Guy, Kaido....!
Die, die!
The Red Hair Pirates watched as they fell from the sky.
With a 'plop,' it landed on the charred black body of Kaido not far away on the now-bare battlefield.
Everyone in the Red Hair Pirates looked at the scene in front of them.
At this moment, there was a feeling of 'unreal.'
After all, that's Kaido!
Not an ordinary big pirate at all!
He stands at the top of countless pirates in the New World, crowned as the "Emperor of the Sea," a monster among monsters with the title of "Four Emperors!"
Alongside their captain, 'Red Hair' Shanks, he is one of the eponymous 'Four Emperors' pirates!
And rumors spread across the world today.
In what is now known as Whitebeard's Era, the next new era of maritime supremacy must belong to the captain of the "Hundred Beasts" pirate group, "Hundred Beasts" Kaido, one of the Four Emperors!
The strongest creature in the sea, land, and air!
After Whitebeard's era, he is the strongest existence unmatched across the entire ocean!
In the Red Hair Pirates camp, also one of the Four Emperors, even though they often thought of Kaido as a brainless, reckless fool who "plays around" the world from time to time, chasing the so-called "suicide" game—they still had to acknowledge his inhuman and terrifying power.
He is definitely one of the most powerful men standing on the sea and across the whole world!
However, such a powerful monster…
He's really dead!
Kaido died on the battlefield in the first half of the Grand Line—and they witnessed it!
As they saw Kaido's lifeless body lying in a massive crater nearby, the members of the Red Hair Pirates, including Yasopp, were utterly shocked.
Then, as their gazes shifted to the old man with a strong, scarred body, Yasopp and the others couldn't help but collectively shudder!
Cold sweat emerged from their foreheads, slid down their faces, and dripped onto the desolate battlefield.
That terrifying monster…!
Faced with the pressure of two Four Emperors simultaneously, he killed Kaido here!
Even though Kaido was severely injured and almost dying before the Red Hair Pirates arrived, under Kaido's sudden, crazed attack just moments ago, Yasopp and the others believed that none of the Red Hair Pirates' officers could have withstood it!
However, the old man not only endured it but killed Kaido outright!
Is such terrifying power even something a human can possess?!
The scalps of Yasopp's group felt like they were about to explode.
Now, reflecting on how Benn Beckman had stopped them from joining the fight to assist Shanks, Yasopp and the others felt a wave of relief.
That kind of battle wasn't at the 'human level' at all!
Yasopp and the others could hardly imagine how Shanks would have been able to protect them if they had chosen to join the fight.
The "good fortune" the ship's doctor, Dege, experienced might not have been theirs to share.
"Yes…yes! Shanks!" Yasopp stammered, his expression shifting dramatically.
He hurriedly looked in the direction of 'Red Hair' Shanks.
Within sight, Shanks, who had been forced back nearly a hundred meters during the fight, now appeared slightly disheveled. But compared to Kaido, who was now a corpse, Yasopp and the others felt a small sense of relief.
Obviously, amidst the shock of Kaido's death, confirming Shanks' well-being was the most important matter for the Red Hair Pirates.
At this moment…
"Huff… huff…"
'Red Hair' Shanks raised his head, his eyes glinting with shock as he panted slightly. His hands still felt the nearly unbearable heat from the Conqueror's-infused 'Griffin.'
Only he truly understood how terrifying the heat attached to Bai Ye's slash had been, which had forced him to retreat.
Shanks first glanced at Kaido's lifeless body, his expression grim.
"This… idiot."
Given the chance to leave, Kaido had chosen instead to attack…
This outcome was entirely his own doing.
Kaido had gambled his life and reputation on killing the man standing before them—and he had lost.
Yet, at this moment, Shanks could faintly sympathize with Kaido's choice.
Because if he were in Kaido's position, he couldn't deny that he would have felt the same compulsion to attack.
Looking at the formidable man standing in the distance, someone far more terrifying than any rumor could describe, 'Red Hair' Shanks felt an overwhelming sense of threat.
This man was truly too powerful!
The kind of power he displayed was 'overwhelming,' something that could only be understood after facing him directly in combat.
Even now, after the battles this man had already endured, with his physical strength and condition diminished, Shanks realized he might not be able to defeat him.
He couldn't imagine how unstoppable the man would be at full strength.
If he were Kaido, he might also have been unable to resist striking during what appeared to be the man's 'weakest' moment.
But Shanks wasn't Kaido.
Now, the events here had far surpassed his expectations.
With Kaido's death, the balance of power in the New World was bound to be shattered.
Moreover, his newly recruited crew members had perished as well, annihilated by Bai Ye's Ryūjīn Jakka—their bodies incinerated beyond recovery.
Although 'Red Hair' Shanks wanted to avenge Rocks, for the sake of the Red Hair Pirates' name and reputation, more pressing matters awaited him.
The original purpose of the Red Hair Pirates coming to the first half of the Grand Line—
The Summit War…
And beyond that…
Although Shanks had the opportunity to gamble that Bai Ye's physical strength was now depleted and that, with Beckman—whose power rivaled his own—joining the fight, the scales of victory might tip in their favor, he hesitated.
Because he remembered the man's seemingly boundless abilities, which appeared to include the powers of multiple Devil Fruits!
The risk to his crew was too great.
The red-haired Shanks dared not gamble—and he was unwilling to pay such a price.
Holding the 'Griffin' that could not yet be sheathed, Shanks stared at Bai Ye. Then, glancing at Yasopp and the other companions who had followed him for decades, he sighed deeply.
Amid the stunned expressions of the Red Hair Pirates, Shanks faced Bai Ye and said, "Kaido is dead, and my men have paid the price for his arrogance. This battle… let's end it here."
The words fell heavily.
"Shanks…!"
"Captain!"
The pupils of the Red Hair Pirates widened in disbelief.
This scene, if it were known to the outside world, would undoubtedly shock everyone.
The Red Hair Pirates, one of the Four Emperors' crews, assembled with all their top officers, had their leader—'Red Hair' Shanks—choose to end a battle himself.
Rather than calling it ending the battle, it would be more accurate to say that the Red Hair Pirates, one of the Four Emperors' powers, had bowed their heads!
And this wasn't against another Four Emperors crew, the Marine government, or even the World Government.
Their opponent was a single man—alone.