"Take our future companions and retreat!"
"Worororo... Everyone withdraw! I'll cover your retreat!"
Laughing wildly, Kaido twisted his body aside, narrowly avoiding the mochi-coated fist reinforced with Armament Haki.
Then he swung his spiked iron club downward.
BOOM!!
The ground split apart.
A candy house nearby collapsed instantly.
The mochi was smashed into the earth beneath the club.
Kaido turned toward Katakuri.
"Brat, you've got some decent Haki."
Katakuri, his face hidden beneath his scarf, stared at Kaido with a dark expression.
"You've caused enough trouble already, Kaido."
"What exactly do you want?"
The next moment, Kaido charged forward, dragging his iron club behind him.
BANG!
Black lightning crackled around the spiked club as it collided with Katakuri's trident.
BOOM!
The clash of Haki exploded with a deafening roar.
Katakuri was blasted backward.
Meanwhile, Kaido's right arm, which gripped the club, disintegrated into ashes before regenerating moments later.
"If this body were a little tougher, you'd already be dead, brat."
Picking up his club again, Kaido glanced around.
The Homies had been frightened out of their wits.
Under the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki, they instinctively retreated, unable to meet his gaze.
The ordinary residents of Totto Land had long since fled.
As for the Revolutionary Army members disguised as Beast Pirates, they were currently escorting the rescued civilians toward the harbor.
Among them, some felt deeply uneasy.
They kept glancing back at the rough, towering figure standing alone behind them.
Their pace gradually slowed.
"Hey! What are you doing? Keep running!"
"Leaving Pirate Lord Kaido behind to cover our retreat..."
"If we just leave like this, I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life."
"What are you talking about?"
"This is already the fourth group he's rescued."
"Lord Kaido is immortal. Nobody can kill him."
Within the fleeing crowd, a Revolutionary Army member grabbed the man's arm and pulled him forward.
"Don't worry. Even if he gets captured, Lord Kaido will be back in a couple of days."
As one of the Lead Performers of the Revolutionary Army's First Division in the New World the Beast Pirates Ahu naturally knew more than most.
"Hurry up and keep moving!"
"If you feel guilty, then become stronger afterward."
"When you're exhausted, remember the suffering you've endured in the past."
The rescued man froze.
"We're supposed to fight too?"
Carrying three exhausted children on his shoulders, Ahu laughed.
"When danger arrives, whether you wait for rescue or possess the strength to fight back is your own choice."
"We'll teach you how to become stronger but how hard you work depends entirely on you."
"And besides the Beast Pirates aren't a place where just anyone can join."
"We don't only want strong people."
"We want people who share the same ideals."
Those words planted a seed within everyone nearby.
A seed of choice.
Fight back?
Or wait for someone else to save them?
Waiting meant uncertainty.
It meant that by the time help arrived, their loved ones might already be dead.
"Stop for a moment."
Near the harbor, Ahu suddenly looked toward the distant sea.
"What is it?"
"Big Mom Pirates!"
"It's Perospero! The Minister of Candy!"
"What do we do?!"
"They'll kill us!"
"They'll take all of our lifespan! I don't want to die!"
"Sob... I told you we should've stayed."
"Sure, staying would've shortened our lives, but that's still better than dying!"
The harbor fell into chaos.
Standing at the bow of the ship, Perospero stuck out his long tongue as he looked toward the harbor with obvious irritation.
"Brother, why does that bastard Kaido keep causing trouble for us?"
Oven clenched his right fist, his expression full of dissatisfaction as he looked toward the harbor.
"Those people betrayed Mama. Totto Land gave them a place to survive in the New World, yet they don't even know how to be grateful."
Perospero rolled his tongue.
"After the Beasts Pirates were driven out of Wano more than a year ago, intelligence reports suggested that only two people survived."
"Two people?"
Oven froze for a moment.
"Kaido and King? What about that MADS researcher? Did that fat guy with the Ancient Zoan Brachiosaurus fruit get killed?"
"I don't know."
Perospero frowned.
"Mama doesn't care much about that sort of thing anymore. She only said that Kaido has changed a lot."
"The conviction he always held seems to have changed."
"But his Haki is still as powerful as ever."
Over the past few years, Mama's emotional state had become increasingly unstable.
Her hunger pang attacks occurred more frequently, and aside from delicious food and new races joining Totto Land, she paid little attention to intelligence analysis anymore.
To protect their younger brothers and sisters, the older siblings had been forced to shoulder more and more responsibility.
"The Beasts Pirates are strange..."
Muttering to himself, Perospero looked at Oven.
"This distance is enough. We don't need to get any closer."
"Burn every ship in the harbor."
Oven leapt into the air, grabbing a rope on the deck before dropping down to the lower side of the ship.
The glove on his right hand instantly radiated intense heat.
The next moment, he plunged it into the sea.
The glove insulated him from the seawater, while the power of the Heat-Heat Fruit poured scorching energy into the ocean.
In less than half a minute, the seawater began to boil.
The effect spread outward from the ship toward the harbor.
Steam rapidly filled the area.
The steam was even hotter than the boiling water itself.
