The vast and imposing fleet emerged from the far edge of the sea mist, spreading into a line in a wild-goose (V-shaped) formation. At the very front sailed a colossal pirate ship — the personal flagship of Kaido of the Beasts.
Flanking it on both sides were two other pirate ships just as grand and menacing, only slightly smaller than Kaido's own.
Standing at the foredecks of each ships were the last two remaining "Calamities" of the Beasts Pirates.
On the left stood a tall, rail-thin figure, like a bamboo pole, his features sharp and cruel.
— "Famine" Arno.
Zoan-type Mantis Mantis Fruit user. Bounty: 1,000,000,000 Berries.
On the right stood a bald-headed woman, over five meters tall, her entire body covered in savage scars.
— "Plague" Sena.
Zoan-type Ancient Model Dinosaur Fruit, Triceratops form. Bounty: 950,000,000 Berries.
"Ah-la-la… It's been almost a year, and Kaido still hasn't found anyone to fill the Drought's vacancy, huh…"
Aokiji's gaze swept over the two, clicking his tongue.
"Feels like the pressure's dropped quite a bit. Thinking about it, that's all thanks to you, Nao…"
Beside him, Gion gave him a glance.
"Ah, almost forgot — you two haven't switched back yet…"
Aokiji patted his own head and said to her:
"Nao's original mission was to take on one of the Calamities alone. You may not be able to bring out the full extent of Nao's power, but his body's toughness speaks for itself…"
"If it's up to you now, got the confidence?"
"…," Gion was silent for a moment before answering solemnly,
"I'll give it everything I've got."
As time passed, the Beasts Pirates' fleet in the distance drew closer and closer.
In the still, tense air, the smell of gunpowder, ready to ignite, grew thicker.
Sengoku, who was in command of the entire situation, kept his eyes fixed on the distant fleet. Suddenly, he picked up a Transponder Snail and spoke a few low words into it.
A Marine Commodore at the front artillery post immediately raised his sword high, then swung it down sharply, yelling,
"Kaido's vanguard fleet has entered firing range!"
"All hands — open fire! Sink the enemy ships!!"
BOOM! BOOM!
The simultaneous firing of countless heavy cannons with massive barrels was a truly extraordinary sight.
The deafening roars and the bright flashes of fire from the cannons nearly dispersed the sea mist. Looking out, the sky was a dark blanket of flying projectiles, a magnificent sight.
"The Marines aren't good at much else, but they're decent at putting on a fireworks show."
Kaido, who was standing with his arms crossed at the bow of his flagship, narrowed his eyes and sneered. He clearly didn't care about the overwhelming cannon fire at all.
Without needing him to give an order, the crew's officers on each ship immediately took action to intercept the cannonballs.
Many of them were Zoan-type Devil Fruit users with exceptionally tough bodies, so the cannonballs hitting them were nothing more than an annoyance.
Although most of the cannonballs were stopped by these officers, the Marine's firepower was simply too fierce.
In the end, many cannonballs still slammed into the bows of the ships. All the pirate ships started to suffer casualties, some more than others.
A few unlucky ships even had their masts destroyed, unable to move forward, left to drift in circles.
"Speed up and push forward!"
Kaido didn't care about the lives of his ordinary subordinates. He waved his hand and gave the order with a blank expression.
Facing the cannon fire from all over the sky, the massive Beasts Pirates fleet moved forward at full speed. They quickly closed most of the distance and entered the firing range of their own shipboard cannons.
RUMBLE!
Over a hundred pirate ships returned fire.
At the Marine positions, Aokiji's eyes glinted as he looked at the ships now pressing toward the harbor entrance. He muttered under his breath:
"Ah-la-la… right on time…"
SWOOSH!
His figure blurred forward, appearing at the center of the crescent-shaped bay. Extending his right hand, he slammed it down.
"Ice Age!!"
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!
Ice spread wildly from his palm in all directions. In just a few blinks of an eye, the entire crescent-shaped bay was covered in a thick layer of ice.
The turbulent sea was completely frozen solid, turning into an icy marsh. The cold air swept across, and the hundreds of pirate ships were all frozen in place, unable to move forward another inch.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan's made his move!"
"So this is the power of a Logia Devil Fruit user…"
With a single move, Aokiji blocked the Beasts Pirates and all their allied forces outside the bay, instantly boosting the morale of the entire Marine force.
