At this point, even if the chance was slim, Souta Kiryuu knew he had to cut down at least one or two of the four monsters in front of him. But his body was running on fumes. Facing all four at once was pushing him beyond his limit. Worse, he had to hold back enough strength to deal with the Marines if they suddenly decided to turn on him. Pirates and the Navy had always been enemies by nature; any alliance between them was only a temporary illusion.
"Yahahaha! So this is the power of a Yonko, huh? If my boss, the God himself, were here, you wouldn't be acting so high and mighty!"
Enel spat out a mouthful of blood, lightning coursing across his skin as he glared at Souta with pure killing intent. His golden spear trembled with power, aching to strike. The one-armed Yonko didn't intimidate him in the slightest.
"That Celestial mongrel's Conqueror's Haki is impressive," King muttered coldly, flames of Lunarian fire erupting from his back as his aura surged to its peak. His blade gleamed with killing intent. The Lunarian race had been wiped out by the Celestial Dragons, their homeland on the Red Line stolen from them. King's hatred for the Celestials ran bone-deep. Even if Souta denied any connection, King couldn't stomach the existence of this so-called "lost child" of the Celestials. Between his hatred and his grudge against Souta's constant meddling in the affairs of the Beast Pirates, King's rage burned hotter than ever.
"Fish-man, recover and get up front!" Shiryu growled, cigar clenched between his teeth. One hand gripped his cursed blade, Raiju, while the other reached inside his coat. He pulled out several Blood Crystal Dandelions, popped one into his own mouth, and tossed two to Jack the Drought.
"If we're going to take down a Yonko, we go all out."
"Got it!" Jack swallowed the blood-red crystals without hesitation, seeing both Shiryu and Enel do the same. The energy coursed through his massive frame, sealing wounds and restoring vitality. King didn't interfere—he remembered these strange restorative crystals. During the battle of Sorbet Kingdom, Araryu had harvested his blood to create these things.
"So they can heal, huh?" Souta murmured, narrowing his eyes. His right hand tightened around his sword, Gryphon, as black-and-red lightning crackled around him—the manifestation of pure Conqueror's Haki.
"Come on, then! Show me how strong a Yonko really is!" Enel roared with manic laughter, unleashing a storm of lightning that ripped through the sky. Bolts struck down like judgment itself. Jack charged in like a berserk mammoth, taking the brunt of Souta's counterblows head-on without fear. King slashed through the chaos from above, while Shiryu waited like a shadow, ready to strike the moment Souta slipped.
Four top-tier monsters versus one wounded emperor—the battlefield ignited into chaos.
Swords, lightning, and shockwaves tore the air apart. The destructive force was so immense that even Admiral candidates Momousagi Gion and Chaton Tokikake dared not interfere. They led their men instead toward the G18 Fortress, cutting down mid- and lower-ranked pirates from both the Beast and Araryu factions, linking up with stranded Marine survivors to extract them. Their mission was clear: save who they could.
Seeing how things were going, Catarina Devon, Avalo Pizarro, and Sanjuan Wolf—the infamous trio from Impel Down—decided they weren't about to die here. With Araryu having already ordered a retreat, they had no reason to stick around.
"Mrumrumru... Brats, take these Blood Crystals. Make yourselves useful for once." Catarina sneered, tossing a few of the glowing red dandelions to Ulti and Page One, both battered and barely standing.
Kaido hadn't ordered a retreat. That meant the Flying Six had to keep fighting. But Catarina and her crew weren't staying.
"You're seriously just leaving?!" Ulti shouted, face red with fury. Fuga and the others looked grim—they knew what it meant. The pressure was about to skyrocket.
They wanted to retreat too, but Kaido was lost in the thrill of battle. No one could pull him back now.
"Enel and Shiryu can teleport or fly. Barrett's a monster in his own right. They don't need our help," Pizarro snickered. Their tone made it clear: they didn't care if their "comrades" lived or died. They only followed Araryu's orders.
"Hic... You lot keep fighting. We'll give you aerial support," Sanjuan Wolf slurred, grinning as he turned away. The three withdrew quickly. Moments later, retreat horns blared across the low-hanging airships above. The aerial fleet shifted tactics from ground engagement to long-range bombardment—though it was clear they were preparing to flee if things went south.
Ulti and Page One swallowed the Blood Crystals, their wounds closing as strength returned. They regrouped with the Beast Pirates' expeditionary forces and rallied the remaining subordinates to keep the fight going.
Suddenly, a massive slash ripped through the battlefield. One of the Ten Behemoths, Jūki, roared as a deep, gaping wound split his enormous body. Blood fell like rain, drowning countless foot soldiers below.
"Gulp... That sword strike—it's Bogart, Garp's right-hand man!" Fuga blanched. The former CP9 elite had every reason to be afraid. Bogart was a legendary swordsman, said to have once sparred evenly with the Dark King himself, Rayleigh. Facing him alone would be suicide.
Before they could react, another slash ripped through the air. The sixty-meter-tall Behemoth, Hachicha, crashed to the ground, the impact shaking the island.
"Vice Admiral Candidate Momousagi Gion! Another master swordswoman!" Sasaki, dual blades trembling, stepped back involuntarily. These Marine officers weren't ordinary opponents—each one rivaled the Beast Pirates' top disasters.
"This is bad. King and Jack are both held up by Souta. Maybe we should retreat too," Black Maria said grimly. The Araryu crew had already pulled out. Continuing this battle was suicide. If Araryu himself appeared, maybe things would be different—but right now, they were outmatched.
"Hold them off for now! Give the Behemoths and the officers time to escape!" Ulti snarled, charging straight at Gion. Page One chased after her, unwilling to leave his sister alone.
"Idiots!" Fuga cursed, then turned to Sasaki. "We're taking Bogart together!" He knew he couldn't win one-on-one, so he dragged Sasaki into the fight with him. Black Maria grimaced, realizing she had no choice but to intercept Tokikake on her own.
And then—the world trembled.
A blinding white shockwave exploded across the sky. The air itself cracked apart. In the horrified eyes of Pizarro and the others, a massive orb of glowing energy descended like divine judgment, obliterating four or five airships in a single instant. Not a soul aboard survived.
"Gurararara! That little brat Araryu dared to invade my Hive territory—guess I'll collect some interest!"
The deep, thunderous laughter echoed across the sea as a colossal white whale-shaped ship emerged near G18 Fortress. Figures lined its deck.
The Whitebeard Pirates had arrived.
All of them.