending a shower of metal objects flying in all directions.
Before Sasaki could make another move, Kid's figure dashed out from the sky full of scattered metal, arriving right in front of him in an instant!
"Magnetism: Assign S!!"
Under Sasaki's astonished gaze, Kid slammed his large hand onto the Triceratops' head. Purple electrical arcs burst from his palm, activating his ability to brand a red 'S' mark!
"What did you do, you bastard?!" Sasaki roared, tossing his head to throw Kid off.
Although he didn't understand the opponent's ability, he could clearly feel that some sort of power had been applied to him.
Kid flipped a few times in the air and landed steadily on his feet. A smug smirk curled on his lips as he reached out and pressed his hand against a nearby four-story building.
Bzz! Bzz!
Magnetism was released, and a blue 'N' mark was branded onto the wall.
The next second.
"What's going on?! My body!!" Sasaki's expression changed drastically in shock. He suddenly felt the pull of an invisible force, and his massive body flew out uncontrollably!
Bang!!
With a dull thud, Sasaki's enormous head slammed heavily into the building, causing the front wall to collapse.
"Damn it! What the hell is going on?!"
The Triceratops gritted its teeth and staggered up from the ground. The wall hadn't shattered from the impact; instead, it was firmly stuck to his head. No matter how much Sasaki struggled, he couldn't shake it off.
"Objects imbued with magnetism will bind together even tighter internally due to the strong magnetic force, gaining a hardness comparable to magnets. No matter how much you struggle, it's useless," Kid sneered smugly. He raised both hands horizontally, aiming at both sides, his fingers curled as purple electrical sparks burst from his palms once again!
The scattered swords, spears, and halberds on the ground hummed and vibrated, slowly floating up under the control of his magnetism.
"Magnetism: Storm!!!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Kid shouted as he violently swung his arms forward. Empowered by magnetism, the weapons burst forth with exaggerated acceleration, shooting straight at Sasaki!
Sasaki's pupils dilated in terror as cold flashes of light exploded across the street!
Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!
Blood splattered as countless sharp blades pierced viciously into the Triceratops' massive body!
"Blergh—!!" Sasaki spat out a large mouthful of blood in agony, his eyes rolling back as he nearly lost consciousness.
Kid quickly leaped, pressing his hands against the walls of the houses he passed, branding them one after another with blue 'N' marks.
Rumble—!!
The foundations of the houses snapped as they were uprooted and sent flying, crashing down heavily to bury Sasaki beneath the rubble.
"I told you I'm way stronger than you, idiot." Kid clapped his hands, mocking the pile of ruins with a disdainful expression.
Soon, the sounds of the fierce battle in the street gradually died down. The subordinates Sasaki had brought and the guards stationed outside the Shogun's Palace had all been cleared out.
Only then did Allen's figure emerge from another street not far away.
Looking at the Shogun's Palace enclosed by walls, now blazing with fire and billowing thick smoke, Allen led his group inside.
"You're way too slow. We've already finished up by the time you got here."
In the courtyard, Sanji leaned against a cherry blossom tree with a cigarette in his mouth. Tied up next to him was a tall man who looked like a winter melon.
Sanji glanced at the man and gestured to Allen.
"This is the Shogun of Wano Country, Kurozumi Orochi. As Kaido's puppet, he controls this country on the surface and conducts trades with the World Government."
"You insolent bastard! Who are you calling a puppet?! I have an equal partnership with Kaido!" Kurozumi Orochi shouted back in protest.
But no one cared.
Allen didn't even spare him a glance, turning to Sanji and Gin instead.
"The situation has changed. The Whitebeard Pirates are here. Cavendish just saw their fleet land in Wano Country. They should be arriving very soon."
Sanji and Gin were both startled upon hearing this, their brows furrowing involuntarily.
"The Whitebeard Pirates? Why would they come here?"
"And at a time like this, too. Isn't that a bit too coincidental?"
"Hey! Look up at the sky!"
"That's...! A flying ship?!"
Suddenly, voices rang out from the crowd.
Everyone, including Allen, looked up at the sky. They saw clusters of flames spontaneously igniting in the air, spreading rapidly at an incredible speed.
In a matter of seconds, the flames engulfed the entire sky, transforming into a floating sea of fire.
A warship shaped like a manta ray, carrying countless figures, dove down from the sea of fire, trailing a long tail of crimson flames!
"Flame Emperor Ace! Marco the Phoenix, Diamond Jozu...!!"
"It's the New Whitebeard Pirates!!"
Some pirates in the crowd immediately recognized the figures on the ship and shouted out.
Allen was also somewhat surprised, not expecting them to arrive so quickly.
Before everyone could recover from their shock, the next moment arrived.
Rumble—!!
A deafening clap of thunder roared as thick, heavy clouds drifted over from the distance. The black clouds pressed down on the city, accompanied by flashes of lightning and roaring thunder!
And within those heavy black clouds, the massive silhouette of an island loomed faintly, exuding an immense, invisible pressure.
Boom!!
The oppressive layer of clouds suddenly shuddered, tearing open a massive hole. A skull-shaped island, wreathed in Flame Clouds, plummeted out from the gap!
On Onigashima, Kaido stood at the edge with a stern, imposing face, a giant spiked club resting on his shoulder. King the Conflagration, Queen the Plague, and the Tobi Roppo executives were lined up on either side of him!
Three Emperors of the Sea had descended at the same time!!