"Hey... don't just stand there, take them and go!" Carina said, her voice trembling.
She never expected the Beasts Pirates to have so many people. More accurately, she hadn't considered that the enemy would come out in full force to carry out a total encirclement. They shouldn't have been exposed yet.
Luffy looked up at the massive azure dragon in the sky, his expression solemn. "Leave Kaido to me. You guys take Tama and the others and get out of here first."
In the current situation, it was impossible for everyone to escape. The enemy was flying and moving incredibly fast; someone had to stay behind to hold them off.
Zoro drew his long blades, his gaze heavy and his fighting spirit surging. Sanji, Brook, and Franky likewise prepared for battle. Chopper transformed into a reindeer, hoisting Carina onto his back before charging toward the distant Kozuki Hiyori and Tama. Beside them, Kin'emon scooped up Momonosuke and followed closely, fleeing into the distance.
Usopp, his face pale, loaded a special projectile into his slingshot and aimed at the sky.
"Worororororo... so it's you, Straw Hat brat."
High in the sky, Kaido's voice boomed from the azure dragon's mouth. His massive dragon eyes scanned the heavens and the earth in all directions, seemingly searching for someone, completely disregarding Luffy and the others.
Ultimately, Kaido did not find his target, but he did spot Momonosuke in Kin'emon's arms. His massive dragon eyes narrowed slightly as he said coldly, "Kozuki Momonosuke, why aren't you dead, you brat?!"
Twenty years ago, Kaido had seen Momonosuke's face. To his surprise, it was exactly the same now as it was then.
His words caused Kurozumi Orochi below to shudder, looking toward the distance in disbelief. Once he clearly saw Kin'emon and Momonosuke, he immediately began to scream: "How can this be! It really is you!"
The son of Kozuki Oden and the Kozuki vassals were nothing short of a nightmare to him. They had haunted him for twenty years.
Kurozumi Orochi shouted, "Men! Seize them immediately! Kill them!"
Kaido also let out a cold snort. "Go, capture those people for me."
Behind him, the Three Calamities of the Beasts Pirates, the Tobi Roppo on the ships, and over a hundred thousand Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit users all turned their gazes toward Momonosuke and the Straw Hat Pirates.
Golden Lion Shiki grinned, waving his large hand, causing the ships floating in the air to rapidly fly forward. King the Conflagration reverted from his pteranodon form to human form, his black wings vibrating as his figure shot out.
Zoro was the first to leap into the air, unleashing a dragon-shaped sword ki with his Three Sword Style to blast toward King. King drew the long blade at his waist, striking mid-air. As the two powerful swordsmen clashed for the first time, their strength appeared equal, and shattered sword ki spread through the air.
The obese Plague Queen transformed into a massive Brachiosaurus, crashing down from the sky like a mountain toward Chopper and Carina. Sanji walked rapidly through the air, delivering a kick to the mountain-sized Brachiosaurus. Queen let out a roar of pain as his body was sent flying, landing on the ground not far away.
"Leave him to me," Sanji said, taking the initiative to rush forward and tie up the Calamity.
Drought Jack had already landed on the ground, transforming into a massive ancient mammoth. He rampaged forward, attacking the fleeing Kin'emon and Momonosuke.
Usopp fired a special projectile. The pellet shattered on the ground in front of Jack, and strangely, a giant green plant suddenly sprouted. This massive plant looked like a Venus flytrap, its huge mouth snapping shut as it swallowed the ancient mammoth into its stalk.
In the sky, ship after ship continued to pursue the fleeing Carina and the others. Usopp fired more plant projectiles once again. These pellets transformed into plants in mid-air, their thick, long roots weaving into a spiderweb that blocked the path of over a hundred ships.
Shiki swung his blade-bound legs, slashing a path forward. Edward Weevil, Doflamingo, Katakuri, and the other children of Big Mom also took action, clearing the plants from the sky.
Charlotte Linlin let out a cackle, riding a thundercloud as she dove down. Her target was Carina. Within Carina, she sensed the presence of a Homie.
Not far away, Carina's pretty face turned pale with fright. Why was that Four Emperors old hag chasing her? On her wrist, a white bracelet dissipated like mist, quickly turning into a thundercloud.
