Gulp.
After a brief, deathly silence, the sound of people swallowing nervously began to ring out one after another.
The All-Stars, the Tobiroppo, and the other core members of Kaido's crew were all frantically gulping.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed something like this was possible.
It was like a joke.
No one understood better than they did just how terrifying Lord Kaido was after transforming into an azure dragon.
Calling him the strongest creature in the world was no exaggeration.
And yet—
He had still been sent flying by a single punch?
Just who—or what—was this Homelander?
In an instant, the way the All-Stars and the others looked at Alex was filled with boundless fear and horror.
What kind of monster was this man?!
Far too terrifying!
Whoosh!
Alex didn't bother paying any attention to how shocked the All-Stars were.
After casually punching Kaido away, he stepped onto his surfboard and vanished with a whoosh.
Huff—
Only after Alex's figure completely disappeared did the members of the Beast Pirates finally feel their hearts relax.
It was as if a massive stone had been lifted from their chests.
By heaven's mercy, Alex had merely stood there moments ago, yet the pressure he radiated had been utterly overwhelming.
"Quick—Lord Kaido!"
"Lord Kaido!"
The All-Stars and Tobiroppo finally snapped back to their senses.
They immediately used their full strength, racing in the direction where Kaido had been blasted away.
Kaido had been sent flying for so long without moving, and that terrifying enemy had already left. The longer it went on, the worse their premonitions became.
And sure enough—
When they found Kaido dozens of kilometers away, it was as if they had been struck by lightning.
"Lord Kaido!"
"Lord Kaido… is dead!"
"No—!"
Cries of disbelief rang out.
Kaido lay there quietly on the ground, having reverted from his azure dragon form back to his human body.
His entire body was covered in blood. His chest had caved in deeply, as if it had been completely smashed apart.
He lay motionless, without the slightest trace of life.
Dead.
Lord Kaido had been beaten to death by Homelander—with just two punches.
How could this be possible?!
This was completely impossible!
The All-Stars and Tobiroppo were utterly stunned.
"Lord Kaido is dead?"
"What? Lord Kaido was killed by Homelander?!"
Very quickly, this earth-shattering news spread throughout Wano, and then across the entire Beast Pirates crew.
The All-Stars and other top executives immediately gathered the crew to discuss how to deal with Kaido's death.
Some swore to hunt down Homelander at all costs and avenge Kaido.
Others argued that Homelander was far too powerful, that going after him would be nothing but suicide and would destroy everything Kaido had built.
The entire crew erupted into chaos, arguing endlessly.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
But just as the debate reached its peak, vast torrents of magma suddenly rained down from the sky, blanketing all of Wano.
"This is bad—Admiral Akainu has arrived!"
"It's Akainu, that bastard!"
"The Navy is trying to wipe us all out!"
The entire Beast Pirates crew was thrown into panic. No one had the luxury of arguing about Homelander anymore. They rushed out at once to meet the enemy.
And just like that, Wano was plunged into chaos.
The ferocious battle raged for three days and three nights.
Akainu took the lead, personally unleashing relentless destruction upon the pirates.
After sacrificing nearly half of the Navy's forces, Wano had been turned into a river of blood.
Only then did the war finally come to an end.
Akainu stood there like a man who had bathed in blood, his entire body stained crimson.
At his feet lay piles upon piles of corpses.
Not a single one of the All-Stars or Tobiroppo escaped—they were all wiped out.
Aside from a handful of insignificant small fry who managed to flee, the Beast Pirates, like the Whitebeard Pirates before them, were essentially annihilated.
When the news spread, the entire sea erupted once more.
"Breaking news! Breaking news! After the Whitebeard Pirates, the Beast Pirates have also been destroyed by the Navy!"
"The Navy's ambitions are obvious—they're aiming to eliminate the Four Emperors!"
"And they don't just have the ambition—they have the power!"
"After Whitebeard was punched to death by Homelander, Kaido has now been killed by Homelander with just two punches!"
"With Homelander on their side, wiping out the Emperors is no problem for the Navy!"
"Now only Big Mom and Red-Haired Shanks remain. Who will the Navy target next?"
…
The entire sea was thrown into unprecedented shock.
Everyone felt as if they had been hit by a massive bomb—
their minds shaken to the core.
The Four Emperors.
For decades, they had been the undisputed titans of the seas—super pirates even the Navy dared not provoke lightly.
The Beast Pirates in particular had an especially fearsome reputation.
Kaido himself had repeatedly gone to Marineford to challenge the Navy, had been captured and executed countless times, yet never died—an enduring humiliation for the Marines.
But times had changed.
The tides had turned.
The Navy had now risen so powerfully that even Kaido had been destroyed.
And with two Emperors already eliminated, the seas fell into a state of deep unease and panic.
Pirates everywhere trembled, reining themselves in like never before.
Many pirate crews were so frightened they didn't even dare to set sail anymore.
If even the Emperors could be wiped out, how could small-time pirates like them dare to make waves?
More than that, the direction of events had become obvious.
The Navy was clearly targeting the Four Emperors.
Everyone was watching closely, their eyes fixed on the two remaining Emperors, waiting to see whether they too would be eliminated one by one.
If the last two Emperors fell as well, then the balance of the seas would be completely—and utterly—rewritten.
"Homelander's next targets… should be me and Red-Hair, right?"
On Whole Cake Island, Big Mom's expression was grim beyond words.
The same was true for the many commanders at her side.
The atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.
Whitebeard and Kaido had both been effortlessly killed by Homelander. Big Mom had no illusions that she could withstand him.
But even so—
Could her crew really just tuck their tails between their legs and run?
Big Mom would never accept such humiliation.
A fight to the death!
There was hardly any hesitation before the decision was made.
As for Red-Hair?
What Big Mom didn't know was that Shanks' people had already appeared at Marineford—
Inside the office of the Five Elders.
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