"Not done yet."
Luffy grabbed a terrifying bolt of lightning from the thunderclouds. Then, as if enchanting his blade, he filled the black sword with the furious electricity.
The sword wind, carrying the terrifying lightning, slashed directly into Akainu. The impact force sent him flying. Akainu crashed into a warship in the distance.
Boom!!
The lightning also electrocuted the Marines on the warship. The power of natural lightning was considerable.
Akainu crashed onto the warship. Aside from magma everywhere, the air crackled with lightning.
Scattered chunks of magma fell from the sky, splashing onto the sea. The boiling seawater sprayed in all directions like a heavy rain. Anyone caught in it, whether Marine or pirate, let out sharp screams.
"Hoo."
Luffy exhaled. He looked at Ace and the others in the distance, who had already begun boarding their ships.
Once they were back on the sea, that was the pirates' world.
It was time for him to consider retreating too.
The Marines who noticed this were furious. "Do not let this guy escape!"
"Straw Hat Luffy is now an even greater threat than Fire Fist Ace!"
"For justice!"
Luffy's giant form had now become a target for the Marines' attacks. All sorts of attacks flew at him.
Even Whitebeard could not ignore these attacks. Luffy naturally did not want to be hit for no reason.
Why did he not use this giant form to fight Akainu and the others?
In front of strong fighters at that level, a large body was a target, a weakness.
His Dark King form was just right.
But there was no doubt that this giant form was extremely destructive.
Luffy assumed a slashing stance, gathered power, and aimed at the distant Marine fleet. "White: Hakoku!"
Boom, crash!
A deafening boom rang out. The Marines on the warships could only see a white shockwave.
"Is that the giants' technique?"
Whitebeard and Golden Lion both turned their heads slightly.
Back in the Rocks Pirates era, they had interacted with giants quite a bit.
They had seen this technique many times from the Giant King.
They had not expected Luffy to master it too. Its power was immense.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard swung his blade, pushing back Kizaru, who had tried to engage him again, and laughed boldly. "Well done, Straw Hat brat!"
"Jihahaha. How much time has passed?"
Severing one of the thorned giant snakes controlled by Somaz Saint with a slash, Golden Lion narrowed his eyes and looked toward Luffy. "His talent cannot even be described as terrifying anymore."
When Luffy had fought him, he had not even mastered Conqueror's Haki Infusion, the ticket to becoming a top-tier strong fighter.
And now?
How much time had passed?
On the command platform, Sengoku clenched his fists until they cracked. His expression had already reached its limit.
Akainu's desperate attack had been stopped. Although the Whitebeard Pirates' escape route had been somewhat damaged, the main force, led by Marco, Jozu, and others, had already broken through a considerable distance.
"Straw Hat, this old man is not dead yet!"
An enraged roar sounded from nearby.
Seeing Luffy ignoring him to cover the Whitebeard Pirates' escape, Akainu, who had dispersed into magma on the warship, condensed back into his physical form. The magma flowing over his body showed no sign of diminishing. Instead, it grew stronger.
This terrain was not favorable for Akainu. There was barely anywhere to stand.
Once the ice melted, it turned directly into seawater.
This was why Akainu and Aokiji had never gotten along.
Both their personalities and their Devil Fruit abilities were at opposite extremes.
But looking at the giant in the sky, was this terrain not the same for Luffy?
All he had to do was knock him down from the sky.
"Evil Straw Hat. This ocean will be your grave. I will execute you!" Akainu said in a low voice.
"Whose grave it will be is still uncertain."
Luffy seemed to notice Akainu's intention. He glanced at the wide ice beneath him. Much of it had already been turned into seawater by Akainu's magma.
You Logias think you are the only ones who can change the terrain?
We awakened Paramecia users are the real experts at changing terrain!
Luffy tapped his head and smiled.
He had forgotten.
The Gomu Gomu no Mi was no longer a Paramecia. It was a Mythical Zoan: the Nika fruit.
"Let me show you!"
The white flame clouds around Luffy's body began to rise.
"It is not just you. I can turn any place into my battlefield!" Luffy shouted.
Dum dum dum, dum dum dum.
The drumming sound grew louder and louder.
"Wh-What is that sound?"
"It is coming from Straw Hat."
"Wha-What is happening?"
The Marines near that area turned around and found that the surrounding ice had quickly shattered.
Many Marines could not react in time and almost fell into the sea.