"We're doomed, Mama found me!" Zeus the thundercloud was also sweating profusely in fear. It had been created by Charlotte Linlin, but it had previously betrayed her and surrendered to Luo Chen. Now, the reckoning had come.
Carina wanted to cry but had no tears; she never expected that the Homie she borrowed from Nami would lead her into a death crisis.
"Gum-Gum Kong Gun!"
A black shadow suddenly rushed into the air, followed by Luffy's voice. Carina looked back to see that Luffy had transformed into Gear 4: Bounceman, slamming a punch into Big Mom.
Swoosh—
The Emperor Charlotte Linlin was sent flying, crashing into the ground dozens of meters away.
"Mamamama! You brat, you're looking for death!" Charlotte Linlin stood up from the dust unharmed, staring at Luffy with furious eyes.
"Don't even think about laying a hand on my partners," Luffy said, bouncing in the air with legs like springs. He rushed out quickly, prepared to tie up Charlotte Linlin.
But at that moment, the terrified screams of Kin'emon and Momonosuke echoed from the distance. Luffy, Carina, Usopp, and the others turned to look, their expressions shifting instantly.
Kaido had transformed into his hybrid man-dragon form at some unknown point, appearing directly above Kin'emon and Momonosuke. He raised his iron mace, Hassaikai, which was wrapped in Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, surrounded by dark purple lightning.
"Thunder Bagua!" Kaido said coldly, bringing the mace crashing down.
"Stop!" Luffy shouted in desperation.
He had personally experienced the power of that strike. Even in his Gear 4 form, he had been knocked unconscious. To say nothing of Kin'emon and Momonosuke.
In this moment of crisis, Kin'emon tried to throw the young lord from his arms. However, Kaido's Conqueror's Haki pressured him so intensely that he couldn't move. He could only watch in despair as the mace came crashing down.
Usopp, Franky, and several Kozuki family vassals in the crowd tried to move to the rescue. But Shiki, Doflamingo, and Katakuri in the air all took action to intervene. Katakuri, in particular, with the help of his Future Sight Observation Haki, turned his hands into mochi and ensnared a guard standing near Kurozumi Orochi.
In that instant, every rescue attempt was thwarted.
Kaido's weapon, Hassaikai, struck Kin'emon and Momonosuke with a solid thud. With a sickening splat, the bodies of the two were instantly pulverized, exploding into a mist of blood.
The residual force of the mace did not diminish, slamming into the ground. In an instant, the earth shook, a deafening roar erupted, and dust filled the air.
Kaido exhaled a breath, clearing the dust from around him. He rested his mace on his shoulder and gave a cold laugh.
"The son of Kozuki Oden? The Nine Red Scabbards?"
"Wano Country is my territory!"
Years ago, the Time-Time Fruit user Toki Kozuki had left a prophecy: the Nine Red Scabbards would defeat him and liberate Wano Country twenty years later. To some extent, Kaido had kept that in mind. After all, it was a prophecy from a Time-Time Fruit user.
But now, he had personally destroyed that prophecy and removed a thorn in his side. He felt incredibly refreshed.
The area near the execution ground fell silent for a moment. The Straw Hat crew and Kozuki Hiyori stared blankly at the spot where Momonosuke had died. They couldn't believe that Kin'emon and Momonosuke were dead just like that.
Kurozumi Orochi, on the other hand, was ecstatic. He turned his head to look at a man beside him with light blue hair and a pointed face. At this moment, the man was stuck by Katakuri's mochi; his previously violent struggling had ceased as he stared blankly at the patch of blood mist in the distance.
"Kyoshiro... you are a Kozuki vassal?!"
Just now, if it hadn't been for the mochi-using pirate on the ships in the sky stopping him, this Kyoshiro by his side would have rushed over to save Momonosuke. Kurozumi Orochi never imagined that a remnant of the Kozuki family had been lurking right next to him.
---
High in the sky, Luo Chen stretched his shoulders and sighed.
"Momonosuke is dead. I didn't expect that just after rushing here from the brothel, I'd see this scene. Sigh, I arrived late."
He turned his gaze toward the battlefield below.
Next, it was time to take action.
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