Kaido's banquet was styled in pure pirate fashion.
The moment one disembarked from the luxurious ferry, the first sight to greet the eyes was a towering pile of firewood that stretched toward the sky.
All around the bonfire were displays of gourmet food and fine liquor.
Teams of servers were still working at full strength, hauling barrels of alcohol and stacking them on the enormous banquet platform.
It was clear that tonight was destined to be a night of grand celebration.
The only uncertainty… was who would be the one celebrating in the end.
Scratchmen Apoo enthusiastically came forward to greet them with a smile. "Vice-Emperor, my deepest apologies—our Lord Kaido couldn't come to welcome you personally. He's preparing for the most important event of tonight."
"Please, this way to the banquet."
Roya gave a noncommittal smile and followed, with Kozuki Hiyori at his side.
After taking a curved walkway that twisted around once, the full grandeur of the scene opened up before them.
Roya realized then that the earlier festive sight he had glimpsed was just one corner of the banquet area.
Now standing on the main platform, he could see everything in full view—including, on the opposite side, a twenty-plus person crew busily preparing a wide variety of desserts.
Presiding over them was none other than Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin. As if she had eyes on the back of her head, she suddenly spun around to face Roya.
Her enormous nose twitched sharply, like she was sniffing out the scent of a fresh pastry.
With a satisfied grin, she said, "Roya, the New Emperor... What a delightful youthful aroma you carry."
Roya glanced toward the mountainous stacks of desserts behind her and motioned with his chin. "Nice desserts."
Big Mom's eyes crinkled with delight. "Of course! Every single sweet tonight was crafted specially for you, Roya."
Roya gave another vague smile, then leaned slightly to whisper a warning that only Hiyori could hear:
"Whatever you do tonight—don't eat the desserts. In fact, don't even touch them."
Hiyori blinked in confusion. "Why? Are they poisoned?"
Roya shook his head with a chuckle. "No. You'll gain weight."
Hiyori looked utterly dumbfounded, just about to respond—
When suddenly, a monstrous shadow loomed overhead, blotting out what little remained of the evening sunlight.
A roar of dragon breath descended from the sky, slamming directly into the massive pile of firewood at the center of the banquet platform.
WHOOSH!
Flames soared skyward, finally illuminating the source of that vast shadow—
A massive, serpentine Azure Dragon, over 100 meters long, twisting and coiling through the air above them—
Kaido in his dragon form!
After igniting the bonfire with perfect precision, the dragon's breath didn't fade—it continued snaking along a pre-marked path, winding upward.
Within seconds, the flames reached the enormous skull atop Onigashima—the iconic structure that occupied half the island's peak.
FWOOSH!
Fire erupted from the skull's eyes and mouth, making it appear as though a demon was crawling out from the pits of hell.
Only then did Kaido withdraw his form, transforming back into his human self and plummeting from the sky—
BOOM!!!
The ground quaked. The entire island seemed to tremble from the impact.
His entrance had been pushed to its absolute theatrical limit—dominating, terrifying.
Momonosuke, Kin'emon, and Ashura Doji, who had just stepped onto the platform, were left slack-jawed, clearly stunned by Kaido's terrifying presence.
And just stepping off the ferry was Orochi, whose legs gave out beneath him in sheer fright—he nearly collapsed, saved only by Apoo catching him at the last second.
Kaido strode over to Roya with thunderous steps. At over seven meters tall, his presence was overwhelming.
Hiyori, trembling from head to toe, instinctively pressed herself closer to Roya—every cell in her body shivering under Kaido's raw pressure.
Roya gave a light cough and activated his Observation Haki domain, wrapping it gently around Hiyori to shield her from the aggressive aura Kaido was radiating.
A warm, comforting energy enveloped her, instantly making her feel safe and secure. She turned to look gratefully at Roya's profile.
Roya, however, remained calm and indifferent as he met Kaido's gaze.
Kaido abruptly halted. The terrifying aura surrounding him instantly vanished—dispersed completely.
Considering the earlier dragon's breath that had ignited both the bonfire and the skull monument, it was clear—
Kaido's control over his power had reached an absolute peak.
As expected of the one known as the Strongest Creature in the World.
Kaido let out a hearty laugh. "Apologies, my beautiful lady."
"I sensed an unusual presence in the New Emperor Roya, and got a little carried away. I thought a friendly clash of auras might be fun."
"Didn't expect it would scare you, my lady. My bad! My bad!"
His rough, magnetic voice made the excuse sound almost plausible—charming, even.
Even Hiyori, despite Kaido being the one who killed her father, couldn't help but smile and say politely, "It's alright, Kaido-sama."
Roya, meanwhile, was thoroughly unimpressed.
One of the Emperors of the New World, reduced to this kind of childish behavior?
Kaido had now twice used Hiyori as a battleground to engage Roya in these meaningless ego games.
First it was a battle of presence—which Roya effortlessly neutralized.
Now, Kaido was using Conqueror's Haki to influence Hiyori's mental state.
While Conqueror's Haki was naturally more effective than Observation Haki in suppressing willpower and affecting the mind—
Kaido… your control over it is sorely lacking.
Roya let out a light, contemptuous laugh. Using sound waves as a medium, he directly dispersed Kaido's own Conqueror's Haki—along with all the energy hidden within it.
Kaido froze. So did Hiyori.
She immediately realized that Kaido had attempted to manipulate her mind, and furiously said,
"Well then, Kaido-sama… you'll soon have nothing left to govern!"
Kaido, in the midst of wracking his brain to figure out how Roya had dispelled his Haki, was completely thrown off by Hiyori's barbed words.
He snorted in anger, his long, mustache-like whiskers rising in fury—clearly on the verge of snapping.
But as the banquet's host tonight, he forcibly swallowed his rage, turned on his heel, and strode away.
Watching this whole encounter play out, Big Mom finally burst into a string of delighted giggles.
"Oh, how wonderful! Lord Roya's strength truly defies imagination. Looks like little Kaido just ran headfirst into a steel wall!"
Roya, of course, didn't put any stock in her clearly insincere flattery.
He nodded toward Hiyori, then turned and left with her.
The sky continued to darken. The bonfire blazed even brighter, lighting the entire banquet platform as if it were broad daylight.
But the rest of Onigashima was now cloaked in pitch-black darkness.
From all directions, various factions began to move—concealed under the cover of night.
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