This novel is finished, and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
It turns out that dealing with a stubborn teammate is always harder than facing a godlike opponent.
Rowen probably never imagined that the words he had cunningly drawn from Kurozumi Orochi would seamlessly align with Kaido's suspicions. The one who actually revealed the location of this base wasn't Orrick; it was Orochi himself.
But…
What meaning did that hold now?
As the sounds of battle echoed from the far side, Kaido gloomily set down the transponder snail, completely ignoring the frantic cries for help from the caller.
And then, BOOOOM!!!
A surge of overwhelming Haoshoku Haki erupted suddenly. The sea looked as if countless explosions had detonated beneath it, blasting waves towering over a hundred meters high.
The massive ships rocked violently in the tsunami. Heaven and earth seemed to shift in color.
Countless pirates collapsed to the deck, gasping desperately for air. Fear and confusion clouded their eyes as they stared towards the cabin.
"Ka… Kaido-sama?"
This burst of Conqueror's Haki was not just a release of power; it dragged everyone into its crushing path!
Ka-cha… ka-cha…
Heavy footsteps thundered like war drums, reverberating in every heart. Step by step, a towering figure, like an ancient demon-god, emerged from the cabin. Kaido's expression was icy as he gazed across the fallen pirates.
"Go. You're free."
"..."
Wide-eyed and bewildered, the pirates found no words.
On the deck, the silence was so intense a pin could be heard falling. No one stirred, doubting their own ears.
But Kaido paid no mind and continued.
"Do whatever you want. Robbery, plunder, fight the Marines, or retreat to the mountains, it's all your choice! From today, the Hundred Beasts Pirates… disband!!"
BOOOOM!!!
A stone cast into the sea caused waves to rise a thousandfold. Towering walls of water crashed down while lightning danced amid storm clouds overhead, with Kaido's voice echoing across the fleet.
"This is my war!!"
"All of you… GET LOST!!!"
Pfff!!
The berserk Haoshoku spread across the sea. Weaker pirates had their guts and hearts ruptured by the savage willpower, coughing blood as they dropped dead on the spot. Faced with such dreadful examples, the barely conscious scrambled to set sail, fleeing from Kaido as fast as their ships could carry them.
"Q-Quick! Run, the Captain's gone mad!"
"Fine, let's go! I've had enough of him anyway. Daring to fight the World Government, does he have a death wish?!"
"Which way do we even run? With Wano as the base, half the New World is already under Marine occupation!"
"Doesn't matter, just get away from here first!"
The bonds of loyalty scattered, and a shattered crew is impossible to lead.
No one could have imagined that the once-mighty Hundred Beasts Pirates, one of the Yonkō, a pillar of the New World, would fall apart in such a way.
As the news spread with the dispersal of Kaido's crew, it was certain to send shockwaves through the entire world.
"…I never should've done this from the start. Subordinates, allies, they're all worthless! For the empty title of Pirate King, for the influence that comes with it, look at the stupid things I've done."
On the only ship from which none could escape, one-armed Kaido stared into the dark sea, muttering to himself.
"If I want something… I'll just take it!! That's who I am…"
Under the terrified gazes of the pirates who had somehow survived, an oppressive aura unlike anything they'd ever felt before surged from Kaido. Darker than the night before dawn, fiercer than volcanic magma, deeper than the abyss of the sea… Together with his one-armed figure, Kaido now resembled an eternal demon-god, solitary and supreme in his might.
…
If Rowen knew Kaido had disbanded his pirate crew because of this, he would surely be shocked. But if he understood what the three of them had endured during that time, he would also understand Kaido's decision.
It was simple, the root of it all was pressure.
Waging war against the World Government is nothing like boasting about it. Back in Wano, their endless feasts weren't mere indulgence, they were a way to release the pressure. Obviously so.
The war itself had already put the three captains under immense strain. But ever since Rowen's escape, one incident after another had piled on, leaving Kaido feeling as though he hadn't had a single day's peace.
And now, with Orrick seemingly betraying him, or perhaps plotting alongside Orochi from the very start, Kaido's mood was easy to imagine.
Finally, Queen's sudden death became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
In that moment, Kaido suddenly became clear-headed. What had he been doing all this time? Among the Yonkō of old, only two had ever been obsessed with the title of Pirate King.
One was Big Mom.
The other was him.
Whitebeard only wanted to live happily with his family. Pirate King? Even if Roger himself had handed it to him, he wouldn't have taken it. Red-Haired Shanks only sought a successor for his Captain's will, placing his hopes on Luffy's growth. He had no interest in becoming Pirate King.
Only he and Big Mom, one for the great dream of waging the greatest war in history, the other for building the nun's utopia, needed the influence that came with that title.
But it was always just a means, never the true end.
At some point, however, that "means" had become shackles, and he had lost sight of his real goal.
Now Kaido understood.
From the moment he confined "war" to the premise of becoming Pirate King, from the instant he narrowed everything down to revolve only around himself, the path had gone astray.
