On the skull-shaped island of Onigashima, a tense and brutally oppressive atmosphere hung thick in the air, heavy with the scent of ozone and pulverized stone.
The battle in the skies and across the ravaged landscape raged on, a fierce, apocalyptic clash that unfolded like a grand, sweeping painting of destruction.
The fight between Big Mom and Kaido, two of the world's four Emperors, had long since abandoned any pretense of skill or strategy.
It had devolved into a primal, earth-shattering contest of pure, unadulterated brute strength.
Every punch carried the power to crack the very heavens, every slam had the force to split the earth.
The entire island groaned and shuddered under the sheer weight of their battle, a constant, violent tremor that had not ceased for three days and three nights.
"MAMAMAMAMA! Kaido, you're as tough as ever, you drunken fool!" Big Mom's voice boomed across the island, a force of nature in itself, filled with a boundless, joyous fury.
Her massive frame, wreathed in lightning from her homie Zeus and fire from Prometheus, loomed like a sentient mountain, matching Kaido's own colossal dragon-hybrid form without faltering an inch.
Her eyes burned with a fierce, hungry light, and every punch she threw was a swift and devastating meteor.
The air itself tore apart under her strikes, howling as each blow, coated in a thick, shimmering layer of Armament Haki, aimed straight for Kaido's vital points, as if she sought to crush him in a single, final assault.
"WORORORO! Don't get senile on me, Linlin! You haven't lost your edge either, you old hag!"
By now, Kaido had long since discarded his Hassaikai, which lay half-buried in a crater miles away.
His entire body radiated a wild, untamed aura, a physical manifestation of his title as the "Strongest Creature."
His fists, as large as millstones and covered in a dense layer of draconic scales and even denser Haki, struck like steel-forged warhammers.
Each punch met Big Mom's with an unstoppable, cataclysmic force.
The moment their fists collided, time and again, the entire island seemed to scream.
Blinding flashes of crimson and black lightning, the tell-tale sign of Conqueror's Haki clashing, erupted from the point of impact, vaporizing the very air around them.
Shockwaves, visible and violent, tore across the landscape, ripping ancient trees from the ground and sending them spinning into the sky like twigs.
Under the overwhelming force of their duel, the island of Onigashima trembled violently.
The once-solid ground now felt as fragile as paper, the violent shaking causing the remaining fortress buildings to sway precariously, shedding tiles and stone like dandruff.
Countless rocks and boulders were dislodged from the steep cliffs, tumbling down in great avalanches, crashing and grinding against each other with sharp, cracking reports.
The onlookers—the Flying Six of the Beasts Pirates and the Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates—could only watch from a safe distance, a shared sense of weary absurdity washing over them.
"This is ridiculous," Ulti grumbled, adjusting her mask.
"Kaido is the strongest! Why hasn't he just flattened that old hag yet?"
"Because that 'old hag' is a Yonko, you idiot," Page One muttered, rubbing his sore jaw.
"Their stamina is monstrous. They're both monsters."
On the other side, Perospero licked his candy cane nervously.
"Mama seems to be enjoying herself, perorin… but this is taking quite a while. Our forces are getting restless."
These two titans had been fighting for three days and three nights, and as far as anyone could tell, neither showed a single sign of significant injury.
At this rate, they could fight for another year and there still wouldn't be a winner.
"It seems Kaido-sama injuries have mostly healed," King noted, his voice calm and analytical from his position in the air.
"Indeed," Queen added from the ground, picking at his teeth.
"Who would have thought this little spat would last this long? Crazy!"
Just as the crowd murmured in awe and exhaustion, the tense and murderous atmosphere that had choked the island for days suddenly… dissipated.
There was one final, apocalyptic clash.
Their fists met with a sound that was not a sound, a pure concussion that blasted away the clouds and shook the very sea around the island.
They were locked in a stalemate, muscles straining, Haki flaring, neither giving an inch.
They stood there, panting heavily, chests rising and falling like massive bellows, recounting the intensity and sheer exhilaration of their clash.
Their eyes locked onto each other… and then, as if sharing the same insane, private joke, they both burst into wild, unrestrained laughter.
The sound, a duet of "MAMAMAMA" and "WORORORO," echoed across the now-quiet island, carrying a hint of recklessness, mutual respect, and pure, unadulterated defiance.
"Alright, you old hag! It's just some damn blood! I'll give it to you, no problem!" Kaido said between ragged, wheezing breaths, his tone still laced with a grudging mockery.
"Kaido, you brat! So you finally remembered the debt you owe me!" Big Mom shot back, glaring at him, though her eyes now flashed with cold amusement rather than fury.
Unbidden, memories of the past surfaced in her mind.
God Valley.
The Rocks Pirates.
She remembered giving him that Devil Fruit, the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu.
The Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Azure Dragon Form.
She had gone through hell and high water to obtain it, seeing the raw potential in the young, reckless apprentice on their crew.
Without her, he never would have become the invincible dragon, one of the Four Emperors.
And now, this ungrateful brat had the audacity to make her beat the memory of that debt back into him.
It was both infuriating and, she had to admit, incredibly amusing.
She knew, with absolute certainty, that had she shown even the slightest weakness in their battle, Kaido would have gleefully crushed her and never given her a single drop of blood.
"Hmph!" Big Mom snorted, a sound dripping with disdain.
Then, without a care for the dirt, rubble, and debris beneath her, she plopped down cross-legged on the ground, her massive frame settling firmly and kicking up a small cloud of dust.
"If you promised me your blood, then hurry up and give it to me," she demanded, her piercing gaze leaving no room for refusal.
"Hold on, hold on," Kaido grumbled, also sitting down, his towering frame like a small mountain range.
He slowly unhooked a massive, double-gourded container of liquor from his waist, raised it to his lips, and took two deep, long swigs.
Alcohol spilled from the corners of his mouth, running down his chin.
"Damn, that hits the spot," he sighed, wiping his mouth roughly with the back of his hand, his face alight with satisfaction.
"It's been too long since I had a real, proper fight!" A lingering thrill of battle was still coursing through his veins.
"That bastard Newgate," Kaido scowled, irritation flashing in his eyes, "relying on his damn fruit and his speed, he never fought me head-on like this. It was a frustrating battle!"
Then, without another word, he tossed the massive gourd to Big Mom.
She caught it with one hand, a practiced and easy motion, as if they had done this a hundred times before in their youth.
She took two deep gulps in quick succession, the liquor flowing down her throat with a crisp, audible sound.
A sharp, exhilarating fire spread through her body.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling the fatigue of the three-day battle being washed away by the potent alcohol.
"MAMAMAMA… Devil Fruits are just external power, you idiot," she said, her voice a low rumble, not even glancing at Kaido.
"If your Observation Haki is strong enough to predict his movements, if your Armament Haki is strong enough to hurt him regardless of his quakes, how could Whitebeard ever take advantage of you?" She calmly analyzed the facts, her words a blunt and brutal assessment of Kaido's own weakness.
Naturally, this displeased the "Strongest Creature" greatly.
His brows furrowed like storm clouds, his eyes flashing with displeasure, the fire of his fury threatening to reignite.
Yet, surprisingly, Kaido didn't rush to defend himself.
He didn't roar or smash his fist into the ground.
He merely tilted his head slightly, his gaze drifting past her to the distant, boundless horizon, as if contemplating something far more profound than their fight.
As if her words had struck a deeper, truer chord than any of her punches had.