On the execution platform, a thin puff of smoke rose from the barrel of the pistol. It was the exact same weapon that had once taken the life of Kozuki Oden.
Now, a bullet had just pierced the head of the Former Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Sengoku.
The legendary Marine ended his long life right there, collapsing heavily onto the wooden planks of the platform.
The entire sea fell into a stunned silence. Then, at the Marine prisoner detention area, a massive commotion broke out. The prisoners could not believe what they had just witnessed.
Garp's pupils contracted in absolute shock. A second later, an extreme, uncontrollable rage erupted from deep within his heart.
"Sengoku!!!"
He roared at the top of his lungs. He shattered the heavy chains binding him, his massive fists immediately becoming coated in black, crackling Conqueror's Haki. With a burst of speed, he charged straight toward Kaido.
Then, a massive crash echoed through the air.
Kaido moved like lightning. He reached out, grabbed Garp by the head, and slammed him face-first onto the execution platform, completely immobilizing the old hero.
Kaido completely ignored Garp's bloodshot eyes and furious glare. He looked down at him coldly and asked a question.
"Navy Hero Garp, do you really think Sengoku didn't deserve to die? Or do you believe the lives of all those ordinary people who died because of his orders over the years are not as important as your friend's life? Think about Ohara. Think about Flevance. The destruction of those two nations is tied directly to this Former Fleet Admiral, isn't it? Or do you also believe the lives of those common people are completely worthless?"
Garp's expression stiffened. He gripped the wooden ground tightly, his fingers digging into the surface, his eyes still bloodshot with rage and pain.
"From a moral standpoint, I cannot absolve my friend, nor can I excuse the actions of the Marines. We bear that responsibility. However, Kaido, as his friend, I still have to kill you!"
"Is that so? If you think you can actually do it, then go ahead and try."
As Kaido spoke, he gestured to the ground below. Dozens of Beasts Pirates warriors rushed up to the platform. They brought out heavy iron chains and began wrapping them around Garp, circle after circle, binding him tightly.
Only when Garp was completely secured did Kaido slowly turn around and walk toward the next prisoner.
At that moment, Momonosuke was so terrified that his entire body went completely limp, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Unfortunately for him, Kaido paid him no attention at all. Instead, the Governor-General of the Beasts Pirates turned his sharp gaze toward the leader of the God's Knights.
He looked over at the pirate ship in the distance and pointed his gun directly at the head of Saint Garling.
"Hey, Red Hair! Do you have anything you want to say about this?"
Out on the high seas, Red-Haired Shanks watched the entire scene unfold in total silence, his expression unreadable.
Kaido let out a dark smile, then looked down at the thoroughly defeated and dejected leader of the God's Knights.
"And what about you? Do you have any last words?"
Saint Garling looked up at Kaido with an incredulous expression. Even now, facing his own demise, he could not believe that a certain powerful adult had allowed this to happen.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before a single word could form, a loud gunshot rang out across the battlefield.
A bullet tore straight through Saint Garling's brain.
The proud former leader of the God's Knights died in an instant, his face frozen in a look of endless confusion.
"Worororo! You might as well die as a total fool."
Far away on the deck of the Red Force, Shanks watched the execution, and his pupils contracted tightly.
Although he held no real affection or love for this man who was his biological father, seeing him actually die right before his eyes still brought a rush of complex, painful emotions to his heart.
Even though two incredibly powerful figures had just died on the platform, many people across the battlefield did not really care.
To the vast majority of the people present, whether it was Fleet Admiral Sengoku or Saint Garling, they were just strangers. In fact, because of the World Government's strict secrecy, Sengoku's name and reputation were far greater than Saint Garling's.
But that was where the sympathy ended.
Only Trafalgar Law looked at the fallen body of Sengoku with a deeply complicated gaze.
Unlike Donquixote Rosinante, the man who had saved his life and adopted him, Law did not feel a direct bond with his adoptive father's adoptive father.
Still, because of Corazon's memory, seeing Sengoku die like this caused a strange shift in his heart.
Right then, Kaido raised the heavy black pistol high into the air and spoke in a booming voice.
"Let the real show begin!!!"
Everyone in the audience was deeply confused by his words. But a moment later, the live broadcast screen cut away, and the scene shifted entirely.
The viewers saw the remaining Celestial Dragons confined together in a giant cage, huddled in fear just like the countless slaves they themselves had once owned and tortured.
One by one, heavily armed warriors of the Beasts Pirates walked into the area. They raised their pistols in unison, aiming them directly at the terrified World Nobles.
"Fire!!!"
A barrage of gunshots erupted, echoing through the transmission snails. One after another, the proud Celestial Dragons collapsed to the ground under the relentless gunfire.
At this terrifying moment, the Celestial Dragons finally seemed to remember the innocent commoners they had so ruthlessly massacred in the past.
They remembered the horrific hunting games they used to play with human lives.
For the first time in their lives, they truly understood what terror felt like. They finally understood true despair.
This was a completely one-sided execution, a total massacre.