Then, they noticed that the seawater itself seemed to have become elastic and floating, turning into rubber.
The sound of the Liberation Drum spread through the entire Impel Down.
"Th-This is?"
Gunko, who had been focusing on dealing with the escaped prisoners from Impel Down, heard the sound. She looked down and saw that the ground beneath her had also turned into rubber. She suddenly turned her head to look at Luffy, a hint of barely noticeable fear in her eyes.
Could it be...
Like something etched into her very genes, this drum sound was something Gunko feared.
Clearly, the Five Elders had not shared information about Nika with the God's Knights. Or they had deliberately concealed it.
At least Gunko did not know about it.
"Hehehe. I will not play with you anymore!"
Seeing Gunko suddenly show an opening, the escaped prisoners led by Byrnndi World turned and ran.
When an enemy showed an opening, you should attack.
But this woman could not be killed.
Now Gunko's eyes were fixed on Luffy. Her breathing grew rapid.
Why was she afraid?
This entire sea area had become Luffy's rubber kingdom.
This was a provocation to Akainu. Rubber fists kept appearing from beneath his feet. Akainu melted all the rubber in a large area beneath him. Using it as a platform for leverage, he leaped up and punched at Luffy.
"Send them away? Then you will stay here, old man!"
Magma once again flowed over Akainu's body. He unleashed a massive wave of fire meteors. Like a true volcanic eruption, its explosive force surrounded Luffy.
"Rengoku!"
The magma erupted. Even before it reached him, Luffy could feel the scorching heat.
If he was enveloped by this mass of magma, his body would melt.
Luffy returned to his normal Nika form from his giant form.
But he did not retreat.
Facing this one-armed Akainu, why should he retreat?
"Get out of my way!"
Luffy stamped his foot and assumed a stance. "Gomu Gomu no White: Gatling Gun!"
The invisible fists formed a shockwave barrier in front of him, creating a passage. Luffy searched for Akainu, who had assimilated into the vast magma, moving around within it.
"I have got you!"
In an instant, Luffy was in front of Akainu.
Akainu looked up. For the first time, he looked directly into Luffy's eyes. He saw the glaring killing intent within.
This bastard!
His body was grabbed. A fist wind roared and slammed hard into Akainu's face.
Was Luffy hitting Akainu's face?
No. It was the World Government's face that was being hit!
Akainu, who had been about to retreat with the momentum, paused. A leg whip came down on his head. The impact from the strike sent magma flying. The shockwave rippled through the air.
Unstoppable!
Magma flew from Akainu's body. Luffy did not care. His hands moved so fast they disappeared.
"White: Gatling Gun!"
Explosive impacts burst across Akainu's body. Magma flew from his body, and his physical form was also shaken.
In this semi-elementalized state, his true body was exposed.
He had hit.
Then he would not stop!
"If you have the guts, even like this, do not die on me!"
Luffy let out a fierce roar. He did not care if some of the surrounding magma landed on him.
He punched Akainu's body into the air. A steady stream of magma flew from Akainu's body.
His Haki-covered hand had been burned red by the heat, but Luffy showed no sign of stopping.
"Not done yet."
Luffy showed a chilling smile. "I told you. I would leave you here."
Akainu did not even have a chance to speak.
On the Marine warship, Sengoku could no longer stand still.
If this continued, Akainu would really be beaten to death!
Sengoku could accept casualties among elite Marines. He was prepared even for the loss of Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals.
But an Admiral could not be lost at any cost!
"Straw Hat!"
A shout came. A huge Buddha appeared in the sky.
Sengoku the Buddha finally made his move.
A giant palm, twined with dazzling golden light, fell from the sky like the Five Finger Mountain.
His first move was a shockwave.
Hum!
At the center of the shockwave, Luffy felt his body covered by some kind of force. It was a destruction from the inside out.
"Hm?" Sengoku's expression paused.
"Even a Fleet Admiral chooses to sneak attack?"
In the midst of the shockwave, Luffy grinned at Sengoku. His elastic hand retrieved Magi, which had been stuck somewhere in the distance. He casually twisted the blade. The sword energy dispelled the shockwave.
An unremarkable move.
The next second, the dissipation from the golden shockwave and the black-red slash merged into a violent storm of Haki, spreading wildly in all directions like a sphere.
The seawater below was compressed into a hemisphere-shaped depression tens of meters wide, then sent a ring-shaped wave surging into the distance.
