"Boom!!!"
A terrifying shockwave tore through the atmosphere, leaving destruction in its wake. The sheer force shattered the air itself, resonating like thunder.
Under the disbelieving eyes of the Charlotte family and the horrified gaze of Orochi, one shocking fact became clear:
Linlin, one of the Four Emperors, had been overpowered in a direct clash!
Her massive form was flung backward through the air.
"Mama!"
Homie Zeus cried out, racing to cushion Linlin's fall and absorb the impact.
"Mama?!"
The Charlotte family members stationed on Onigashima screamed in panic, their fear palpable.
Their mother—the unshakable Four Emperors—had been struck down head-on.
It was almost unthinkable.
Even more unsettling was that Linlin had not held back in her attack. She had unleashed the full might of her Soul-Soul Fruit and her Conqueror's Haki, power she rarely displayed in its entirety since ascending to her position as one of the Four Emperors.
And yet, she had been repelled.
---
"Boa Hancock..."
Katakuri muttered under his breath as his eyes locked onto a figure descending from the battlefield. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Pirate Empress Boa Hancock!"
His voice trembled slightly, his usually calm demeanor shaken.
Katakuri, the de facto second-in-command of the Big Mom Pirates, knew this woman well. Known as the Pirate Empress and heralded as the most beautiful woman on the seas, Hancock was once one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
But this... this power was beyond anything he had expected.
After Doflamingo was defeated by Kuzan and Issho and Dressrosa allied with Entei, the Amazon Lily in the Calm Belt followed suit. Hancock, along with her nation, had pledged allegiance to the Entei Pirates.
Katakuri had been aware of her affiliation with Entei, but he had not anticipated this level of strength.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea were historically the weakest of the three great powers, primarily a tool used by the World Government to intimidate lesser pirates and assist the Navy in maintaining balance.
However, this group was still formidable. Before the rise of the Entei Pirates, only the Four Emperors and the Navy rivaled their power.
Katakuri had a thorough understanding of the Shichibukai combat capabilities.
At the pinnacle stood Dracule Mihawk, the world's strongest swordsman, who could fight Red-Haired Shanks on equal footing.
Following him were powerful figures like Donquixote Doflamingo, armed with Conqueror's Haki, and Boa Hancock herself.
Even so, Doflamingo—a man stronger than Hancock by some margin—could not hope to withstand a Four Emperor in direct combat. The gap between the second-tier Warlords and the Four Emperors, who had mastered Conqueror's Haki-entanglement , was simply insurmountable.
But now... what was this?!
The power Hancock displayed was staggering.
While perhaps not quite on par with Linlin, her strength exceeded that of Gion, who had consumed a Mythical Zoan fruit and possessed Admiral-level combat power.
Together, Hancock and Gion had managed to overpower Linlin in a head-on clash, even while she was fighting at full strength.
Katakuri's gaze fixated on the aura radiating from Hancock's attack.
"Conqueror's Haki-entanglement...?"
His heart raced, and cold sweat ran down his face.
Kaido, standing nearby, narrowed his eyes as he stared at Hancock. A twitch of irritation crossed his face.
Another one...?!
Another fighter capable of using Conqueror's Haki-entanglement had appeared!?
Kaido's thoughts churned with disbelief.
When did this power become so common?!
In the past, before the Entei Pirates emerged, only a select few could fully master Conqueror's Haki-entanglement. It was an ability that even a veteran like Doflamingo, a ruler of the underworld, had never achieved.
Even Kaido's daughter, Yamato, as talented as she was, had only recently begun to grasp this technique—and she was still far from mastering it.
And yet here stood Hancock, fully commanding a power that should have been exceedingly rare!
What's the result now?!
Not only has Nami mastered the power of Conqueror's Haki-entanglement , but now the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock has as well!?
Kaido's scalp really began to feel numb.
Another Admiral-level combatant had emerged, and this one was uniquely troublesome because she can use Conqueror's Haki-entanglement!
While Linlin's natural physical defense, bolstered by her imposing body, is even more extreme than Kaido's Azure Dragon form, defense alone isn't enough. It can prevent injury, but it won't win a battle. Defeating Hancock and Gion together seemed increasingly impossible.
And then, there was Nami , a user of the Thunder-Thunder Fruit, who posed an even greater challenge.
