On the turbulent sea, a massive ship belonging to the Beasts Pirates sliced through the churning waves at high speed. The crew's top officers were gathered on the deck at the bow. At the very front stood Kaido of the Beasts, one of the Four Emperors, flanked by his three All-Stars and the members of the Tobi Roppo. Also present were their powerful allies: Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates, Doflamingo of the Donquixote Family, and Judge of the Vinsmoke Family.
The air on deck was thick with anger and tension. The sudden arrival of the Red Hair Pirates on such a momentous day was a blatant insult to their entire crew, and the members of the Beasts Pirates were furious. Ulti was especially enraged. Today was supposed to be their moment of glory, the start of a grand parade to celebrate their new power. Instead, Red Hair's appearance had ruined everything.
Alongside the anger, however, was a thread of nervousness. This was "Red-Haired" Shanks, after all—an existence on the same level as their Governor Kaido. Among the powerful figures present, even King and Katakuri, the first mates of two different Yonko crews, had rarely encountered Shanks. He was an opponent that only monsters like Kaido and Big Mom could face.
It was no surprise, then, that pirates like Doflamingo and Judge felt a cold sweat trickling down their foreheads.
Just then, a deep, rumbling laugh broke the tension.
"Worororo! Doffy, Judge, are you two really that scared of Red Hair?" Kaido bellowed.
Judge didn't dare speak, but his pale face said everything.
Doflamingo managed a bitter smile. "Fufufu, you can't blame us, Kaido. He's one of the Four Emperors, just like you. A monster like that isn't someone we can handle."
Kaido didn't respond to him, instead turning to look back at King and the others. "And what about you?"
Before King could even answer, the irritable Ulti couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "I'm not afraid! That damn Red Hair, showing up at a time like this! Unforgivable! Unforgivable!"
In truth, Ulti and the others had no reason to fear Shanks. Their captain, Kaido, was standing right there with them. As long as Kaido was present, they feared no one on the vast sea. Besides, the Beasts Pirates, a crew composed almost entirely of Zoan Devil Fruit users, were naturally wild-hearted and reckless. There was a reason Jack the Drought had earned the nickname "ship-destroyer."
"Very good!" Kaido grinned, pleased with their response. "I like the look in your eyes. This is how it should be! Remember, the reason I brought you all here today isn't just to test the results of your training. It's to tell you that Red Hair, Whitebeard, the Marines, and even the World Government… they mean nothing to us!"
With that, Kaido raised his right hand high into the air.
"It doesn't matter who it is! If they dare to stand in the way of the Beasts Pirates, there's only one outcome for them: they will be crushed! Do you understand me?"
"OHHHH!"
The entire deck erupted in a chorus of excited roars. The eyes of King and the others shone with a fierce eagerness to fight.
Katakuri, Doflamingo, and Judge watched the scene in shock. They could all feel an incredibly powerful confidence radiating from the Beasts Pirates—a confidence that seemed to go far beyond what a typical Yonko crew should possess. Kaido hadn't just named other pirates as their enemies; he had included the Marines and the World Government. It was as if they were truly fearless.
And in a way, they were. Before, the Beasts Pirates were just one of the Four Emperor crews, and they would have felt a healthy fear when facing a global power like the World Government. But now, things were completely different. The secret blueprint they possessed gave every single one of them unwavering confidence.
Just then, Kaido's deep voice rang out again.
"So, are you ready?"
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
"BOOM!!!"
Before King, Ulti, or anyone else could react, it hit them. An unbelievably powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki crashed over the entire ship. In an instant, an invisible thunderclap ripped through their minds. The sky and the sea warped into a scarlet haze, streaked with crackling black-and-red lightning.
Everyone's heart lurched. The very air around them seemed to solidify, and time itself felt like it had stopped. An inexplicable fear bloomed in their chests, making their bodies tremble. Their minds felt like they'd been struck by a giant hammer, their thoughts went blank, and their consciousness began to blur.
A series of heavy thuds followed.
"Thud… thud…"
Behind Kaido, the subordinates who had just been cheering were now all unconscious on the deck. Beside him, Judge and his daughter Reiju also fainted instantly, their eyes rolling back into their heads.
"Whoa, whoa… This Conqueror's Haki is on a whole different level," Doflamingo gasped.
As fellow users of Conqueror's Haki, he and Katakuri immediately unleashed their own auras to resist the pressure. But compared to Shanks' Haki, which seemed to cover the entire world, their own could barely shield themselves. Both of their backs were already soaked in sweat. Looking up, they could just make out the silhouette of a ship on the distant horizon.
"To have this much power from so far away… What kind of monster is Red-Haired Shanks?" Katakuri thought, a cold sweat on his brow. He now fully understood the gap between himself and a Yonko. "No wonder even Mom said…"
Indeed, Big Mom was right. Even among those who could use Conqueror's Haki, there were vast differences in strength. The gap between him and Shanks was as wide as the heavens and the earth. The only one here who could truly stand against it was Kaido.
Thinking this, he looked toward the front of the ship, where Kaido stood completely unfazed, a slight smile still on his face. Behind him, King and Queen were struggling to stay conscious, drenched in sweat. The Tobi Roppo were in even worse shape, all on the verge of collapsing.
Why isn't Kaido protecting his subordinates? Katakuri wondered.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Kaido's deep voice resonated in their hearts. He wasn't speaking with his mouth; the voice was being transmitted directly into their minds through Observation Haki.
"Hey! King, Queen, Jack, Who's-Who, Black Maria, Ulti, Sasaki, Page One… How long are you going to lie there? Have you forgotten what I told you? Have you forgotten that you swore to challenge the entire world with me? Is this little display of Haki all it takes to make you so weak?!"
Kaido called out each of their names, one by one. With every name spoken, the person felt a surge of new strength flow into their body. As Kaido's voice echoed in their minds, the vows they had made to him not long ago resurfaced.
"I don't recognize any savior. If a savior really exists, it can only be Governor Kaido!"
"That's right! The only savior I'll ever acknowledge is Kaido!"
"Of course! Kaido is the only one who can save this world!"
"King, our children will carry our hopes into a New World that we create. A world with no slavery, no oppression… a world where everyone can eat their fill."
Instantly, their eyes snapped open.
Seeing this, Kaido laughed heartily, an exhilarating feeling washing over him.
"That's it! Very good!" he roared, his voice now booming across the deck. "Don't be afraid! Don't you dare retreat! You just need to remember that no matter who our enemy is—Red Hair, Whitebeard, the Marines, the World Government, the Celestial Dragons—it doesn't matter! I, your Governor, your captain, your father, will always have your backs! Now, all you need to do is forget your fear and unleash the power within you!"
"NOW!"
"BOOM!!!"
As his command echoed, two new, immense streams of Conqueror's Haki erupted from the deck of Kaido's ship, pushing back against the encroaching red pressure with a will of their own.
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