Onigashima,
To the left of the massive skull:
*Tch, this old hag is such a pain!*
Even though she was a seventy-something overweight grandma, BIG MOM was still fast, her attacks sharp and precise. Even when she had openings, her iron-hard body made them nearly impossible to exploit. Roman was getting frustrated—his attacks were barely scratching her.
*Tch, these damn kids are a pain too!*
Individually, they were just two rookies who had only recently entered the New World. Separately, there were plenty of ways to handle them. But together?
The swordsman's attacks were sharp and relentless, while the girl with elemental powers could manipulate the weather. Winning quickly was no longer an option.
Even as the battle intensified, the same rule applied: whether it was the Omni-Knight, formed by Roman and Nami, or one of the Four Emperors, BIG MOM, both sides infused Haki into their attacks alongside various elemental abilities. The mix of damage types and techniques made them formidable against any opponent.
But—since both sides could control the elements and the weather, their fight had become an awkward stalemate. Their attacks kept canceling each other out, leading to a frustrating scenario where neither could land a solid hit.
Charging up a powerful move could have broken the deadlock, but neither side wanted to give the other the time to prepare an attack. As a result, the two giants rolled around in a chaotic brawl, wreaking havoc on the battlefield without actually making any progress.
*Forget it. Let's wait for Kaido's fight to wrap up first.*
Despite the intense battle, both sides were holding back slightly, using only about seventy percent of their strength. They had an unspoken agreement—not to go all out and risk injuring their own allies. That's why the Omni-Knight was fighting BIG MOM on the left side of the giant skull, while the battle on the right side was heading in a rather unexpected direction—
"Stop, Father!"
A figure wearing an Oni mask and wielding a long spiked club stood alongside Luffy and Ace, leaving Luffy completely confused.
*Wait... Is this Kaido's son?*
But why did he just jump in and hit his own dad with a club? Sure, Luffy had fought with his grandpa plenty of times, but that was just *play-fighting.*
This guy, though—
"Yamato!"
"H-Huh!? Ace—"
The masked warrior turned, finally noticing Ace.
Ace looked completely different now. His usual accessories were gone, and the iconic Whitebeard Pirates tattoo on his back was half-destroyed—thanks to the hole Akainu had burned through him. On top of that, his chest and back were now covered in dark, radiating markings from activating his "Emperor Engine."
And of course, there was also the fact that the world believed Ace had died at Marineford.
"You… No, never mind—I'm just so glad you're okay!"
The masked warrior, now visibly emotional, took off the mask, revealing a strikingly beautiful face.
"Huh? Wait—aren't you Kaido's *son*?!"
Luffy wasn't particularly interested in women, but he wasn't blind either. He wanted to ask Kaido one thing: *Why does your son have such an over-the-top chest…?*
But his gaze soon fell on the shackles around Yamato's wrists.
They gave him the same feeling as the ones he'd seen on the enslaved people at Sabaody Archipelago.
"Ace! I'm so glad you're alive!!"
For Yamato, Ace had been their very first "friend." Overcome with emotion, Yamato immediately pulled Ace into a tight embrace, leaving Ace completely flustered.
For one, Yamato was 2.6 meters tall, making Ace (at 1.8 meters) look like a kid.
And more importantly—*That was definitely a foul! Warning for chest bumping!*
"Oooh-ro-ro-ro~~"
Kaido, now in his dragon form, let out a laugh that had changed along with his transformation.
He shifted from full dragon form to his hybrid dragon-human state—meaning he was finally taking the fight seriously.
After all, facing three rising stars who were close to top-tier strength, even someone called the "Strongest Creature" had to take them seriously.
"Yamato, what the hell are you doing?"
Kaido had always known his "son" was rebellious, but openly standing with the enemy like this? That pissed him off.
So—there was only one solution.
*Beat him until he accepts reality!*
That was Kaido's parenting style.
Whether it helped father-son communication was questionable, but one thing was certain—this brutal "training" was exactly how Yamato had been beaten into a fighter strong enough to be considered a right-hand-level combatant.
"Luffy, buy me some time."
"Got it!!"
Luffy had no idea what Ace was planning, but he didn't hesitate for a second.
He immediately activated **Gear Fourth**, fully focusing on predicting the future while coating his fists in Conqueror's Haki. Even against a full-power Kaido, he could hold his own for a while!
Meanwhile, Ace had already grabbed Yamato's hands.
"People can't choose their parents, Yamato."
Unlike before, when he had focused on mastering his Devil Fruit, Ace had now dedicated himself to training his Haki after losing the Flame-Flame Fruit. Ironically, this setback had made him even stronger than before.
As the saying goes—*blessings can come from misfortunes, and misfortunes can hide within blessings.*
Now, he was capable of doing something he never could before—
"But we can choose how we live."
Armament Haki release—
Ace's Haki instantly burst out, wrapping around the shackles on Yamato's wrists. With a strong grip, he tore off the explosive cuffs and immediately threw them aside—BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion erupted. Flames surged higher and higher, forming a towering pillar of fire that could be seen for miles. The night sky was lit up in a sea of fire, stretching across the horizon like a massive burning cloud. It was a breathtaking yet terrifying sight!
Who knows where Kaido got such powerful explosives? At such a close range, even with Armament Haki defense, losing both arms would be the best-case scenario. The worst? Being blown to dust…
"Ahhh!! That bull-headed gorilla really wants me dead, huh?!"