Several nearby medium-sized warships were nearly capsized.
"It is Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
"Sengoku finally could not hold back anymore."
Watching this, the expressions of both Marines and pirates were filled with shock.
"Sengoku."
On the battlefield, Garp, who had barely any presence until now, looked over.
"I will take the Hero of the Marines' head!"
A pirate swung his sword at Garp. Garp's forehead hardened with Armor Haki as he headbutted the man. The ice in front of him instantly shattered.
"You want this old man's life? You are still far from it!"
"Kishishishi!"
A sharp laugh came from the shadows, quickly coalescing into Moria's figure.
"Is this the end?!"
He stood before a pile of reanimated corpses, watching Luffy facing off against Sengoku and Akainu. He laughed. "The real war starts now! Fight, fight! I am ready to collect your corpses!"
Straw Hat? Akainu?
Whether it was an Admiral or an Emperor, if one of them died, it would be an absolute power boost for him!
Picking up corpses to get stronger might not be honorable, but as long as you could stand at the top of this sea, what did honor matter?
In the clash, Luffy was also pushed back dozens of meters by the terrifying shockwave, leaving a trail of ripples on the rubber sea.
He looked up at the sky.
The smoke and light slowly faded.
Sengoku was surrounded by a faint golden Buddha light. Behind him, the vague image of a solemn Buddha could be seen, its eyes wide open in fury, overlooking the battlefield.
The Marines' final combat power had made its move.
Many people seemed to have forgotten.
Before the current three Admirals rose to prominence, the Marines' public face had long been upheld by Sengoku and Garp.
In the past era, when powerful pirates ran rampant, Sengoku's strength was among the very best.
He was one of the few in the Marines who possessed Conqueror's Haki.
"Do not think you can escape, pirates!"
"Hmph. Can you stop us now?"
Luffy looked at Akainu behind Sengoku. "With the cripple behind you?"
Cripple?
Standing up, Akainu's chest heaved violently. He was practically exploding with rage.
His condition looked much better than before.
This was the nature of Logias. In a way, they had extremely strong endurance.
Comparable to awakened Zoans.
That was, of course, assuming they had not been caught off guard like Akainu had, with one arm sliced off.
"Ace's little brother! Pops!"
Marco and the others had successfully boarded the Moby Dick.
Luffy's Devil Fruit ability had helped quite a bit.
Now, on the battlefield, the remaining forces stood clearly separated.
The Marines' main force, the prisoners, and the three men standing before the Marines' main force.
"Hey, Shiki. I am not going to thank you."
Whitebeard laughed. "Gurararara. But Straw Hat brat, you should go now. I am enough by myself here. It seems I may have to break my promise about buying you a drink."
"Newgate, can you stop pretending to be tough? Beg me, and maybe I will collect your corpse for you." Floating high in the air, Shiki shot back without any deference.
"You two sure have a good relationship." Luffy pushed down his straw hat and smiled.
The pressure from the three Admirals plus Sengoku seemed to have no effect on them.
Do not forget, behind Sengoku and his forces were an endless stream of Marine elites still pouring in.
"Kuzan, freeze the sea. Do not let them escape," Sengoku said coldly.
"Sengoku, this is a bit troublesome. My ice has already turned into rubber."
Kuzan's clothes were also stained with blood, whether his own or someone else's.
Because of this, even the crew aboard the Moby Dick could not break through the outer ring of Marine warships.
If Luffy released his ability, he would act immediately.
"Do not delude yourselves."
Sengoku looked coldly at the three men before him. "You will not escape."
"Nika, it is your turn."
Luffy chuckled. "Send them flying!"
Nika?
In an instant, Gunko on the battlefield trembled all over. Her eyes searched and immediately spotted the white monster in the distance growing larger.
"Honestly. I told you this would cause a lot of trouble."
Next to the Moby Dick, Nika, who had been lazing around on the battlefield, began to grow in size.
"Wh-What is this?"
Marco watched Nika, whose size was now rivaling Little Oars Jr., and gaped. "A Zoan user?"
Straw Hat had a crewmate like this?
"Hey, hold on. If you fall, do not blame me."
Nika's giant claws covered the Moby Dick. Then she pressed down. The rubber elasticity beneath began to store power. A proud expression appeared on her face. "Send them flying!"
Nika could use the power of rubber too.
