"Katakuri… have our fleet retreat," Scarlett commanded, her voice carrying over the battered winds and the stench of gunpowder. "There's no point in getting tangled in this senseless war any longer."
Her boots struck the deck of the Crimson Lotus—the flagship of the Bloodsteel Pirates—with a heavy clang. The ship still stood proud amidst the chaos, its scarlet sails torn but unbowed, a lone fortress on a dying sea. Smoke from the burning remnants of Water 7 curled skyward, staining the clouds in a bruised palette of black and crimson.
"Captain!"
Katakuri turned even before she touched down, his Kenbunshoku Haki flaring like a second heartbeat. The stoic commander's face was grim, streaked with ash and blood, yet his composure never wavered. "What about the ancient weapon? None of our scouts have any clue whose hands it ended up in…"
His voice carried frustration—but also resignation. The Bloodsteel Pirates had come to Water 7 with fire in their hearts and fleets at their backs, hoping to seize a legend. The whispers of Pluton had reached every corner of the underworld, promising power enough to crush nations. But after days of endless carnage—fighting Marines, warlords, and beasts alike—it was clear that the prize they chased might not even exist.
Scarlett's crimson eyes swept the horizon, reflecting the burning skyline. "It doesn't matter anymore, Katakuri," she said, her tone low and weary but still edged with command. "The World Government has already decided to bury this island along with whatever secrets it holds. You can see it—the Marine's Buster Call fleet forming beyond the mist. They didn't find the weapon either. Which means…" She exhaled through clenched teeth. "It was all a lie. A hoax from the very beginning."
Her coat, tattered by Kaidō's strikes, fluttered in the salt-laden wind as she looked toward the ruins. Even now, she could still feel the phantom ache of battle—the raw memory of trading blows with a monster that refused to die.
That beast.
Scarlett's fists tightened until her knuckles creaked. Even with all her power, every strike, every devastating blast of her Haki and blade had done little more than slow Kaidō. He had laughed through the blood, through broken ribs and shattered bones, rising again and again as if mocking the very concept of mortality. For the first time in decades, Scarlett had felt exhaustion carve itself into her bones.
Katakuri stepped closer, his brows knitting. "But… how? And more importantly, who would go to such lengths to spin a tale this elaborate? To fool the entire underworld, the Yonko, and the World Government all at once?"
Scarlett's gaze shifted, her eyes narrowing toward the distant horizon—the direction of the New World. The sea breeze caught her crimson hair as her expression hardened. "I don't know about the why, Katakuri…" she murmured, her tone dropping into a dark whisper. "But I think I know the who."
The realization settled like lead in her chest.
Three of the Four Emperors had thrown their full might into this doomed chase. Armies moved, territories lay vulnerable, and the balance of the seas had been shattered—all for a phantom weapon that never existed. And only one man, one family, had remained untouched by the chaos, watching as the rest of the world tore itself apart.
The Donquixote Family.
Scarlett's lips curled in a bitter smirk that didn't reach her eyes. "That cunning little demon…" she whispered. "While the rest of us danced in the flames, he's been sitting in the shadows—watching, waiting. Doflamingo played the world like a damned violin."
Her mind raced. If she could see it, so could the others. Her forces were stretched thin, her territories left exposed. And if that smiling viper decided to move while her fleet lingered here, then the Bloodsteel domain would fall without a fight.
Scarlett turned sharply toward Katakuri, her voice regaining its commanding timbre. "Signal the fleet. Full retreat. We're heading back to the New World at once. Every second we waste here is an invitation for vultures."
Katakuri nodded silently and turned to issue the order, his observation haki already rippling through the battlefield to reach their commanders. As the Crimson Lotus began to turn, its crimson sails catching the dying light of the burning city, Scarlett looked back one final time.
The sea boiled beneath the Buster Call bombardment. The cries of the dying echoed through the smoke. And in that apocalyptic haze, she could almost imagine the faint sound of laughter—cold, distant, and mocking. The laughter of a man who had just fooled the entire world.
Doflamingo.
Scarlett clenched her jaw, her coat snapping behind her as she turned away.
"Enjoy your victory, little bastard," she muttered under her breath. "But remember—every lie has its reckoning."
****
Far above the burning ruins of Water 7, the heavens split apart with thunder and flame. The great dragon Kaido coiled through the clouds like a living cataclysm, his scales glimmering with molten fury, his roar shattering the storm itself.
"Wororororororo! Where is it?! Where is my weapon?! Hand it over, you insects!"
His voice rolled across the sky like a cannonade, deafening and primal. Below him, the Marine battle line—a vast formation of steel and fire—closed in once more. Battleships advanced through the raging seas, their cannons roaring as they bombarded what little remained of the island. Explosions tore through the flooded streets; entire districts were erased in flashes of white heat.