People like them could endure it, but the ordinary civilians the Beasts Pirates were trying to rescue could not.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Oven whipped his head toward his side.
A dark figure was diving down from the sky.
A black, blade-like beak tore through the air.
"Burn!"
With a roar, Oven swung a blazing iron fist.
It collided directly with King's razor-sharp beak.
BOOM!
The rope snapped.
Because of the positional disadvantage, a fighter of Oven's caliber was sent flying by King in a single strike.
At the bow, Perospero immediately noticed King's appearance.
Candy syrup surged forward, barely managing to wrap around Oven and pull him toward the ship.
"Stay down."
King's calm voice rang out.
At the same time, he swung the long sword in his hand.
Flames erupted like a giant dragon, sweeping forward and melting through the candy syrup before severing it completely.
Splash!
A massive splash rose from the sea before it had even settled.
Taking advantage of the terrain, King had instantly removed one of the enemy's top fighters from the battlefield.
"Bastard!"
Perospero glared at King.
"Do the Beasts Pirates really want to go to war with us?!"
King exited his Pteranodon form.
The black wings of the Lunarian race spread behind him as he hovered in the air.
"We've only ever wanted the relatives of the people from Pudding Island."
"They wish to leave Totto Land."
"But you refuse to let them."
Perospero glanced at the sea, feeling a headache coming on.
Oven was Mama's son.
He wasn't going to drown that easily.
However, as the nearest support force, it would still take time for reinforcements to arrive.
After all, this was the outermost edge of Totto Land's territory.
For the past few months, because of Kaido's Beasts Pirates, both Katakuri and Perospero had been stationed on nearby islands to maintain constant vigilance.
"Are you people even pirates?!"
Perospero was so angry he was practically hopping in place.
"Have you ever seen pirates care whether ordinary people on their territory want to stay or leave?"
"They accepted Totto Land's protection before this. Leaving now is a betrayal of Mama!"
"And for anyone who betrays Mama, there's only one outcome: death!"
King's gaze gradually turned cold.
"Life has never had distinctions of nobility or worth..."
"As one of the Lead Performers of the Beasts Pirates, I have an obligation to rescue the relatives of our members."
An obligation?
Since when did pirates have obligations?
Are you Beasts Pirates even pirates anymore?
Why not just open a church?
You can hold hands every day and sing hymns together!
Perospero had heard this kind of bizarre rhetoric countless times over the past few months, but every time he heard it, he wondered if there was something wrong with his own mind.
This was also why he had always felt the Beasts Pirates were strange.
Taking territory made sense.
But provoking a fellow Great Pirate crew like the Big Mom Pirates, even risking an all-out war, just to save the relatives of ordinary people?
That completely overturned everything he thought he knew about pirates.
"Damn it! Then let's fight!"
The moment those words fell, the pirate ship opened fire.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Homies controlled the ship.
Toy soldiers raised their rifles and began firing at King.
However, such attacks were little more than a joke to him.
The black wings of the Lunarian race spread wide.
Flames burned behind his back.
The cannon fire and bullets had absolutely no effect.
Whoosh!
King swung his sword.
A gigantic dragon of fire surged toward Perospero.
BANG!
A blade descended from the sky.
A slash coated in Armament Haki split the fire dragon cleanly in two.
The flames scattered across the sea but caused no damage.
"Cracker? You..."
Perospero had just begun to ask how his brother had arrived when a familiar yet terrifying laugh echoed across the sky.
"Mama mama mama!"
"Kaido, you little brat!"
"You owe me a favor, yet you've come looking for trouble again and again!"
"Do you really think I can't kill you?!"
Thundercloud Zeus swept across the heavens.
Bolts of lightning flashed among the clouds.
The blazing Prometheus followed close behind like an angry sun.
"I managed to convince Zeus to give me a ride without throwing me off."
"With only Brother Perospero and Brother Katakuri here, I figured I could be useful."
As Cracker spoke, he tightened his grip on his sword and nervously looked toward King standing atop the mast.
Perospero finally let out a sigh of relief.
Facing one of the Beasts Pirates' Lead Performers alone had been extremely difficult.
More accurately, he couldn't beat him at all.
But now that Mama had arrived, the situation was no longer a problem.
No matter what, they couldn't allow the Beasts Pirates to take these civilians away.
This was no longer about profit.
It was about pride.
Meanwhile, King frowned slightly as he glanced toward the harbor.
Fortunately, Ah Hu had already gotten everyone onto the ships.
The situation was still under control.
"Trying to leave?"
Perospero swung his candy cane.
A mass of candy syrup poured into the sea, forming a giant sphere.
He lifted it from the water and hurled it toward the Beasts Pirates' ship.
King leaped from the mast.
Just as he was about to intercept it, a slash blocked his path.
"And where do you think you're going?"
"Your opponent is me!"
King halted and looked over.
"You're not my opponent."
"While biscuits become harder when exposed to heat, if the temperature gets too high, they also become brittle."
The moment those words fell, the flames behind King's back vanished.
He raised his sword and brought it down in a devastating strike.
BOOM!!
Flames swept across the entire deck.