"Little ice brat…"
Seeing his path blocked, Kaido snorted. His enormous body leaped from the deck, landing with a loud crash on the ice, creating a huge crater beneath him.
"Your Devil Fruit ability isn't bad."
He slowly raised his kanabo, looked at Aokiji in the center of the ice floe, and grinned a menacing smile. "I just wonder…"
"How many moves you can last against me, brat!"
BOOM!
The moment the words left his mouth, a trembling aura suddenly burst from his body, sweeping out in all directions!
Conqueror's Haki!
As one of the Three Emperors of the New World and a top-tier powerhouse, Kaido of the Beasts naturally possessed an extremely terrifying Conqueror's Haki!
In an instant.
The vast expanse of ice began to make cracking sounds, and countless fine, spiderweb-like cracks spread out. The sky also darkened, and thick clouds gathered, with faint flashes of lightning flickering within them.
Aokiji's expression was solemn. He took a deep breath and was just about to prepare for an all-out battle when a calm and powerful voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Picking on someone younger… aren't you ashamed, Kaido of the Beasts?"
It was Sengoku, striding across the air with Geppo, landing directly on the center of the ice. His gaze burned with battle spirit as he spoke sharply:
"Today… your opponent is me!"
HUMMM!
In the next moment, an equally terrifying Conqueror's Haki suddenly burst forth from his body, sweeping toward Kaido with overwhelming force!
BOOM!
The two Conqueror's Haki of the world's top powerhouses collided fiercely over the sea, causing the waves to surge higher and higher as if they were caught in a storm.
And in the sky, thunder roared, and a few seconds later, a deafening thunderclap was triggered, and a torrential downpour suddenly began!
SPLASHHH!
The rain poured down, making the sky even darker. The white mist rising from the sea also made visibility increasingly blurred.
In the center of the icy expanse below, Sengoku and Kaido stared at each other from a distance before both let out a furious roar. Their steps, which caused the ice to crack and tremble, stomped as they charged toward each other!
"A clash of kings right from the start, huh? Heh, that's exciting…"
"Famine Calamity" Arno looked at the scene, suddenly waved his hand, and laughed loudly: "Heh ha ha ha ha, since Kaido-sama has charged forward, we can't just stand here and watch!"
"Follow him, men! Kill all the Marines here and avenge our fallen brothers!"
RUMBLE!
A thick bolt of lightning happened to flash across the sky, illuminating his ferocious face. Countless pirates answered in unison, rushing down from their ships and into the icy terrain like a raging tide.
"Stop them! Annihilate all the pirates before they reach our front line!"
Akainu roared. He was the first to charge forward from the artillery formation.
Behind him, all the cannons fired at full blast, providing cover for a large number of Marines who charged out of the formation, clashing violently with the surging pirates!
This moment marked the official start of the all-out war between Marine Headquarters and the Beasts Pirates!
...
At the same time…
No one noticed.
In the rain, a small hot air balloon floated in the sky, more than ten kilometers away, where a few figures were watching the events unfold.
"They haven't even fought yet, but just the clash of their Conqueror's Haki is causing such a terrifying change in the weather…"
The leader was Morgans, president of the World Economy News Paper. He lowered his binoculars and laughed excitedly,
"A Marine Admiral Sengoku, and Kaido of the Beasts, plus tens of thousands of Marines and pirates fighting together! Ha ha ha, what a spectacle! It was worth coming here, worth it!"
"President…"
One of his subordinates was so terrified that his heart was pounding. He couldn't help but remind him, "Shouldn't we pull back a little? Our current distance isn't safe enough. If we get caught in the crossfire…"
"What are you afraid of?!"
Morgans didn't care and scoffed, "As a journalist, you should have the resolve of a journalist! If you don't take a little risk, how can you get firsthand information, and how can the newspaper sell well?"
This isn't a "little" risk... a few subordinates thought, on the verge of tears.
"Besides…" they heard Morgans say with a low chuckle, "The show today isn't just this. If all goes as planned, there will be an even bigger spectacle to watch later…"
An even bigger spectacle?
The few of them exchanged confused glances.
What did the president mean by that? Did he know some incredible inside information?
Or was it that, besides the Beasts Pirates and the Marines, another force was planning to get involved?
No way, who would have the guts to do that?
Morgans chuckled. He had no intention of answering and raised his binoculars again…