A childish laugh echoed from all directions, immediately shocking Kaido and the others.
A shimmering door appeared out of thin air behind them, and a boy as delicate as a porcelain doll walked out while smiling.
"Leon?!" Kaido, Big Mom, Bullet, and the Red Count exclaimed in unison, their eyes filled with utter astonishment.
They never expected Leon to appear before them.
The entire Marine high command was at the war in Marineford; Leon was here all alone, save for a group of Warlord-class Seraphim guards.
While that was a respectable force, he had just walked into a den with five Emperor-level combatants.
"Dr. Leon!! Get away!" Magellan, lying injured on the ground, shouted a desperate warning.
But it was too late.
The pirates revealed sinister smiles.
"Hahaha, since you've come, don't even think about leaving!" Kaido roared, charging forward first.
"Quick! Everyone, grab him!" Big Mom shouted, lunging at Leon at the same time.
Bullet and the Red Count also rushed over at top speed.
This was their one chance to turn the tables on the world.
If they could capture Leon, they would control the future of technology.
They wouldn't need alliances or cooperation; they could simply create their own unstoppable army, just like the Navy had.
"Hahaha, Leon, you're coming with me!" Kaido laughed viciously, transforming into his half-dragon form as he reached out to grab the boy.
"Kaido!" Big Mom yelled, making her own move.
They were allies for now, but everyone wanted to claim this prize for themselves.
"He's mine!" Bullet and the Red Count also joined the fray.
In an instant, the four powerful pirates were in a deadlock, each trying to grab Leon first but being blocked by the others.
"Seraphim!" Leon ordered, and his guards immediately formed a defensive perimeter around him, holding back the other pirates for a moment.
"Ugh!" Big Mom gritted her teeth. "We all want to monopolize him, but if we don't unite now, he's very likely to escape! I propose we capture him together and share him! What do you think?"
Kaido nodded coldly, reluctant but seeing no other choice.
"Alright!" Bullet and the Red Count agreed.
"There's no time to waste! Let's defeat his guards and get to the Marineford!"
The four top-tier powerhouses reached a consensus and turned their attention to Leon.
Seeing this, Magellan's heart sank.
With the four of them joining forces, there was absolutely no chance for Leon to escape.
"Dr. Leon..." he clenched his teeth helplessly.
"Well now... you can't escape, little one," Big Mom said, her eyes flashing with intense greed.
The four attacked together, and Leon's Warlord-class Seraphim were instantly swept aside by the sheer force of their combined aura.
This was not a fight the machines could handle.
"Hahahahaha! Leon, obediently accept your fate!" Kaido laughed.
It's over, Blackbeard thought from the sidelines, a hint of regret in his eyes.
The fool walked right into the lion's den. If only I had been the one to find him. He could see the future now: the alliance of Kaido and the others was about to take off, becoming an unstoppable force.
"Hahaha, I've got you!" Kaido's dragon claw shot towards Leon.
Just as he was about to be captured, a tall figure suddenly appeared, stepping in front of the boy.
"Huh?!" Kaido was stunned.
His dragon claw collided with the figure, but it felt like hitting an invincible wall.
He was unconsciously forced to take a step back, a feeling he hadn't experienced since he was young and weak.
His face filled with shock and anger.
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
But when his gaze focused on the newcomer's face, Kaido's pupils contracted in utter disbelief.
Big Mom, Bullet, and the others behind him were equally stunned, their faces twisting in shock and rage.
"How is this possible?!" Big Mom screamed, as if she had seen a ghost.
The face in front of them... it was strange yet terrifyingly familiar.
In their minds, the face quickly overlapped with a person from their memories.
At that moment, a deep chill shot through their bodies.
This was the face of their former captain, the overlord of the previous era, the man who had the ambition and power to dominate the world—Rocks D. Xebec.
"Rocks D Xebec...?!" they all breathed in terror.
"Kid! You can invent... Rocks?" Kaido asked, his voice low and dangerous.
He could see that the figure had the white hair, brown skin, and black, flaming wings of a Seraphim, but the face was unmistakable.
And strangely, he felt a hint of mortal danger from this machine.
"Hehe, this is my latest invention," Leon said with a calm smile.
"His name is Overlord. I spent a lot of effort to complete him."
Kaido narrowed his eyes and snorted.
"Enough, kid! I don't believe you can really create something that powerful! It's just a robot!"
"That's right, it must be a fake!" Big Mom agreed, trying to overcome her psychological fear.
"Let's not be fooled! Take the kid down together!"
Kaido and Big Mom attacked in unison.
"Prominence!"
"Thunder Bagua!"
Big Mom's powerful fist, wreathed in lightning and fire, flew forward with the force to destroy everything.
Kaido's massive iron club, crackling with its own lightning, swung at the Overlord.
The two attacks bombarded the Seraphim simultaneously.
But the Overlord simply threw two consecutive punches.
The first punch shattered Big Mom's elemental attack into a shower of sparks.
The second punch met Kaido's Thunder Bagua, and his signature technique didn't last a second before it was obliterated.
The movements were smooth, fluid, and completed in an instant.
"WHAT?!" Seeing their attacks disintegrated so easily, Big Mom and Kaido's faces filled with shock.
Before they could react, the Overlord took the initiative, swinging its fist with a sound that broke the air.
The punch struck Kaido.
In that moment, he felt a huge force spread throughout his body, and he was sent flying backward like a cannonball.
"KAIDO!" Big Mom screamed.
But before she could react, the Overlord flashed in front of her and threw another simple punch.
Her own scream was cut short as her body was sent flying in the same manner.
Bullet and the Red Count sucked in a sharp breath.
One punch each.
This Seraphim was too strong.
Those weren't nobodies it had just sent flying; those were two Emperors of the Sea.
"Huh?"
The Overlord turned its gaze to them.
"Not good!" Their faces changed, and they instinctively tried to dodge, but the Seraphim was too fast.
It threw another two punches.
BOOM! BOOM!
The next moment, Bullet and the Red Count were slammed into the wall before collapsing to the ground, their bodies wracked with intense pain.
"Damn it!" Kaido gritted his teeth as he got up. He turned to Big Mom.
"Linlin!"
She understood immediately.
"Alright!"
The two Emperors stood together, readying their weapons.
"Get ready!" Kaido roared with a ferocious expression.
"ATTACK!"
The two of them swung their weapons in perfect sync.
"Eight Nations' Might!"
Two terrifying waves of energy intertwined and shot out, striking the descending Overlord directly in the chest.
A terrifying explosion of energy swept out in all directions.
In the endless dust, they saw the Overlord retreating step by step.
But just as they felt a glimmer of hope, they watched in horror as the Overlord shook its shoulders and stomped its right foot hard on the ground, resolutely stopping its retreat.
It was completely unharmed.
"What?!" Seeing this, Kaido and Big Mom's faces filled with endless horror.
"The combined attack from us... only made it retreat a few steps?! We didn't even injure it!"
At that moment, they felt their scalps tingle.
A chill shot from their tailbones to the top of their heads.
Against such terrifying strength, how could they possibly fight?
"Hiss..." Magellan, who had been thrown to the ground, was also stunned.
"Those are Emperors... and even their joint efforts couldn't break through its defense." A moment later, his face turned to wild joy.
"In that case, Dr. Leon's safety is guaranteed!"
"Kaido..." Big Mom looked at him, her face full of shock and anger.
"There's no choice! We can't leave unless we get past it!" Kaido roared.
"All Seraphim! All executives! Attack the Overlord with me!"
At their command, their remaining forces swung their weapons and charged toward the invincible machine.