"Red-haired brat, if you've got the guts, take this move head-on!!!"
Roooar——
Kaido's entire body was engulfed in blazing crimson flames as he let out a long, deafening roar.
The flames surged endlessly toward his head, the scorching heat making it feel as if a second sun had appeared in the sky.
A colossal dragon's head of pure fire, coated in Haki, dove straight down toward Shanks.
Shanks curled his lips.
"Hiss——"
"Like hell I'd take that."
"I told you already—your moves are way too predictable."
Such an obvious taunt—who'd fall for that?
Sure, Kaido's power was overwhelming, but Shanks wasn't brainless...
Going head-to-head with a giant fire dragon crashing down on him?
Planting his foot, Shanks moved swiftly, streaking through the air like a flash of red light.
But Kaido, mid-dive, locked his eyes on Shanks' figure and chased him relentlessly.
No choice...
He had just realized that this damn brat...
His Observation Haki couldn't sense him at all.
Plenty of outrageous talents roamed the seas, but someone who could completely nullify even his Observation Haki—
That was absurd...
The distance between dragon and man shrank rapidly...
Kaido's eyes gleamed as his speed exploded upward!
But just before impact—
Shanks suddenly turned his head, gave Kaido a grin, and then vanished, his speed skyrocketing several times over.
Kaido's eyes widened in fury!
BOOOOM——!!!
...
At the center of the island, a crimson sun rose into the sky.
Countless bolts of lightning exploded outward, sweeping across everything in sight.
The blast was so intense that even the Red-Hair Pirates watching from the shore had to squint against the blinding light.
Lucky Roux bit into a piece of meat, mumbling through a full mouth:
"That's some crazy firepower."
"Captain is gonna be fine, right?"
Yasopp said,
"Of course. With Captain's speed..."
"Even if he can't win, there's no way he can't dodge."
"So that's the kind of monster they call an Emperor, huh."
"Scary stuff."
"How the hell do the Marines keep guys like him in check with just Admirals and a Fleet Admiral?"
Watching the explosion raging across the island, Yasopp couldn't help but think of Borsalino, who had slipped away after a brief skirmish earlier, feeling a bit puzzled.
The gap in power between these sides... it was hard to even wrap his head around.
Beckman lit a cigarette and took a drag.
"Kizaru just got promoted to Admiral."
"Looks like he's not all that strong—none of his attacks even touched us."
"But... none of ours hit him either. We had so many people, and he was alone."
"As the intel said, that guy's a slippery one..."
"If the situation isn't clearly in his favor, he'll never fight to the death."
Yasopp grinned.
"So that was your real goal—just to test him."
Beckman nodded.
"If the intel's right, then the new Admiral, Aokiji, is probably the same way."
"Sengoku's just been promoted to Fleet Admiral to hold Marineford together, while Garp's off running all over the world."
"The only real headache for the Marines right now... is Sakazuki."
"That guy's a pure mad dog."
"If it had been Sakazuki today..."
"This wouldn't have ended peacefully."
Yasopp said,
"Sakazuki, huh..."
"Is he really that much trouble?"
Beckman narrowed his eyes.
"Of course."
"If all the Marines were like Kizaru, how could they possibly keep the Emperors of the New World in check?"
"Most of the last generation's pirates are long dead."
"But the Marines of that same era... are still alive and kicking."
"Rocks, who once dominated the seas, fell at God Valley."
"Back then, Sengoku suppressed the New World."
"Garp chased after Boss's captain, the Pirate King Roger, all over the globe."
"Whitebeard, Shiki... both died at Sakazuki's hands."
"Redfield fought the former Fleet Admiral Kong, lost to Garp afterward, and was thrown in prison."
"Not a single one of the Four Legendary Pirates escaped the Navy's grasp."
"Even Kaido here on this island..."
"The intel says he once lost to Sakazuki too."
"Though he escaped later for some unknown reason, it doesn't erase the Navy's strength."
"And the terrifying thing is..."
"As time goes on..."
"The pirates out at sea seem to be forgetting all these achievements..."
"Those guys are all still alive and well, yet fewer and fewer people take the Navy seriously..."
"Tell me... why is that?"
Yasopp sucked in a cold breath.
"This..."
"Yeah... why is that?"
Such terrifying accomplishments—why did they never feel so real before...?
Beckman's gaze grew distant as he stared toward the island.
"Time..."
Most of the new generation's pirates are young. Out on this information-starved sea, the only way news spreads is through newspapers.
But who remembers every page of every newspaper?
Sure, these events caused a stir at the time. But with time...
Those events may not seem too long ago, but they were ten, twenty years back.
Who remembers every major headline from twenty years ago...?
Beckman was older, so he remembered, even collected intel.
But Yasopp, only three years younger, had spent his youth stuck on a tiny island.
Even being nearly the same age, he wouldn't remember any of it.
He hadn't been a pirate or a Marine back then—so even if he'd read about it, it faded from memory instantly.
The only event that happened after they'd gone to sea was Shiki's fall.
And even then, everyone just sighed at the news... it didn't hit home.
Clack—clack—
Beckman loaded his rifle.
"Get ready to back him up."
"Looks like Boss can't hold out much longer."
On the island, a colossal, furious fire dragon chased something—heading straight toward the Red-Hair Pirates' ship.
No need to guess who it was chasing...
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Outside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Tap tap—
Crisp leather shoes clicked on the floor as a glowing figure appeared.
Borsalino let out a long breath.
"Finally back~"
Through the wooden door, Sengoku's voice called out:
"What's the situation in the New World, Borsalino?"
Clatter—
Borsalino slid open the door and stepped into the Fleet Admiral's office.
"No worries~ Fleet Admiral~"
"Those two aren't allies~"
"Looks like they clashed instead~"
"Pretty sure the Island's at the bottom of the sea by now~"
Sengoku frowned.
"Pretty sure?"
Borsalino sighed.
"Yeah~"
"I wanted to keep watch~"
"But the Red-Hair Pirates... every one of them's a monster~"
"Couldn't even get close~"
Sengoku took a deep breath, waved his hand, and forced down his irritation.
"Got it."
"Go rest."
Borsalino seemed to realize he'd pushed things too far and straightened up slightly.
"Yes~"
He turned and left the Fleet Admiral's office.
Sengoku looked down at the files in his hands, reports on Revolutionary Army growth across multiple allied nations, and rubbed his temples.
"Troubled times..."
Barely in office and already drowning in messes...
He picked up a Den Den Mushi and dialed. After a few rings—
"Get me the latest intel on Bitter Island."
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total