Yamato felt like she had discovered something she had been ignoring. Back when she hadn't grown strong yet, the gap between her and Kaido's strength was as vast as the sky. So no matter how hard she tried, she was always in a phase where she was being completely dominated.
There was nothing she could do about it. Over time, as her strength gradually increased, she eventually rose to the same level as Kaido. But even within the same level, there were still differences in power.
At the monster-level, Kaido represented the ceiling. Yamato still had quite a way to go if she wanted to catch up to Kaido. But just now—she had a realization.
She was growing stronger, but Kaido wasn't standing still either—he was also striving for even greater heights. However, as he gradually reached his limits, his progress began to slow. If things continued this way, she would have eventually caught up to Kaido.
But Arceus had become an unpredictable and uncontrollable variable. The power he bestowed was enough to bring about a qualitative leap in a person's strength. And the stronger the person who received Arceus's power, the more astounding the results. Kaido was undoubtedly such an example.
If this enhancement continued, her dream of overthrowing her father might just become just that—a dream.
She had heard Kaido's words loud and clear: "This is for that foolish daughter of mine."
At this moment, she felt like lighting an incense stick for Whitebeard. If it weren't for the old man, she might have inexplicably ended up on the receiving end of Kaido's Lord of Death Legendary Dragon Bagua.
The root of all this was Arceus. She really wanted to nip this issue from the root.
Though Arceus tacitly allowed Kaido's training, this level of enhancement was honestly a bit too much for her to handle.
"Don't even think about taking shortcuts. Whatever your father has, you won't lack either. You may even end up with more."
"Still, he's lived longer than you. Whether or not you can make up for that time gap—it's all up to you."
"Put in more effort. The power inside you is one of the few truly formidable forces."
"Maybe it's time to change your method of growth. This kind of growth doesn't seem to be doing much for your inner development."
"If it really doesn't work... how about you take over, Dad? Don't let father meddle anymore—his training is honestly deadly."
If she must be trained, Yamato would rather it be by Arceus. Even if she got beaten, it would be a totally different kind of experience.
"Don't worry, you won't die. Even though I've never been a fan of your father's methods, they are effective."
No one else was involved in Yamato and Arceus's conversation. Most eyes were fixed on the fading figure of Whitebeard—the fall of the world's strongest man had left them all deeply shaken.
That was the young Whitebeard. Although the scar on Kaido's chest was hideous and terrifying, he had ultimately won. To be able to kill Whitebeard at his peak—who even broke past his limits in the end—Kaido had once again proven his strength.
And among this crowd, there was one person harboring his own little thoughts.
[Louder, come on, louder! You people, look over here! Miss Yamato said it!! Aren't you even a little curious about the truth?!]
Queen was roaring in his heart. Yamato hadn't spoken loudly just now—only those nearby could hear her. Still, he clung to a sliver of hope: what if the Marines overheard?
If they did, he could finally stop being the scapegoat. Sure, it had made him famous, but the price of that reputation was far too high. If possible, he really didn't want it.
Unfortunately, Yamato hadn't gotten emotional enough. If she'd been just a little more agitated, maybe someone would've heard.
[Come to think of it... Lord Arceus's power was used to this extent—surely no one's still going to pass the blame on me, right? Then again, those lunatics might think it's some kind of superweapon.]
With that thought, Queen once again became anxious, but no one paid him any attention.
Whitebeard was dead, but Kaido was still alive. The war outside raged on. In fact, Whitebeard's final words only made an already doomed war even worse.
"Kaido, it's time to end this. How long do you plan on standing there?"
"Worororo... Let me pay my respects to an old rival. One less worthy opponent to fight. So Marines, anyone else wanna go a round?"
The fight with Whitebeard brought him great joy, so the other things had already been thrown to the back of Kaido's mind. If the Marines wanted to fight again right now, he absolutely wouldn't refuse.
Kaido's taunting gaze made many Marines glare at him with fury—but they were all intimidated by his terrifying strength. For a moment, they could only glare, making no move to act.
Even Akainu didn't act rashly at this moment. He hated pirates, but he wasn't an idiot. Beyond Kaido alone, there were far more than just one person who could pose a threat.
"The war... is over."
After a long pause, Sengoku finally forced out the words declaring the war's end, bringing the Summit War to a close.
Even though Sengoku's voice had been broadcasted across all of Marineford, the fighting didn't stop immediately. It was only after countless officers barked orders that the bloodthirsty soldiers finally stopped, shifting their focus to medical efforts and rescuing the wounded.
In the original timeline, Law was supposed to appear at Marineford, but he encountered an unexpected situation on the way. His submarine, the Polar Tang, was first struck by a natural disaster-like, terrifying tsunami, and then got frozen by a powerful cold current.
The series of consecutive disasters nearly capsized his ship, and in the end, he missed the chance to arrive at the scene.
After Sengoku issued the ceasefire order, Kaido picked up Whitebeard's broken Murakumogiri. Until the very end of the battle, Whitebeard had maintained the Tremor Mode, placing severe strain on both himself and his weapon.
After being struck by the Legendary Dragon Bagua, his body, unable to endure the strain, dispersed into the sky. Murakumogiri, too, came to the end of its life, following its master in death. The broken hilt was the only remnant left behind.
"Here, this is your Pops' keepsake. Newgate left behind quite the remarkable last words. I'm sure the coming era will be all the more interesting because of it."
"As for his death, I welcome you to come seek revenge—if you're prepared to die, that is."
Placing the broken Murakumogiri before Marco, Kaido transformed once more into his Azure Dragon form. Genesis and all the members of the Beasts Pirates were swept up by Kaido's Flame Cloud and then they departed Marineford. But while still mid-air, Arceus seemed to have said something, prompting Kaido to change direction.
As for those remaining in Marineford, under Red Hair's lead, they left and returned to the New World. Luffy also departed with the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates, heading toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
But the effects of the war had not ended. Whitebeard's final words gave the reporters a new headline, and stirred up another storm across the seas.
The Marine's cleanup efforts, however, were extremely complicated. Marineford had been destroyed. The Marine Headquarters had turned into a pile of debris, and even the island itself had been shattered into pieces. Rebuilding a fortress here would require land reclamation.
As the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Sengoku was not overseeing the situation at Marineford. Instead, he had gone to Mariejois, where the Five Elders were waiting for him in a meeting room.
"Sengoku, regarding this war, do you have anything to say?"
"No. Wasn't it your decision to call a ceasefire in the end?"
"Yes, the ceasefire was our decision. And we don't have a problem with you carrying it out. But—what we didn't authorize was turning Marineford into an arena where Kaido and Whitebeard could fight however they pleased!"
The Five Elders did not look pleased; that one sentence from Whitebeard would have a devastating impact on the seas.
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