If Jerry hadn't anticipated this sudden shift and remained constantly vigilant, he would have fallen directly into Kaido's trap.
Using the recoil from deflecting the kanabo, Jerry appeared on Kaido's flank just as the Emperor's offensive momentum was exhausted, then swept across with his fishing rod using extraordinary force.
"Water Blade: Rising Dragon!"
Unexpectedly, Kaido suddenly transformed into his full beast form, collapsing to the ground in his massive Blue Dragon shape while wailing with theatrical frustration: "I can't even protect my own home base properly..."
Jerry felt momentarily stunned by his opponent's sudden transformation and how Kaido had utilized the dramatic difference in size and positioning to completely avoid his attack.
Just at that critical moment, Kaido—who had been muttering pitifully to himself on the ground—suddenly launched upward with explosive force, opened his colossal dragon maw wide, and unleashed devastatingly hot breath that covered all the space around Jerry, leaving him with nowhere to escape.
The dragon's breath erupted with unstoppable force, obliterating every obstacle along its path.
As the superheated wind dissipated, Jerry suddenly descended from above like a falling meteor, delivering a tremendous kick directly to Kaido's dragon head that sent the Emperor crashing toward the ground.
With a thunderous impact, the earth cracked and fissures spread rapidly like an enormous spider web across the fortress.
"You bastard! That really hurt!" Kaido wailed with tears flowing like waterfalls down his massive draconic features.
Looking at the still-intoxicated Kaido, Jerry displayed a grim smile: "I can't help myself. When I see something acting cute, I always get the urge to bully it mercilessly."
Anticipating that one kick wouldn't be sufficient to accomplish his objective completely, Jerry planted his foot firmly on his opponent's dragon head and swung the fishing rod in his hands with tremendous violence.
However, before his attack could connect with the enemy's body, Jerry suddenly felt his footing disappear. Kaido had transformed back into his hybrid half-dragon form.
"You little brat! You've sobered me up from what little alcohol I had left!" Kaido roared, having returned to normal consciousness. The kanabo gripped tightly in both hands was now wreathed in heart-stopping black lightning. "Get down here right now!"
"Raimei Hakke!"
Faced with a swift attack that exceeded ordinary human reaction capabilities, Jerry—while falling toward the ground—twisted his waist and swung his arms, raising his fishing rod to meet the devastating assault head-on.
"Water Blade: Dimension Slash!"
In their fierce confrontation, crackling Haki lightning intertwined and scattered while razor-sharp winds carved smooth cuts of varying lengths throughout their surroundings. Both combatants once again flew involuntarily in opposite directions at tremendous speed.
Unlike their previous weapon-to-weapon collisions during earlier exchanges, this time both fighters seemed to have intentionally used their techniques to avoid each other's weapons and strike directly at their opponent's body.
After the violent impact, two muffled groans sounded almost simultaneously, followed by continuous reverberations of destruction.
"Ptui! That club really has an awful taste," Jerry spat out blood, leaped from the deep crater his impact had created, tore off his tattered shirt, and rubbed his chest while locking his gaze on the half-dragon figure a hundred meters away.
Kaido gripped his weapon tightly in his right hand while gently stroking a fresh scar on his left ribcage with his left hand. He spoke in grave tones: "Boy! You have earned my genuine respect! This wound will probably leave a permanent mark."
Although the two combatants stood far apart, Jerry could hear his words perfectly clearly. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he stretched his body and immediately launched another charge.
"It's far from over! You'll definitely be wearing more scars before this is finished."
Hearing Jerry's confident declaration, Kaido's eyes flashed with genuine enthusiasm as he grinned broadly: "If you've got the spine for it, then show me what you can do!"
Facing this powerful enemy who had appeared so suddenly, Kaido felt his blood boiling within his chest while his fighting spirit grew stronger and stronger.
Jerry experienced similar sensations, but he didn't allow these feelings to continue fermenting in his heart. After all, he wasn't a battle-obsessed maniac like his opponent.
Thunderous crashes erupted one after another as the two combatants resembled a demolition crew specializing in architectural destruction. With each collision of their techniques, they systematically smashed the skull fortress into increasingly smaller pieces.
Meanwhile, the "Ice Oni" virus continued spreading rapidly across the battlefield through the indiscriminate attacks of the infected. The precious antidote sample was being transported to the still-anchored Black Nova by Deuce in his pink dragon form.
"Don't stop me! I need those antibodies!"
"Ahahaha! The antibodies are on that pirate ship, but we can't break through their defenses!"