The outer shells of the biscuit soldiers were scorched, and under the force of Armament Haki, they shattered apart as King's attack continued straight toward Cracker himself.
BANG!
Haki collided.
The ship shook violently.
At the same time, Perospero had already approached the Beasts Pirates' vessel.
Candy syrup flowed across the sea's surface, spreading toward the bottom of the ship.
As long as he could immobilize this vessel, once Mama defeated Kaido, these foolish civilians would realize just how wrong their choice had been.
"Hm?"
Under the warning of his Observation Haki, the candy syrup beneath Perospero's feet suddenly changed direction.
BANG!
A gunshot rang out.
A bullet streaked past his chest at terrifying speed.
Its power was so great that it tore apart his yellow suit.
Cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
A sniper!
"Oh? Pretty good Observation Haki."
A specially manufactured sniper rifle from the Revolutionary Army's research division was aimed directly at him.
Its massive barrel looked like the scythe of death itself, ready to swing again at any moment.
"Don't make any sudden moves."
"Your Observation Haki may be impressive, but the instant you activate your ability, I can put a bullet straight through your heart."
As he spoke, Ah Hu continued in a teasing tone.
"Trust me, my Armament Haki isn't bad either."
Gulp.
Perospero swallowed nervously and slowly raised both hands.
"A fighter like you shouldn't be some nobody."
"Why have I never heard of you before?"
Ah Hu kept his rifle trained on the target despite the rocking deck beneath him.
The ship had already begun moving and was passing by Perospero.
"I haven't been with the Beasts Pirates for very long."
"I was recently promoted to one of the Lead Performers."
"Just an ordinary sniper."
Bastard!
How was that ordinary?
His Observation Haki had nearly gone haywire from that shot.
Perospero stared fixedly at him.
Meanwhile, behind him, streams of candy syrup quietly flowed into the sea.
"As a powerful fighter, yet choosing to protect weak civilians like insects..."
"That's not what pirates do."
"If you want to become a real pirate, perhaps you should join our Big Mom Pirates."
"Heh."
Ah Hu chuckled softly.
"Haven't you noticed?"
"In just a few months, King's Haki has improved tremendously."
"The things you people pursue..."
"...your horizons are simply too small."
The moment those words fell, the ship that had already left the harbor suddenly lurched.
Seizing the opportunity, Perospero transformed candy syrup into a bow.
Three translucent pink candy arrows shot toward Ah Hu.
"AAAHHH!!"
Two middle-aged men aboard the Beasts Pirates' ship suddenly lunged forward, attempting to block the arrows with their own bodies.
Their roar was how they summoned their courage.
Fragile, yet resounding from the depths of their hearts.
"Move aside."
Ah Hu casually grabbed both men and threw them away.
Relying on Observation Haki, he effortlessly dodged the attack.
Then he raised the sniper rifle.
Aim.
Fire.
A flawless sequence of movements.
BANG!
He cycled the bolt.
BANG!
He cycled the bolt again.
BANG!
The thunderous gunshots echoed across the sea.
The first bullet was avoided by Perospero.
The second shattered the candy structure supporting him from below.
Taking advantage of the momentary imbalance, the third shot targeted his head.
Although Perospero instinctively raised a wall of candy under the guidance of his Observation Haki, the bullet still tore off one of his ears.
"AAAAAH... YOU BASTARD!"
In his fury, Perospero did not recklessly charge forward to his death.
After the candy beneath his feet was shattered, he immediately activated his ability to restore it, rapidly retreating toward the harbor.
As he moved, he constantly changed directions while erecting layers of candy barriers behind him.
"Pretty smart."
Ah Hu did not waste his bullets.
If Perospero had merely changed direction, Observation Haki would have been enough to teach him how to behave in his next life.
But with the floating candy barriers on the sea's surface, combined with his already respectable Observation Haki, killing him was no easy task.
The strategic objective had been achieved.
Retreat!
After destroying the candy connection binding the ship's hull to the harbor, the vessel accelerated once more toward Pudding Island.
Having escaped back to the harbor, Perospero noticed that Ah Hu had stopped firing.
Turning around, he watched the departing ship.
Over there, Cracker was being completely suppressed by King.
Even with the Homies' support, there was no way to stop those bastards.
Likewise, seeing that their objective had been accomplished, King withdrew from battle and soared into the sky.
When Cracker began directing the Homies to pursue, King's sword burst into intense flames.
"Don't chase them!!"
Perospero panicked and shouted from the harbor.
Unfortunately, the distance was too great for Cracker to hear him.
Hovering in the air, King looked down at Cracker.
"When you look down upon ordinary people someone stronger than you is also looking down upon you."
"No one is born strong."
"All lives are equal."
The next moment, flames surged violently across King's blade once more.
Imperial Guardian Fire Dragon Emperor!
An even larger fire dragon than before descended from the sky.
It roasted and shattered a chain of biscuit soldiers before crashing directly onto the deck.
"Bastard!"
With a furious roar, Cracker could only watch as the flames engulfed the entire ship.
The blazing slash tore through the Armament Haki protecting his chest, leaving behind a charred wound that looked as though it had been branded into his flesh.
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