Kaido looked up at the sky and saw a battleship hovering above.
Onboard the battleship, Akainu lowered his arms as his molten fists gradually cooled. Carl turned his head to glance at Doflamingo. The latter immediately understood and controlled the battleship, directing it to descend.
Kaido, seeing the already devastated Onigashima, was consumed by rage. He let out a furious roar, his body shooting toward the battleship like a cannonball.
Mid-flight, his body expanded until he transformed into a massive thousand-meter-long dragon. A breath of blazing heat surged from his mouth, painting the entire sky red.
Aokiji leapt off the battleship. Mid-air, his already-elementalized arm extended, forming a gigantic ice bird from his palm.
"Ice Pheasant Beak!"
Carl, standing on the battleship, couldn't help but recall the moment from the anime where Aokiji used this move against Ace. However, compared to this, the anime's ice bird seemed more like a sparrow.
Boom!
The ice bird collided with the fiery breath, erupting into a dense steam cloud as both attacks dissipated. Aokiji flipped in mid-air and returned to the battleship.
At that moment, several artificial Devil Fruit users with flying abilities approached the ship. Among them, a Bat SMILE user launched several haki-coated arrows at the battleship.
After firing the arrows, the bat-user opened his mouth and emitted a peculiar sonic wave. The arrows scattered in all directions, aiming at Akainu and the others on the deck.
Aramaki, itching to act after watching Aokiji, was about to strike down these small fries when Carl stopped him.
With a subtle movement of Carl's lips, all the incoming arrows shattered mid-air. He then turned his gaze toward the distant bat-man in the sky.
This bat-man, known as the "Batman" for his clashes with Luffy and his lofty reputation, was momentarily stunned. As a Bat SMILE user, he had keen hearing but poor vision, leaving him unable to discern who stood on the deck.
Before he could make sense of it, a tangible sound wave pierced through his body, rupturing his organs and killing him instantly.
The other artificial Devil Fruit users in the air suffered the same fate, blood streaming from their seven orifices as they fell like raindrops to the ground.
The battleship landed smoothly. Carl ordered Doflamingo to remain aboard before flashing to the forefront of the ship and standing still.
Kaido descended in his half-beast form, landing heavily in front of Carl.
Behind him, the core forces of the Beasts Pirates—the All-Stars, the Tobiroppo, and other key combatants—assembled en masse. The overwhelming numbers created an imposing sight. (Drake had yet to go undercover.)
In stark contrast, Carl stood alone, a solitary figure facing the crowd.
Yet Kaido wore a grim expression. Including Akainu and Aokiji from earlier, this battleship carried three Admirals!
Kaido was confident but not to the point of taking on three Admirals at once—especially with Carl, the so-called "strongest Admiral," among them. Still, this was his stronghold. He believed he could handle Carl, leaving the other two to his subordinates.
But what troubled him more was the Navy's boldness. Did they not fear an attack on Marineford while mobilizing such strength here?
Then it hit him: with these three, the Navy now had four Admirals in total.
Suppressing his unease, Kaido focused on Carl, while his subordinates, emboldened by Kaido's presence, jeered at the lone Admiral.
Over time, the Beasts Pirates had grown arrogant, enjoying smooth sailing in their endeavors. Even Jack shouted, "Black Dragon! Hand over Doflamingo! I'll cut him down myself!"
Hearing this, Doflamingo could only roll his eyes, thinking Jack's brain must have been waterlogged after his last dive.
He had no intention of responding to Jack's taunts, especially when six figures moved behind him. Starting with Akainu, they leapt off the battleship one by one.
Akainu landed slightly behind Carl on his left. Borsalino appeared to his right.
Upon seeing Borsalino, Kaido's expression shifted noticeably. Then Aokiji, Aramaki, and Kizaru followed suit.
Boom!
The largest figure, Kuma, landed last. Eschewing his abilities, he chose to crash down with sheer weight, the impact echoing across the battlefield.
As silence fell over the scene, the once-boisterous Beasts Pirates were frozen in place.
Even Kaido's expression was complicated as he faced the grim realization: the Navy had sent seven Admirals.
Seven Admirals—all of them!
The howling winds of Onigashima swirled around the Navy officers, their Justice capes billowing dramatically. To the pirates, those capes seemed blinding.
Jack, typically stubborn, had fallen silent. But another figure stepped forward—one even more headstrong than him.
Yamato emerged from the crowd, shouting at Carl, "Black Dragon! I'll kill you and avenge Oden!"
Before she could act, Kaido appeared before her. Yamato, confused, was about to protest when—
Clang!
A massive spear of darkness shot from the ground, clashing against Kaido's spiked club. Black lightning crackled at the point of impact.
In Yamato's shocked gaze, Kaido—the monstrous figure she had feared—was gradually pushed back by the dark spear.
Kaido, his expression grim, turned and roared at Yamato, "Fool! Get out of the way!"
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Yamato retreated just as Kaido sidestepped the spear. With his defense removed, the spear extended, obliterating several stunned pirates in its path, leaving only misty blood clouds.
-----------
+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg