New World, a stretch of sea under a light drizzling rain.
Beneath the night sky, the Red Hair Pirates' New Red Force was sailing at full speed toward the waters of Totto Land.
"Faster!"
Standing at the bow, Shanks gazed at the distant horizon and suddenly spoke in a low voice, "We need to stop them as soon as possible. This speed isn't enough!"
"Boss, we're already at top speed!"
The helmsman wiped sweat from his brow and shouted back, "The wind and currents aren't ideal, so it's bound to slow us down a bit. But we should reach Totto Land before dawn!"
Before dawn?
Shanks took a deep breath, his expression easing slightly.
Unlike the incident at Sabaody, battles between Sea Emperors weren't so easily decided.
Fights lasting days and nights were common.
This time, they would definitely make it in time!
"..."
Vice-Captain Beckman remained silent beside him, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
As longtime partners, he understood the source of Shanks' anxiety all too well.
This was an all-out war between two Emperor Crews. The slightest misstep could overturn the entire balance of power in the New World.
If the conflict were allowed to escalate unchecked, leading to heavy casualties on both sides...
The World Government and Marine Headquarters would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to tighten their grip on the New World.
The delicate equilibrium maintained for years would shatter completely.
That was the last scenario any of them wanted to see.
"We should make it in time, so don't worry too much, Shanks."
Beckman exhaled a smoke ring and narrowed his eyes. "But for the past few minutes, I've had a bad feeling about this."
"A bad feeling?"
Shanks turned to him in surprise, but before he could speak, his expression abruptly changed as he snapped his gaze upward to the night sky.
CRACK!
At that very moment, lightning split the heavens, and a massive azure dragon burst from the storm clouds, roaring with laughter as it dove toward them!
"WORORORORO~!!!"
The sea surged violently, the ship rocking wildly as the crew staggered. The dragon twisted at the last second, transforming mid-air before crashing onto the deck in human form.
BOOM!!!
The deck shattered under the impact. Amid the dust, a towering, demonic figure rolled his neck and staggered upright, leaning heavily on his spiked club.
"Kaido?!"
Yasopp paled, instinctively raising his rifle—only for Beckman to grab his arm.
"Hold your fire."
Beckman stepped past Yasopp and glared coldly at Kaido. "What's the meaning of this, Kaido?"
Kaido didn't even glance at him. Instead, he hiccuped drunkenly before turning to Shanks with a wide grin.
"Red-Haired brat, long time no see! Judging by your hurry, you're rushing to Totto Land to play peacemaker again, huh?"
"So you've heard the news too."
Shanks frowned. "Step aside, Kaido. Why block us here? Our stances on this matter should align, shouldn't they?"
Xiano and BIGMOM.
In his understanding, both sides of this conflict had close ties with Kaido.
One was an opponent he acknowledged, while the other, though they hadn't interacted for decades, had once been a comrade on the same ship.
So, logically, the other party should also be trying to stop this war.
"Similar positions? Wororororo, stop projecting your own thoughts onto others!"
Kaido bared his teeth in a wild laugh, casually slamming his Spiked Club onto the deck before taking a deep swig from his gourd flask. He swayed drunkenly, his head lolling:
"I don't give a damn about any damn positions! I just can't stand the sight of you, brat! You don't even stay in your own territory, always running around, acting like some guardian of balance. What, do you really think you're the protector of the New World?"
His bloodshot eyes glared viciously at Shanks:
"Last time I was about to have a good fight with Whitebeard, you had to butt in and ruin the fun. And now you want to interfere in someone else's battle again?"
"Don't even dream about it! Someone like you doesn't understand the joy of battle at all. Xiano and that old hag Linlin are having a blast—why the hell would I let you meddle?"
As for whether that old hag actually loses…
Who cares, worororo!
At their age, if they're truly defeated in a fair one-on-one fight, there's no room for regret or resentment!
They can accept their fate with dignity!
"You're drunk, Kaido!"
Shanks' gaze turned icy. "We both know this war benefits no one if it continues. Move aside. I don't have time to indulge your drunken rampage."
"Drunken rampage?"
Kaido grinned savagely as he raised his Spiked Club. "This is just the beginning. Come to think of it, it's been a while since we last fought. Today, I'll show you just how terrifying my drunken rampage can be!"
"Drunken Thunder Wheel · Pull to Hell!!!"
BOOM!!!
The Spiked Club, wreathed in black-and-red lightning, came crashing down. Shanks swiftly drew Griffin to block it. The collision of their Conqueror's Haki sent a shockwave blasting outward, instantly flinging the surrounding crew members off their feet.
"Captain!"
Yasopp clung to the railing, shouting in alarm.
