Where's my pirate crew? I had a whole damn pirate crew right here!
Kaido, drenched in blood, stared at the Beast Pirates sprawled all over the ground in every direction and took the hardest shock of his life.
Was the crew he'd built up with so much effort really this fragile?
King the Wildfire said nothing. He already knew things looked grim. At this rate, it seemed he'd be following his captain to the underworld.
He regretted only one thing: that he hadn't been able to help Kaido become the true Joy Boy and defeat the World Government.
But he didn't retreat.
Mihawk's eyes locked onto Hashirama standing atop the True Several Thousand Hands Buddha. He had already felt that the people around Rowan were no ordinary fighters, but he had never imagined someone could be this overwhelmingly strong.
It was unbelievable.
One man had crushed an entire pirate crew. That was not something an ordinary person could do.
At the same time, Hashirama turned the True Several Thousand Hands Buddha and fixed his gaze on Kaido of the Beasts.
Ryuma frowned slightly and said, "Kaido is mine."
He didn't like anyone stealing his prey.
Hashirama replied calmly, "My lord has waited long enough. We shouldn't delay his dinner."
Hashirama knew Rowan liked living a proper three-meals-a-day life, so in order not to disrupt that rhythm, he decided to end the fight quickly himself.
Ryuma let out a cold snort, but didn't argue. He sheathed his sword and turned away.
After all, Kaido was going to lose today no matter what, and Wano was effectively liberated already. Since his goal had been achieved, he could let someone else take the final blow.
As for Kaido, the attitudes of Ryuma and Hashirama made him laugh in fury.
"One after another, you bastards really think you've got me cornered? Don't underestimate me! I'm Emperor Kaido!!!"
With that furious roar, Kaido's Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, even fiercer than before.
But in the very next moment, a Conqueror's Haki even greater than Kaido's erupted from Hashirama.
This was the Haki of the God of Shinobi who pacified the age of chaos, ended the Warring States era, and created a new age.
This was the Conqueror's Haki of a supreme warrior whose mere existence meant no one dared start a war.
Hashirama's Conqueror's Haki wrapped around the fists of the True Several Thousand Hands Buddha, black-red lightning exploding everywhere.
Sage Art: Wood Release: Conqueror's Coating: Top Transformed Buddha!
Jet-black fists came crashing down on Kaido like meteors.
The roar of the descending hands was like a mountain collapse and a raging tsunami, booming without end.
It wasn't that Kaido didn't try to fight back, but how could two fists compete with a thousand fists of the True Several Thousand Hands Buddha, especially when every one of those fists was coated in Conqueror's Haki?
It was completely outrageous.
Kaido had lived a long time, but even he had never seen an enemy this absurd.
He didn't even have time to spit out a curse before he was swallowed by a thousand fists.
The thunderous bombardment went on for a full five minutes. The ground shattered again and again, breaking, collapsing, and breaking apart once more.
Dust rose in waves, blotting out the sky.
When it was finally over, Hashirama stood atop the Buddha's head and used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, blowing a violent gust that scattered the choking dust in an instant.
A giant crater hundreds of meters long and over a hundred meters deep now lay before everyone.
And at the center of that crater was Kaido, completely unconscious.
Morgans didn't hesitate for even a second. He pulled out his Den Den Mushi and snapped the moment.
He was so excited he could barely contain himself.
He had just captured a headline big enough to shake the entire world, and he had already thought of the title.
Shock! Emperor Kaido Suffers Crushing Defeat—A New Emperor Is About to Rise in the New World
To be blunt, Morgans was so thrilled that title alone felt enough to sell his newspapers out instantly.
After taking down Kaido, Hashirama turned his eyes toward King.
In the entire battle, the only one still relatively intact was the man who could fly.
"I surrender."
When he saw Hashirama looking at him, King hesitated for a moment, then landed on the ground and gave up.
As for why he surrendered, the reasons were simple.
First, he knew he was no match for Hashirama.
Second, the Beast Pirates' upper ranks had all been crushed. There was no way he could just abandon his comrades and leave.
More importantly, Kaido, though badly injured, was still alive.
That meant their enemies had no intention of wiping them out completely. There was still room to talk.
After weighing everything, King chose to surrender.
Because he feared that if he resisted to the bitter end, he might provoke them into killing Kaido and the rest of the Beast Pirates.
To protect his comrades, King had no choice but to lower his head and admit defeat.
And with that, the earth-shaking battle was finally over.
Not long after, King was brought before Rowan.
"So you're their leader."
King was a little surprised. Mainly because Rowan looked too young. It was hard for him to imagine that someone this young could be the leader of such a mysterious force.
Rowan nodded and had someone bring over a chair.
"Sit."
King didn't bother with false modesty and sat down.
He was over six meters tall, so even seated, he still towered over Rowan.
But King didn't dare underestimate him in the slightest. In this world, height meant nothing.
Red-Hair wasn't even two meters tall, and yet he still ruled the New World as one of the Four Emperors.
Once seated, King said, "This battle is over. On behalf of the Beast Pirates, I admit defeat. How do you intend to deal with us?"
Rowan thought for a moment, then asked, "Can you speak for the Beast Pirates?"
King answered, "As Brother Kaido's right hand, I have the authority to command the Beast Pirates when he is unavailable."
"And in this battle, we really did lose. Brother Kaido won't deny that."
Rowan gave a quiet hum. "In that case, I'll take it that you can represent the Beast Pirates."
He raised one finger and gave his first condition.
"One of my subordinates is a samurai of Wano, so the Beast Pirates must withdraw from Wano completely."
"Agreed." King accepted without even thinking.
Then Rowan raised a second finger.
"Second: starting today, the Beast Pirates are to join my camp. Kaido, you, and all your people will follow my orders."
These terms had already been discussed with Nico Robin in advance.
King looked troubled.
"What? You're unwilling?" Rowan asked.
King shook his head. "I can agree to withdrawing from Wano on Brother Kaido's behalf. But I cannot decide for him when it comes to joining your camp."