Shiro had long investigated the current forces within Wano.
Kaido's Beast Pirates, combined with Orochi's samurai retainers, formed a massive army—numbering in the thousands.
Even though he had already ordered Doflamingo to halt all weapons shipments to Kaido, the Yonko had still procured a vast arsenal through black-market deals and the plundering of nearby islands.
Their military strength remained formidable.
Shiro had already calculated everything in advance:
With the Virtue Pirates' core fighters—himself, Jinbe, Fujitora and the others—taking down Kaido, King the Wildfire, and the rest of the top-tiers would not be a problem.
But annihilating the thousands under Kaido and Orochi… that was another matter entirely.
Numbers alone, even with low individual strength, would sap the core fighters' stamina through sheer attrition.
Shiro had even considered the worst-case scenario:
The Virtue Pirates might get bogged down by Kaido's overwhelming numbers. Their strength could be consumed in the grind… leaving them at a disadvantage when the true clash against Kaido began.
But now—
With Moria acting as the "people's hero," the civilians of Wano had united in an instant.
These citizens had no formal combat training, armed only with sticks, kitchen knives, farm sickles—whatever they could grab.
Yet their hatred for Kaido and Orochi ran to the bone.
They fought without fear of death, fully capable of holding back Kaido's army.
With that pressure lifted, the Virtue Pirates would not be forced to divide their attention.
They could now focus entirely on Kaido and the Beast Pirates' elites.
When the "hero" Gecko Moria raised his arm high and roared—
"Rise up against Kaido! Take back Wano!!"
—the flames of rebellion finally erupted.
Tens of thousands of Wano's people surged toward the Beast Pirates, swinging crude weapons as they clashed with the well-equipped soldiers.
The Beast Pirates' Three All-Stars
On another front, the three All-Stars—King the Wildfire, Queen the Plague, and Jack the Drought—were marching toward the port.
And there, they ran straight into the tidal wave of uprising civilians.
Seeing the countless masses charging toward them, the All-Stars froze in disbelief.
Since the fall of Kozuki Oden, Wano had been under the Beast Pirates' absolute control.
These people had long been crushed by Kaido's tyranny—so terrified that they dared not even look up at them.
But now?
These same civilians, who once trembled at their footsteps, were rushing forward to resist, brandishing makeshift weapons.
It was something they had never imagined.
"Those filthy peasants… they dare rebel against us?!"
Queen snarled, his face twisting into a vicious grin.
Seeing his forces immediately thrown into chaos by the massive surge, he quickly swung his backpack open and yanked out his trump card—one of his Virus Launchers.
During his years working under Dr. Vegapunk in MADS, Queen had leveraged his twisted genius to create numerous viral weapons.
Though less lethal than the later "Ice Oni," these viruses could still drive victims into intense agony before collapsing, losing all combat ability.
He hoisted the launcher onto his shoulder, aiming squarely at the civilians.
His finger tightened on the trigger—
just one press, and clouds of infectious gas would spread over the crowd.
But at that exact instant—
a golden blur appeared directly before him.
It was Shiro.
He had expected Queen to use underhanded biological weapons from the start.
Keeping watch from the shadows, he teleported in using his Paw-Paw abilities the moment Queen made his move.
"You think I'd let you use such disgusting tricks on civilians?"
Shiro's eyes went cold.
"Divine Departure!"
Queen was still in shock from Shiro's sudden appearance when the black-and-crimson lightning erupted from Shiro's blade.
The slash cleaved toward him faster than he could react.
Panicked, Queen raised the virus launcher as a shield—
only for a chilling sensation to shoot through his right arm a split second later.
The launcher—
and his entire right arm—
were severed cleanly.
They hit the ground with a metallic clang as blood burst from the stump, splattering across the battlefield.
"Aaaahhh!! M-MY ARM!!!"
Queen's shriek tore through the battlefield as he staggered, clutching the fountain of blood pouring from his shoulder, eyes filled with agony and disbelief.
King's expression darkened.
Black wings flaring wide, he launched himself at Shiro, trying to cut him off before he finished Queen.
Jack rushed forward, catching the collapsing Queen and preventing him from crashing to the ground.
Shiro glanced at King charging in and let out a cold laugh.
"You? Stop me? Don't make me laugh."
Before King could even strike, Shiro moved first—
blades flashing, hurling slash after slash crackling with black-and-red Conqueror's lightning.
Even for a Lunarian—blessed with a body that could withstand extreme heat and regenerate at impossible speeds—King was facing Shiro.
A man already standing at the summit of the sea.
After barely a dozen exchanges, King was already being overwhelmed.
His blade quivered under Shiro's power.
His arm grew numb under the force.
Several deep cuts carved across his body—black blood streaming down.
Just as Shiro prepared to end him with a decisive strike—
a thunderous voice boomed across the sky:
KAIDO ARRIVES
"Jabal Shiro…!!
You've gone too far!!
Rampaging in my territory—
and harming my men!!!"
Shiro looked up.
Thunderclouds swirled overhead—
and from them descended a colossal azure dragon, its scales gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.
Kaido of the Beasts—
in his full Azure Dragon form.
"Bolo Breath!!!"
Kaido roared, jaw opening wide as a massive orange-red beam of heat gathered—
and blasted toward Shiro.
But before it could strike—
A figure leapt forward, planting himself between Shiro and the blast.
Issho.
Bowing his head slightly, he gripped his shikomizue with both hands and cut downward.
"Gravity Blade— Split Apart."
An invisible slash of gravitational force collided with Kaido's Boro Breath.
The massive beam split in two, diverted to either side.
Both halves crashed into the sea with thunderous explosions—
steam rising as tons of seawater evaporated.
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