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He forced the words out, roaring from the bottom of his lungs—
BOOM!
A terrifying surge of power erupted from deep within him, even more fearsome than when he'd opened the Seventh Gate!
The thin, fading blue steam around his body was instantly swallowed up, replaced by something far darker, far more ominous—blood-red steam.
It boiled and churned like molten lava, roaring around his small frame.
The air itself sizzled and cracked, space warping until tiny black fissures began to spiderweb around him.
And then—
Time stopped.
Everyone froze.
The charging marines were caught mid-step, like a freeze-frame snapshot, terror and disbelief plastered across their faces.
Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
What… what was this power?!
Just standing here, just being near it, they felt like their very existence might get burned away—no bones, no ash, not even a trace left behind.
Vice Admirals Onigumo and Dalmatian's cruel expressions shattered into raw, primal fear.
Their jaws hung open, throats rasping with hoarse, meaningless sounds. Not a single proper word would come out.
Their hearts pounded so violently it felt like they might burst out of their chests.
Blood-red steam?!
You've got to be kidding!
This little monster… he can open another gate?!
"Aura like this… I've only ever felt it from an admiral!"
Thud!
One of the marines' legs gave out completely, and he dropped to his knees. A dark wet patch spread across his trousers.
Even Sasaki, watching from farther away, paled and stumbled back several steps.
"This kind of pressure… it's almost on par with Kaido-san!"
He couldn't believe it.
The level he could never reach, no matter how hard he trained—achieved by a toddler barely over a year old.
The battlefield fell silent, suffocated by Dan's desperate outburst.
Then—
Step. Step. Step.
Rapid footsteps echoed from the outskirts of the island.
A lookout marine came stumbling and crawling toward the vice admirals, face twisted in sheer panic.
"M-M-Major trouble, sir!"
His voice cracked, shrill with terror.
"What are you panicking for?!"
Onigumo barked, trying to suppress his own fear, but even he didn't notice his voice was trembling.
"It's… it's the Beasts Pirates! Reinforcements from the Beasts Pirates are here!"
He was almost crying now.
"King! 'Wildfire' King himself! He's leading the fleet! Warships everywhere! They're almost at the harbor!"
"What?!"
Onigumo and Dalmatian were struck as if by lightning.
Wildfire King?!
The top All-Star under Kaido?!
The monster with a bounty of over a billion berries—already here?!
Their gazes shot back to the small figure wrapped in blood-red steam floating in the air.
Then to their marines, paralyzed with fear.
A chill shot up from the soles of their feet straight to their skulls.
This was bad.
A not-yet-weaned little monster had already cost them dearly.
Now a big one was coming.
If the two forces joined hands… not only would they fail their mission, they might be captured by Kaido's crew—and the Navy would lose face on a global scale.
"Retreat!"
"All units, retreat!!"
The two vice admirals shouted in unison.
"Get to the ships, now!"
"Leave this cursed island!"
No one dared to hesitate. The marines bolted, scrambling for their ships like their lives depended on it—because they did.
Run.
Run from this island of nightmares.
Run from that monster scarier than any demon.
In seconds, the troops who had been ready to swarm Dan were gone, fleeing as fast as they could.
The beach was left in chaos, littered with wounded soldiers and shattered equipment.
Hovering in the air, Dan's blood-red steam faded away like a receding tide.
The burning light in his eyes dimmed, leaving only the clear, innocent gaze of a child.
"I still couldn't open all eight gates…"
And then—
Thud.
His tiny body gave out, dropping like a cut kite.
"Dan!"
Sasaki's face drained of color. Ignoring his own wounds, he lunged forward, catching Dan just before he hit the ground.
Dan's small body was blazing hot, his breath faint. He had already fallen unconscious from sheer exhaustion.
It might take ten days, half a month, before he woke again.
This was the price of forcing open the Eight Gates.
Sasaki looked from the unconscious boy in his arms to the distant silhouette of the retreating Navy fleet. His expression was complicated, almost reverent.
Moments later—
"Sasaki!"
A massive shadow swooped down from the sky, landing with a heavy thud.
The figure was tall and imposing, covered head to toe in black leather, with flames licking at his back.
King the Wildfire had arrived.
"Dan?! Why is he here?!"
King's brows furrowed as he took in the sight, then turned toward the horizon where the Navy ships were fleeing.
"What happened?"
His cold, commanding voice left no room for lies.
"Why is Dan in this state? And the Navy… they just ran?"
The other Beasts Pirates elites arrived one by one, confusion written all over their faces.
They had rushed here on Sasaki's emergency call, expecting to find a desperate last stand against vice admirals.
Instead, they found the Navy retreating like frightened prey.
"K-King-sama!"
Sasaki stumbled toward him, clutching Dan tightly, his expression a mix of exhaustion, lingering fear… and a wild, almost fanatic excitement.
"It was Dan… he's the one who drove the Navy away!"
Silence.
Complete, dead silence.
King and every Beast Pirates member present froze, their eyes widening, jaws nearly dropping to the ground.
"..."
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