In the treacherous waters of the New World, a dog-headed warship sliced through the turbulent waves. It was moving at a frantic speed toward Onigashima, the fortress of the Beasts Pirates in Wano Country. Standing at the bow was the legendary Marine Hero, Monkey D. Garp. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his expression was so dark it seemed a storm cloud had settled over his brow. The salty sea breeze ruffled his short gray hair, but it did nothing to cool the simmering irritation in his chest.
Suddenly, a nearby Den Den Mushi began to ring. "Buruburu buru... buruburu buru..." The organic snail phone took on a stern expression, complete with a tiny iconic goatee that mirrored the man on the other end.
Garp snatched up the receiver with a grunt. "Sengoku, what is it now?"
"Damn it, Garp! What exactly do you think you're doing?!" Sengoku's voice roared through the snail, barely containing his fury. "Do you have any idea what it means for you to charge in alone? You're going to drag the Marines into a full-scale war with two of the Four Emperors! This could destabilize the entire world!"
Garp didn't look impressed. He reached up and casually picked his nose with his pinky finger. "So what? Ace was captured. As his grandfather, am I supposed to just sit back and watch while those monsters have their way with him?"
The line went quiet for a long moment. When Sengoku spoke again, his tone was softer, though no less serious. "Garp, listen to me. Our latest intelligence says that Aaron Kyle is also heading toward Wano. Kyle's motives are still a mystery, and we can't rule out that the Golden Lion's shadow is behind that flying battleship of his. This is actually an opportunity. Kyle will attract most of Kaido's attention. You can use that chaos to rescue Ace and his squad. Just try to avoid a direct fight with Kaido or Kyle. It's the best plan we have."
Garp scoffed at the "optimal solution." Avoid the fight? Hide in the shadows? He knew that kid Kyle better than anyone. Even if Kyle didn't say it out loud, he was incredibly protective. If Garp played the coward and hid while Kyle did the heavy lifting, the boy would never let him hear the end of it.
"Got it, got it. You're so long-winded, Sengoku," Garp said, hanging up before the Fleet Admiral could get another word in. He scratched his head, feeling a massive headache coming on. Kyle was going to save someone, and he was going to save someone, but they both had to act like enemies while they did it.
"Ahhh! This is so troublesome!" Garp roared. The sound was so loud it sent the nearby Marine recruits scurrying for cover. To hell with strategies and clever plans. Garp's instinct told him that when things got this messy, the only answer was to use his fist to punch away everything in his path.
High above the clouds of Wano, the atmosphere was very different. The colossal aerial battleship, the Veðrfölnir, hovered silently. Its dark hull was so massive it blocked out the sun, casting a shadow over the land below like a bad omen. On the deck, the air was heavy with the scent of an approaching war.
"Fufufufu, Kaido's taste is still as terrible as ever," Donquixote Doflamingo said, adjusting his pink tinted sunglasses as he peered over the edge. "Onigashima looks as gloomy as a grave."
Gekko Moriah let out a high-pitched, shivering laugh. "Jihahahah! I can already smell that bastard! My shadows are screaming for revenge!" The shadows beneath his feet twisted and writhed, hungry for the coming conflict.
Sir Crocodile leaned against the railing, exhaling a thick cloud of cigar smoke. He looked unimpressed. "It's just a den of beasts. Why waste time? We should just blast the whole island flat and be done with it."
"Yahahaha!" Eneru laughed, floating a few inches off the ground as sparks of blue electricity danced around his shoulders. "A mere beast living in the lower realm dares to call itself a god? What a joke. I'll show him what true divinity looks like."
While the others boasted, Dracule Mihawk remained perfectly still. He sat with his eyes closed in deep meditation, but the legendary Black Blade Yoru on his back gave off a faint, sharp hum, sensing the power of the enemies below.