Sengoku's eyes widened as he watched the Moby Dick fly into the sky and out to sea.
It just... flew away like that?
"Straw Hat!"
"Stop shouting. I can hear you."
Luffy looked at the stunned Marines and grinned. Once Ace had been retrieved, there were plenty of ways to escape.
Sizzle, crackle.
Sizzle, crackle.
"Straw Hat!"
A Marine stared at Luffy with fury. Since they could not keep the Whitebeard Pirates here, they would keep these bastards here instead!
He waited for Fleet Admiral Sengoku to give the order.
But after a long moment, he realized the surroundings seemed eerily quiet.
Not only Fleet Admiral Sengoku, but even the Admirals seemed to sense something. They looked up at the pitch-black sky.
Equally silent were the three great pirates before him. They too were looking up at the sky.
Was something coming?
...
Not long before.
The New World, a sea area shrouded in thunderstorms and thick fog year round.
The sky was leaden gray. Heavy clouds hung low like blocks of lead. Purple snakes of lightning occasionally crackled among the clouds, emitting dull rumbles.
The sea was not calm. Dark waves surged, crashing against scattered black reefs, fragmenting into pale foam.
This was a must on a secret World Government shipping route. Usually, even pirates rarely came here.
Not because it was dangerous, but because it was barren.
No resources. The entire sea area had only one barren-looking island, surrounded by endless seawater and harsh weather.
But today, over this desolate sea area, a huge figure appeared, defying all reason.
A blue dragon.
Beneath its enormous form, blue-green scales gleamed with a cold, metallic luster in the dim light. Its sinuous body appeared and disappeared among the clouds. Each movement stirred up violent air currents.
"Wororororo!"
A low, thunderous laugh came from the dragon's head. Kaido looked down at the churning sea below. "Newgate has gotten more senile with age. How could he not invite me to something like this?!"
He was the most suitable!
Just as the blue dragon was about to break through the edge of this thunderstorm sea area, a figure waiting on the small island below appeared without warning in the air ahead.
"Hm? You are waiting for me here?" Kaido laughed. He opened his mouth and unleashed a blast of heat breath.
"Swoosh!"
A huge flying slash cut the heat breath in two.
A swordsman who could cut through flames?
This reminded Kaido of certain people.
The man seemed to be standing on nothing, with no support beneath his feet.
He wore a hooded dark blue cloak. The sea wind howled, making the cloak flutter. A few strands of braided hair peeked out from under the hood.
Beneath the cloak was ornate clothing. A cravat was tied at his collar. Eight small buttons adorned his chest—four pairs connected by thin silver chains.
On his left side hung a rapier that looked ancient but was clearly no ordinary blade.
What drew the most attention was his face.
Neatly trimmed stubble around his mouth. A deeply chiseled face.
A man with quite the presence.
This was not what surprised Kaido. What surprised him was the face itself.
Red Hair. Shanks?!
"Wororororo!"
Kaido's forward momentum suddenly stopped. His giant dragon eyes narrowed. "Red Hair? Why are you here? No, your Haki does not feel like that meddlesome bastard's. But you look exactly like him!"
The man in the air slowly raised his head.
The newcomer was none other than Figarland Shamrock.
Commander of the God's Knights!
Shamrock did not deny that he was not Shanks, but he did not explain either.
"Kaido. Stop. You cannot go any further."
"Wororororo!"
Kaido's laughter suddenly grew louder. "So you are here to stop me? You? With a face that looks like Red Hair's? I do not buy that!"
Before he finished speaking, the blue dragon opened its mouth wide. A scorching flame breath, like a molten waterfall pouring from the sky, shot toward Shamrock!
At that moment, on the sea below, several medium-sized ships flying the World Government flag were carefully sailing at the edge of the thunderstorm.
On the decks, World Government officials and CP agents were looking up at the sky with cold sweat streaming down their faces.
"Is that Kaido of the Beasts?!"
A gold-rimmed glasses-wearing official stammered. The binoculars in his hands nearly fell to the deck.
"Why is an Emperor here?!"
"Is that man going to be alright?"
"But why did Kaido mention Red Hair just now? Where is Red Hair? Whatever, record the footage. Report to Headquarters immediately. No, directly to the Holy Land!"
A CP squad leader remained somewhat calm, but his pale face gave away his inner fear.
To World Government personnel, an Emperor was a walking natural disaster.
