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Kaido's massive dragon head lowered slightly, flames flickering in his eyes. He swept his fiery gaze first over Shanks, then turned to Whitebeard.
"Wororororororo—!!"
That thunderous laugh rolled across the sea like exploding storm clouds.
"Red-haired brat! Old man Whitebeard! What's this—don't tell me you're not happy to see me?"
Kaido's voice was rough and arrogant, every word dripping with overbearing pride.
"I brought my boy out to see the world! Figured he should meet the other Emperors… see what the so-called Four Emperors actually look like—and how far they are from me!"
As he said it, Kaido deliberately tilted his head, motioning toward the little figure perched atop it—Dan.
The kid still looked harmless and cherubic, like a porcelain doll that had come to life. His big black eyes blinked curiously as he studied the two massive pirate ships below and the people crowding their decks.
"..."
The moment Kaido spoke, both crews—Whitebeard's captains and Shanks's officers alike—were struck dumb.
Marco's mouth twitched.Benn Beckman took a long drag from his cigar, looking like he'd just run out of patience with reality.Yasopp opened his mouth to say something but ended up just blurting out, low and incredulous, "What the hell…"
See the world?Brought his son to see the world?
Did Kaido think a Four Emperors' meeting was… what, a circus show?A day trip to the zoo?!
That reasoning was so insane it looped back around to impressive.
"Kaido!!!"
Whitebeard's roar erupted like a volcanic blast, shaking the entire Moby Dick down to its keel.
He surged to his feet, tearing free of the throne, the medical tubes connected to his body screaming warnings—but he didn't care in the slightest.
His hawk-like eyes locked on Kaido, fury blazing inside them.
"You bastard! This is my ship!"
Then he turned toward Shanks, voice growing even harsher."And you! Red-haired brat! What do you think this is?!"
"A damn amusement park?!"
"Get off my ship! Both of you! Right now!"
"Or don't blame me when I stop being polite!!!"
The air itself seemed to quake. A suffocating pressure burst from Whitebeard's body, crashing out like a living tidal wave.
The atmosphere grew thick—sticky, almost solid.
Weaker pirates couldn't even stand under the weight of it; some just dropped where they stood, froth bubbling from their mouths.
Whitebeard's chest heaved as his rage burned hotter.
Two Emperors showing up uninvited, weapons drawn—and now Kaido, of all lunatics, dropping in to stir the pot?
This was nothing less than a blatant provocation.An open slap in the face to the man known as the world's strongest.
"Wororororo! 'Not polite,' huh?"
Kaido's laughter only grew louder. Instead of backing down, he looked even more fired up. His massive dragon eyes blazed with battlelust.
"Whitebeard! You think I'm scared of you?!"
"Perfect! I've been itching for a real fight. Let's see if I've gotten rusty!"
Kaido roared, his enormous body twisting in the air, stirring storm winds and lightning.
The pressure between them—one man, one dragon—clashed violently, invisible forces grinding and sparking in the air.
Crack! Boom!
It sounded like the heavens themselves were tearing apart.
The sea boiled under them, waves towering higher than mountains.
It was over.Completely over.
A battle between two Emperors was about to turn the sea upside down—an unprecedented war right here and now.
But just as everything was about to explode—
Whoosh!
A flash of red light, impossibly fast and sharp, sliced through the sky! It came straight from Whitebeard's ship, aimed directly at Kaido's massive dragon head.
"Who—?!"
Every gaze snapped toward the source.
It was Shanks.
He'd made the first move!
And yet—this strike wasn't meant to kill.He'd held back, not using his Divine Departure or the full force of his Haki.Only about half his strength—just enough to make a point.
He knew full well this wouldn't actually hurt Kaido, but it would send the message loud and clear: enough.
"Red-Hair, you dare challenge me?!"
Kaido's eyes narrowed. Even he hadn't expected Shanks to attack so suddenly.
The red slash was almost upon him, roaring through the air, ready to cleave his dragon skull in two—
—and then, in the blink of an eye, a small shadow appeared right in its path.
Dan.
The boy hovered in midair, tiny against the storm, expression calm and utterly unfazed.
In his black eyes, a crimson light began to spin.
The blood-red pattern of a Mangekyō Sharingan slowly bloomed.
And then—
Hum—!!
A massive, ominous blue skeleton materialized around him, wrapping his small body in an eerie aura.
Susanoo.
Boom—!!!
Shanks's red slash, powerful enough to split mountains and seas, slammed into the blue skeleton head-on!
The explosion shook the entire world. Sparks erupted, and shockwaves ripped across the sea like visible blades of wind.
Both the Moby Dick and the Red Force were thrown into chaos, rocking violently as though they'd capsize any second.
Pirates screamed and stumbled across the decks.
But when the light faded—
The blue skeleton's arm, cracked and splintered like glass, finally shattered and vanished into motes of light.
Still—
It had stopped the strike.
Completely.
It had blocked Shanks's attack head-on.
"What—?!"
"He blocked the boss's slash?!"
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"That blue skeleton… what even is that?!"
"Wait—look! It's reforming!"
"No way… that defense is insane!"
Both crews gaped in disbelief. Even Whitebeard, Shanks, and Kaido himself were momentarily stunned.
So the rumors were true.A bounty of three billion—also true.
Just that one terrifying defensive technique alone explained why Doflamingo and the Golden Emperor Tesoro had both fallen to this little monster in diapers.
Dan looked up, eyes glowing crimson.
"Oh!" he chirped, his childish voice ringing clear.
"You hurt my father."
"Bad guys…"
"I'll challenge… all of you!"