"They're here!"
The upsurging sea current leading toward the mountain roared behind them, while the anchored Marine warships ahead didn't budge an inch.
Spandine slapped the railing, excitement flooding his face as he grabbed the Den-Den Mushi and shouted—
"Fire!"
"Blast those arrogant fools to hell!"
"They dared anger the great Celestial Dragons—now they'll all die!"
Boom—!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cannon fire erupted in unison, flames lighting up the sea.
The Sharn Pirates' flagship plowed forward without hesitation.
On deck, the crew stood ready, grinning in anticipation.
At the bow, Kaido had been itching for a fight.
Sharn, sitting casually at the prow, had been waiting for this moment all along.
The cannonballs struck the waves, sending plumes of seawater high into the air. Ten Marine battleships blocked their path.
To reach the Grand Line, they would have to defeat them.
Sharn flicked a finger.
A pressure blast shot out, vaporizing a cannonball midair.
"Listen up!" he said, voice calm yet sharp.
"Those guys aren't small fry. If you're not careful, you'll die!"
Before he could finish, Kaido—impatient as always—transformed into his Azure Dragon form.
"Heat Breath!"
A brilliant pillar of blazing wind roared across the sky.
Some of the younger crewmates gasped—it was their first time seeing Kaido's dragon form.
The sight was both terrifying and awe-inspiring.
BOOOOM!
The nearest warship didn't even have time to turn—Kaido's attack obliterated it in a single hit, engulfing it in fire.
At that moment, more than a dozen figures leaped from the other warships.
Two of them—the CP0 agents—kept their hands in their pockets, calm and detached amid chaos. They were confident—both masters of Haki and their Devil Fruits.
The rest were CP9 operatives, streaking through the sky using Moonwalk (Geppo), aiming to show these pirates the true power of Cipher Pol.
Ten warships advanced in formation, cannons thundering while Marines fired volleys of bullets.
The battle had barely begun, but the air already smelled of smoke and iron.
Kuma had seen battle before—at God Valley and the Sorbet Kingdom.
But Urki and Kuzan clenched their fists nervously.
So this was the cruelty of the sea—
Even to climb one mountain, countless people would block your path.
If that's how the world worked—then they would just crush everything in their way!
Olvia's voice cut through the din.
"Those are CP9—dogs of the Five Elders. Every one of them knows the Six Powers!"
"Six Powers?!" Kuzan froze.
He suddenly remembered—those same techniques had been taught to him by Sharn.
But they had only a handful of fighters. And Kuzan wasn't even a Devil Fruit user. How could he stand against them?
He gritted his teeth hard enough to ache. He was strong—but still just a human.
Then Sharn appeared beside him, silent as wind.
"Kuzan. Use your fists. Break through everything."
That single sentence washed away every trace of fear.
He nodded. Fear was pointless now.
"They all started like you, before gaining their strange powers. Dig deeper into your strength. Find your own limit—and break it."
And with that, Sharn vanished.
A black dragon rose into the sky, unleashing a storm of purple lightning and fire—
Hot Breath!
Three warships exploded in succession.
Sharn and Kaido landed together on the main flagship.
They exchanged a brief glance—and released their Conqueror's Haki simultaneously.
A thunderclap of willpower burst outward. Every Marine on deck collapsed, eyes rolling back, foam spilling from their mouths.
"Y-You monsters! What right do pirates have to bear the will of kings!"
Spandine screamed—but he was pitifully weak.
Weaker, even, than his son would one day be.
At least Spandam would wield a sword that turned into an elephant.
Spandine only had his cowardice and his mouth.
Under the weight of their dual Conqueror's Haki, he fell unconscious, eyes rolled up, drooling foam.
And with that, the two CP0 agents finally stepped forward.
They adjusted their hats.
One wore a white cat mask—the Weapon-Weapon Fruit user.
The other wore a black hound helm—the Disease-Disease Fruit user.
"Soru!"
They vanished instantly, using Soru and Observation Haki.
The white cat appeared before Kaido, his body morphing into blades coated with Armament Haki.
"Tempest Kick: Wind Cutter Song!"
Kaido sneered, swinging his spiked kanabo.
"Thunder Bagua!"
CRASH!
The clash shook the entire ship.
Kaido's Armament Haki overwhelmed the attack; his blow shattered the man's defenses.
Black blood spewed from the CP0 agent's mouth; his abdomen caved in.
He smashed through several walls and lay sprawled, broken.
The black hound lunged at Sharn, removing his gloves.
"Iron Body: Plague Grip!"
He slammed his palm into Sharn's arm, activating his Disease Fruit while locking his muscles with Iron Body.
Even powerful Haki could resist a Devil Fruit only if mastered to its peak. Sharn hadn't reached that level yet—
but he had something else.
"Repel: Dying Breath!"
With a flick of his finger, Sharn used his Paw-Paw Fruit to repel the effects of the Disease Fruit—
and bounce them back into the attacker's own body.
"Now you've caught the disease of becoming a woman… and also the disease of becoming my servant!"
Every time the black hound tried to activate his Fruit, the effects bounced back into him—twisting, corrupting, multiplying.
Moments later, he fell to his knees, trembling and groveling before Sharn.
"Switch targets! Their abilities counter ours completely! My blade can't pierce Kaido's hide, and my sickness doesn't work on Sharn!"
The two CP0 agents regrouped—but both were already battered and broken.
They had Haki, the Six Powers, and powerful Paramecia Fruits—
but their opponents were monsters of another breed.
Kaido had mastered all three types of Haki, while Sharn combined Fishman Karate with flame and lightning attacks—
their natural strength far surpassed any human.
"So this is CP0's strength?" Kaido scoffed.
He swung his kanabo again. "Next time, send your commander instead!"
"What was his name again? Chameleon?" Sharn added with a grin.
"The Copy-Copy Fruit user… I think it's time for a change of ownership."
He clenched his clawed hand—Haki crackling around his fingers—and grabbed the black hound by the skull.
(Author's Note: After reader feedback, I checked the records—the Chameleon, former CP0 chief and Copy-Copy Fruit user, was a scrapped early concept character who once infiltrated the Whitebeard Pirates. The Fruit could mimic appearances and duplicate abilities, an upper-tier version of the Imitation or Nine-Tailed Fox Fruits.)
The black hound stared up at Sharn, eyes wide with fear.
"If our chief were here—you'd both die without even realizing how!"
Sharn only smiled.
"All the better, then."
He squeezed.
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