Upon hearing Kaido's proposal, the very air seemed to freeze.
Jozu's pupils contracted violently as he instantly saw through Kaido's scheme: No matter which side he chose to block, the other would easily break through.
The three Calamities working together might be able to hold him off, but if Kaido personally gave chase... Ace would have no chance of survival.
In that split second, Jozu had already made his decision.
The Diamond Sword suddenly disassembled and reformed, transforming into three hundred and sixty diamond prisms floating in the air.
Each prism began accumulating blinding golden light—he intended to blockade the entire airspace single-handedly!
"Diamond Prism: Chaos Laser!"
With a furious roar, all prisms simultaneously unleashed high-intensity laser beams.
But the target wasn't the Calamities—they were aimed directly at Kaido!
The dense beams split and refracted mid-flight, forming an inescapable net of firepower to pin the Yonko down.
"You chose wrong."
Kaido sneered as he swung his club to block the lights, only to see Jozu's true form flash before him.
A diamond fist wrapped in three layers of power—Diamond, Light, and Quake—slammed toward the dragon's head.
"Of course I'd pick the strongest to fight!"
Jozu's roar shattered the clouds.
His peripheral vision caught King, Queen, and Jack breaking through the fire net and fleeing into the distance after Ace, but he gritted his teeth.
'Ace... the rest is up to you now.'
BOOM!
The shockwave from the collision between his fist and the dragon's claw boiled the entire sea like a bubbling cauldron.
After the Calamities had gone far enough, Kaido looked at Jozu and sneered.
"Your Armament Haki is decent, but without Conqueror's Haki, you're still one level away from being a true powerhouse."
As he spoke, Kaido's aura shifted.
Dark red streams of Conqueror's Haki flowed out and wrapped around Hassaikai.
It didn't just coat the weapon; it flowed like black lightning, crackling with a distinct, buzzing sound.
Even before the spiked club descended, its terrifying pressure caused the rock layers within a kilometer to collapse and sink.
Under this oppressive force, Jozu's diamond armor emitted unbearable cracking sounds, with fine fractures spreading across its surface like spiderwebs.
His body trembled slightly, but his eyes shone with unwavering determination.
"Watch closely, brat!" Kaido's dragon whiskers danced wildly within the Haki aura. "This is the power that rules the seas!"
"Conqueror of Three Worlds: Ragnaraku!"
Along the trajectory of Hassaikai's descent, space shattered like glass.
The purple-black lightning coiled around the spiked club like venomous snakes, tearing through the air with piercing shrieks.
Jozu's feet sank deep into the rock layer, but he refused to retreat even an inch.
He knew that if he sidestepped even half a step now, Kaido would seize the opportunity to break through.
With the flight speed of the Azure Dragon, catching up to Ace would be merely a matter of time.
"Triple Mirror Reflection: Absolute Fortress!"
Jozu crossed his arms in front, his diamond armor instantly multiplying into a three-meter-thick giant shield wall coated with his own supreme Armament Haki!
The shield wall's surface shimmered with purple-black light and white tremor halos, resembling an impregnable fortress.
CRASH——!!!
The moment Hassaikai collided with the Diamond Shield, the entire remnant of the island's crust was blasted into the sky.
The massive shockwave pulverized all surrounding rocks into dust.
Black-red lightning spread across the shield surface like a plague.
The "invincible" diamond, carefully constructed with facets, began decaying and disintegrating at visible speed under the Advanced Conqueror's assault.
The muscles in Jozu's arms tore inch by inch, blood seeping from the wounds, yet the diamond crystals forcibly maintained his defensive posture.
"Useless!" Kaido's dragon pupils flashed with cruel light. "Haki transcends all!"
The spiked club suddenly exerted secondary force, creating a terrifying concave arc in the center of the shield wall.
Blood continuously trickled from the corner of Jozu's mouth.
The strain from overloading three Devil Fruit abilities made his internal organs bleed, yet his contorted face revealed a mad grin.
"Heh... then how about THIS?!"
KABOOM!
The shield wall suddenly self-destructed!
Countless diamond shards, imbued with the explosive power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and the heat of photon energy, blasted toward Kaido's face like shotgun pellets at point-blank range.
"Gah!"
This suicidal counterattack finally forced the Hybrid Dragon to retreat half a step, raising Hassaikai to block the shrapnel.
Seizing this opening, Jozu gasped heavily as he reformed his diamond armor.
He knew all too well that his speed advantage meant nothing if he couldn't dodge.
The stamina consumption from simultaneously operating three Devil Fruits was five times the usual limit.
Most critically, without Conqueror's Haki, he truly struggled to withstand Kaido's attacks.
"But..."
Jozu spat out a mouthful of clotted blood, the Diamond Sword materializing once more.
"As long as I can hold you back... that's enough!"
His eyes began to turn bloodshot, the muscles beneath his diamond armor swelling unnaturally—a sign of life force depletion.
Kaido shook off the diamond fragments embedded in his scales and suddenly burst into maniacal laughter.
"Worororo! Interesting! Let's see how long you can last!"
His Hassaikai crackled with even more intense lightning.
"Every minute that passes, your Fire-Fist brother gets one step closer to death at the hands of my Calamities!"
Between sea and sky, the two figures clashed once more.
This time, Jozu completely abandoned defense, each strike carrying the determination to perish together.
Fragments of diamond and dragon scales continuously flew in all directions, turning the surrounding sea into a deadly metallic storm.
...
Across the azure sea.
A massive fleet silently cut through the waves, the white sails bearing the seagull insignia of the Marines.
On the lead warship's deck, Admiral Akainu stood draped in his "Justice" cloak, cigar smoke twisting in the salty sea breeze.
Behind him stood dozens of elite Marine officers, all sharing the belief in Absolute Justice.
"According to CP0's latest intelligence," Akainu's voice rumbled like molten rock, "the Eternal Divine Kingdom's tournament has reached its climax."
His fist unconsciously turned to magma, the dripping lava scorching black holes into the deck.
"This operation must wash away the shame of the Summit War!"
About three nautical miles behind the main fleet, five warships disguised as merchant vessels maintained perfect distance.
The decks of these "merchant ships" were piled high with cargo containers, the crew dressed in civilian clothes. Even the sails bore generic trade company logos.
On the deck of the lead merchant ship.
Vice Admiral Momonga puffed his cigar, his eyes scanning the nautical chart.
"During the tournament, the Eternal Divine Kingdom's entry inspections will be much more relaxed." His finger tapped a spot marked Southwest Port.
"This is the safest point to infiltrate."
Vice Admiral Onigumo polished his eight swords, sneering coldly.
"Those pirates would never expect us to strike while they're distracted competing for Devil Fruits. This time, we'll make them pay!"
After a moment of contemplation, Vice Admiral Doberman spoke, checking his watch.
"The Science Unit's interference devices are already in position. At the signal, we will block the Eternal Divine Kingdom's surveillance Den Den Mushi and blind Ron to our approach."
"Good," Momonga nodded. "Prepare for landing."