Queen was well aware of what Kaido was talking about.
A year ago, they had struck a deal with Doflamingo. However, just as the project was on the verge of bearing fruit, Doflamingo had unexpectedly kicked the bucket. For Kaido's ambitions, this was undoubtedly a severe blow.
To his surprise, however, "that man" had been tracked down by his big brother. This was a genuine windfall. As long as that man was available, the plan could proceed.
Yes, that man... the evil scientist, M. Caesar Clown.
"Admiral! We have a problem!"
Suddenly, a pirate burst into the room, his face etched with anxiety.
"What is it?"
"The New World Marines... the New World Marine fleet has arrived in the waters outside Wano Country!"
"The New World Marine fleet... That brat Sean intends to sneak attack the home base while our main force is away!"
Upon hearing the report, Kaido immediately understood the situation. However... did he really think this place was so easy to steal?
Wano Country alone was not a place one could enter easily. Furthermore, even if they managed to break in, Kaido was not like the elderly Whitebeard, whose time had run out and whose strength had severely declined.
"Big brother, should we recall Jack and the others?"
"What's the rush? It's just one Marine fleet. I can handle it alone!"
With that, Kaido left the room. Once outside, he transformed into a colossal dragon and soared into the sky.
Queen, however, remained deeply concerned.
True, Whitebeard had grown old and wasn't as strong as he once was. But had his brother forgotten? Every time he went to provoke Whitebeard, he was the one who ended up getting beaten back. In other words, while Whitebeard had aged, his diminished strength was still on par with—or perhaps even superior to—Kaido's.
Now, consider Sean: a man who had defeated Whitebeard in a short amount of time and possessed six Admiral-level combatants. Was his brother certain he could handle that?
No. Regardless of what Kaido said, Queen had to call Jack and the others back. Even if they only returned to tie down a few Admirals for a while, it would still be beneficial.
Having made up his mind, Queen immediately pulled out a Den Den Mushi and placed a call.
'''
On the deck of the First Fleet's flagship.
Sean, accompanied by Hawkeye and Gion, gazed at the massive barrier ahead.
"Sean, how do we get across?"
"Force our way through Wano's hidden ports and use the cable cars to ascend?"
"No. The cable controls are at the top; taking the lower ports would be useless. Besides, you're forgetting that our goal this time isn't to seize Wano Country, but..."
At Sean's reminder, Gion remembered.
Indeed, their objective this time was not to subjugate the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates or to conquer Wano Country. Instead, it was to apply enough pressure to force Kaido to recall all his main forces.
Of course, if a golden opportunity presented itself, Sean wouldn't mind taking the chance to finish off Kaido. But that was a bonus, not a requirement.
"Fleet Admiral! An anomalous target has appeared above! It looks like... a dragon!"
Just then, a Marine in the lookout tower shouted down to the deck while observing through binoculars.
Sean and the others looked up. Sure enough, a dark silhouette was growing larger, approaching from the direction of Wano Country.
"Kaido... has he come?"
"I knew he wouldn't be able to resist!"
"Perfect. This is a great chance to test the fleet's anti-air firepower."
"Usopp, you're in command. Tell everyone that if they can hold him off for just one minute, they pass!"
Turning away from the sky, Sean looked at Usopp standing behind him.
This man was now his designated Gunnery Officer. Although Usopp's raw combat strength wasn't particularly high, his marksmanship was beyond reproach. Whether it was a gun or a cannon, he could make them perform miracles in his hands. Furthermore, he had demonstrated an unparalleled ability to command and coordinate fleet attacks.
This made Sean very satisfied. After all, if someone only has strong shooting skills, they remain a common Marine for life. But with the ability to command and coordinate a fleet's offensive, the situation changed entirely.
Because of this, even though Usopp's individual strength had reached the standard of a Lieutenant, Sean had promoted him to Captain. He was now the Chief Gunnery Officer of the New World Marines' First Fleet.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
Usopp was completely different from his former self. Now spirited and confident, he thoroughly enjoyed his work.
'Who wants to play with a slingshot?' he thought. 'How could that possibly compare to the thrill of firing 300mm or 400mm main guns—or even the 500mm batteries on a battleship?'
Besides, he was commanding an entire fleet—the most powerful fleet in the world—with a horde of subordinates who worshipped him.
Life was perfect.
After snapping to attention and saluting, Usopp immediately left the deck.
A moment later, the Marines across the various warships moved with disciplined precision. Within a single minute, everyone was in position at their respective anti-aircraft weapon stations.
On the flagship, Usopp held a communication handset in one hand and a monocular in the other, constantly transmitting various parameters.
Half a minute later... the moment he saw the target enter the anti-air kill zone...
"Concentrated fire mode! Open fire!"
'BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!'
'RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!'
Countless autocannons and 82mm anti-aircraft guns erupted in a simultaneous roar.
This was the world of pirates, yet for the first time, a large-scale aerial strike using thermal weaponry was being unleashed.
Because of this, Kaido was completely unprepared. In his memory, this world simply did not possess such anti-aircraft capabilities. And even if it did, so what? He was the strongest creature on land, sea, and air. A few thermal weapons couldn't possibly hurt him, even if he didn't defend himself, right?
Clearly, he was wrong.
The sudden onslaught caught the unprepared Kaido by surprise, and he was instantly struck by countless shells. Not only was the firepower far beyond his understanding, but among the barrage were the new armor-piercing anti-aircraft shells developed by Retes and his team.
Those things... gave Kaido a very "refreshing" experience!
In that instant, he realized that if he continued to take hits without defending himself, he might actually lose. He immediately utilized his speed to begin evasive maneuvers in the air, abandoning his previous straight-line charge.
Seeing this, Usopp immediately adjusted the anti-air strategy and shouted loudly into the handset once more.
The Interception Net
"Attention all fleets! Immediately form an interception firenet as per previous training!"
In the next moment, all anti-aircraft fire ceased.
Just as Kaido believed the Marines had given up, unable to hit him due to his evasive maneuvers, the fleet's anti-aircraft fire erupted once more only seconds later.
This time, they didn't aim directly at Kaido as they had before. Instead, they didn't target any specific point; rather, each burst of fire was meticulously directed to weave together a comprehensive interception net.
While most of the fire missed, no matter how Kaido dodged, some rounds always found their mark.
Ordinary naval shells—even the new models—did little damage; at most, the explosions would knock him back a short distance. But when the anti-aircraft armor-piercing shells hit... it actually hurt.
When certain relatively vulnerable spots were struck, Kaido even grimaced in pain.
While Kaido could have simply flown out of the range of the firenet—and indeed tried to do so—Usopp was adjusting the entire firenet based on Kaido's position, ensuring he remained trapped right in the center.
For a moment, Kaido found himself... utterly exasperated!
At that moment, he failed to notice a certain Captain aboard the battleship operating a specialized weapon. It was Franky's latest masterpiece: the Coup de Vent.
And the one controlling this contraption was none other than... Usopp himself!
"Captain, cola input complete! Thirty-two barrels loaded. Maximum power release available!"
"Coup de Vent, fire!"
BOOM!!!