Thanks to Kotatsu's live broadcast, the world watched in confusion and amazement as the Black Star Pirates once again stirred up unprecedented chaos.
"What kind of battle is this? A world war?"
"According to the rumors, it was the Black Star Pirates who started this whole mess!"
"Are you kidding me? A massive fight between the Beast Pirates, Big Mom Pirates, Whitebeard Pirates, and Black Star Pirates all at once?"
"That's... that's King, one of the Three All-Stars of the Beast Pirates! How could he be defeated!?"
"Of course he lost—his opponents are the Black Star Pirates!"
"Huh? Are you looking down on the Beast Pirates?"
"I'm looking down on YOU!"
In the tavern of Mock Town, the pirates had initially been drinking peacefully and chatting casually. However, when Kotatsu's broadcast signal invaded every Den Den Mushi screen, the live footage of the Battle of Onigashima suddenly appeared on the wall displays.
The shocking scenes instantly sparked heated discussions among the pirates. They cheered for whichever crew they admired and respected most. When the debates grew too intense, fists started flying on the spot.
Simultaneously, countless Visual Den Den Mushi across the world—through hijacked signals and various broadcast channels—transmitted the ongoing war that was shocking the entire planet.
Mariejois, Between the Powers
The Five Elders each maintained their characteristic poses, but their usual calm composure had completely vanished. Instead, they listened to their subordinates' reports with increasingly furrowed brows.
After their subordinates departed, they began their urgent discussion.
"Kaido and Big Mom... an alliance between Four Emperors crews. This is a catastrophic development."
"But the Whitebeard Pirates and Black Star Pirates... it's not quite an alliance, yet it's somehow stronger than one."
"Whichever side emerges victorious, the balance of power will be completely shattered."
"The most troublesome aspect is..."
At the same time, Marines, pirates, and civilians across all four seas—wherever broadcasting equipment was available—involuntarily stopped their activities to pay close attention to this battle unfolding in distant waters.
Wano Country, Onigashima
Occasional falling debris, fierce winds, and explosive heat waves from the skull dome's interior terrified the countless Pleasures and Waiters scattered across the ground level.
In front of the massive skull fortress, Brook swung his sword with visible excitement after witnessing King and Jack's consecutive defeats. Meanwhile, Queen grew increasingly nervous as their duel progressed.
"What the hell is going on?! Does that really make me the strongest?" Queen muttered to himself in confusion, extending his right mechanical arm. A sharp laser beam burst from his cybernetic claws.
The explosion was deafeningly loud and sent vibrations through the ground, but it still failed to hit Brook. The blast only frightened the nearby converted subordinates, causing them to stumble backward several steps.
Seeing Brook leap upward and rapidly close the distance between them, Queen's mouth curved into an almost imperceptible sneer.
Several beam bullets shot from Quinn's modified eyes, heading straight for Brook's approaching figure.
"What?!" Brook was startled by the sudden crisis. He instinctively swung his cane sword, redirecting his originally offensive strike to accurately deflect the energy projectiles.
A series of explosions from the beam bullets immediately engulfed Brook's figure in smoke and debris.
Having successfully landed a surprise hit and gained the advantage, Queen laughed triumphantly. "Hahaha! See that? Science is the most powerful weapon! Believe in science, you bag of bones!"
Before finishing his boast, he suddenly swung his mechanical arm rapidly, launching a torrential barrage of claw attacks at the smoke that hadn't yet cleared.
"Wind-Coming Fist!"
Howling gusts swept outward, blowing away all the smoke in the area and revealing a slightly disheveled Brook.
But Brook reacted with lightning speed, dodging and counterattacking in split seconds.
"Don't underestimate me! Just because they failed doesn't mean I'll be defeated so easily!"
Queen violently extended his left arm, not stopping even when it reached its normal limit. Thanks to his mechanical modifications, this limb could easily stretch dozens of meters.
"Brachio Launcher!"
Queen's extended arm shot forward, attempting to grab his enemy and tear him to pieces.
However, his arm failed to make contact with Brook's body, only managing to snag the edge of his clothing.
"Soul Solid: Chill of the Underworld!"
Like the voice of a vengeful spirit, Brook's figure moved like a phantom, instantly surrounding Quinn from multiple angles.
Bitter cold air swirled through the atmosphere, and the space within dozens of meters froze into a thick layer of ice in the blink of an eye.
In an instant, biting chill rose from beneath Queen's feet, and his movements became extremely stiff.
Brook, having anticipated this outcome, swayed his body and rushed toward Queen like a bullet, gripping his cane sword tightly in preparation for the decisive strike.
But at this crucial moment, Queen—who should have been frozen solid—suddenly shook his massive head. Frost flew in all directions as his body lurched forward, all the ice binding his frame cracking and falling away.
Brook was surprised and attempted to twist his body backward in evasion, but he hadn't expected that Queen's neck had also been extensively modified and could extend freely.
"Gotcha now, skeleton!"
Queen grinned wickedly as his neck suddenly stretched out. His bloody maw, transformed into his Brachiosaurus form, opened wide and snapped shut, catching Brook around the waist.
"Shock QUEEN!"
"Die!" Dazzling electrical energy erupted as Queen bit down with his massive jaws. But simultaneously, he was struck by an extreme chill that burst forth wildly.
At this critical moment, Brook launched his desperate counterattack.
"Soul Solid: Death's Embrace!"
A brilliant sword light flashed across the battlefield, and the air filled with such intense cold that even time itself seemed frozen.
Queen's entire body locked up rigid. The electrical discharge that had been radiating around his head flickered several times before disappearing without a trace.
Immediately afterward, starting from Queen's gaping mouth, an icy breath rapidly spread throughout his body. Wherever it passed, thick layers of ice quickly emerged—but this wasn't ordinary ice.
"I learned that freezing your body alone won't be enough," Brook said softly, breaking free from Queen's massive jaws and falling to the ground. After staggering a few steps, he continued his explanation. "But what happens when I freeze your soul as well? I don't suppose your technology can defend against attacks directed at the spirit itself?"
"Oh, and I forgot to mention—lightning has no effect on me whatsoever. Yohohoho!"
Brook slowly sheathed his sword, then immediately collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Ow! Too many parts of my body are broken, and my muscles have difficulty exerting strength... Oh wait, I don't have any muscles to begin with! Yohohohoho!"
Brook's mumbled self-entertainment went unheard by most observers. All everyone could see was that despite appearing seriously injured, he had actually defeated Queen, one of the Three All-Stars.
After reaching this shocking conclusion, everyone in the Beast Pirates—from the highest-ranking officers to the lowliest grunts—stood dumbfounded.
"The Three All-Stars... all three disasters have been defeated..."
"Who are these people? How can they be so powerful?"
"Then... what should we do now?"
The panicked discussions among Beast Pirates members might have been the only rational response to draw from the situation.
At this moment, the earth-shaking result of this duel was also spreading across the entire world through Kotatsu's broadcast.
Atop the Skull Dome
Big Mom made no attempt to dodge or avoid Ace's fire attacks. She raised Napoleon, her weapon incarnate, and slashed downward with tremendous force.
"It's useless! You're nothing but flickering candlelight! You can't do anything against me—I hold the very sun in my hands! Mamamama!"
Hearing Big Mom's arrogant words and mockery, Ace showed no sign of annoyance. He opened his mouth and retorted coolly: "Your fire and lightning can't do anything to me either, you crazy old hag."
The flames around Ace's body intensified as he prepared for the next exchange, his Conqueror's Haki beginning to manifest in black lightning around his form. The battle between fire wielders had only just begun, and the world watched with bated breath to see which flames would prove superior.
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