"Uorororororo! Get this damn ship over there, now!!!"
Kaido's vessel shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
At the same moment...
Whitebeard let out a thunderous roar of his own.
The Moby Dick surged out from the fleet formation.
On the bows of both ships, two towering figures locked eyes across the churning sea.
Whitebeard's face was twisted with fury and grief, like an old lion mourning his lost cub. His voice boomed across the waves.
"Oden... it was you who killed him, wasn't it, Kaido?!"
"Uororororo! That fool? Of course I killed him! And what of it?"
Kaido's eyes crackled with a storm of energy, both hands tightening around his kanabo. He could hardly wait for the battle to begin.
And then he spat out more words, sharp and cruel, aimed straight at Whitebeard's heart.
"His idiot father, Kozuki Sukiyaki? I cut him down too!"
As the two ships closed the distance, both men suddenly leapt into the sky.
"Then you can die right here!!!"
Whitebeard's eyes blazed as he gripped Murakumogiri with bulging, vein-lined hands. White light wrapped around his blade, entwined with streaks of black and red lightning.
"For the injustice done to Oden... I'll make you pay, Kaido!!!"
"Uororororo! Treating that Kozuki idiot like family — that's the dumbest thing you ever did in your life!"
In a flash, Kaido shifted into his half-dragon form, excitement flaring so bright it was nearly visible. His kanabo, Hassaikai, crackled with a clash of Conqueror's Haki and thunder.
Then he struck with all his might!
Boom boom boom!!!
Hassaikai and Murakumogiri clashed with a deafening crash.
Black and red lightning crackled where they met.
The shockwave ripped through the sea, sending it into a violent frenzy!
The winds and waves surged, forcing both fleets to slide backward.
Neither side could gain the upper hand.
"Look up there!!"
On both sides, pirates unused to such a titanic clash shouted in alarm.
They lifted their eyes—and their pupils shrank in terror.
The sky was splitting open. Again.
Clouds churned and tore apart as if ripped by unseen hands.
This... this was what a battle between Emperors looked like!
Whitebeard's gaze burned into Kaido's, his arms trembling with power as he pressed Murakumogiri down inch by inch.
"Who would've thought... the little punk who used to scrub decks on the ship is now an Emperor of the sea!"
"Time's a river! Your moment's almost over—just like Roger and Shiki, long gone!"
Kaido grinned as the force from Whitebeard's strike vibrated up his kanabo.
Whitebeard's blows once wounded him. But now? Now, Kaido had grown more than ten times stronger.
"This era... belongs to ME!!!"
"Kurararara! Getting cocky, eh?"
Whitebeard's face darkened. Kaido now—this wasn't an opponent that could be handled lightly.
He poured more power into Murakumogiri, the quake energy swelling until it roared through the blade.
"But if you wanna take my life—you're still not strong enough!!!"
"Uororororo! You relics of the old era should be buried at sea for good!"
Kaido roared with laughter, shifting fully into his Azure Dragon form.
The might of his Mythical Zoan swelled to its peak as he blindsided Whitebeard with a crushing blow.
Rising high above, Kaido's voice thundered across the ocean.
"All hands—charge!!!"
"Ooohhh!!!"
With that single command, war erupted.
Kaido shrouded himself in searing dragonfire, coating his fanged maw with Armament Haki.
Then he dove—like a comet crashing down to Earth!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
A chain of massive explosions tore through the sea, once again forcing the fleets apart just as they had closed the distance.
...
All this unfolded under the watchful eyes of the Navy's distant reconnaissance fleet.
Aboard the main flagship.
Through the monitor feed, Sengoku, who had spent days mired in anxiety, finally let out a breath of relief.
Bang!
Garp clapped a heavy hand on Sengoku's shoulder and burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! Didn't I tell you? Whitebeard and that madman Kaido were never gonna join forces!"
Behind them, the three monster Vice Admirals—Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino—also loosened up, their tension easing.
They had all faced the Four Emperors in battle before.
They knew well what kind of destruction these sea kings could unleash.
If they'd really teamed up... the Navy would've been doomed.
"But Kaido's gotten even stronger..."
Sengoku muttered, watching Kaido's display with unease gnawing at him.
Just a few years ago, Kaido needed Big Mom's help to challenge them. Now, he was going blow-for-blow with Whitebeard, his old rival.
"Well, Kuzan and the others aren't exactly weak, either."
Garp crunched on his rice crackers, showing confidence in his subordinates.
With the three monster Vice Admirals on their side...
The Navy's future looked brighter than ever.
Step step step...
Bang!
A breathless marine burst in through the door.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!!!"
"Big Mom—she's headed this way!!!"
"What?!!"
Everyone cried out in shock.
Cough cough cough! Garp nearly choked, downing his tea to force the lodged rice cracker down his throat.
"Pull back—thirty nautical miles!" Sengoku barked the order immediately.
Whatever Big Mom's goal was...
If all three Emperor crews spotted them, the Navy would become the target in an instant.
Could it be...
Was the long-dead Rocks Pirates crew about to rise again?
...
On the battlefield.
The clash of steel and iron roared like thunder.
Some ships had only just begun boarding actions when the next shockwave forced them apart again.
With a violent leap, he dove off his ship and swam toward the enemy vessel.
Only a handful paid no mind to the chaos, choosing instead to fight amid the storm.
"Freeze!"
The Ice Witch's command rang out.
Centered on his flagship icebreaker, a frozen plain began to spread.
Pirates gathered there, knowing terrain control was key to winning wars.
Far off, Queen's beady little eyes gleamed. He lifted the Gatling gun strapped to his waist.
Loaded with bio-bullets carrying the virus, he opened fire on the gathering crowd.
Bang bang bang!
Some weaker pirates couldn't even react before the bullets struck.
The freezing virus spread from their wounds, turning them into grotesque ice statues.
Their comrades cried out in horror.
The next moment...
Clawed ice limbs burst from the statues, impaling those nearby.
Panic and terror spread through the ranks.
Realizing her frozen terrain advantage had just been flipped, Ice Witch Whitey Bay's gaze turned even colder.
"Plague..."
Above them, modified golden men and bat-men clutched bombs and dove toward Whitebeard's fleet.
Marco spread his blue wings to intercept.
But King, now a black flame-winged dragon, shadowed him step for step.
Blue fire and black-red flames clashed in the sky.
...
High above the battlefield.
The Numancia Flamingo floated, hidden among the clouds.
Doflamingo watched with gleeful interest as Kaido and Whitebeard traded brutal blows.
Fights of this scale were rare—and he still had plenty to learn.
He glanced at the battlefield, where Marco and King's duel lit up the sky.
Beside him, Vergo quietly clenched his fists.
Their fight had no bearing on Kaido and Whitebeard's war.
Just like always—Vergo could never be part of Doflamingo's real battles.
He was still too weak.
Smoothie, meanwhile, kept scanning the seas, trying to spot her mother's ship.
"You not planning to join in?" Mihawk asked softly from the side.
His fingers twitched slightly. There were swordsmen here—worthy prey to hunt.
"Of course I'll join in," Doflamingo grinned, his eyes flashing. "But this? This battle's still too tame."
He eyed the lower-tier fighters barely participating.
That wouldn't do.
No, he'd make sure everyone got involved.
An idea sparked in Doflamingo's mind.
"Smoothie, let's go find ourselves a proper battlefield!"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg