Chapter 268: Red-Hair and Kaido
New World, in a stretch of sea under a light, drizzling rain.
Under the cover of night, the Red-Hair Pirates' new ship, the Red Force, was sailing at full speed towards the waters of Totto Land.
"Faster!" Shanks stood at the prow, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. "We have to stop them," he said in a low, urgent voice. "This speed isn't good enough!"
"We're already at top speed, Captain!" the helmsman shouted back, wiping sweat from his brow. "The wind and currents aren't in our favor, so it's slowing us down a bit, but we should still reach Whole Cake Island before dawn!"
Before dawn?
Shanks took a deep breath, his expression softening slightly. This was completely different from the Sabaody incident. A battle between Emperors couldn't be decided so easily. It was common for them to last for days and nights. This time, he would definitely make it.
"..."
The first mate, Benn Beckman, stood silently to the side, a cigarette dangling from his lips. As a long-time partner, he knew exactly what was causing Shanks's anxiety. This was an all-out war between two Yonko crews. A single misstep could completely upend the balance of power in the New World. If the war was allowed to escalate and both sides suffered heavy casualties, the World Government and Marine Headquarters would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to strengthen their control over the New World.
The balance that had been maintained for years would be shattered. That was a scenario they wanted to avoid at all costs.
"We should make it in time, so don't worry too much, Shanks," Beckman said, exhaling a puff of smoke, his eyes narrowed. "But... for the last few minutes, I've had a really bad feeling."
"A bad feeling?"
Shanks turned his head in surprise. Just as he was about to speak, his expression changed dramatically. He snapped his head up to look at the night sky.
CRACK!
At almost the exact same moment, a bolt of lightning tore across the sky. A massive, azure dragon burst from the dark clouds, letting out a wild laugh as it dove downwards!
"WORORORORO~!!!"
The entire sea roiled, sending massive waves crashing against the ship. The Red Force rocked violently, sending the crew stumbling. At the last second, the dragon swerved, transforming into a human figure and slamming onto the deck.
BOOM!!!
The deck exploded. Amidst the smoke and dust, a colossal figure, built like a demon, cracked his neck. He staggered to his feet, leaning on a massive, spiked kanabo.
"Kaido?!" Yasopp cried out in shock, instinctively raising his rifle, only to have Beckman push it down.
"Don't be rash," Beckman said, stepping past Yasopp to confront the intruder. "Kaido, what is the meaning of this?"
Kaido didn't even glance at him. He let out a drunken hiccup and fixed his gaze on Shanks, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Red-Hair, it's been a long time! Looking at you… what, are you heading to Whole Cake Island to play mediator again?"
"So you heard the news too," Shanks said with a frown. "Step aside, Kaido. What are you doing here? Our positions on this matter should be the same, shouldn't they?"
In his mind, both Shane and Big Mom were well-acquainted with Kaido. One was a rival he respected, and the other, while they hadn't spoken in decades, was a former crewmate from the Rocks Pirates. Logically, he should also want to stop this war.
"Same position? WORORORO, don't go projecting your own ideas onto others!" Kaido roared with laughter. He slammed his kanabo onto the deck, took a large gulp from his gourd of sake, and swayed drunkenly. "I don't give a damn about positions! I just can't stand the sight of you! You never stay in your own territory, always running around with that self-righteous look on your face, acting like you're maintaining the balance. What, do you really think you're the guardian of the New World?"
His bloodshot eyes glared at Shanks. "Last time I wanted to have a good fight with Whitebeard, you're the one who stuck his nose in and stopped it, ruining all the fun! And now you want to interfere with someone else's battle again?"
"Don't even think about it! A guy like you could never understand the joy of battle! Shane and that old hag Linlin are having a blast! There's no way I'm letting you go and spoil their fun!"
And if that old hag really lost… well, who cares! WORORORO! At their age, if you were defeated in a fair one-on-one fight, there were no regrets or resentment to be had! They could accept their fate with dignity!
"You're drunk, Kaido!" Shanks's eyes turned cold. "We both know that if this war continues, no one benefits. Get out of my way. I don't have time to deal with your drunken antics."
"Drunken antics?" Kaido raised his kanabo with a savage grin. "We're just getting started. Speaking of which, it's been a while since we've fought, hasn't it? Today, I'll show you just how terrifying my drunken rampages can be!"
"Drunken Thunder... Bagua!!!"
BOOM!!!
The kanabo, wreathed in black-and-red lightning, came crashing down. Shanks quickly drew his saber, Gryphon, to block. The shockwave from the clash of their Conqueror's Haki sent the surrounding crew members flying.
"Captain!" Yasopp yelled, clinging to the railing.
"Stay back!" Shanks ordered sharply. He glared at Kaido. "Are you really going to waste time here? When the Marines swoop in to pick up the pieces, it'll be too late for regrets!"
"Like I give a damn about any of that!" Kaido roared with laughter again, swinging his kanabo as he charged. "No one is getting past me today! Let's have a good fight, Red-Hair! WORORORORO!!!!"
Shanks's face turned completely grim. The rain began to pour down in sheets, and the wind howled even louder.
Totto Land, Whole Cake Island.
The night grew deeper. Under the moonlight, the war on the glacial battlefield raged on.
At some point, a nearly transparent, giant sphere had appeared, rolling rapidly across the chaotic battlefield.
"We've got three more wounded over here! Hurry, Chopper!" Bartolomeo held his hands crossed, maintaining the "Barrier Ball." Everywhere it passed, Charlotte Family grunts screamed as they were sent flying by the impact.
"Just keep moving! I can keep up!" Chopper, in his Horn Point form, galloped on all fours with a bulging medical bag on his back, keeping pace right behind him.
In a flash, they reached the wounded.
VWOOM!
The translucent barrier expanded, instantly enveloping the three injured fighters. At the same time, a dozen cannonballs flew in from the distance, exploding against the barrier's outer wall in a blaze of fire but failing to leave so much as a scratch.
"You're so reliable, Barto-kun!" Chopper quickly transformed into his human-beast form and knelt to assess the injuries. "A penetrating wound to the left chest, needs immediate hemostasis… hmm, and this one's a fracture. A bit tricky… Hey, Barto, I need you to buy me twenty minutes!"
"Twenty minutes?" Bartolomeo put his hands on his hips and laughed. "HEHEHAHA! Don't look down on me, Chopper! I can give you twenty days, let alone twenty minutes!" His Barrier-Barrier Fruit was invincible, after all! Unless he was up against a monster on Shane-senpai's level, no one could break it from the outside!
Working together with Chopper had been his own brilliant idea. With a doctor on the inside and a barrier on the outside, and both able to move at high speeds, they were the perfect, invincible field ambulance! The Curtain Call Adventurers had no shortage of top-tier fighters, so his contribution here was far greater than it would be if he fought alone.
Not far away, "ROAR!" An Allosaurus wearing a blue captain's hat was rampaging through the enemy ranks as if they weren't even there.
"Stop him!" several Charlotte Family combatants yelled, surrounding him, only to be swatted away by X Drake's blackened claws. Unlike the other so-called "Worst Generation" rookies, as a former Marine Rear Admiral, he had mastered both forms of Haki long ago! Combined with the physique of an Ancient Zoan, his impact on the battlefield was far greater than theirs. He had even just defeated an officer with a 200-million-berry bounty.
At this rate, after the war, both my bounty and my status within the crew should rise. I might finally get access to more of the Curtain Call's core intelligence. Drake glanced over at the barrier sphere. That barrier user, and that reindeer who's a master doctor… their combined effect is impressive. All of this is valuable information to record.
"Hey, look north! What's going on over there?!"
"So many white dots! What are they?"
Cries of alarm suddenly rose from the crowd. Drake frowned and followed their gazes. When he saw what was happening, he froze, his expression changing.
To the north, on the Queen Mama Chanter and the tart ships, the grunts who had been knocked out by Conqueror's Haki were now emitting strange, ghostly white lights. Like fireflies, they were strikingly visible in the dark night. Drake felt a chill run down his spine as he thought he could see tormented, screaming faces within each point of light.
SWISH!
In the next moment, the points of light converged into streams, all flying towards the fractured island to the north. They streaked across the night sky like a meteor shower and vanished in an instant.
Wait! Isn't that where the two Emperors are fighting? Drake's pupils shrank as a sudden realization hit him. To drain the souls of so many of her own subordinates at once… could it be that Big Mom has been pushed to the brink?!
Above the fractured island, crackling black-and-red lightning and raging flames wove a net of utter destruction.
"Get… SMASHED!!!"
BOOM!
Big Mom's massive body fell from the sky like a meteor, slamming into the bedrock. The entire island trembled violently as spiderweb-like cracks spread for hundreds of meters.
"Not done yet!"
Before the dust had even settled, a black shadow appeared like a phantom, delivering a swift and brutal elbow strike to the back of her head!
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