Kaido's crimson eyes blazed. The sight of the bombardment—of the world's self-proclaimed "order" daring to erase what he sought—drove him into a frenzy.
"That's mine!" he bellowed, thunder crackling from his horns. "You worms think you can bury my prize beneath your justice?!"
The sea below churned as his colossal form drew in breath. Lightning danced over his scales, and a blinding inferno began to gather in his throat—an expanding sphere of pure devastation.
"BOLO BREATH!!!"
The air screamed as Kaido unleashed his fury. A beam of molten plasma erupted from his maw, tearing through the sky like a blazing sunbeam, burning everything it touched. The ocean hissed into steam, and battleships were reduced to slag in seconds—until another voice thundered from the fleet below.
"INUGAMI GUREN!!!"
The sea itself erupted. From the center of the Marine armada, Admiral Sakazuki—the Red Dog, the man whose justice burned hotter than hell—rose atop a pillar of magma, his coat torn and glowing with heat. His eyes locked on the descending dragon, his face twisted in grim fury.
"Your rampage ends here, Kaido!" he roared, and from his fists surged an inferno to rival the sun.
A colossal hound of molten rock burst forth from his arms, its maw wide and dripping magma, its body a storm of fire and smoke. The beast lunged upward, meeting Kaido's Bolo Breath head-on.
The two cataclysms collided. The world seemed to hold its breath—then exploded in light.
The impact birthed a pillar of fire that split the clouds and vaporized the rain, an infernal storm that turned day to crimson twilight. Shockwaves blasted through the fleet, snapping masts and capsizing smaller ships. The ocean itself recoiled, forming walls of steam as molten rock splattered across the waves like falling meteors.
Kaido snarled against the pressure, his claws carving trenches through the clouds. Sakazuki's magma surged upward with unrelenting force, his face illuminated by the glare of his own attack. For a moment, the two powers—dragon and man, beast and flame—seemed locked in a stalemate that threatened to unmake the world beneath them.
Then, with a guttural roar, Kaido's breath faltered. The magma hound tore through the beam and detonated against his chest, erupting in a cascade of molten fury that sent the dragon reeling backward. Kaido's scream split the sky as his immense body crashed through the storm clouds, tumbling toward the sea like a burning comet. Steam and flame followed in his wake.
Sakazuki stood atop the flagship's molten deck, his arm still glowing, his breath ragged but steady. "You think this world will bow to monsters like you?" he growled, magma dripping from his fist. "Absolute justice doesn't bend to beasts."
But even as he said it, lightning sparked in the clouds again—Kaido's silhouette rising once more, laughter booming across the heavens. "Worororororo! Too bad, magma dog… but you'll need more than that to even tickle me!"
The sea and sky had already been turned to hellfire. Now, the storm grew teeth. Admiral Sakazuki narrowed his molten eyes, the glow of magma licking across his shoulders like living fire. His last attack—one that could have vaporized an island—hadn't even bruised the creature before him. The molten burn he had carved into Kaido's scales was already gone, mended anew as if his magma had never touched him.
The dragon hovered above, titanic and terrible, his every breath a rumble that made the ocean kneel.
"Come then, Magma Dog…" Kaido's voice cracked the heavens. "Let me teach you your place in this world!"
The sky darkened in an instant — clouds curling like torn silk as black lightning streaked across the heavens. The weight of Kaido's Conqueror's Haki crashed over the battlefield like a divine hammer. The sea split apart, waves buckling outward in a ring of pressure. Warships were tossed aside like toys, men screaming as the air itself became too heavy to breathe. Even Sakazuki's flames flickered under that crushing will.
Then —
"Tell me, Kaido…" a languid, mocking voice chimed from the storm. "…have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Kaido's colossal head whipped around—but too late. A streak of golden brilliance shot through the clouds like a falling sun. In an instant, Borsalino, Vice Admiral Kizaru, appeared beside Kaido's massive jaw, his body bending lazily midair as his leg shone brighter than dawn itself.
"Hikari no Ōgeki…!"
Then came the impact. The world rung. Kaido's skull echoed like a struck temple bell as the photon-charged kick smashed against the side of his face. The shockwave cracked the sky, vaporized the clouds, and sent molten ripples tearing through the sea below. Entire battleships were overturned by the force alone.
Kaido's massive body lurched — but he did not fall. The dragon's pupils constricted into narrow slits, his jaw flexing as he turned back toward Kizaru, blood boiling with fury.
"Worororororo!" Kaido's laugh rumbled, smoke trailing from his nostrils. "Even if you both team up, you can't break through my hide! You Marine dogs better bring me Garp if you want to give me a decent fight!"
