Wano Country, the dome of Onigashima.
The great battle had just concluded. Kaido had been defeated by Luffy and the others, and the massive Onigashima, stripped of Kaido's supporting flame clouds, was beginning to plummet.
A massive pink dragon suddenly appeared, billowing forth flame clouds to maintain Onigashima's flight, preventing the colossal island from crashing down.
After that fierce clash, the dome of Onigashima was in ruins, a landscape of absolute devastation.
Ren stepped onto the rubble-strewn rooftop and chose a relatively flat piece of rock to sit on. Beside him stood Whitebeard and Ace.
Ace surveyed the surroundings, a look of realization and sentimentality crossing his face.
"I never would have imagined that Kaido and Big Mom would fall like this—"
"And to think they were beaten by Luffy and his crew."
Mentioning his brother, Ace couldn't help but puff out his chest slightly, his voice brimming with pride.
He had watched the rooftop battle from start to finish. He never expected Luffy would achieve an Awakening of his Devil Fruit and actually manage to defeat Kaido.
Even if it had been his past self, he likely wouldn't have been able to achieve such a feat.
He didn't deny his own strength, but he knew clearly that his power at the time wouldn't have been enough to topple a combatant of the Four Emperors' caliber.
It seemed his once-troublesome little brother had grown into a man capable of standing on his own, far surpassing his elder brother.
With the knowledge that Sabo was still alive, he could finally rest easy.
"Ace, it looks like that brother of yours has become quite the formidable pirate," Whitebeard remarked.
Whitebeard let out a sigh of sentiment. Even back during the Summit War, he'd had a gut feeling that Ace's brother was anything but ordinary.
Still, he hadn't expected that in just two short years, the boy would be able to defeat both Kaido and Linlin.
The progression of the eras was truly a sight to behold.
Whitebeard's feelings toward Kaido and Linlin were somewhat complicated.
After all, they were once comrades on the same ship. After the death of Rocks, they had all gone their separate ways to shake the foundations of the world.
There had been animosity and conflict between them, but they were ultimately people who had forged that era together. Seeing them fall inevitably brought a touch of melancholy.
Ace smiled, recalling Luffy's appearance after the Awakening. "I'm just surprised... why did Luffy's Devil Fruit look like that? Isn't it a Paramecia type?"
Whitebeard's eyes flickered with a hint of reminiscence as he shook his head.
"Those are matters for the living. We who are dead have no need to fret over such things."
"Haha, true enough," Ace replied lightheartedly.
Whitebeard turned to Ren, who was sitting nearby, and offered a word of advice. "Boss Ren, you came here to collect Kaido and Linlin, didn't you? Both of them have lawless temperaments. It's going to take quite a bit of effort to make them submit."
2
Ren nodded slightly. He was well aware of the personalities of these two former Emperors.
However, considering their abilities and potential, he was truly reluctant to let them go.
Looking at Whitebeard, Ren spoke up. "I'll leave them to you then, Newgate. With your skills, I'm sure you can make them a bit more cooperative."
"Gurarara! Leave it to me. Consider it done."
Whitebeard grinned, accepting the challenging task.
"It just so happens that Yellow Springs City is finished. I'll take the opportunity to properly drill those two brats."
Ren nodded. He had absolute faith in Whitebeard's ability and character.
About half a month had passed since he and Yoruichi returned from London.
During those weeks, Ren had commissioned the construction of a city in the Soul Society using Kido, then relocated the entire city into the Underworld of the pirate world.
In doing so, he finally had a stronghold in the Underworld from which to govern this realm.
Once the city was built, Whitebeard had moved into Yellow Springs City with his sons, officially becoming a high-ranking official of this realm, guarding the territory on Ren's behalf.
As the three were talking, Ren suddenly looked to the side, prompting Whitebeard and Ace to look as well.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two faint sounds of wind cutting through the air rang out as Shisui and Yakumi flickered into view.
Two massive forms were being dragged by the pair using ropes created from Bakudo, hitting the ground with a heavy impact that caused the earth to tremor.
Thump, thump.
"Lord Ren, we have brought the bodies of the two targets."
After releasing their Bakudo, Shisui and the other man stepped aside to stand by Ren's side.
The two massive silhouettes were now fully visible to Ren.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Ren nodded to them, his eyes scanning the two enormous corpses.
Their bodies were scorched beyond recognition by the magma, rendered almost non-human. As the corpses appeared, a nauseating smell wafted through the air.
Ren frowned, observing the two massive bodies closely. Although they barely retained a humanoid shape, certain physical traits from their lives were still discernible.
Such as the giant horns on one head and the remnants of pink hair on the other.
These two corpses were indeed Kaido and Big Mom.
After being defeated by Luffy's group, they had fallen into the magma.
Ren had dispatched Shisui and Yakumi to retrieve them. Now that they were laid out before him, it was clear both were completely dead.
"Wake up."
Ren waved a hand over the corpses.
Two ethereal, translucent souls emerged from the bodies, their eyes clouded with confusion.
"Wasn't I just fighting those brats? How did I—"
"Straw Hat kid... to think he could push me this far—"
As their memories gradually cleared, the eyes of Kaido and Big Mom regained their focus, and they abruptly stood up.
Subconsciously scanning their surroundings, both of them fixed their gazes on the most prominent figure present: Whitebeard.
"Whitebeard!"
"You've been dead for a long time! Why are you here?!"
Seeing Whitebeard before them, shock colored their faces as they struggled to process the situation.
Looking closer, Big Mom's eyes fell upon Whitebeard's appearance—which looked much like his younger self with his wavy blonde hair—and her expression shifted to one of astonishment.
"Hey, old man Whitebeard, what's with that look? You look quite a bit younger."
Kaido shifted his gaze away from Whitebeard, ignored the black-clad figures, and looked at Ace standing nearby.
His eyes suddenly bulged as if he had realized something, and his face darkened.
"Could it be that you were faking your deaths this whole time? Is this some kind of conspiracy?"
"You fools, take a good look at yourselves. Haven't you realized yet?" Whitebeard laughed. "You're dead. You're nothing but souls now."
He pointed beneath their feet, where the scorched corpses were still releasing wisps of black smoke.
"Your bodies are burned beyond recognition. You can hardly call yourselves living in that state."
"Ah—"
Kaido and Big Mom froze, instinctively looking down at their feet. There were indeed two corpses, and they vaguely recognized their own features in the remains.
Before they could be certain, they looked at their current forms and saw their translucent quality, realizing they could see straight through their own bodies.
Kaido stared at his hands, a look of disbelief on his face.
"I... am dead?"
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