"KAIDO!!!"
In an instant, black and red lightning crackled across the entire coastline, the overwhelming force of Conqueror's Haki shaking the battlefield.
On Kaido's side, the weaker members of his forces collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth and losing consciousness under the sheer pressure of the Haki blast.
"Kaido-sama!" Unlike the furious Kozuki Oden, Queen was elated. His boss had returned—now they were safe.
"Looks like those ridiculous dances didn't break your spirit."
Kaido reverted to his human form, landing at the forefront of the Beasts Pirates' army on the shore.
Oden stepped forward, locking eyes with Kaido. His voice was firm, more statement than question.
"You and Orochi never intended to keep your promise to me, did you?"
Kaido scoffed. "Of course not! Conquering Wano at the time was still too difficult. You and your father were both utter fools!"
Deceiving Oden had merely been a strategy—a means to weaken Wano's forces while Kaido slowly consumed the country from within.
Oden's rage burned hotter. "Kaido! You bastard! Today, this all ends!"
Through gritted teeth, he spat out the words, his fury boiling over.
Drawing both Ame no Habakiri and Enma, he infused the twin blades with advanced Armament Haki, the power surging around him like a raging storm.
With a mighty leap, Oden launched himself at Kaido, swords slashing down.
"Worororo! You're still not strong enough!"
Kaido laughed as he swung his kanabo, lightning crackling around it as he met Oden's charge head-on.
"Great Spirit Slash!!!"
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
BOOM!!!
The impact of their clash sent a shockwave across the battlefield, an explosion of force equivalent to a massive TNT detonation. Everything within a few hundred meters was blown away.
Even King, Queen, and Oden's retainers, who had just landed, were forced back.
As the dust settled, Kin'emon bellowed, rallying the samurai.
"For Oden-sama! Cut these Beasts Pirates down!"
"Understood!"
The warriors roared in response, charging towards Queen and King.
They weren't just any samurai. These were warriors capable of fighting entire armies alone. Defeating the Beasts Pirates and assisting Oden in slaying the dragon would restore Wano's glory.
"We'll handle these Oni bastards!" Rushing forward, Shimotsuki Ushimaru and two other daimyo led the charge against the Numbered warriors.
"I'll take care of that flaming bird!" Kin'emon declared, dashing forward.
With a fiery slash capable of cutting through flames, he struck at King.
"Damn it, King! Aren't you worried?!" Queen finally understood why Kaido had been so restrained in Wano. Unlike overseas, he hadn't ruled with absolute dominance here.
It turned out Wano was full of warriors capable of fighting a hundred men at once!
King barely reacted. Casually flicking a fireball toward a weak slash, he glanced at Queen and said indifferently,
"They'll be the ones panicking soon. Maybe you will too."
"Like hell I will!"
Ignoring Queen's bluster, King's blade ignited. A massive dragon-shaped flame roared forward, its searing heat akin to molten lava, engulfing the samurai before him.
...
In the center of the battlefield, Oden was midair, his face twisted in a crazed battle fury. With both swords raised, he swung down with all his might.
Below, Kaido gritted his teeth, gripping his kanabo with both hands as he braced against the incoming strike. The force of Oden's attack was immense, pushing Kaido's feet deep into the sandy shore.
"Worororo! A powerful slash, I'll admit! But if you think this is enough to defeat me, you're dead wrong!"
"Fufufufu... To think someone could actually push Kaido to this extent. Truly worthy of the title 'The Invincible Kozuki Oden.'"
A voice laced with mockery rang out, cutting through the battlefield.
Everyone turned toward the source, their eyes widening in shock at the sight.
From the clouds above, another massive black dragon emerged—identical to Kaido, save for the absence of two oni horns.
Perched atop its head, clad in pink, stood a tall figure.
BAM!
For a brief moment, Oden glanced away, his instincts screaming danger.
That split second was all Kaido needed.
CRACK! With a devastating swing of his kanabo, he sent Oden flying, slamming him into the ground far away.
Oden's retainers froze, their confidence shattering.
This was bad. This was really bad.
"Worororo! Took you long enough, Doflamingo!"
Resting his kanabo on his shoulder, Kaido grinned. The advantage was now his.
Nearby, Nekomamushi and Inuarashi bristled, their fur standing on end.
"Masaka... Two Kaidos?! Nyah!"
"Wh-What do we do now?!"
"Oden-sama...!"
The once-fired-up samurai now felt like they'd been doused in ice-cold water. Their fighting spirit wavered.
One Kaido was already an insurmountable challenge. But two?
Their desperate gazes turned to Oden, hoping he had an answer. But even he hesitated.
Meanwhile, the Beasts Pirates, though just as confused, erupted in cheers. Whatever was happening, it was clearly in their favor.
"A Devil Fruit with the same ability?! Or can Devil Fruits be inherited now?!"
As a researcher of lineage factors, Queen grasped the implications immediately. Even with all his studies, he had only managed to incorporate his research into his own body.
"That's Vegapunk's masterpiece," King muttered, adding fuel to the fire.
"No way! That's impossible!"
"Kaido-san, do you require assistance?"
Doflamingo scanned the battlefield, noting that aside from Kin'emon and Queen, he barely recognized anyone.
After all, in his past life, he hadn't survived long enough to witness the Wano arc.
...
Nearby, Shinobu had been stealthily using her Devil Fruit power to rot Kaido's weapons.
Her movements caught Doflamingo's eye, and his grin widened.
Two Devil Fruits could cause metal to corrode—the Rust-Rust Fruit and the Ripe-Ripe Fruit.
He issued a casual order.
"Enel. Grab her."
"Understood, Young Master."
Shinobu barely had time to react before an overwhelming presence locked onto her. A primal survival instinct kicked in, and she attempted to escape using her Smoke Escape Technique.
A dense fog engulfed her, and she fled toward Oden's retainers.
But a mere smokescreen was useless against someone with Observation Haki fused with electricity.
In an instant, Enel reappeared directly behind her. To everyone else, it looked as if Shinobu had run straight into him.
With his fingers shaped like a gun, he pressed them against her back.
"Fifty Million Volts."
"AAAHHHH!!!"
A flash of blue light engulfed her as she convulsed, her eyes rolling back before she collapsed.
"Shinobu!!!"
Before Oden's retainers could react, another flash of lightning struck.
THUD!
A black thread pierced Shinobu's forehead, destroying her prefrontal cortex.
Unlike pirates, samurai would rather die than be captured.
The best way to prevent suicide was to leave her in a vegetative state.
Doflamingo wrapped her limp body in Seastone chains and tossed her onto his ship.
With a smirk, he turned to Oden.
"Kaido-san, do you need any help?"
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+220 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg