Three days ago, at the seat of power.
The news that Doflamingo had intervened in the battlefield between Kaido and Whitebeard had reached the Five Elders through Marine channels.
And so, the question of whether to seize this opportunity to take the method of seastone manufacturing from Doflamingo was raised again.
The Elder with the slicked-back hair was the first to speak.
"I see this as an opportunity. No matter what Doflamingo's endgame is this time, there's no way he can pull himself out of the New World right now. Sabaody, Dressrosa... his forces are too scattered."
The one with the judicial cap spoke bluntly.
"If we make a move, we should go all the way. Send troops to wipe out the Donquixote Family in Sabaody while we're at it."
But the long-haired Elder remained expressionless, pointing silently at the footage they'd received.
On the screen, an entire island was collapsing from the sky like the end of days.
"Doflamingo is even crazier than Golden Lion. If we don't want to see islands raining down on the Holy Land every day, then unless we're one hundred percent certain we can capture him, we should back off — for now."
"Send Aramaki again," the bald Elder murmured, his half-closed eyes flashing coldly.
"If he brings back the technology, he'll be one of the next candidates for Admiral."
"And if he fails?"
"Then it's his personal failure. The method of seastone production is worth the risk."
At present, most of the world's seastone supply flowed through Doflamingo's hands. The World Government only controlled a tiny portion of the total output.
Doflamingo's current mission was clearly meant to ensure Kaido wouldn't fall here and now. But even if Kaido were captured, the Land of Wano would still be beyond the World Government's direct reach. And who was the most likely to take control of Wano next? Naturally, Doflamingo.
Meaning, the seastone trade would remain under his thumb, leaving the balance of power unchanged.
But Doflamingo's rise had been too rapid—so fast it made even them feel a hint of fear.
Perhaps, they thought, it was better to use this chance...
...to seize the true secret of seastone production for themselves.
"Agreed!" Four voices echoed in unison.
...
New World — Marine Expeditionary Force Base
"You got here just in time, Zephyr!" Sengoku looked invigorated, grabbing Zephyr and dragging him over to the monitors.
On the screen was the battlefield—Kaido and Whitebeard, locked in combat for four days and three nights. Both were battered and bloodied, looking utterly spent. Their breathing was ragged, their movements sluggish.Each clash left them gasping for air.
"Sengoku, it's time for us to move." Zephyr, after watching their condition, gave his verdict. Both men were close to their limits.
...
Jainan Island
Even as they neared their breaking point,neither Whitebeard nor Kaido showed any sign of stopping. Both waited for that one opening—the instant when the other would collapse, so they could deliver the finishing blow!
Time ticked on.
Clang! Clang!
Once again, their weapons collided—Kaido's Hassaikai and Whitebeard's Murakumogiri ringing out in the air.Both staggered backward from the force.Their moment had arrived.
Whitebeard's arms felt like they were weighed down by mountains. His chest wheezed like a bellows.But when he saw the fresh, unhealed wounds marring Kaido's body, he grinned.
"Kurarararara! Kaido, you're still too green!!!"
Going blow for blow in a stamina battle with a Mythical Zoan user like Kaido was always risky—even more so when Whitebeard, now in his fifties, faced an opponent not even forty.But this was the only way.
Kaido's flashy elemental attacks didn't faze him much.But even Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi powers were somewhat blunted against Kaido's durability. So he had to exhaust Kaido's Armament Haki completely, drain him dry, and strike him down in one blow—before that monster's insane regeneration could kick in.
Whitebeard's sole advantage now was that he still had a bit of Haki left in reserve. Kaido, on the other hand, wasn't faring much better. His chest heaved, his breath came in rough gulps, and his pounding heart echoed like a war drum.He was clearly at his limit.
But more importantly—his Armament Haki, never as refined as Whitebeard's, was now utterly depleted. Stamina was something he could recover, as long as he lived. But right now? Right now, Kaido was grinning madly.
"Uororororo! This is great! Let's settle this once and for all!!!"
With a roar, Kaido raised his Hassaikai, crackling with his last remnants of lightning. He charged, leaping at Whitebeard with death-defying abandon!
Both men were spent forces—neither willing to back down!
Whitebeard locked eyes with the incoming Kaido. He stepped back, his feet sinking into the cracked earth—but made no other move. At this point, any unnecessary action was a waste of precious strength. Instead, he let a faint, glowing white light coil around his Murakumogiri.
Boom!
When their weapons clashed again, fresh cracks spiderwebbed beneath their feet. Whitebeard braced his left shoulder against the falling weight of his weapon. His right fist, cloaked in hardened Haki, made the very air ripple.
Kaido's instincts screamed danger. But it was too late.
BAM!
Whitebeard's Haki-wrapped fist smashed into Kaido's upper abdomen. Blood spurted from Kaido's mouth as his eyes bulged wide.
His Hassaikai flew from his hands as his body folded and hurled backward like a stone skipping across water—tearing trenches through the ground as he skidded away.
Without his Haki, the so-called "invincible" dragon scales were fragile against Whitebeard's internal-shattering blow.
Kaido lost control of his body. But Whitebeard? Whitebeard wasn't about to let up.
In terms of Devil Fruit mastery and raw Haki strength, Kaido was his equal—and physically, Kaido even surpassed him. But the difference between them...was in those extra ten-plus years Whitebeard had spent honing his Armament Haki.
After nearly four days and nights of brutal combat,this—this was the moment he had waited for!
Drawing a deep breath, Whitebeard surged forward. His Murakumogiri now gleamed with both Haki and the flickering glow of his Quake powers.
"This is the end, Kaido!!!"
Kaido, still reeling from the punch, could only barely cross his arms over his head. His pupils shrank to pinpricks.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Countless cracks erupted outward from Kaido's position. The ground shattered. Kaido slammed downward like a massive nail, driven deep into the earth. A gaping crater swallowed him up, leaving a monstrous hollow pit in the ruined island.
Without even sparing a glance back, Whitebeard turned and strode steadily toward the shore.
...
"Mamamamama... Doffy, looks like you guessed wrong." Charlotte Linlin watched from above, her lips curling into a wicked grin. The thought of taking out Whitebeard while he was vulnerable and seizing the New World for herself burned hotter in her mind.
"Fufufufufu... Well, this took an unexpected turn." Doflamingo, watching the scene unfold, cursed inwardly.
Holy hell. Whitebeard was this terrifying even in middle age? Good thing his first target had been the already-crippled Golden Lion...
...
"Victory!" The captains of the Whitebeard Pirates erupted in joy, their cheers ringing across the battlefield.They turned their ships—the Moby Dick and the two remaining support vessels—toward the shore to retrieve their triumphant captain.
"Old man won!"
"Hahahahaha! I knew Pops would win!"
"Everyone on the seas knows—Pops is the strongest man in the world!"
"That upstart Kaido of the Beasts? Hah! He got what he deserved!"
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