Even with the enhanced physical attributes granted by their "Ice Oni" infection, the affected Beast Pirates remained unable to penetrate the defensive line formed by Tama's converted Headliners and Gifters.
Witnessing the chaos unfolding before him, Deuce no longer hesitated and resolutely entered his personal laboratory aboard the Black Nova.
"Muhahahaha! Although I was frozen for no apparent reason, I still want to thank you for the entertainment!" Queen easily broke free from the icy restraints covering his body and produced his loudspeaker to address the battlefield once again.
"You idiots want antidote to my virus? If you want them so badly, I'll tell you where to find them! Go and search for yourselves—I put them somewhere special!"
Hearing Queen's inexplicably excited proclamation, Skull looked up at the sky with obvious exasperation. His gaze seemed to penetrate the barriers of Onigashima's skull buildings and reach directly toward Jerry's aerial battle as he spread his hands in dismay: "Are you seriously trying to start some kind of 'Great Age of Antidote' now?"
"Don't act like this has nothing to do with us! They're all coming after our position!" Carina raised her hand and slapped Skull on the back while pointing at the "Ice Oni" victims who were approaching with obvious madness.
Skull glanced toward the coastal area where the Black Nova was anchored—now surrounded by hundreds of converted Zoan-type Devil Fruit users who obeyed Tama's commands—and patted his chest confidently: "What's there to be afraid of? Just watch me handle this!"
As he spoke, he produced a simple megaphone from his backpack as if by magic and shouted loudly across the battlefield: "All members of the Beast Pirates! Are you really going to continue fighting for people who have completely abandoned you?"
"There's only one antidote dose available! Even if you manage to obtain it, that medicine can only treat a single person! You'd be much better off trusting us and helping our cause instead! Our ship's doctor is absolutely exceptional—just give him some time and he'll definitely produce massive quantities of antidote, providing genuine hope of survival for everyone!"
"Of course, if you insist on continuing to fight against us, then whatever happens next is entirely your own fault!"
Skull's voice rang out like thunder amid the chaos, causing some poisoned pirates who hadn't yet lost their sanity to pause and reconsider their options. However, many others remained stubbornly committed to their original course of action.
The two factions began confronting and fighting each other, while the indiscriminate attacks from pirates who had fully transformed into "Ice Oni" made the entire scene a complete mess.
However, seeing this development, Skull nodded with obvious satisfaction. He turned toward Carina and shrugged as if to say that psychological warfare was simply a piece of cake for someone with his expertise.
The approach Skull had suggested actually aligned perfectly with Deuce's tactical thinking.
As someone who had traveled extensively around the world and learned medical techniques from numerous cultures and traditions, Deuce possessed both the confidence and ability to replicate Queen's virus antibodies within a relatively short timeframe.
Deuce believed that successfully replicating the antibodies would not only divide their enemies from within, but also provide an additional layer of protection for his companions.
In the distance, Queen observed how his opponents had resolved their crisis with just a few well-chosen words while simultaneously inciting many of his own subordinates to defect. He didn't seem particularly concerned and was preparing to continue his psychological manipulation using the loudspeaker.
But at that moment, a sword strike carrying supernatural cold shot out from his flank and pointed directly toward his position.
"Not again?!" Queen's eyes bulged as he released a startled cry and instantly transformed into his standing Brachiosaurus form.
As a scientist who had mastered various dangerous technologies, Queen had performed extensive modifications on himself. His hybrid state wasn't merely a simple animal transformation, but incorporated mechanical components and weapons throughout his arms, tail, and other strategic locations.
"Brachio Launcher!"
Queen's mechanically enhanced right arm erupted in flames as he stepped forward and threw a devastating punch toward Brook, who had returned to the battlefield.
Supernatural cold and mechanical fire met in violent collision, creating intertwining shockwaves of opposing temperatures that swept across the surrounding area. Queen staggered backward several steps, snorted with disdain, and immediately launched himself forward again toward Brook, who had skillfully absorbed the impact and gracefully retreated.
Just as both combatants engaged in close-quarters combat, a tremendously powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki suddenly erupted, sweeping across the entirety of Onigashima.
Then a booming laugh echoed from the sky above: "Mamamama! Kaido! Don't think that just because these little brats came knocking on your door, that Laugh Tale pointer belongs to you!"
The voice belonged to Charlotte Linlin—Big Mom herself had arrived at Onigashima, and the battle was about to escalate to an entirely new level of chaos and destruction.