Aaron Kyle stood at the very front of the ship. He looked down at the land of Wano, a place that felt both familiar and strange. He knew Garp was likely on his way. Things were about to get very messy, but Kyle didn't mind. Chaos made it much easier to get what he wanted.
"Robin, tell Morgans to start the live broadcast," Kyle ordered.
"Yes, Captain," Nico Robin replied with a calm smile, picking up a special visual Den Den Mushi.
Kyle took a deep breath. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried across the entire deck with the authority of a king. "Tom, Eneru, begin the descent."
"You got it!" Tom shouted from the engine room.
"Yahahaha! Let the mortals tremble!" Eneru shrieked.
The Veðrfölnir's massive engines let out a deep, vibrating roar. The ship began to drop, piercing through the thick layer of clouds like a falling mountain. Down on Onigashima, the pirates of the Beasts Pirates looked up in horror.
"What... what is that?!" one pirate screamed.
"A whole island is falling from the sky!" another yelled.
They watched as the dark hull, decorated with intricate gold patterns and glowing blue thrusters, emerged from the mist. It looked like a predator descending on its prey. At the top of the island, inside the skull-shaped palace, Kaido stood up from his throne. He gripped his massive iron club, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. He knew the Golden Lion could make things fly, but this ship didn't feel like it was under the influence of the Float-Float Fruit.
As the ship drew closer, Kaido finally recognized the man standing at the bow. Black hair, golden eyes, and a coat that billowed in the wind. He was holding a massive black and gold Naginata. It was a face Kaido would never forget.
"Aaron Kyle!" Kaido growled.
His eyes swept over the people standing behind Kyle. Hawkeye Mihawk, Crocodile, Moriah, Doflamingo, and the Golden Emperor Gild Tesoro. Kaido's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. Even with his massive army, seeing all those "monsters" gathered under one man's command was a chilling sight.
Beside him, King the Conflagration stared silently at the ship. Queen the Plague was shaking so hard his cigar almost fell out of his mouth. "Hey, hey, what kind of sick joke is this? Why is that monster here?"
Jack the Drought looked even worse. He still remembered the day years ago when Kyle had defeated Kaido with a single strike. It was a nightmare he had never woken up from.
"KYLE!!!" Kaido let out a roar that shook the palace walls. The memory of his past defeat burned in his chest like hot coal.
Kyle looked down at the gathered pirates and smiled. Without saying a word, he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki. A massive shockwave of black and gold energy exploded from his body, turning the sky dark. The sea began to churn, and the very ground of Onigashima groaned under the pressure.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Hundreds of Beasts Pirates collapsed instantly, frothing at the mouth as their spirits were crushed by the overwhelming will.
"Wororororo! Don't you dare look down on me, Kyle!" Kaido roared back. He unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki, meeting Kyle's power head-on. The two forces clashed in mid-air, creating bolts of black and red lightning that tore the clouds apart.
Kyle looked down at the few executives who were still standing. "Oh? It's been a few years, Kaido. You've actually gotten a bit stronger. I guess that lesson I gave you back in Ringo actually stuck."
Kaido's face turned purple with rage. He had spent every day since that defeat training his body and his Haki to the absolute limit. He wasn't the same man he was back then. "Enough talking! Why are you here?!"
Kyle laughed, the sound echoing across the battlefield. "Why? Because I'm a pirate, and pirates take what they want! I've decided I like the look of Wano, so I'm taking it!"
"You're asking for death!" Kaido screamed. His body began to grow and shift. Blue scales covered his skin, and his limbs stretched as he transformed into a massive azure dragon. He flew into the sky, coiling his enormous body above the island. Even the Veðrfölnir looked small compared to the dragon's true form.
"Kyle!" the dragon spoke, his voice sounding like rolling thunder. "If you think I'm the same man you fought years ago, you'll die right here!"
Kaido opened his massive jaws, and a ball of searing heat began to glow in his throat. A moment later, a devastating Bolo Breath shot forward, a beam of pure destruction aimed directly at the heart of the flying ship.
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