"The Five Elders?"
King and Queen's expressions changed dramatically.
They never imagined the Five Elders would appear in a place like this—let alone say something so absurd.
"Five Elders, are you joking? The Navy is your dog, and now you're telling me we share a target? What, you plan to use yourself as bait to lure me in and then snipe me down?"
Perched high in the sky, Kaido of the Beasts let out a savage laugh.
"I, Kaido, may not like thinking things through, but that doesn't mean I don't have a brain."
"You've underestimated me, Five Elders."
"Of course, if you want to keep fighting, come at me. I won't be as stupid as before, letting Doflamingo mess with my head. Next time that brat drops a meteor, I won't tank it—I'll blast it to pieces!"
His thunderous roar echoed through the clouds.
Kaido's blood-red eyes suddenly locked onto Doflamingo, and a crushing wave of killing intent exploded outward.
His massive body—dozens of meters tall—lunged straight at Doflamingo.
"You damn clown! If it weren't for you screwing me over, that brat wouldn't have caught me off guard. I told you—I'm going to kill you!"
Doflamingo's face turned pale.
He hadn't wanted to come here in the first place, precisely because he feared Kaido's wrath.
But before he could even speak, Ethan had already warped them here.
Now, faced with Kaido's thunderous fury, Doflamingo was completely rattled.
Boom!
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's katana flashed from its sheath, clashing against Kaido's kanabo.
The shockwave blasted outward.
The already-damaged ship couldn't withstand the impact and shattered completely.
King and Queen tensed up instantly.
This was their last ship.
If it went down too, they'd be stranded.
"Kaido, stand down!" Nusjuro barked, his face darkening.
"Whatever's between you and Doflamingo, let it go—for the sake of the Five Elders."
"As for your question—why we'd want to eliminate a dog…"
"Let me tell you: if a dog shows signs of biting its master, does it still deserve to live?"
"All we want is a dog that's obedient and easy to control. That's enough."
Kaido's expression darkened.
Nusjuro's sudden declaration clearly caught him off guard.
But then Kaido burst into unrestrained laughter.
"Hah! You're not wrong. If you can't have it, destroy it—that's how the strong operate!"
"In that case, let's go. We'll storm their gates and cut that brat down!"
With a furious roar, Kaido launched into the air again.
But before he could move far, Nusjuro appeared like a phantom, blocking his path.
"Kaido, I can't act openly in this matter. If I do, the Navy will never obey us again."
"So to ensure everything goes as planned, I need you to set the real trap—a true kill zone. Only then can we guarantee this becomes a deathmatch with no escape."
Nusjuro's voice was low and grave.
Kaido and Doflamingo both froze.
Only after hearing the full plan did they realize the scale of what the Five Elders and Nusjuro were orchestrating.
This… this was a true death trap.
Kaido's face twisted with fury.
But remembering the humiliation he suffered at Luoyu's hands, he clenched his jaw and nodded silently.
Kaido knew—if he faced Luoyu again, he wouldn't lose due to a lapse in judgment.
But to truly erase Luoyu and vent his rage…
He still wasn't confident.
Which made Nusjuro's plan all the more appealing.
"Good. If you've no objections, then let's move."
Nusjuro calmly sheathed his blade.
Seeing the matter settled, Doflamingo—who had been on edge—finally exhaled in relief.
But a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes.
Recalling Nusjuro's proposed trap, Doflamingo was certain—this time, they couldn't fail.
If even this lineup couldn't take down that brat, he might as well chop off his own head and use it as a chair.
Three days later, as the Summit War came to an end…
The entire New World was shaken to its core.
Factions across the seas were left dumbfounded.
Two of the Four Emperors had been defeated.
Whitebeard, in full view of the world, had willingly walked to his death.
The Navy's reputation soared—and with it, the name of the fourth admiral, Luoyu the Glutton, reached new heights.
Originally, the Navy's top three admirals were led by Sakazuki (Akainu).
But now, with Luoyu's sudden rise—having sunk Kaido and slain Whitebeard—he was hailed as the strongest of the four.
In some places, the name "Glutton" alone was enough to silence crying children.
Across the seas, pirates trembled at the mention of him.
After all, if even two Emperors couldn't withstand him, what chance did the small fry have?
With two Emperors falling in quick succession, the balance of power—once held by the Seven Warlords, the Four Emperors, and the Navy—was shattered.
Now, with four admirals standing tall and Luoyu's meteoric rise, the Navy's strength surged.
As power shifted, rumors spread like wildfire: the Great Pirate Winter had begun.
Meanwhile, in the massive palace on Whole Cake Island…
The Big Mom Pirates had gathered.
At the head stood the Four Sweet Commanders.
Charlotte Perospero, eldest son of the Charlotte family, licked his candy cane and chuckled dryly as he stepped forward.
"Mama, over the past three days, rumors of a Pirate Winter have spread across the seas. Many pirates fear the Navy will use this chance to purge them, so they've fled to our territory, begging to join the Big Mom Pirates."
"I've counted seventy-eight crews. Half of them have bounties over 100 million. If we absorb them all, our strength will grow immensely."
"Once we crush the Red-Hair Pirates and the remnants of Whitebeard's crew, we'll become the rulers of the New World."
"No—of the entire sea. At that point, even if we go head-to-head with the Navy, we won't need to fear them!"
His voice echoed through the hall.
Everyone present was visibly stirred, smiles spreading across their faces.
But before they could respond—
A voice rang out unexpectedly:
"No. This is a dire omen!"