Kaido was struck by a devastating punch and hurled to an altitude of over 10,000 meters, completely losing consciousness in the process.
"You couldn't defeat me even at your peak… and you still want to fight me after being sealed for two days?"
Luffy shook his head, wearing an almost bored expression.
"That brain of yours isn't working properly anymore…"
His body, which had been in Nika form, returned to normal in the blink of an eye.
With a simple wave of his hand, the inland sea of Wano—floating in the sky like an anomaly—began to move.
Slowly at first… and then with overwhelming force.
That entire colossal mass of water drifted away from the island—
And plunged into the ocean below.
Meanwhile, Kaido was falling from the sky.
Completely out of control, unconscious in free fall.
BOOM!!
His body crashed into old Wano with absurd force, crushing the ground and creating a massive human-shaped crater.
The earth cracked in all directions.
Luffy slowly floated down, stopping in front of the crater.
He looked down.
Then the ground began to tremble as if it were alive.
The earth rose, shaping itself into giant hands made of soil, which slowly lifted Kaido's body out of the deep pit.
"Luffy!"
A voice echoed, and in the next instant, a figure appeared beside him in a blink.
"I saw that mass of ice over the Flower Capital suddenly move," he said seriously. "I thought something had happened," Law added.
His gaze fell upon Kaido, suspended by the earthen hands.
"Is he… dead?"
Luffy gave a faint smile.
"If it were that easy to kill him… he would've died a long time ago."
He crossed his arms.
"That guy's a monster."
Law narrowed his eyes.
"Even so… he's still alive…"
"Take his heart out," Luffy ordered calmly.
Without hesitation—
Law stepped forward.
His right hand took on the shape of a surgical claw.
With a precise motion, he pierced Kaido's chest, and in the next instant, the heart was extracted.
It was enormous.
Far larger than a normal person's.
Encased in a gelatinous substance, it pulsed powerfully even outside the body.
Luffy took the heart and stored it away.
"Take him back," he said simply.
After that, he turned and flew away.
—
Flying over old Wano…
Luffy observed the scene below.
Ruins.
Destroyed structures.
Remnants of a civilization.
According to Kozuki Sukiyaki, that land had been submerged by endless rain…
But this didn't look like the result of water alone.
"What kind of rain could destroy buildings like that…?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"This looks more like… a battlefield."
Soon, he arrived above the massive wall surrounding Wano.
Then, a voice echoed in his mind.
"Joy Boy…"
It was Zunesha.
The voice came from the distant sea.
"Destroy these walls, Zunesha."
At his command, the colossal ancient elephant raised its enormous trunk and struck.
BOOM!!
The wall before Luffy was instantly destroyed.
Massive stones shattered like sand.
Zunesha's voice echoed once more:
"All the walls surrounding the island have been destroyed."
Luffy nodded slightly.
"Good work."
With nothing else to do there, he simply turned and flew away from Wano.
—
Over the sea—
Soon, a familiar structure appeared on the horizon.
The Germa Kingdom.
In front of the royal castle, Vinsmoke Reiju was the first to approach.
"Mr. Luffy."
Beside her stood:
Vinsmoke Judge
and his three sons.
Clearly, they had already been waiting.
"Luffy…" Judge said expectantly. "I heard you obtained it."
Without saying much, Luffy opened his storage space.
And took out two test tubes filled with blood.
He tossed them to Judge.
"One is Kaido's blood."
"And the other… Lunarian blood."
Judge carefully held the tubes, his eyes shining.
"When you make progress with the cloning… inform me," Luffy continued.
With no interest in small talk, he simply turned away.
"Mr. Luffy!" Reiju called out quickly. "About Sanji—"
But Luffy had already waved his hand and disappeared into the horizon.
Judge looked at the tubes in his hands, visibly excited.
"With this… the power of the soldiers will increase beyond anything we've seen!"
A scientist beside him murmured:
"Your Majesty… the cost will also increase considerably…"
"That doesn't matter!" Judge replied immediately.
His eyes were filled with ambition.
"That's a small price to pay!"
He knew exactly what he was doing.
The clones would be born with absolute commands engraved into their brains.
Total obedience.
No questions.
No emotions.
"All of this is part of the process."
He tightened his grip on the tubes.
"The real question… is whether this will work."
Then he turned.
"To the laboratory!"
His eyes gleamed.
"By combining the lineage factors of Kaido and the Lunarians…"
"I will create… soldiers worthy of gods!"
—
Luffy returned to the Flower Capital.
As soon as he arrived, Ace approached him.
"Luffy… a messenger from Onigashima came to negotiate with us."
Luffy raised an eyebrow.
"You're already fine?"
Yesterday, Ace had been covered in injuries.
Today, he looked completely recovered.
Ace smiled.
"Did you underestimate my endurance?"
Luffy laughed.
"Where's the messenger?"
"In the reception room. Come with me."
—
Guided by Ace, Luffy entered a traditional Japanese-style room.
Inside, only two people were present.
Sitting across from each other.
Yamato and Black Maria.
Hearing the footsteps, both raised their heads.
"Luffy!" Yamato called immediately. "She's one of the Tobiroppo… Black Maria."
"Ah, Princess Yamato…" Maria said with a teasing smile. "Don't be so direct. Didn't I teach you how to behave like a proper lady?"
She opened a folding fan, covering half of her face.
Her eyes, however, remained fixed on Luffy.
With practiced elegance, she slightly tilted her head.
"Luffy-sama… it is an honor to finally meet you."
Her voice was soft and seductive.
Typical of someone accustomed to dealing with clients in brothels.
Luffy was unaffected.
He walked straight past them and sat in the main seat, crossing his legs.
He cast a brief glance at Maria.
She was a tall woman with striking curves.
"You can speak normally," he said, pouring himself some wine. "You're the messenger?"
Maria smiled behind the fan.
"Yes, I represent the Beasts Pirates."
She tilted her head again.
"You defeated Lord Kaido… something truly remarkable."
Her eyes gleamed.
"In the current world… you may very well be the strongest."
Luffy took a sip of wine.
"Skip that part and get to the point."
He looked at her expressionlessly.
Maria let out a soft laugh.
"How impatient…"
She then closed the fan.
And finally spoke more directly:
"Captain Kaido has always held great admiration for you."
She cast a sideways glance at Yamato.
"He even had Her Highness learn proper etiquette in the hope that one day… she would marry you."
Silence.
Luffy remained quiet for a second.
Then he thought:
If he just wanted to send his daughter to me, why dress it up so much?
Yamato, on the other hand, exploded.
"That damned Kaido!!"
She clenched her fists.
"He forced me to learn a bunch of useless things!!"
(End of Chapter)