"Arara…" another voice drifted through the storm, calm as snow. Kaido's massive eyes twitched.
"Kaido… you really have a death wish, don't you? With how angry Garp-sensei is right now, I doubt even someone like you would survive his wrath." The voice came from behind him, close—too close. "Lucky for you, Whitebeard seems to have caught his attention. So maybe you should fall back while you still have the chance."
Kaido's pupils dilated. Slowly, he twisted his serpentine neck—and there, standing casually atop his spine, one hand in his pocket, the other brushing frost from his shoulder, was Kuzan, Admiral Aokiji.
"You…!" Kaido snarled, twisting his body violently, his massive tail whipping through the air like a storm surge. The sheer momentum of it could level mountains—but Kuzan didn't even flinch.
"Ice Age."
The words were barely whispered. And the world stopped. A tidal wave of frost exploded outward from Aokiji's body, a blue-white radiance that devoured the storm itself. In the span of a heartbeat, the temperature plummeted. Rain froze midair. The very ocean beneath turned to solid glass.
Kaido—the Dragon of the End—froze solid, his entire colossal form entombed in crystal ice. His serpentine form, vast as city blocks, were captured mid-flight; his jaws open in a silent roar, fangs locked in translucent blue.
An entire storm, frozen in place. Aokiji exhaled, mist curling from his lips. "Arara… well, that's one way to quiet him down."
On the flagship below, Kizaru's light reformed on the railing beside Sakazuki, photons condensing into his tall, lean shape. He squinted up at the frozen dragon with mild amusement, his voice drawling as ever.
"Oh… I have to say, it looks beautiful, doesn't it, Sakazuki?" he said, hands in his pockets, golden light still flickering at his heels.
Sakazuki didn't answer immediately. His magma hissed against the rain-frosted deck, his gaze never leaving the frozen titan above.
"Beautiful?" he growled finally. "No, Borsalino… It's unfinished. Because we both know that monster's not dead yet...not even close."
As if in answer, a faint crack echoed across the sky—a hairline fracture snaking down the glacier encasing Kaido's head. Then another. Then a hundred more. The frozen storm began to tremble. And from within, Kaido's laughter rumbled once more—deeper, louder, madder.
"Wororororororo!!!"
The ice shattered—and the heavens screamed anew. It didn't take long for Kaido to break free from his frozen prison. His colossal body, locked in crystal white moments earlier, convulsed violently. Cracks laced across the glacier like veins of lightning before exploding outward in a blinding eruption. From within that storm of shards came a deep, bone-shaking roar that made the entire ocean tremble.
"WORORORORORO! You'll have to do better than that, Marine Bastards…!"
The instant he broke free, Kaido's jaw split open—molten light building in his throat. A breath attack, hotter than the sun, fired downward like divine judgment. Aokiji barely had time to react. He twisted midair, his expression calm but focused, as the beam carved a flaming path through the clouds.
The blast grazed him—vaporizing the sea beneath—but the Admiral landed gracefully, his boots touching the boiling surface just as ice blossomed from beneath his feet. In a breath, a massive ice platform formed, sprawling outward like a frozen continent. The ocean hissed in defiance, trapped beneath Aokiji's will.
"...Still as reckless as ever," he muttered, cold vapor swirling from his breath. "Guess I'll have to match that heat with something colder."
Above him, black thunderclouds churned and split apart. Kaido's colossal dragon form coiled through them, scales gleaming like forged metal, each glint catching firelight and lightning alike. Every exhale set the sky ablaze; every flex of muscle rippled with the power of a natural disaster.
Below, the battlefield itself warped—magma geysers erupting from Akainu's fury clashing violently with glacial spires born of Aokiji's ice. Between them, Kizaru's golden radiance flashed like a god's heartbeat, bending space itself. The air convulsed beneath the weight of three elements in perfect chaos—fire, light, and frost—as if creation itself couldn't bear their clash.
Kaido's laughter rolled across the heavens like cannon fire.
"Wororororororo! Three Admirals… and not one of you can make me bleed? Pathetic!"
On the marine battleship below, Akainu stood unmoved, magma dripping from his fists and melting the steel deck beneath him. The air shimmered from the heat radiating off his body; his face was set, his eyes burning brighter than the volcanoes he commanded.
"Don't get cocky, you drunk bastard," Sakazuki growled, voice low and seething. "You're facing justice itself. I will make sure to drag you down today."
With a thunderous step, he launched himself skyward—the sea below evaporating instantly in his wake. Lava swirled beneath his boots, forming a platform of molten rock that floated upon the boiling waves. Above, Kaido's serpentine head tilted downward, his throat glowing crimson once again.
"BORO BREATH!"
