Udon, outside the forest slope.
After an intense and prolonged battle, the Beasts Pirates managed to capture all of the Nine Red Scabbards, despite deploying only a fraction of their forces.
Sitting at the center of the aftermath, Kaido, his wounds hastily bandaged by the ship's doctor, glared at the unconscious Kozuki Oden lying before him. There was no satisfaction in Kaido's expression, only a scowl of frustration.
"I waited this long for...this?!" Kaido grumbled, his voice thick with irritation. "This wasn't a satisfying battle at all!"
He had unleashed his Raimei Hakke on Oden, and the fight had ended all too quickly. Kaido couldn't shake the memory of the terror in Oden's eyes—fear sparked by Kurozumi Higurashi's treacherous interference.
Kaido had hoped for a true test of strength against Oden, fueled by the formidable legends surrounding him. Instead, the battle felt hollow, the thrill of a worthy clash stolen by deception.
Seething, Kaido rose and fixed his glare on Kurozumi Higurashi, whose sly smile faded under his murderous gaze.
"I don't need cheap tricks to win my battles! You should have known better than to interfere!"
With a swift swing of his Hassaikai, Kaido struck Higurashi, reducing her to nothing more than blood and pulp in one terrifying blow.
The pirates nearby recoiled, fearing Kaido's wrath and doing their best to stay out of his way.
Just then—
Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere
The sound of the Den Den Mushi rang out. One of Kaido's subordinates, who had been holding onto his Den Den Mushi before the battle, moved to silence it. But when he saw who was calling, he hesitated and quickly spoke up.
"Kaido-sama, it's... it's Yamato-sama's den den mushi!"
"Put it on," Kaido commanded, eyes narrowing.
The pirate hurried forward, holding the Den Den Mushi to Kaido.
"Yamato," Kaido rumbled, his voice booming like thunder. "I told you what would happen if you called me on this line!"
Hearing Kaido's ominous tone, Yamato, who was listening beside Alex, paled, recalling her father's stern warnings.
"Apologies, Kaido, but this isn't your Yamato," an unfamiliar voice responded smoothly.
Everyone around Kaido froze. Someone had not only infiltrated their stronghold but had somehow reached Yamato, Kaido's own child.
"Who are you?" Kaido demanded coldly.
"My identity isn't important. What matters is that I'm here to discuss a proposal with you," the voice replied.
Kaido's anger only intensified. "You come to my territory to negotiate? You must have a death wish!"
Despite Kaido's fury, the voice on the other end remained calm. "I came with sincerity. Don't you want to hear me out?"
Without another word, Kaido ended the call with a *click*.
"Worororo, let's see who's got the guts to infiltrate my area!" he growled.
In a flash of blue lightning, Kaido transformed into his massive azure dragon form, his scales gleaming even under the hastily wrapped bandages. He soared into the sky, hurtling back toward Onigashima to confront this unexpected intruder.
"Is this a planned attack? Rush back and defend!" shouted King, his Pteranodon form swooping down from above.
A nearby pirate pointed at the defeated Nine Red Scabbards. "Master Queen, Lord King, are we taking these prisoners back to the Flower Capital?"
Queen scoffed. "What's the point of taking them to the Flower Capital, you moron? Orochi doesn't care, and he's probably as good as dead now anyway."
Glancing up at King in flight, Queen called out, "Damn you, freak! Why don't you give me a lift too?"
"I'm not hauling around a fat pig," King replied coldly.
---
Inside Onigashima's base camp…
Yamato paced nervously, biting her lip. "What do I do? What do I do? My father's gonna kill me when he gets here!"
Alex watched her panic with an amused smile. "If you're so afraid of Kaido, why did you give me the Den Den Mushi?"
"Because… I really want to know about the outside world!" Yamato admitted, looking as if she blamed Alex for tempting her so much with his stories.
"Relax. Kaido's not going to be focused on you when he gets back," Alex assured her.
"Really?" Yamato's eyes brightened with hope. But then, concern crossed her face again. "But my father is terrifying when he's angry. Maybe you should wait for his rage to cool down before trying to talk to him."
"Too late for that. He's nearly here," Alex said, glancing up at the sky, which had grown dark and ominous.
Rumble!
A flash of lightning split the clouds, and Kaido's colossal dragon head emerged, his fierce gaze locking onto Alex below.
"So, you think you can come onto my turf and 'discuss' something with me?" Kaido snarled, wasting no time in launching his attack.
In a swift motion, Kaido's massive form shrank mid-air, shifting back to his human shape as he held his Hassaikai, descending like a thunderbolt. His right arm muscles swelled as he gripped his weapon, Haki crackling with dark red arcs across the iron.
Whoosh!
"Raimei Hakke!" Kaido roared, swinging his kanabo with devastating force.
Seeing the impending strike, Alex wasted no time. Gripping his sword, Akazakura, he infused it with his own potent Haki, which flared in an intense, bloody aura, and clashed head-on with Kaido's attack.
BOOM!
The impact was cataclysmic.
An enormous shockwave exploded outward from the clash, the violent force ripping apart everything in its path. The ground shattered beneath them, rubble and debris flying in every direction. Even Yamato, who had tried to distance herself, was swept away by the powerful winds, tumbling back helplessly.
Black and red lightning streaked from their clash, piercing the sky.
The entire island of Onigashima trembled as if on the brink of collapse, rocked by the sheer force of their Conqueror's Haki. Layer upon layer of airwaves rippled outward, leaving no corner of the island untouched.
King stared at the devastation, his eyes wide in disbelief. "A Conqueror's clash?!"
He swallowed, still shocked by what he had just witnessed. "Who is this guy… to have Conqueror's Haki this powerful?!"