Chapter 86: Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!!!
Wait, where's my crew? Where did my massive pirate crew go?
A blood-soaked Kaido looked at his fallen subordinates scattered across the ground, experiencing a shock unlike any he had ever known. Was the crew he had spent years painstakingly building really this fragile?
King the Wildfire remained silent. He knew that today, their luck had finally run out. It seemed he would be following his captain to the afterlife. While he felt a twinge of regret that he couldn't help his captain become the true Joy Boy and topple the World Government, he did not retreat.
Hawkeye Mihawk fixed a sharp gaze on Hashirama, who stood atop the Senju Kannon. He had already sensed that the people surrounding Yumesaki were anything but ordinary, but he hadn't expected this man to be powerful to such an extent.
It was truly nonsensical. A single person dismantling an entire pirate crew was not something an ordinary human should be capable of.
At that moment, Hashirama commanded the Senju Kannon to turn, its gaze falling upon Kaido the Beast.
Shimotsuki Ryuma furrowed his brow and said, "Kaido is mine." He loathed it when others tried to snatch his prey.
Hashirama replied in a calm tone, "The Master has been waiting far too long. We shouldn't delay his dinner."
Hashirama knew that Yumesaki was fond of his three-meals-a-day routine. To ensure that habit wasn't disrupted, he decided to take over the fight and finish Kaido as quickly as possible.
Ryuma gave a cold snort, but he didn't argue. He sheathed his blade and turned to walk away. After all, Kaido's defeat today was certain. Wano Country was effectively free. His goal had been achieved, so yielding the final blow to an ally wasn't out of the question.
As for Kaido, he began to laugh out of pure, unadulterated rage at the attitude shown by Ryuma and Hashirama.
"Do you two really think you can defeat me so easily? Don't underestimate me! I am the Emperor of the Sea, Kaido! Worororo!!!"
With a massive roar, Kaido's Conqueror's Haki exploded violently, surging with more intensity than ever before.
Yet, a second later, a Conqueror's Haki that eclipsed Kaido's erupted from Hashirama's body.
This was the Haki of the God of Shinobi—the man who had brought peace to a chaotic world, ended the Sengoku era, and ushered in a new age. This was the Conqueror's Haki possessed only by the supreme combatant, the one whose mere existence ensured no one dared to start a war.
Hashirama's Conqueror's Haki coated the thousands of fists of the Senju Kannon, and black-and-red lightning crackled violently through the air.
"Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!!!!!!"
The pitch-black fists descended like a cluster of meteors aimed straight for Kaido.
A deafening roar swept across the land like a landslide or a tsunami, a continuous, unrelenting thundering. It wasn't that Kaido didn't try to fight back, but how could his two fists possibly compete with the thousands belonging to the Senju Kannon? Especially when those thousands were also infused with the weight of Conqueror's Haki.
It was completely unfair.
In all his life, Kaido had never encountered an enemy so fundamentally broken. He didn't even have the chance to utter a single parting insult before he was drowned in the storm of thousands of fists.
The thunderous booming lasted for five full minutes. The ground cracked, shattered, and was pulverized over and over again under the impact. Dust rose so high it blotted out the sun.
When it was finally over, Hashirama stood atop the head of the wooden Buddha. He performed a hand seal for "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough," exhaling a powerful gust of wind that swept the dust away.
Revealed before everyone was a massive crater, hundreds of meters long and a hundred meters deep. And at the very center of that abyss lay Kaido, completely and utterly unconscious.
Morgans didn't hesitate. He pulled out a Den Den Mushi and captured the moment. He was ecstatic, unable to contain his joy, for he had just photographed a scoop big enough to shake the foundations of the world. He already had the headline in mind—one that would shock everyone to their core.
[SHOCKING: Yonko Kaido Suffers Total Defeat; The New World Prepares to Welcome a New Emperor!]
Morgans couldn't help but let out a boisterous laugh. Honestly, with a headline like that, his newspapers would sell out in seconds.
Once Hashirama had dealt with Kaido, he turned his gaze toward King the Wildfire. In this battle, the only one who remained in relatively one piece was this man who could fly.
"I surrender."
Noticing Hashirama's gaze, King hesitated for a moment before finally descending to the ground and giving up.
He surrendered because, on one hand, he realized he was no match for Hashirama Senju, and on the other, because every other high-ranking member of the Beasts Pirates had been defeated. He couldn't simply abandon his comrades and flee.
More importantly, while Kaido had been beaten into a state of severe injury, he wasn't dead. This suggested that their enemies didn't intend to exterminate them all; there was still room for negotiation.
Based on those considerations, King decided to stop the useless resistance. To protect his comrades, he was forced to bow his head.
With that, the fierce battle reached its conclusion.
Not long after, King was brought before Yumesaki.
"So, you're their leader."
King was somewhat surprised, mostly because Yumesaki looked so young. It was hard to imagine that a youth like this was the head of such a mysterious and powerful organization.
Yumesaki nodded, gestured for someone to bring a chair, and said, "Have a seat."
King didn't waste time with formalities and sat down. Even seated, his six-meter stature made him tower over Yumesaki, but he had no intention of looking down on the boy. In this world, height did not equate to strength. Shanks wasn't even two meters tall, yet he remained one of the Four Emperors dominating the New World.
Once settled, King spoke up. "Regarding this battle, I represent the Beasts Pirates in declaring our surrender to you. I do not know how you plan to treat us."
Yumesaki thought for a moment and asked, "Can you speak for the Beasts Pirates?"
"As Captain Kaido's right hand, I have the authority to give orders to the crew in his absence," King replied. "And we have indeed lost this battle. The Captain will not deny that."
"I see," Yumesaki said. "In that case, I'll accept that you speak for the crew."
He held up one finger and presented his first demand. "One of my subordinates is a samurai of Wano Country. Therefore, the Beasts Pirates must completely withdraw from Wano."
"Understood," King answered without a second thought.
Then, Yumesaki raised a second finger. "Second, starting today, the Beasts Pirates must join my faction. Kaido, you, and all the others must follow my orders."
These were terms he had already discussed with Robin.
King looked somewhat hesitant.
"Why? Are you unwilling?" Yumesaki asked.
King shook his head. "Regarding the withdrawal from Wano, I can agree on behalf of Captain Kaido. However, as for joining your faction... that is too significant a matter. I cannot make that decision for the Captain."
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