Early the next morning—
Something truly shocking happened on the sea: the Marines suddenly recalled all their forces from the New World back to Marine Headquarters.
At this moment, every Marine base in the New World had been completely emptied.
The Marines gave no explanation for this move, and the unoccupied islands were left alone—no one dared take them, afraid it might be some kind of trap.
Even the Four Emperors didn't make a move.
Now, not just the Red-Haired Pirates, but also the Whitebeard Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates were aware of what was happening in Wano.
Those three rising pirate crews had actually started challenging Kaido!
While the Marines pulling out of the New World was a big deal, most pirates seemed more interested in the fight happening in Wano. After all, everyone wanted to see if this so-called Worst Generation could really take down Kaido.
And Kaido had already given his answer.
In Wano—
Even though the team of Luffy, Yamato, Kid, and Law had managed to fight Kaido to a draw for a little while, once Kaido went all out, the tide turned fast.
On the battlefield, Kid and Law were the first to fall.
Law's Devil Fruit power was definitely strong, but using it burned a huge amount of energy.
And since Law's physical strength wasn't that great to begin with, once Kaido hit him with just two heavy blows from his club, he was out cold.
Kid was a bit tougher than Law, but his Haki was nowhere near Kaido's level. They weren't even close.
So, even though he tried his hardest, he still couldn't avoid defeat. He crashed to the ground hard, eyes rolled back, his condition unclear.
At the same time, Yamato and Luffy weren't doing much better.
Both of them were badly hurt and completely worn out.
Luffy's face—normally full of energy and smiles—was now beaten black and blue, almost unrecognizable. One of his eyes was swollen shut.
But Kaido was only getting angrier.
He had just started taking the fight seriously, and already two of them had gone down?
And the other two didn't look like they could survive another hit either.
That thought made Kaido furious. He yanked the huge sake gourd from his waist and took a big, burning gulp.
In an instant, the strong liquor spread through his body, making his head spin.
But even with the buzz kicking in, he kept glaring at Yamato and Luffy, eyes full of fire. He roared at them, his voice shaking the air:
"You useless weaklings! You really let me down! I thought you might actually put up a fight and make this fun. But no—you're nothing but trash!"
"If that's how it is, then all of you can just die!"
"Three Worlds—Naraku Descent!"
With that thunderous shout, Kaido's massive body shot into the sky like a bolt of lightning!
The sky above Wano exploded with thunder and dark clouds, streaked with terrifying black and red lightning—it looked like the end of the world.
Kaido's spiked club was wrapped in overwhelming Conqueror's Haki and that black-red lightning.
He brought it crashing down on Luffy like a mountain falling from the sky.
Luffy could only watch. He had no strength left, not even enough to lift a finger.
He wanted to move, but his body just wouldn't listen.
Yamato saw what was happening, and her face turned pale in horror.
She shouted anxiously at Luffy at the top of her lungs:
"Luffy!"
"Get out of the way!"
At the same time, she ran straight toward him without a second thought, shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow.
"Mirror Mountain!" Yamato called out.
A solid shield made of ice instantly formed in her hands, strong like a fortress wall. It was also coated with the last bit of her Conqueror's Haki.
The solid shield stood tall between her and Luffy, like a mountain that couldn't be moved.
"Boom!!"
"Rumble!!!"
Kaido's attack slammed straight into Yamato's Mirror Mountain like a giant hammer smashing an egg. The violent energy exploded outward in all directions like a crashing wave.
Yamato clenched her teeth and gave everything she had to hold back Kaido's strike.
Suddenly, a cracking sound started to echo.
"Boom!!!"
Kaido's "Three Realms Downfall" came crashing down like a falling star and smashed through Yamato's defense without mercy.
The club wrapped in black-and-red lightning and Conqueror's Haki looked like a wild dragon as it came down hard on both Yamato and Luffy.
"Ugh!"
"Gah!!"
Yamato and Luffy were hit so hard they flew through the air like kites with broken strings, knocked away by Kaido's furious blow.
Their screams and the sound of blood being coughed up echoed in the air, like a tragic song.
Several seconds later, they crashed to the ground like falling meteors.
Yamato passed out right away, like a flower that had completely withered.
Luffy lay there like a lifeless doll, completely still.
His eyes were darker than a dead man's, like endless black pits. His mouth hung wide open, as if frozen in the moment death arrived — chilling to look at.
At that moment, Kaido shook his dazed head.
But he still wasn't satisfied. He took another swig of sake, then grabbed his club and walked toward Yamato and Luffy again.
His huge body was like a mountain. With every step, the ground shook beneath him.
Just then...
A strange heartbeat sound echoed out, like the beat of a drum. Even Kaido, still drunk, sobered up a little from hearing it.
Far away, out on the sea from Wano...
The massive elephant Zou, walking endlessly through the ocean, suddenly stopped in its tracks. Its huge head turned to face a certain direction — right toward Wano Country.
Everyone living on the furry-backed nation was stunned.
The elephant, which had never stopped moving before, was now completely still!
~~~
Wano Country.
Kaido noticed the weird heartbeat from Luffy's body getting faster — like tight drumbeats pounding directly into his ears.
But with his muddled, foggy brain, he just couldn't figure out what was happening to Luffy.
Then, something completely shocking happened.
Luffy's hair suddenly turned snow-white, like it had been hit by magic — like dancing little white snakes.
White steam or mist started pouring from his mouth.
The rest of his body began to move on its own, shaking and twitching with strange, wild energy, like life itself was boiling over inside him.
~~~
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