Especially Kaido, known as the Strongest Creature!
But under their watch, the huge blue dragon disappeared, as if hit by an attack, crashing onto the small island.
The small island seemed to have been struck by a giant hammer. The moment the dark figure made contact, it collapsed inward from the center. Cracks shot outward along the edges. The violent shockwave spread outward, scattering the surrounding terrain.
The terrifying wind pressure seemed capable of blowing everything away.
Shamrock descended with it. His expression was grave as he looked ahead.
Shanks, you really gave me a hard job.
Shamrock stared ahead. "This is where you stop, Kaido."
"Wororororo! What gives you the right to stop me? With that face? Who do you think you are? I am not giving Red Hair that kind of favor."
A hand covered in scales reached out from the deep hole carved out by his impact. Then a man walked out of the smoke.
No, perhaps he could no longer be called entirely human.
He was extremely tall and muscular. His bare upper body was built like forged steel. He wore a dark purple fur cloak. His left arm
was adorned with lifelike dragon scale tattoos. On his right abdomen was a huge, terrifying X-shaped scar.
His black hair hung loose. Two horns grew from his forehead. Whisker-like strands framed his cheeks. His size was even larger than Luffy's Dark King form.
Kaido casually picked up his alcohol gourd, marked with the character for "heaven," and took a gulp.
"Wororororo. That last slash was not bad. It had some flavor."
He slowly walked toward Shamrock. The sky seemed to grow darker.
Boom, crash!
A thunderclap rang out, illuminating Kaido's dark face.
An Emperor. Kaido of the Beasts.
People said, "If it is a one-on-one fight, Kaido is the strongest."
He was a pirate called the Strongest Creature among all living things on land, sea, and air.
A brilliant record. A brilliant career.
As a pirate, he had been defeated seven times. He had been captured eighteen times when challenging the Marines and Emperors on his own. He had been tortured over a thousand times and sentenced to death forty times.
Even when executed by hanging, he broke the chains. Even when sent to the guillotine, he shattered the blade. Even when impaled by spears, the spears broke.
He had sunk nine giant prison ships. No one had ever been able to kill him. Not even himself.
He had just fallen from the sky like that, and his body appeared completely unharmed.
His bounty was 4,611,100,000 berries.
Shamrock pointed his blade at Kaido. "Kaido. Stay here, or return to your Onigashima."
Kaido grinned. "I go wherever I want. I fight whenever I want. No one orders me around!"
"Then I will have to use force to make you stay!"
He had expected this answer, but Shamrock was still somewhat displeased by Kaido's defiance.
He swung his rapier.
A strange thing happened.
The blade seemed to come alive. A black substance like asphalt flowed from its dark silver surface. In an instant, a three-headed giant dog appeared in the direction of the blade's pressure.
"Cerberus!"
This Cerberus was clearly not like the patchwork monstrosity Luffy had seen on Thriller Bark.
It was covered in thick black fur, its muscles bulging with explosive power.
Each giant dog head wore a metal collar. In each of their gaping mouths, they gripped a gleaming sword!
The blades and fangs intertwined, radiating a fierce aura that seemed ready to devour.
"Oh? Interesting."
Kaido saw something similar to his own body.
Where the three-headed dog's paws stepped, dark red flame clouds appeared.
That was one of the iconic features of an awakened Zoan.
A sword that had eaten a Devil Fruit?
That was quite rare. Even rarer, this sword had successfully awakened.
"A sword that is itself an awakened Zoan, and can exist independently in this form? The World Government really does have a lot of interesting tricks."
Kaido laughed. "I noticed it when I met King!"
But even as he laughed, Kaido attacked without warning.
"Raimei Hakke!"
Bam!
Relying solely on physical strength and speed, he made the air vibrate.
Cerberus's three heads swung simultaneously. The swords in their mouths slashed, sending three interweaving pitch-black flying slashes to meet the swinging iron club.
At the same time, Shamrock's figure flickered, instantly appearing in front of Kaido.
"Sneak attack?"
Kaido let out an unhappy snort.
One enormous fist, covered in deep purple dragon scales and entangled with black-red Conqueror's Haki lightning, slammed hard into Shamrock's sword tip.
Bam!
In an instant, both Shamrock and Cerberus were sent flying.
Was he that strong?
Shamrock looked at his hand. The slight scratch healed quickly.
He charged again.
Their collision caused a huge roar on the island. The earth shattered. Mountains crumbled. It was like a volcanic eruption.
In the midst of it, Kaido's puzzled voice could be heard.
"Immortal body? What is your connection to the ones from God Valley?"
The escape from their battle completely destroyed the small, rocky island below.
The island gradually broke apart under the repeated impacts.
The thunderstorm in the sky intensified. Purple lightning danced wildly. Winds howled. It looked like the end of the world.
On the nearby World Government ship...
The crew was terrified out of their wits.
Through the dense rain and flying spray, they could only see two blurry figures colliding in the air at speeds invisible to the naked eye.
"M-Monsters!"
Someone was scared witless.
"Monsters!"
The leader heard the shouts from beside him and could not help but roar. "I can see that!"
"No, no, boss. Look over there!"
A World Government man pointed northeast of the sea area where Kaido and Shamrock were fighting.
At the far, far edge of the sky.
There, it looked like a giant black ship was moving.
Amidst the lightning and thunder, the true form of the massive moving object appeared. Two enormous pillars connecting to the sky had no visible end.
"Wh-What is that?!"
"A-A natural disaster has appeared!"
It was a creature.
A creature so huge it exceeded the limits of human imagination.
Zunesha. Zou.
This elephant-shaped monster was so large that anyone who saw it would lose the ability to think.
Just the part of its leg exposed above the sea was over a kilometer in diameter. Its height was immeasurable, reaching above the clouds as if supporting the sky.
On its back, above the clouds, it carried a country.
The Mokomo Dukedom, home of the Mink tribe, a race of warrior beasts.
The World Government's giant warships looked like ants before this behemoth.
Zunesha had been walking for so long no one knew.
But today, in the Mokomo Dukedom, the two rulers of the Mink tribe—Duke Inuarashi, the King of Day, and Master Nekomamushi, the King of Night—both felt a strong sense of unease.
"Woof! Can you feel it, Nekomamushi?"
Wearing a gentleman's suit and sunglasses, Duke Inuarashi stood at the edge of the forest, looking gravely toward the southwestern sky.
Even from such a distance, faint but heart-stopping clashes of Haki and energy waves could be felt.
"Meow! Of course I can, Inuarashi!"
Master Nekomamushi was a large, stocky cat Mink.
"With tremors of that magnitude and that spine-chilling Haki, it must be top-tier strong fighters fighting."
Duke Inuarashi strained his eyes. Using the Minks' excellent vision, he seemed to vaguely see the silhouette of a giant dragon in the thunderclouds.
"Is that... Kaido?!"
"Kaido?!"
Nekomamushi's voice rose. "What is he doing here?! Should he not be on his Onigashima?"
Wait. Knowing Kaido, that man was never one to stay quiet.
"Is he heading to the war?!" The two looked at each other and spoke in unison.
Though Zou was secluded, they had radios. Major news affecting the world would reach them too.
The war between Marine Headquarters and Whitebeard should be happening around now.
Had Kaido been stopped by someone?
Kaido's appearance in the waters near Zou was no coincidence, nor was it good news.
"Who is he fighting?"
Inuarashi frowned. "In the New World, who can stop Kaido and cause such a commotion? Red Hair? Big Mom? Or someone from the World Government?"
"I do not know, meow. Regardless, it would be bad if a fight of this level reaches here."
Nekomamushi shook his head. His expression grew more uneasy.
He looked down.
Though they were standing in the forest, beneath their feet was the Mokomo Dukedom on Zunesha's back.
Zunesha's size was immense. To ordinary strong fighters, Zunesha, at over 35,000 meters tall, was a walking natural disaster.
But Emperor-level monsters were also walking natural disasters!
If they collided, no one could predict what would happen.
"Zunesha should take the initiative to avoid them, right?" Inuarashi said.
His tone was uncertain.
Zunesha had its own will. It usually avoided obvious threats.
But then, both Mink rulers and some of the more perceptive warriors in the dukedom felt something strange.
Zunesha seemed to be walking faster.
Not just a little, but noticeably quickening its pace!
Its mountain-moving steps were now creating more noticeable waves. Even the Mokomo Dukedom on its back could feel more jostling than usual.
"What is going on?"
Inuarashi grabbed a nearby tree trunk, surprised. "Zunesha is speeding up? And the direction seems to have changed too. It is heading toward the battle!"