"Stay back!"
Shanks barked sharply before turning his glare back to Kaido. "You really want to waste time here? By the time the Marines swoop in to reap the rewards, it'll be too late for regrets!"
"Like I give a damn about that!"
Kaido swung his Spiked Club again, charging forward with another booming laugh. "Either way, no one's getting past here today! Let's have some fun, Red Hair brat! Worororo!!!!"
Shanks' expression darkened completely.
The rain poured down in torrents, and the wind howled even louder.
——————
Totto Land, the waters of Whole Cake Island.
The night grew deeper.
Under the moonlight, the battle atop the frozen sea raged on.
But at some point, a nearly transparent giant sphere had appeared on the ice, rolling swiftly through the chaotic battlefield.
"Three more wounded over here! Hurry, Chopper!"
Bartolomeo kept his arms crossed, maintaining the "Barrier Ball." Wherever it passed, Charlotte Family underlings were sent flying with a loud "Duang!" as they collided with the barrier.
"Just keep speeding up! I can keep up!"
Chopper, in his "Leg Strength Enhancement" form, carried a bulging medical pack on his back, galloping on all fours to stay close behind.
In an instant, they reached the wounded.
Hum!
A translucent spherical barrier expanded outward, instantly swelling another layer to envelop the three wounded.
Almost simultaneously.
Over a dozen cannonballs came flying from the distance, slamming into the barrier's outer shell and exploding into blinding flames—yet not even a single crack appeared.
"You're so reliable, Barto!"
Chopper quickly transformed into his human-beast hybrid form, crouching down to deftly examine the injuries.
"Piercing wound through the left chest—needs immediate hemostasis. Hmm, this one's a fracture? A bit tricky... Hey, Barto, buy me twenty minutes!"
"Twenty minutes?"
Bartolomeo planted his hands on his hips, baring his teeth in a loud laugh. "Hehahaha! Don't underestimate me, Chopper! Twenty minutes? I could hold out for twenty days!"
His Barrier Fruit was invincible, after all!
Unless they were up against someone on Xiano's level.
Otherwise, no one could break through from the outside!
Come to think of it.
Teaming up with Chopper had been a stroke of genius on his part.
A doctor inside, a barrier outside—both of them capable of high-speed movement. It was practically an unstoppable battlefield ambulance!
With the Curtain Closers never short on high-level combatants, this setup was far more effective than him fighting alone!
Not far away.
"ROAR!"
An Allosaurus wearing a blue captain's hat rampaged through the crowd as if no one stood in his way.
"Stop him!"
Several Charlotte Family combatants shouted as they surrounded him, only to be swatted away by Drake's pitch-black claws.
Unlike those so-called rookie peers of his, Drake—a former Naval Headquarters Rear Admiral—had long mastered Two-Color Haki!
Combined with his Ancient Zoan physique, his impact far surpassed those rookies.
He'd even just taken down an executive with a 200 million Berry bounty.
With this.
Once this war ended, both his bounty and standing within the crew should rise, granting him access to the Curtain Closers' more classified intel, right?
Drake glanced toward the distant Barrier Ball.
"That barrier user and that medical reindeer."
Their synergy was unexpectedly effective—definitely intel worth noting.
"Hey, look north! What's going on over there?!"
"So many white dots—what are those?"
Sudden cries of alarm erupted around him.
Drake frowned, following the voices. When he saw what lay ahead, he froze mid-step, his expression shifting.
To the north.
Above the Queen Mama Chanter and the Tart ships, the unlucky souls knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki were now eerily floating with faint, ghostly white halos.
Like clusters of fireflies, they stood out starkly against the dark night.
And whether it was his imagination or not, Drake could swear each glowing speck contained a distorted, screaming human face.
It sent chills down his spine.
WHOOSH!
The next moment.
The specks converged into streams, all shooting toward the split island in the north. Like a meteor shower, they streaked across the night sky and vanished in an instant.
Wait—!
Wasn't that where the two Sea Emperors were?
Drake's pupils constricted as realization struck.
She actually dared to extract so many of her subordinates' souls at once—could it be that BIGMOM has been pushed to the brink?!
————
Above the fractured island, the ceaseless flickering of black-and-red lightning intertwined with raging flames, weaving a net of utter destruction.
"Now... CRUSH IT!!!"
BOOM!
BIGMOM's massive body plummeted from the sky like a meteor, smashing into the bedrock. The entire island trembled violently as spiderweb-like fissures instantly spread hundreds of meters.
"It's not over yet!"
Before the dust could settle, a shadowy figure flickered in like a ghost—delivering a swift, vicious elbow strike straight to the back of her skull!
(End of Chapter)