He wasn't crushed by the pressure. No, he had awakened amidst the chaos, returning to the self who had once risen to fame, now more pure than ever.
Disbanding the pirate crew was only the first step. These scattered remnants, in the way he intended, would bring chaos.
What the Marines would soon face… was no longer a crew, but one truly unprecedentedly powerful monster, "Hundred Beasts" Kaido!
…
The events unfolded far too quickly. Kurozumi Orochi's death was spoken of only in hushed whispers within Wano's borders. Meanwhile, deep in the seas of the New World, a battleship docked along a pitch-black coastline.
"So he was hiding here… no wonder we couldn't find him."
Stepping off the deck, Akainu's expression was heavy with suspicion.
This kind of small island on the edge of the Calm Belt wasn't covered by a Log Pose's navigation range. Sometimes, not even an Eternal Pose could point the way. Only by carefully studying charts and constantly recalibrating with the Log Pose could one even hope to arrive.
"More than that… shouldn't we be more concerned about how they even knew this information?"
Kizaru muttered, hands resting in his pockets, a lewd grin stretched across his face as usual.
"In such a remote backwater, could there really be government spies?"
"Hmph, you ask too many questions, Kizaru."
With light steps, the current CP0 Chief, Bald Zero, clad in white, descended onto the beach, letting out a cold snort.
"As Marines, you shouldn't question so much. Your duty is to follow orders and complete the mission."
"You don't get to lecture our men, old man!"
Akainu's glare turned dangerous. Without the authority of the Celestial Dragons behind them, CP0 was nothing! Back when the Celestial Dragons were assassinated and CP0 had tried to dump the blame on Rowen, Akainu still hadn't settled that score.
As Marine Commander-in-Chief, he could not let anyone trample on his subordinates.
"You…!"
Bald Zero sucked in a deep breath, forcing down his anger as he turned his head aside.
"Ahem… everyone, let's not argue," said a new voice, a middle-aged man wearing a bitter smile.
"Our enemy is a Sea King that even Admiral Aokiji couldn't handle. Picking fights with each other now is basically the same as writing our own death flags. If this were a movie, this would be the part where we all die."
"I understand that logic."
Kizaru smirked. "…But you really should put that mask back on, former Chief. Looking at your bare face, I keep forgetting who you are."
Unmasked Zero: "..."
So my mask is the real me, huh?
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Just then, a massive serpent-like Sea King exploded from the ocean, its enormous jaws snapping toward them.
"Danger!"
Akainu roared, leaping high as magma gathered in his right hand.
Inugami Guren!!
BOOM!!
A hellhound of molten rock erupted forth, slamming mercilessly into the Sea King's skull.
Hissssss…!
Its head was pierced straight through, magma blasting out of its jaw. The creature shrieked in agony but still refused to relent, its massive fangs crashing shut, "Not good, it's targeting the battleship!"
Bald Zero's pupils shrank. In midair, he twisted with a speed and precision that even made Kizaru raise his brows, chopping down with his right palm.
Fist Blade Style: Mountain-Cleave, Sea-Sever!!
BZZZT!!
A hundred-meter arc of bluish light streaked out, severing the serpent's neck and snuffing out its life force. Everyone exhaled in relief. For all his arrogance, this man's strength was still reliable.
But at that moment, as its head rolled away, the Sea King's eyes bulged wide. With the last of its strength, it spat a blast of corrosive venom straight at the battleship.
Psssshhhhh…
Thick smoke billowed as wood and steel alike began to rot and corrode at terrifying speed.
"Damn it!"
Landing, both Akainu and Bald Zero's faces darkened.
The ferocity of this Sea King called back vivid memories of Aokiji lying in a hospital bed in the Holy Land.
"Welcome to my kingdom, gentlemen."
An icy, magnetic woman's voice rang out. Turning, they saw another bizarre serpent rise from the sea, over ten meters long, coiled in the waves, its disturbingly humanlike face gazing at them with calm, knowing eyes.
"A talking serpent… one of the special Sea King types. Because of its size, it was once mistaken for a sea beast, until Vegapunk confirmed it as a variant of Sea King."
Masked once more, Zero's voice was muffled and grim.
"Her true body must be within a thousand meters. That's the limit of a Talking Serpent's hearing range."
"That's still way too big! Especially if you count both sea and sky…" Kizaru muttered, then glanced over with surprise.
"So you're an encyclopedia, huh!"
Masked Zero: "…Want me to kill you right now?"
"Shut it!"
Akainu and Bald Zero snapped in unison, glaring fiercely at the two fools.
"He's right."
The Talking Serpent repeated in that eerie tone laced with the weight of the sea.
"I'm waiting for you in the palace at the island's center, intruders… if you can make it that far."
"The worst-case scenario…"
Bald Zero's expression hardened. "She's already detected us approaching… and hasn't run away."
At those words, everyone's faces tightened.
(End of Chapter)