Nekomamushi leaped to the top of a giant tree. His solitary eye was fixed on Zunesha's direction.
With disbelief, Nekomamushi said, "Zunesha seems excited!"
Excited?
How was that possible?
Zunesha had never shown such emotion in a thousand years.
Inuarashi also leaped to the treetop, standing beside Nekomamushi, his face full of disbelief.
As Minks who had coexisted with Zunesha for hundreds of years, they revered Zunesha like an elder, but they also knew its thousand years of silence and near-eternal steadiness.
Excited? This emotion was far too foreign to Zunesha.
"Listen... I can hear it... the sound of the Liberation Drum!"
"He has returned... the promised time of Joy Boy..."
No one could hear Zunesha's voice, but its eager feelings were expressed through its actions.
Meanwhile.
The battle between Kaido and Shamrock had entered its white-hot stage.
The entire sea area was a mess.
The thunderstorm in the sky had been thoroughly disturbed by their Haki. Lightning struck erratically.
Kaido had gained a dozen or so wounds of varying depths, but they seemed to have no effect on him. He only grew happier.
Shamrock was having a harder time.
Though the God's Knights had immortal bodies, the man before him possessed Conqueror's Haki. He was one of the few who had mastered Conqueror's Haki Infusion, one of the top strong fighters standing at the peak of this sea.
He was someone who could kill them.
"Wororororo! Thrilling! I haven't met such a durable opponent in a long time!"
Kaido swept Shamrock away with his club, sending him flying into a distant, newly frozen iceberg. The iceberg exploded. "But if you are only relying on this immortal body, then you are fated to die here today. The only one who cannot be killed is me!"
From his roaring mouth, he again unleashed scorching flame breath, engulfing the shattered iceberg and Shamrock within it!
In the flames, a gray-white slash cut through the fire. Shamrock stumbled out, looking somewhat unsteady.
This bastard!
Then, almost simultaneously.
The two combatants paused. Their movements slowed involuntarily.
Both Kaido and Shamrock were top Observation Haki users. They immediately directed their perception toward that direction.
The rain seemed to be pushed aside by an invisible force. On the distant horizon, an indescribably large silhouette was slowly becoming clear.
A leg.
Like a pillar supporting the heavens, its surface covered in rough skin like ancient rock. It was lifting from the sea and stepping forward.
That single step crossed an immeasurable distance, bringing with it ocean currents and waves that swept across the entire sea area.
Then, the second leg stepped forward.
"Zunesha?"
Kaido recognized the legendary creature. His brow furrowed. "Why is this old thing moving here? Where is it going at this speed?"
He suddenly laughed. "Good, good. Come and crush me! I have wanted to try this for a long time!"
He was looking forward to it.
"What a madman."
Shamrock muttered an insult. He looked at Zunesha with some surprise in his eyes.
As Commander of the God's Knights, he knew far more secrets than ordinary people.
Zunesha was connected to Joy Boy.
Why was it acting so strangely?
"Buru buru buru, buru buru buru..."
Inside Shamrock's coat, a special small Den Den Mushi rang.
The ring was urgent, representing a high-priority communication.
Shamrock glanced at Kaido in the distance. He immediately retreated a distance, keeping his sword at the ready, and pulled out the Den Den Mushi with his other hand. He answered.
The Den Den Mushi simulates the stern face of an elderly man.
"Shamrock!"
The voice was one of the Five Elders, Saturn. "No matter what you are doing, return immediately. The situation at Impel Down has changed!"
"Straw Hat Luffy has shown strength beyond expectations. Akainu is severely wounded. God's Knights Number 46 is dead! The Whitebeard Pirates are about to break through!"
Shamrock's pupils suddenly contracted.
Number 46 was dead?
That meant that bastard had also mastered Conqueror's Haki Infusion.
"Understood."
Shamrock agreed without hesitation.
There were also strict levels of authority between the God's Knights and the Five Elders.
"I have had Somaz draw a teleportation circle for you to Impel Down."
"No need."
A voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
Then the call was cut off.
Shamrock's mouth opened.
That voice... was Imu-sama!
He had only heard it once, when he was granted his mark. He could not mistake that voice.
No need for him to go. Was Imu-sama going to act personally?
"Another God Valley is about to appear," Shamrock murmured.
"Hey. What are you muttering about?"
Kaido's iron club swung at him. "I think I heard a familiar name. Tell me about it!"
***
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