Simultaneously, Jack's tusks and Queen's mechanical claws attacked from two other directions!
"Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor!"
Ace unleashed his ultimate technique with all his remaining strength.
A massive, sun-like fireball erupted from his center, intending to incinerate everything in a wide radius.
Yet...
"Too naive!"
The three Calamities roared in unison.
King's wing, Queen's mechanical claw, and Jack's trunk were all coated in high-level Armament Haki.
They struck the fireball simultaneously!
BOOM!
The furious combined Haki attack accelerated abruptly, directly crushing the core of the fireball and dispersing the flames.
All three attacks landed squarely on Ace's physical body!
SCHLICK! — The sound of King's wing blade cutting into flesh.
CRACK! — The crisp snap of breaking ribs from Jack's trunk.
WHAM! — The explosive impact of Queen's mechanical fist.
"Guh—!"
Ace was sent flying like a ragdoll.
With his Logia intangibility nullified by their Haki, blood sprayed from his mouth and chest.
He crashed heavily to the ground, tumbling through the dirt. The flames around him flickered weakly—he was clearly at his limit.
"It's over, Fire Fist."
Queen's mechanical arm transformed into heavy Seastone shackles as he closed in step by step.
Ace struggled to rise, only to find he could barely move even a finger.
Through his blurred vision, he saw the looming figures of the Calamities drawing nearer...
"Jozu...." Ace murmured unwillingly, his vision darkening.
"Without Seastone cuffs right now, we'll just have to ensure he stays down."
CLANG!
King struck the back of Ace's head heavily with the hilt of his sword, rendering him completely unconscious.
He grabbed the limp body of the Second Division Commander.
The three Calamities exchanged glances before racing off toward Kaido's location.
In the night sky, only a few sparks of unextinguished fire remained, slowly dissipating in the wind.
...
Under the night's curtain.
The entire island trembled from the fierce battle between two powerhouses.
Jozu's body gleamed with diamond-like luster, refracting blinding light under the moonlight.
His right fist carried force sufficient to shatter mountains as it smashed toward Kaido's face—
"Diamond Art: Meteor Impact!"
Kaido grinned ferociously in his Hybrid Form, not dodging or evading.
His kanabo, Hassaikai, wreathed in purple-black Conqueror's Haki, met the attack with world-splitting momentum!
"Thunder Bagua!!"
KABOOM!!
The moment the two terrifying forces collided, space itself seemed to warp!
A blinding shockwave erupted in a circular pattern, uprooting all trees within a kilometer radius instantly.
Jozu grunted, fine cracks actually appearing on his diamond-encased arms.
The impact sent him flying backward, plowing a hundred-meter trench in the ground.
"Ugh...!"
Jozu knelt on one knee, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
His diamond-covered chest heaved violently, clearly having expended considerable energy.
"Worororo!"
Kaido strode forward with his kanabo resting on his shoulder. Only a few shallow white marks were visible on his dragon scales.
"Diamond Jozu? Three Devil Fruit abilities? Flashy tricks!" He laughed wildly, purple-black Conqueror's Haki flowing around him like a viscous substance.
"Without Conqueror's Haki, you'll never reach the true peak!"
Jozu gritted his teeth and stood up, his diamond body shimmering under the moonlight.
How could he not understand this truth? Under normal circumstances, he could easily use the Glint-Glint Fruit's speed advantage to maneuver around Kaido.
But now...
"Trying to run?"
Kaido suddenly turned, making as if to chase after the direction where Ace had disappeared.
"Then I'll go play with that Fire Fist kid first!"
"Don't even think about it!"
Jozu instantly elementalized, transforming into a stream of light to block Kaido's path.
His diamond-encased fist struck out again, but Kaido—already prepared for this reaction—smashed his kanabo down onto Jozu's shoulder!
CRACK!
In a teeth-grating sound of shattering, clear fractures appeared in the diamond covering Jozu's right shoulder.
Bearing the intense pain, his left fist blazed with blinding light.
"Flash: Diamond Stardust!"
Countless diamond fragments shot toward Kaido like shotgun pellets, but they all shattered upon contact with the Conqueror's Haki-wreathed kanabo.
Seizing the opportunity, Kaido delivered a powerful sweeping kick that sent Jozu flying once more!
"Pfft—!"
Jozu spat out a mouthful of blood, his diamond body beginning to flicker back to human flesh.
He struggled to prop himself up, his vision already growing blurry.
Kaido's tactics were too vicious—every time Jozu tried to create distance to recover, the Yonko would threaten to pursue Ace, forcing Jozu into a disadvantageous close-quarters clash.
"What? Is the diamond breaking?"
Kaido looked down contemptuously at Jozu, his kanabo once again wreathed in purple-black lightning.
"One final blow to send you off!"
He leaped into the air, spinning his club, the Haki growing denser and darker.
"Three Realms: Ragnaraku!!!"
A terrifying strike that shook the heavens and earth came crashing down!
Jozu mustered his last ounce of strength, hardening his entire body to the extreme with diamond, crossing his arms to block the blow head-on.
BOOM!!!!
Amid the deafening explosion, the entire island trembled violently.
When the dust settled, Jozu had reverted to his human form.
He lay bloodied in the center of a massive crater, his diamond-like body riddled with spiderweb-like cracks, his eyes glazed over.
Kaido, panting slightly, approached him.
Though the Yonko had sustained some minor injuries, his condition was clearly far superior.
"Third Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates... any last words?"
He raised his spiked club, ready to deliver the final blow to crush Jozu's skull.
Just then, King's voice echoed from the distance via a Den Den Mushi.
"Kaido-san! We've captured Fire Fist Ace!"
Hearing this, Kaido burst into laughter and retracted his club.
"Worororo! Well done!"
He looked down at the broken commander. "Consider yourself lucky, Diamond Jozu."
He turned and strode away, his voice echoing in the night breeze.
"Tell Newgate... his son is now in my hands! If he wants him back, he knows where to find me!"
Kaido had intended to kill Jozu, but he needed a messenger.
He needed someone to return and inform Whitebeard that Ace was in custody—otherwise, capturing Ace would have been for nothing.
A Den Den Mushi call could be ignored or disbelieved, but a battered son returning with the news? That would ignite the war he wanted.
Jozu struggled to stand, but could only watch helplessly as Kaido's figure receded into the distance.
Blood blurred his vision, and his last shred of consciousness faded with the retreating footsteps.
Not long after Kaido and the Calamities departed.
A small, inconspicuous black dot appeared on the sea.
It was a canoe flying a Marine flag, silently cutting through the waves as it headed toward the ravaged island.
Onboard were three Marines in plain clothes, carrying no weapons—only the recording Den Den Mushi clipped to their waists revealed their identity.
They were a reconnaissance team dispatched by Marine Headquarters.
The leading sergeant wiped sweat from his forehead and muttered under his breath.
"Another thankless routine mission... Let's hope we don't run into any trouble this time."
As they neared the shore, the sight before them made all three gasp in unison.
The entire island looked as if it had been crushed by a giant's hand.
The once-lush forests had vanished completely, replaced by a colossal crater over a kilometer in diameter.
The crater walls were smooth as glass, as if melted and solidified instantaneously by some terrifying force.
Scattered around were shimmering diamond fragments, gleaming like fallen stars under the moonlight.
"Is... is this destruction something humans are capable of?"