Kaido's dragon head in his hybrid form twisted into a ferocious grin.
True, working with Sakazuki would bring him enormous benefits. But… they were both old foxes. Who didn't know what the other was up to?
Cooperate, then turn on each other. Cooperate, then turn on each other again…
This time, it all depended on Sakazuki's appetite.
So he really did intend to wreak havoc in Wano.
Then don't blame me… Sakazuki.
The clouds ten thousand meters above began to turn black as they filled with lightning.
Kaido's aura also disappeared, carefully contained within a certain range… waiting.
...
New World
Above the ruined island, King hung up the Den Den Mushi and prepared to leave.
He didn't bother with the wreckage below. That was just bait.
If the deaths of so many people could be used to bury a future Admiral… that was worth it.
He beat his wings and tucked the Den Den Mushi into his pocket.
Whoosh—
A laser beam shot through the Den Den Mushi in an instant.
Boom!
The Den Den Mushi exploded, shattered by the beam.
King's pupils constricted sharply.
"Kizaru…"
Just as the thought surfaced—
Golden light gathered not far in front of him, and Borsalino appeared.
"Oh ya oh ya~"
"What an incredible piece of news I've just heard~"
For a brief moment, King's mind went blank. When had he gotten here…?
But his body didn't hesitate. His wings beat hard as he turned into a black streak, lunging at Borsalino.
He twisted his body sharply, using the momentum to deliver a vicious kick.
Borsalino raised his right arm.
Haki covered his arm, blocking the talon of the pterosaur-like wing.
But the flames on King's body shot past the block, piercing through Borsalino's arm and streaking into the distance.
Borsalino's eyes moved slightly.
"Scary~"
"As expected~"
"That almost killed me~"
King narrowed his eyes.
"Stop lying!"
The muscles in his leg swelled, bursting with strength.
Feeling the surge of power, Borsalino's pupils shrank and his mouth opened.
"Oh~~~"
A hint of surprise in his voice—
Whoosh—
His whole body turned into golden light and was kicked toward the ocean.
As he neared the surface of the sea,
The golden light scattered like flower petals, tracing a perfect arc before gathering again in the air above King.
Borsalino extended his index finger, aiming at King's forehead.
"Speed is power~"
Whoosh—
The compressed laser beam struck King's Haki-covered forehead, infinitely extending.
The golden light pressed him downward, shooting straight toward the sea.
BOOM!!!!
Just above the surface, the laser and flames exploded.
A massive expanding fireball bloomed, and King steadied himself at its center. His wings flared and he sliced through the fireball, soaring back into the sky.
But when he returned to high altitude, something felt off.
"Damn it…"
Borsalino's figure had vanished.
King instinctively reached for the Den Den Mushi to report to Kaido.
His hand grabbed air.
He then remembered the Den Den Mushi had already been destroyed.
Below, the island had been completely obliterated. Nothing remained.
He didn't dare linger.
He turned into a streak of light and flew toward the nearest island…
...
New World, Karga Archipelago.
The islands spread out like pieces on a board, rich in minerals.
It was one of Knock's important armament factory sites.
At some unknown time, a massive floating fleet appeared thousands of meters above the ground.
Skarn stood in the control room, watching the wind direction and calculated results on the giant instrument.
He adjusted the fleet's formation and picked up the communication device.
"All personnel, move to designated positions."
"Confirm target visibility."
"Prepare to drop bombs."
Responses came back through the communicator one after another in sequence.
When the last voice replied,
Skarn picked up the communicator again.
"Drop the bombs. Everyone, prepare for battle."
Then… countless shells rained down like a storm.
Every island below was targeted. Chaos and blood flooded across them.
"Courting death!!!"
A furious roar echoed up to the skies.
Seven or eight blue slashes, each dozens of meters long, spiraled upward.
Beneath the slashes, a tall and lean swordsman with a long sword surged into the sky.
Skarn looked at the intruder with a flicker of interest.
He floated up and dove down.
Loose parts followed behind him, snapping into place around his arms as he accelerated.
Boom boom boom—
The sword aura was shattered by Skarn's iron fists. He charged at the pirate swordsman—
Boom!!!!
At the same time, the fleet shifted direction and dove.
Doberman, Momonga, and the other Vice Admirals organized their forces to wipe out the pirates and seize resources on the islands below…
Sakazuki divided his forces into two groups.
Against Kaido's faction were Enel, Law, Drake, and several other unpredictable fighters—used to confuse and put on a show.
Against Knock's faction were Skarn, Doberman, Momonga, and the others. Their job was to strike steadily and effectively. This was the real objective of the operation.
Skarn and the pirate swordsman collided and broke apart.
Behind Skarn, countless weapons hovered and spun…
They followed him, occasionally disrupting the enemy.
...
New World, Wano.
Rumble—
Enel's figure appeared above Onigashima.
It hadn't been long since his last visit here.
But the massive chimneys on the island had visibly multiplied several times.
Clearly, after reaching a cooperative intent with Sakazuki, Kaido had immediately expanded the armament factory.
Lightning lances gathered in Enel's hand. His Observation Haki swept over the island, his brows furrowing.
"They've emptied the nest…"
"Something's not right."
The golden rings on his wrists and ankles slowly melted and flowed toward his right arm. Without hesitation, he hurled the lightning lance toward the clustered armament factories.
Even if it was a trap—so what? The factories were the real targets.
Lightning lances gathered and fired one after another…
Then suddenly, he felt something.
Enel's pupils shrank sharply. He didn't look up.
He kept forming the lightning lances, but his body was already turning into lightning.
Elementalization took an instant—but so did the incoming attack.
Ten thousand meters of distance meant nothing to lightning.
BOOM!!!!
A bolt of lightning struck Enel directly, linking him to the sky, clinging to him without dispersing.
This lightning carried Haki far stronger than his own, interrupting his elementalization.
Kaido's dragon eyes gleamed with ferocity. His hands gripped the Kanabo tightly.
Merging with the bolt of lightning, he plummeted from the sky at incredible speed.
Above Onigashima, lightning wreathed Enel, crawling over him. For a moment, he couldn't shake it off or turn into lightning.
His right arm swept up the golden liquid at his side, forming a golden shield infused with Armament Haki.
All of this happened in a single instant.
Even falling from ten thousand meters, Kaido's descent—empowered by the lightning—was instantaneous.
The Kanabo, flickering with black and red lightning, smashed the golden shield out of shape…
And drove Enel into the ground of the island.
BOOM!!!!
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total