Next Bonus, 100!!
Gion countered with a swift draw-cut, slicing through the flames and meeting King's blade in a shower of sparks.
Vice Admiral Momonga of G-1 and Vice Admiral Doll of G-14 also ordered their troops to engage.
"Hahaha! Ram them!" Jack roared.
Queen, smoking a cigar, spoke lazily. "Hey, Jack, don't forget the mission. We're here to pick up the Governor-General."
Jack's smile turned into a sweat-drop. "Right, Brother Queen!"
CRACK!
On the prison ship, the ice encasing Kaido shattered. Seeing his crew arrive, Kaido grinned.
"Bolo Breath!"
A beam of scorching heat erupted from his mouth.
BOOM!
A single strike.
The blast punched through the deck, tearing the prison ship apart and igniting a raging inferno.
The power was devastating—far superior to the Flame-Flame Fruit. In the New World, where everyone and their grandmother seemed to have a fire technique, Ace's fruit really did seem lackluster.
Free from his bonds, Kaido went on a rampage.
His indestructible body smashed through everything. Marines leaped into the sea in panic to escape him.
Suddenly—
"Ice Glove!"
Kuzan charged, his fist radiating freezing cold and wrapped in Haki, hammering toward Kaido.
The power of the Logia Ice-Ice Fruit.
Cold wind swept across the deck. The fire froze. The ship froze. The sea froze.
Kaido spun around.
He clenched his right fist, coating it in thick Armament Haki.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Fist met fist. A sound like muffled thunder exploded over the ocean.
A clash of pure strength.
Kuzan was knocked back. Facing a monster invincible in single combat, attempting to match him in brute force was a losing game.
"Galaxy Impact!"
Vice Admiral Garp launched himself into the air, his legendary iron fist wreathed in advanced Haki, aiming straight for Kaido.
Kaido didn't dodge.
He met the punch head-on.
Before their fists even touched, streaks of black and red lightning—the visual manifestation of Conqueror's Haki—erupted, clashing violently in the air.
The sky split. The clouds parted. The frozen sea beneath them shattered into a million pieces.
Massive waves rolled backward, pushed away by the sheer pressure of their collision.
A Clash of Conquerors.
The spiritual pressure knocked the weaker Marines unconscious instantly.
The massive prison ship, unable to withstand the shockwave of two monsters clashing, groaned and disintegrated, splitting into four pieces.
Hundreds of Marines fell into the water.
Cries for help filled the air. Kuzan frowned.
After trading a blow with Garp, Kaido didn't stick around for a drawn-out brawl. He transformed into his Azure Dragon form, soaring into the sky and raining lightning down on Gion and the others to force them back.
Then, he landed on his own ship.
"Worororo! Let's go, you brats!"
"YEAH!"
The Beasts Pirates cheered, turning their ships to leave the area.
"Don't pursue," Kuzan ordered, stopping the Marines who wanted to give chase. This was the New World, the Emperors' territory. Pursuing too deep was suicide.
Garp began fishing the fallen Marines out of the water.
Puru puru puru...
Kuzan picked up the Den Den Mushi. It was Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"How did it go?"
"Failed."
"I see."
Sengoku wasn't surprised. Failing to execute Kaido was par for the course. In truth, the Marines and the World Government had a headache when it came to Kaido.
Catch him? Can't kill him, can't hold him.
Don't catch him? He gets bored and attacks you anyway, sometimes intentionally getting caught just to see if you've invented a new way to kill him yet.
"Casualties?"
"One prison ship lost. Many injuries, some from falling overboard, but no deaths..."
"That's acceptable."
Sengoku sighed in relief, then continued, "Jin has arrived in the New World. He is currently heading toward the Red Hair Pirates' territory."
"The Five Elders have ordered you, Vice Admiral Garp, and Commander Gion to move to that vicinity. Be ready to support him if necessary."
Kuzan was surprised. "He's going to Red Hair's territory? Is he planning to challenge another Emperor, like he did last year?"
Last year, Jin had challenged Whitebeard and Big Mom.
This year, was it time for the remaining two?
"I don't know," Sengoku said, rubbing his temples. "Red Hair's territory is close to Elbaf, and he has close ties to the Giants. Just go."
"Understood."
—————————
On the Mammoth.
"Wororororo!"
Kaido laughed heartily. He lifted a massive gourd of sake and drank deeply, letting the liquor spill down his chin and soak his chest.
THUD!
He slammed the gourd onto the deck.
"Did Joker handle the business?"
King nodded. "Yes. The shipment has been sent out. The Prodence Kingdom was pushing hard for it."
Kaido's capture had been a diversion to draw the attention of the Marines and the World Government, giving Doflamingo the space he needed to transport weapons.
The Marine bases in the New World were all located at critical choke points. G-5 was no exception. Without Vergo on the inside to smooth things over, Doflamingo and Kaido's business had taken a hit.
"Why is the West Coast Alliance losing?" Kaido grumbled. "Aren't they supposed to be winning? They've been suffering defeat after defeat this year."
"It's strange," King said. "Rumor has it the Kano Country got their hands on a batch of new weapons that turned the tide of the war."
"Oh?" Kaido looked interested. "Can we trace where they came from?"
"Joker looked into it. There aren't many clues," King replied. "We suspect it's related to the King of the Winter Blossom Kingdom. Similar weapons appeared in Hannabal. There's also suspicion pointing toward the Germa Kingdom. Intelligence suggests a close relationship between the two nations."
"Jin..."
Kaido took another swig of sake. "He defeated Hanahuza and indirectly caused his death. I haven't settled that score with him yet!"
Kaido was annoyed. Arms dealing was his main source of income, and Jin was messing with his money.
"Oh, right," King added. "There's new intel. He just arrived in the New World. He's heading straight for Red Hair's territory."
"He's here?"
Kaido paused, then burst out laughing. "Worororo! Hey! Turn the ship around! We're going to crash Red Hair's party and meet this kid!"
"But Governor-General," Queen warned, "the Red Hair Pirates won't allow us into their territory!"
The Four Emperors each had their own territories. Approaching one was an act of war.
"Maybe the King is going there to pick a fight with Red Hair?" Jack suggested. "It could be a great opportunity to strike while they're distracted!"
Queen thought about it. "True. Last year, when Jin entered the New World, he clashed with Whitebeard and Big Mom. Both of them suffered losses. If he's heading straight for Red Hair..."
The relationship between the Beasts Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates wasn't exactly friendly.
Kaido waved his hand.
'Let's go!'
—————————
"OPEN FIRE!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Cannons roared as a dozen pirate ships besieged a single vessel flying the Whitebeard flag.
"Damn it! Get closer! We'll take them down with us!" Squard the "Maelstrom Spider" shouted.
Ever since the G-5 incident last year, Whitebeard's territory had been under constant harassment.
Just as the situation seemed dire—
"THOSE WHO HURT MY SONS... SHALL ANSWER TO ME!"
In the distance, the Moby Dick parted the waves.
Whitebeard stood at the bow. He widened his stance, dropping into a squat. Then, he grabbed the air itself with both hands—and pulled.
The atmosphere cracked like glass.
RUMBLE!
The sea tilted. A tsunami rose.
"Whitebeard??"
"Hey! What's going on?? I thought he was heavily injured! I thought he was dying!"
"RUN!"
The pirates who had been besieging Squard were terrified. At the sight of the Strongest Man in the World, they turned tail and fled.
Ace stood with the other commanders, watching his father display his power with pride.
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