Despite being Kaido's "son," Yamato had admired Oden since childhood and was raised with the kindness of Wano's samurai, leaving a light in her heart. She had been beaten by her father all her life and even forced to wear explosive shackles. But still, she couldn't believe Kaido truly wanted to kill her.
But after that explosion…
"Of course, Yamato!!"
Kaido, who was currently overpowering Luffy, glanced over coldly. "I'm not the type to bluff. If I say those cuffs will kill you, then they will kill you!"
...Seriously? Was that really necessary?
Ace was speechless. His own dad was a piece of work too, but at least he could entertain the idea that deep down, maybe there was some hidden reason or a shred of care.
But Yamato's dad? He was straight-up declaring, with a righteous face, that he was going to blow his own child to bits… That was rough.
"I've made up my mind, Kaido! I'm gonna beat you to a pulp!!"
Yamato charged at Kaido, swinging her long spiked club. Her Armament Haki might not be top-tier, but she had something else up her sleeve:
"Thunder—"
?!
"Bagua!" x2
CRACKLE!! Countless black lightning bolts exploded outward from the space between their clashing weapons, spreading in all directions. The ground shook violently, the air shattered like glass, and an unstoppable force tore through everything in its path.
It was as if the world itself had been split in two, completely separated at the point of impact.
Conqueror's Haki infusion! Observation Haki is about awareness, Armament Haki is about defense, but Conqueror's Haki? That's pure offense! Most people don't have it, which is why they develop Armament Haki for both attack and defense instead.
"The Kurozumi serpent is already dead."
After clashing head-on, Kaido spoke:
"Yamato, you will be Wano's next shogun. You will rule this land as the production base for the Beasts Pirates! Help me claim Wano's hidden treasure, and then we'll march to the greatest battlefield this world has ever seen—"
But his "son"—no, his daughter—wasn't having any of it.
"Ice Fang!!"
A freezing storm blasted straight at Kaido, and at the same time—
"I WILL be the shogun of Wano! But not because you say so. I'll take that title by driving you all out!"
"I will open Wano's borders! I'll make sure everyone has enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, and clean water to drink! And as for your so-called 'greatest battlefield'—I'll face it head-on!
Because I am Kozuki Yamato!!"
"You brat! You're my son, so you have to listen to me—"
???
Watching the father and son arguing and fighting in front of him, Luffy had a face full of question marks.
He didn't understand what was going on, but he was definitely shocked!
"Roman, explain this to me... Roman?"
"Stop shouting,"
A white pigeon landed on Luffy's shoulder. Its sharp eyes glanced at the battlefield, where Yamato was fighting Kaido, then looked at Ace and Luffy, who were using the time to recover their strength.
"I'm 'Roman No.1,' created by Roman using the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit. Of course, there's no No.2 or No.3."
"Anyway, Roman is busy, so I'll explain things to you."
Even though it said that, Luffy could tell that this 'Roman No.1' pigeon had the exact same presence as Roman. In other words, this was actually a Homie created from Roman's own soul.
"To put it simply, Kaido's daughter, Yamato, was raised as his son. But she looks up to the shogun of this country from twenty years ago—Kozuki Oden. That Oden guy might not have been the smartest… but he was bold, brave, confident, strong, and had a heart full of dreams. That's why people admire him."
"Unfortunately, while Oden was definitely good enough to be the second division commander under Whitebeard—strong, loyal, and responsible—his personality flaws meant he wasn't suited to be a true 'king.' He was better as a powerful second-in-command. That's why Wano Country ended up in tragedy…"
"So, as you can see, Yamato wants to carry on Oden's will, defeat Kaido, and open Wano's borders."
"I see,"
Luffy stretched his arms. "So that means Yamato-guy is our friend, right?"
He looked over at Ace as he asked this.
"That's right, Yamato is my friend. And she really wants to take down Kaido, so—"
Ace, who had recovered in just a few seconds, got into a battle stance. "Yamato, we're here to help you!"
"I'm in too—"
"Oh!"
In an instant, the battle turned into a three-on-one fight against Kaido. Meanwhile, the airborne 'Roman No.1' scanned the battlefield.
Roman's real body was currently locked in an intense fight with Big Mom, and it didn't look like either side would win anytime soon. Elsewhere, the battle had become chaotic, and top fighters from both sides had started clashing head-on: the Straw Hat Crew, Whitebeard's division commanders, the rebels, the Mink Tribe from Zou, the Red Scabbards…
Against them stood the Beasts Pirates' top fighters—Tobi Roppo, the Three Calamities, Kaido's elite warriors, and Big Mom's children. "Snowflakes drifting in the clear sky, like petals in the wind… and the full moon shines brightly above."
As 'Roman No.1' murmured these words, the Mink warriors of Zou roared in unison, transforming under the moonlight into their powerful 'Sulong' forms! Their strength surged instantly.
"Avoid the two major battle zones at the top of the skull. Surround them from the sides—"
Since both emperor-level battles were happening at the peak of Onigashima, most of the collateral damage was hitting the Beasts Pirates. Meanwhile, the Straw Hat alliance was steadily pushing the enemy toward those two deadly battlegrounds, squeezing them into a trap.
"Charge! For twenty years of suffering and revenge!"
"Hahaha! So our captain is Ace? Let's go, brothers! Let's show Pops our courage!"
"The right time, the right place, the right people."
Now, all that was left was to fight—to fight with everything they had, to push themselves beyond their limits.
Because in war, it's not about who's stronger.
It's about who's still standing at the end!
(End of chapter)
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