"Boom!"
Charlotte Linlin was sent flying backward by the powerful blow, crashing through the already ruined castle and turning it into a field of rubble.
"What move was that?" she wheezed.
"Rumble!"
After a few seconds, Charlotte Linlin emerged from the swirling dust. She was covered in dirt, and veins throbbed on her forehead, her eyes reflecting a mixture of shock and intense rage.
"What was that?!" she bellowed.
As she stepped forward, she looked into the distance and saw a familiar figure standing amidst the destruction.
"Kaido's daughter!"
Upon hearing Linlin, Yamato maintained a determined gaze. She quickly handed the unconscious Luffy to Zoro, who was nearby.
"Zoro-kun, right? I am entrusting Luffy to you. I will buy you some time."
Zoro looked at the girl who had just successfully struck a Yonko, nodded, and picked up Luffy. He turned and sprinted toward Chopper's position. Yamato pivoted to face Linlin with a firm expression.
"This is far enough, Big Mom. No matter who wins or loses this war, it will only bring ruin to this sea."
Linlin was momentarily stunned before she erupted into laughter.
"Mamamamama! I heard people say Kaido had a foolish daughter, but I didn't believe it. After all, how could someone capable of wielding Conqueror's Haki be an ordinary brat? But they were right. You are ridiculously foolish, kid!"
Yamato's expression stiffened.
"Hey, kid, what do you think piracy is? A game of house? This is a war where it is either you die or I live!"
Yamato gripped her kanabo tightly. "Well, there is no other choice, Big Mom. I must defeat you."
"Defeat me? Mamamamama! Interesting, far too interesting. Since you are Kaido's daughter, I will use the power Kaido gave me to teach you a lesson, you disobedient little girl."
Linlin's soul energy fluctuated as she softly whispered a name: "Edward!"
After a moment of silence, a deep, masculine voice resonated through the air.
"Coming!"
A white cloud drifted up from behind Linlin, revealing a face with a signature crescent-shaped mustache. It descended into Linlin's hand, merging with Napoleon to transform into a massive sword glowing with blinding white light.
"This is...?"
The scene stunned everyone, particularly Jinbe. The light was far too familiar, yet the reality of it defied logic. The next moment, everyone's eyes widened in horror.
"Mamamamama! I am very familiar with Newgate, especially his Devil Fruit. That is truly an excellent power. Now, let me try it out."
"Country Quake: Tremor of the Sea!"
A brilliant white light slashed outward. Across the entirety of Totto Land, the sound of the world itself shattering echoed in the air. The sky began to crack, the earth collapsed, and the sea surged violently. The entire region was plunged into a state of impending doomsday, and neither the Straw Hat Grand Fleet nor the Big Mom Pirates could escape the devastation.
Everyone screamed as massive vibrations turned into a shockwave that engulfed everything in its path. Islands and ships near Cake Island began to shatter instantly. In the distance, the members of the Red Hair Pirates and the giants watched the horizon with wide eyes.
"That is Whitebeard's power!"
Holy Land, Mary Geoise. Within the crown palace of Sun Tree Eve.
"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."
Kaido could not remember the last time he had felt such fatigue. Fighting one against eight proved to be an immense challenge. He did not underestimate his opponents; he had entered his strongest form, the Dragon-Human hybrid, with all three forms of Haki fully unleashed. Even so, after constant battle, he began to pant, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
He was facing the strongest forces in history. His body had reached its limit, yet he fought with everything he had, purposefully avoiding the power of 'Qi' to test his own boundaries. He believed that by finding this limit, he could eventually break through it.
His opponents were not doing much better. The monsters attacking him were all severely damaged. Fragments of Rocks, Roger, and Harald were missing, revealing bare flesh and internal tissue. The Gorosei were in even worse condition; some were missing limbs, and others had lost half their bodies. Because of Kaido's constant usage of Conqueror's Haki, they were unable to repair their forms. Despite this, their immortal nature kept them fighting.
"That is right, keep going. Let yourselves become the nourishment for my awakening," Kaido thought.
The fighters knew his plan, but they had no choice. They had to keep attacking, for if they stopped, they would certainly die.
Imu watched from the sidelines, eyes flickering with hesitation. If he summoned his most loyal God's Knights, he might be able to kill Kaido—but it was only a "perhaps." His fear of the unknown power held him back, and he was even more terrified to step into the fray himself. He feared Nika, and he could not afford to risk his trump card, the God's Knights, whom he would need for the future of the New World.
Suddenly, Imu felt a spike of unease—not from Kaido, but from the direction of the New World.
"Straw Hat..."
In the New World, Totto Land, Charlotte Linlin's eyes widened. Straw Hat Luffy had suddenly reappeared, blocking her path. Disbelieving, she gritted her teeth.
"Why, Straw Hat? Why can you still stand up?!"
Luffy felt the power surging within his body after his brief recovery. He stood up with a defiant, confident smile and looked at the frantic Emperor.
"Big Mom, I understand now! Conqueror's Haki can also be imbued and used like Armament Haki, right?"
------------------------
While this story unfolds here chapter by chapter, the complete journey—from beginning to end—is already waiting on my Patreon:
patreon.com/Mythic_Muse