Although Kaido was confident his combat strength was superior to her, the unique traits of the Thunder-Thunder Fruit meant it would take a long time to defeat her.
Kaido realized that his initial plan to weaken the Entei Pirates' core forces before they arrived was now a hopeless dream.
Why are the Entei Pirates so absurdly powerful?!
These three alone were enough to push Kaido and Linlin into a desperate struggle, forcing them to fight with all their might.
And yet...
Rayleigh.
Kuzan.
Issho.
These three Entei Pirates' combatants had yet to even show up on the battlefield!
Kaido's head throbbed as a terrifying thought took root:
If those three appeared, the battle would be completely unwinnable!
Worse still, Kaido couldn't ignore the cadre of seemingly "less important" Entei Pirates. What if their strength had also grown to unimaginable levels?
Names began to flash through Kaido's mind.
- 'Phoenix' Raki
- 'Desert Princess' Vivi
- 'Devil's Child' Nico Robin
- 'Flame Rose' Nojiko
- 'Fallen Doctor' Kaya
- 'Silent Swordsman' Tashigi
- 'Ghost Princess' Perona
- 'Angel' Conis
- 'Ship Spirit' Merry
Kaido quickly dismissed Perona and Conis—neither had Devil Fruits suited for combat.
But what about the others?
Could there be even more Admiral-level combatants among them?
This horrifying possibility loomed large in Kaido's mind as he clenched his fists. The strength of the Entei Pirates defied all expectations!
Why does it feel like, even without Entei himself, the alliance between the Beasts Pirates, the BIG-MOM Pirates, and Orochi isn't enough to defeat the Entei Pirates?!
What kind of cruel joke is this?!
After the Flame Emperor Incident, how could the Entei Pirates have become so overwhelmingly powerful in such a short amount of time?!
And this doesn't even include Entei himself!
Kaido's eyes turned blood red.
"This can't go on!"
If this continued, a catastrophic defeat was inevitable. The situation had spiraled out of control, and there was only one option left: fight with everything they had!
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
Kaido roared, opening his bloodied mouth as terrifying energy began to condense.
In the next moment, the gathered energy exploded from his mouth in a devastating beam of destruction.
"Hot Breath!!!"
"Swoosh!!!"
The violent dragon's breath tore through the air in a blinding beam of light, indiscriminately targeting everything in its path.
"Boom!"
Faced with this overwhelming attack, Nami's pupils contracted in shock. Without hesitation, she transformed into a lightning bolt and vanished from the spot.
"Don't think you can escape!" Kaido roared, relentlessly charging energy in both his mouth and hands.
At this point, Kaido had abandoned all restraint, pouring his strength into a wild barrage of attacks.
Although the Thunder Fruit grants Nami astonishing speed, Kaido's mastery of Observation Haki gave him an edge.
The Thunder Fruit allows its user to amplify Observation Haki by transmitting it through radio waves, massively expanding its range. However, it doesn't enhance the 'quality' of the user's Haki.
Simply put, the Thunder Fruit acts as a range enhancer for Observation Haki but cannot instantly elevate an ordinary Observation Haki user to the Ultimate level capable of "seeing" the future.
Besides, Kaido himself could manipulate natural elements, using thunder to boost his speed to terrifying levels.
While he couldn't match the raw speed of a user who can literally transform into lightning, the gap wasn't vast.
And any slight disadvantage in speed was compensated by Kaido's superior Observation Haki!
"King! Provide cover! Restrict their movement!"
Kaido bellowed, unleashing another blast of Hot Breath.
"Yes, Governor!"
The leader of the Three Disasters, King, soared into the air from Onigashima. His eyes also glowed blood red.
King understood that the Beasts Pirates were cornered.
The Flame Emperor himself hadn't even arrived, yet the strength of these three cadres alone was enough to shake his resolve.
There was no room for a tentative strategy now—they had to fight with their lives on the line!
"Swish!"
The power of the Lunarian race surged as King unleashed his full might, flames enveloping his long sword.
"Fire Dragon Emperor Slash!"
He roared, summoning countless flaming dragons that blanketed the battlefield.
The fire dragons compressed the movements of Nami, Hancock, and Gion, forcing them into Kaido's line of fire.
"🎶~ 🎶~"
But then, amidst the chaos, a strange melody echoed across the battlefield.