Underground, Jainan Island.
"Worororo... it hurts! Everything hurts…"
"That damn old man… I can't even move…"
"So weak… so damn weak!"
Right now, Kaido's massive body was pinned beneath Jainan Island itself—wedged between solid rock and the encroaching sea.
Seawater surged around him, gnawing at his surroundings. But that wasn't the real threat. As the so-called strongest creature on land, sea, and air, Kaido could survive in water just fine.
No, what crushed him was this helplessness. It was even worse than the lethargy he felt when chained in seastone.
And worst of all—From his chest down to his belly, a huge, gaping wound split across him, nearly cleaving him in two. Even his mangled, half-torn organs were visible beneath torn flesh.
Every bone, every muscle—shattered by the tremor force that tore through him.
Had it been anyone else, even someone like Golden Lion, they'd already be dead. But Kaido was different. After briefly losing consciousness, his mind snapped back awake.
He could even hear the distant clanging and digging above—His subordinates were trying to dig him out.
"Uuuuuuhhh... I lost… I lost to Whitebeard!!!"
Suddenly, the reality hit him like a sledgehammer.
Kaido, the mighty Beast, broke down underground—wailing like a seven-meter-tall child. Even that fool, Kozuki Oden, had never managed to fully breach his defenses. But today, Whitebeard had torn him wide open.
Yet, even in defeat, Kaido was changing.
The cracks lacing his body… were slowly knitting back together. His organs… regenerating. His shattered bones… frantically producing fresh blood.
This wasn't "Seimei Kikan" at work.No—this was his Azure Dragon fruit, Finally fusing with him on a deeper level—Beginning its true awakening!
But such regeneration demanded an enormous toll.Kaido's hulking frame visibly shrank—thinner by a noticeable margin.
And still, it wasn't over.
"Gururururu…"
Hunger—A primal force that could drive anyone mad.
And Kaido… had no food.
So, with bloodshot eyes and burning rage, he lunged at the rocks around him—And began to gnaw.
Crunch!
A true dragon... must learn to eat dirt.
...
While Kaido chewed through stone, Doflamingo had finished snapping his little "family portrait" of Whitebeard and crew.
"Lady Linlin, you're as dependable as ever—so reassuring to have around!"
He turned to Big Mom first, offering a honeyed thanks for covering his back. Whether their ties frayed in the future or not, Big Mom's support right now was genuine.
Only then did Doflamingo shift his grin toward Whitebeard and his sons.
"Fufufufufu! No need to get so worked up, Newgate. You should be grateful—I just preserved a nice family photo of you and your boys!"
His finger then swung toward the oncoming Navy fleet, fast approaching over the waves.
"Who knows? After today… maybe you'll be the only one left of the Whitebeard Pirates? Fufufufufu!"
Laughing madly, Doflamingo took off on his Numancia Flamingo, soaring toward Jainan Island.
His Observation Haki told him that cute little Kaido wasn't out of the fight yet. First, he'd help "guard the house" for his Beast ally.
"Lady Linlin! Let's go handle some real business!"
"Ma~mamamama! Kids, to the island!"
Big Mom rode Zeus into the sky, And her children roared in unison.
Whitebeard didn't give chase. Marco's sacrifice couldn't be wasted on some petty grudge.
No—he had sons to protect.
Thud!
Spent and drained, Marco collapsed on deck—His eyes rolling back, body crashing hard.
His once golden hair… now streaked with strands of white.
"Marco!!!"
The division commanders cried out in alarm, rushing to lift him up.
"Get Marco to safety! We've got to break through—now!"
Whitebeard's tiger-like eyes welled with tears.Grief stabbed through him, and for the first time…Regret whispered in his heart.
Marco had sacrificed his own lifespan—All to restore his old man's body and strength.
Perhaps… this war should never have started.
"Stay here, Whitebeard!!!"
A thunderous voice boomed across the waves—A shockwave so immense it physically parted the sea and sent winds screaming.
It was none other than Admiral Sengoku the Buddha—Crossing the ocean like a god descending from heaven!
"My sons—get out of here!!"
Whitebeard vaulted off his ship,As his Conqueror's Haki surged from his naginata like a storm.
Boom!
The two titans collided,Shockwaves splitting them apart,Only to crash together again the next instant.
The battle erupted into white-hot fury from the very first blow.
"Whitebeard… looks like Kaido didn't wear you down much at all!!"
Sengoku roared, bringing down his massive Buddha palm.
"Kurararara! That's all thanks to my sons' efforts!!!"
Whitebeard bellowed with laughter,His fighting spirit blazing even stronger.
He'd survive—He'd get his sons out of this alive!
But deep down, Sengoku felt a chill. The raw power he sensed…It wasn't what he'd expected. This wasn't following the plan at all.
His original strategy was clear:
Garp, with his ultimate Armament Haki, would pin down the steel-bodied Big Mom. Zephyr would secretly watch and counter the unpredictable Heavenly Yaksha—Doflamingo. Akainu and two others would mop up the Beast Pirates' remnants and capture the missing, possibly dead, Kaido. Seven Vice Admirals—Momosagi, Dalmatian, Doberman, Strawberry, Tokikake, Onigumo, and Momonga—would hold off the Charlotte Family.
And Sengoku, wielding his Mythical Zoan might, would personally crush a weakened Whitebeard—Swift and decisive.Take him down,Then rush back to Jainan Island to flatten the battlefield.
A single blow to shatter the New World balance.
But now…Why was Whitebeard still this strong?
...
Meanwhile—back at the devastated Jainan Island.
The colossal pit Whitebeard had smashed into the earth…Was still growing, dust rising in thick clouds.
Inside, Beast Pirates clawed at rock and dirt with swords and shovels—Frantically digging out their fallen captain.
Overseeing them, Queen caught sight of the approaching dog-head battleship—And his whole body shuddered.
"Holy crap, it's Navy hero Garp! He's here!"
"What?! The Navy?!"
"That's too baby—damn Marines!"
"This is our shot!"
With Kaido absent and no pillar to hold them steady, The Beasts Pirates' ranks erupted in panic.
Slice!
A gecko-headed pirate trying to flee was cleaved clean in two—His blood spraying out, dousing his comrades in red.The sight instantly sobered the would-be deserters.
"Silence."
King flicked his spotless blade
His icy gaze sweeping across the trembling pirates.
"Get out your secret medicines. Prepare for battle."
"We are the Beast Pirates."
"Pirates never fear death!!"
"Oooohhh!"
His words pumped fire into the half-brainwashed cyborgs' veins—A much-needed shot of adrenaline.
But then…
A vast shadow blotted out the sky above them.
Everyone looked up—And despair gripped their hearts.
A massive bomb was plummeting toward them—So huge it swallowed the heavens.
It was none other than Garp's signature move!
King tensed, ready to act—But someone else moved first.
"Ma~mamamama!"
Big Mom stormed in on her thundercloud mount, Zeus firing a horizontal bolt of pure lightning.
Boom!
The falling mega bomb was pierced straight through—Its descent ending in a blinding explosion that swallowed the sky.
Every pirate on the ground could only shield their eyes from the searing light.
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg