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The New World.
For six miles in every direction, the sky was a bruised mass of black clouds. Lightning tore through the gloom, accompanied by the rolling crash of thunder.
A colossal prison ship drifted on the heaving sea, ringed by ten Marine warships standing absolute guard.
The Navy was conducting a secret execution.
CRACK!
A flash of lightning illuminated the guillotine on the deck—and the man pinned beneath its massive blade.
He was a titan of a man. A mane of unruly black hair, a pair of long, curved horns, and whiskers that trailed from his lip like a dragon's.
A dragon scale tattoo covered his left arm.
A distinct X-shaped scar marked his right flank.
One of the Four Emperors of the Sea.
Kaido of the Beasts.
Half a month ago, Kaido had left Wano alone, scaled the Red Line, and been discovered by the Marines. He was captured shortly after.
Now, he faced execution.
Yet, despite the heavy chains of Seastone binding him hand and foot, the executioners and the surrounding Marines felt not a shred of relief. There was no ease in their posture.
Why?
Because this was Kaido. The Strongest Creature in the World.
User of the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon.
Even before the events of Wano, Kaido held the highest active bounty among the Four Emperors. Even without his Devil Fruit, his physical constitution and Haki were world-class.
It was a universally acknowledged truth: In a one-on-one fight, always bet on Kaido.
Security for this execution was unprecedented. Admiral Kuzan, Vice Admiral Garp, and the Base Commanders of G-1, G-5, and G-14 were all present.
Following the Levely, the Five Elders had begun organizing a "Riot Squad" to counter the Revolutionary Army's increasingly brazen activities, allowing Kuzan and Sakazuki to return to Headquarters.
Smoker exhaled a thick plume of smoke. having been requested by Vice Admiral Gion—Momousagi—he had been transferred to G-5 as her adjutant.
This was his first time witnessing such a spectacle. Despite his tough exterior, Smoker felt a nervous tension coiling in his gut as he reviewed Kaido's dossier.
Kaido of the Beasts. Origin: Vodka Kingdom.
As a pirate, he has tasted defeat seven times.
He has been captured eighteen times while challenging the Marines and the Four Emperors single-handedly.
He has endured over a thousand sessions of severe torture.
He has been sentenced to death forty times.
Blades shattered against his skin. Axes broke. Fire, lightning, poison—nothing could leave a scratch.
Execution equipment fails before his body does. Chains snap when he is hanged. Guillotines shatter upon his neck. Spears break upon impact.
He has sunk nine massive prison ships single-handedly.
No one can kill him. Not even himself.
Currently resides as the Guardian Deity of Wano on Onigashima. Hobby: Attempting suicide.
A monster...
It was completely absurd. Any single one of these feats would make a man a legend. Kaido owned them all. It was practically a death-seeking adventure log.
Smoker scowled. Every failed execution was a humiliation to the authority of the Marines.
"This guy is impossible to kill," Smoker muttered.
"Indeed," Gion nodded, her expression grave.
This wasn't the first time the Marines had caught Kaido. And it wasn't the first execution.
"I heard the research division even proposed force-feeding him a second Devil Fruit," Gion said quietly. "To use the curse of the sea to destroy him from the inside. But it was vetoed immediately."
Smoker looked confused. "Why?"
"Theoretically, no one can consume two Devil Fruits. The conflict of the two 'demons' destroys the body," Gion explained. "There is a very high probability it would kill him. But... what if?"
"What if?"
"What if two Devil Fruits don't kill Kaido? What if, instead of exploding, he simply gains a second calamitous power?" Gion looked at the monster on the scaffold. "A single-fruit Kaido is already unkillable. A double-fruit Kaido?"
She shook her head.
The thought alone was terrifying.
"What about feeding him a useless fruit?" Smoker asked.
"For an existence like Kaido, any additional power is a terrifying multiplier," Gion countered. "Besides, there are no weak abilities, only weak users. Who would dare take that gamble? Not the Marines. Not the World Government."
"Right now, we can't kill him, but we can contain him, or capture him when he goes on a rampage. But if the double-fruit method fails... if the Marines accidentally forge an invincible god-monster... the entire world would be turned upside down."
If Garp ran into that, he'd probably just look at it and say, 'Well, shit.'
"What about locking him up?" Smoker asked. "Impel Down..."
"You still don't have a clear concept of what a Yonko is," Gion sighed. "If we could hold him, we would have."
—————————
"Admiral Kuzan. It is time."
Kuzan set down his copy of Weekly Entertainment and looked toward the scaffold.
Kaido looked back.
"Worororo!" The distinctive, rumbling laugh echoed across the deck. Facing an Admiral and death itself, there was no fear in his eyes. "Kuzan, aren't we starting yet?"
He yawned.
Kuzan's expression darkened. He waved his hand. "Execute him."
"Yes, sir!"
The executioners saluted and approached the guillotine.
The massive blade, weighing over ten tons, gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
The lever was pulled.
The mechanism released.
WHOOSH!
The blade plummeted, gathering speed, a streak of silver death aimed squarely at Kaido's neck.
Hundreds of eyes watched in anticipation.
CLANG!
There was no spray of blood. No severed head rolling across the deck.
Instead, a sharp, metallic ring pierced the air. The guillotine blade struck Kaido's neck and chipped. Cracks spiderwebbed out from the point of impact, spreading instantly across the steel.
CRASH!
The massive blade shattered, raining down as harmless scrap metal.
Everyone was stunned.
Gion frowned. "Failed again."
"Hey, hey..." Smoker stared in disbelief. "The guillotine shattered? Are the Seastone cuffs doing anything?"
The executioners and the watching Marines stood with their mouths agape. In the back, a few veterans whispered to their comrades, "See? Told you. I win the bet. Kaido is an unkillable monster."
"Worororororo..."
Kaido threw his head back and laughed.
"Kuzan! You still can't kill me! I'm disappointed!"
"Well then..."
Kaido slowly stood up. The massive Seastone chains groaned, pulled taut by his sheer physical strength.
CREAK...
The entire prison ship began to list to the side under the strain.
When the chains reached their limit—they snapped.
Even the Seastone cuffs couldn't hold back his Haki. He utilized advanced Ryuo to destroy them from the inside out.
"Ice Time!"
Kuzan moved instantly, attempting to freeze Kaido solid.
"Admiral Kuzan! Enemy ships to port! It's the Beasts Pirates!" the lookout screamed.
BOOM!
A cannonball whistled through the air and exploded near the ship, sending a geyser of water high into the air.
In the distance, the Three All-Stars stood on the prow of the Mammoth: King the Conflagration, Queen the Plague, and Jack the Drought, leading a fleet of subordinates.
"Prepare for battle!" Gion commanded.
She led Smoker and the G-5 unit into the fray. Leaping into the air with Moonwalk, she drew her blade, Konpira—releasing a blinding flash of sword light.
King, wielding his massive katana, leaped to meet her, transforming into his hybrid Pteranodon form mid-air, flames licking along his blade.
"Imperial Deep Stake!"
He unleashed a dragon of fire.
~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
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