Neither men nor women, neither the elderly nor the young children, were spared from the onslaught.
Yet, absolutely no one watching this horrific slaughter felt any pity for them. Whether they were fighters on the active battlefield or citizens watching the global broadcast from faraway islands, they felt nothing but a wild, frenzied sense of satisfaction.
In fact, many viewers wished they could be the ones holding the guns and pulling the triggers themselves.
The entire sea seemed to fall completely silent, every single person processing the brutal spectacle with their own intense emotions.
Finally, Shanks frowned deeply and took a step forward toward the railing of his ship.
"Shanks, what are you planning to do?"
Benn Beckman asked, a very bad feeling rising in his chest.
"I have to say something!"
Shanks did not stop to explain his reasoning. Instead, he channeled his voice and shouted across the water to Kaido.
"Kaido! I don't care if you punish the adult Celestial Dragons for their crimes, but what about those young children? Isn't executing them a bit too cruel?"
"Cruel!?"
Kaido grinned widely, a mocking look on his face. He turned his head toward a certain pirate standing in the distance.
"Doffy, do you think I am being cruel here?"
Donquixote Doflamingo adjusted his sunglasses, a sinister smile spreading across his face as he let out his signature laugh.
"Fufufufufu! Not at all. In fact, it is Kaido-sama's ultimate mercy to end their lives right here."
As Shanks stared back in confusion, Doflamingo raised his arm high into the air, his eyes looking distant as if he were remembering his own painful childhood.
"Red-Haired Shanks, if those children are allowed to live, that would be the true cruelty. A naive pirate like you could never understand just how deeply the people of this sea hate the Celestial Dragons. Once they are stripped of their divine status, those children will face a world of hatred. If they live on as regular humans, they will suffer a fate far worse than death itself."
Shanks stood completely stunned, his mouth slightly open.
He genuinely had not considered that perspective.
He had been found and raised by Gol D. Roger from the time he was a tiny baby in a chest. Although he technically came from a Celestial Dragon bloodline, he grew up as a pirate, and his immense strength ensured that no one could ever bully or mistreat him.
He had heard rumors about what happened to the Donquixote Family when they left Mary Geoise, but he had never truly understood the reality of it.
At this moment, he found himself completely unable to argue back.
By this time, the sound of gunfire had finally stopped, meaning Shanks did not need to say anything more anyway.
The Celestial Dragons, who had ruled from the very apex of the world as the highest nobles, were never massive in number. There were only about twenty founding families in total.
Over the course of the last eight hundred years of history, their total population had never even reached ten thousand people.
After that final, brutal volley of gunfire, every single one of them had been turned into a cold corpse.
With that out of the way, Kaido finally decided it was time to begin the main event of the day.
"The real show is finally about to start!!!"
He stood up straight, taking slow, heavy steps until he arrived right in front of the very last prisoner on the platform. He leveled the barrel of his pistol at Momonosuke, who was already shaking violently and entirely out of his wits.
However, Kaido's sharp eyes were not looking at the crying boy. Instead, he was staring directly at the Straw Hat Grand Fleet gathered in the distance.
Below the platform, the remaining members of the Nine Red Scabbards were already trying to rush forward to save their young lord, but they were quickly held back by Shimotsuki Yasuie and Hana no Hyogoro.
"Calm down, everyone! Look closely, Kaido does not seem to have any intention of killing the young lord right away."
Yasuie was entirely correct. Kaido had no intention of ending it quickly, because he had a much more entertaining game in mind to play with his opponents.
His dark gaze swept across the massive crowd of pirates, finally locking onto Monkey D. Luffy. He spoke in a loud, booming voice that echoed across the entire area.
"Straw Hat! Did you see everything clearly just now?"
Luffy blinked, completely stunned by the question. He did not understand what point Kaido was trying to make.
Kaido did not waste any time explaining. He spoke directly and harshly.
"The war that is coming next is nothing like the little pirate games you have been playing up until now. This is a real war where people actually die. Your crewmates, your family, your closest friends—are you truly prepared to lose them?!"
Luffy was startled for a brief moment, but then a highly confident, fearless smile spread across his face. He adjusted his straw hat and shouted back.
"Kaido! Do you really think I'm scared of dying? I already promised everyone that I'm going to defeat you, no matter what!!!"
"Is that so!?"
The corners of Kaido's mouth curled into a sinister smile.
"Then let me see if you are truly as fearless as you claim to be!"
As soon as his voice trailed off, the massive iron club, Hassaikai, materialized in Kaido's grip. Intense strands of thick, blue lightning began to crackle violently around the weapon, making a loud, terrifying sound.
The expressions of every single pirate and Marine on the battlefield tightened in pure dread.
Then, Kaido's chilling, monstrous voice rang out across Wano Country.
"I used this exact attack to instantly take down all five of the Gorosei. Now, I will use this very same move to greet all of you."
"True Thunder Bagua!!!"
In a single fraction of a second, a blinding, dazzling flash of lightning enveloped the entire area, reflecting perfectly off the pale, horrified faces of Luffy and his companions.