The world turned white. A beam of fire and plasma erupted from Kaido's maw, tearing through clouds and atmosphere like a divine lance. The shockwave alone disintegrated nearby battleships, sending men screaming into the sea. But before it could hit, Sakazuki roared back in defiance.
"RYUSEI KAZAN!"
Magma spiraled upward in colossal pillars—meteors of living flame—that collided head-on with Kaido's attack. The heavens exploded. A wall of energy consumed everything—sky, sea, and earth. Waves the height of towers erupted outward as the two forces met, their combined fury turning the ocean into a world of flame and ash. The clouds were peeled away, revealing a gaping void of burning air, and for a heartbeat, there was no sound—only light.
Then something brighter cut through the inferno.
"Ama no Hikari: Tenshin Sokudō!"
A lance of gold streaked down from the heavens. Kizaru—the Yellow Monkey—materialized above Kaido, body dissolving into pure radiance. His expression was lazy, almost indifferent, though his eyes gleamed with lethal precision.
"Now then," he drawled, one leg cocked back, "let's see if that skull of yours can handle light speed, Kaido-san…"
He kicked. The air shrieked. A beam of concentrated light exploded from his foot, a strike that tore sound from the sky. It slammed into Kaido's temple with a deafening crack, bending the dragon's neck sideways. The heavens rang like a bell struck by a god.
Scales shattered. Molten blood—glowing gold and red—sprayed into the storm. For one fleeting moment, the invincible Beast staggered.
"Got your attention now?" Kizaru quipped as his body reformed from photons. His smirk faded when Kaido's massive eye swiveled toward him—fury and exhilaration gleaming like twin suns.
"Not bad…" Kaido's mouth curled into a wild grin. "But you'll need more than a tickle to make me fall!"
He lunged—impossibly fast. His massive tail tore through the clouds, splitting the sky with sheer wind pressure. Kizaru vanished in a blink, reforming beside Akainu just as Kaido's strike ripped through the air where he had stood. The sea heaved, torn apart by the aftershock.
Then, silence—and a breath colder than death. Frost rolled across the waves, creeping along the molten sea until even magma hissed and turned black. The burning air itself began to crystallize, snowflakes forming from steam. Kaido's eyes narrowed, his senses catching the shift. He looked down.
There stood Aokiji, one hand raised, the other resting in his pocket—composed, unflinching, mist rising from his breath.
"Time to cool you off…" he said calmly. He extended his arm.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
From his palm burst a titanic avian of frost, wings stretching a kilometer wide. It screeched as it ascended, trailing mist and snow. The ocean froze in its wake, solidifying into a shimmering white plain. The ice pheasant soared toward Kaido, slamming into his body with earth-shattering force.
The impact froze the dragon mid-roar, encasing him in a cathedral of crystal. For an instant, Kaido became a monument—a beast of ice suspended in midair, fury preserved in frozen silence. The three admirals landed on the newly frozen sea, their coats snapping in the wind.
Akainu's eyes burned brighter than ever. "Now," he said, voice like thunder.
"Bakuretsu Kazan!"
"Tengoku no Ōdan!"
"Ice Time: Niflheim!"
All three moved as one. From Sakazuki's fists erupted twin volcanic fists—rivers of magma pouring from the sky. Kizaru raised both hands, unleashing a storm of divine beams that painted the heavens gold. Aokiji knelt, pressing his palm to the ice beneath, unleashing a sub-zero blizzard that froze the air itself.
The combined strike consumed the world. Magma, light, and frost collided at the heart of the battlefield, detonating with apocalyptic force. The explosion rippled through the sea, sending tidal walls hundreds of meters high in every direction. The light blinded all who watched; the roar deafened entire fleets.
The sky turned white. The sea boiled and froze at once. The earth itself seemed to crack beneath them. And yet… through that blinding chaos, a low, rumbling sound returned. A laugh—deep and maddened.
The frozen dragon began to move. Hairline fractures spider-webbed across the ice, then burst outward violently. Shards as large as ships flew into the sky like shrapnel. Kaido's roar returned, louder and angrier than ever. The flames in his wounds burned blue, and his body twisted mid-air—scales regrowing, bones snapping back into place, and steam and blood rising in the same breath.
"That actually stung…!" he admitted, rolling his shoulders, his molten skin already healing. "Now… it's my turn!"
Kaido's form compacted, the dragon twisting down into his human-beast hybrid—towering, muscular, crackling with electricity. His kanabo pulsed with black lightning as he lifted it high, the air around him rippling under the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki.
He swung. The sheer wind force split the frozen sea like glass.
"RAIMEI HAKKE!"
The club descended like the wrath of heaven itself—lightning cascading from the blow, thunder bursting outward in concentric waves that ripped through sea and sky alike. The Admirals braced—magma, light, and ice surging to meet it—as the heavens once again screamed.