As Garlyn Saint charged forward, the half-dragon Kaido in his azure form and Souta Kiryuu in his crimson half-dragon form shared an unspoken understanding. In perfect sync, they both unleashed a devastating strike toward the God Knight commander.
"Ugh!"
Garlyn's eyes narrowed. He instantly withdrew his blade, shifting from offense to defense. Even so, the combined force of the two Conqueror's Haki-coated blows struck him like a hurricane. He was sent flying, coughing up a mouthful of blood as his body crashed into the ruins.
"Wororororo!! Souta, brat—you've proven yourself worthy of being called a king!
How about it? Want to drag down that old relic Whitebeard Newgate? I'll help you.
Or maybe you'd rather crush that bastard Red-Haired Shanks? That works too!"
Kaido's booming laughter shook the battlefield. He had already fully acknowledged Souta. More than that, he liked him. Souta wasn't like Newgate, hiding behind age and sentiment. He wasn't like Shanks, who obsessed over balance and stability. Souta was raw chaos, a storm given form, a man who sought to overturn everything. That was Kaido's kind of pirate.
If Souta became one of the next Yonko, Kaido would throw his full support behind him. Together, his Beasts Pirates and Souta's crew could turn the seas upside down and bring the world government to its knees.
"Garlyn Saint!"
Akainu abandoned his offensive, rushing to drag the God Knight commander from the rubble.
"Damn vermin!!"
Garlyn roared, rage contorting his features. It had been over thirty years since he'd been made to look this pathetic. He glared at the two half-dragons before him, seething with fury. These monstrous powers had all been born from the Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon fruit that should have belonged to him.
"Kaido! You forced me to master Conqueror's Haki coating… but that strike you gave me—I swear I'll return it!"
Souta's breath came ragged as he growled low. Forcing out Conqueror's Haki coating under the threat of death had drained him heavily, leaving his organs and muscles screaming from the overload.
"Worororo! I'll be waiting!!"
Kaido's draconic maw twisted into a cruel grin. He didn't take Souta's threat seriously at all—if anything, he relished it. He liked straight-backed, unflinching opponents.
"Then let's cut them down first!!"
Souta quickly shoved several Blood-Crystal Dandelions into his mouth, the potent medicine restoring his injuries and stamina in an instant. Against opponents like Garlyn Saint and Akainu—both stronger than himself—he needed to stay at full strength. And he couldn't afford to ignore Kaido, either. The drunken beast fought by instinct, loyal to no one's plans but his own.
"Worororo! Then let the war continue!"
Kaido raised his spiked kanabo, charging Garlyn Saint once again, while Souta readied himself to refine his newly awakened Conqueror's coating. This war would be his crucible—here and now, he would master the technique completely.
"BOOM!!"
The kingdom of Sorbet shook to its foundations. Their clash tore through the land with apocalyptic might. Even King, the Wildfire, and the two God Knights Forth Saint and Koneif Saint found themselves unable to interfere.
Those two knights turned their focus toward King instead. If they couldn't touch Souta and Kaido, then killing or capturing the Lunarian would still count as a victory.
Meanwhile, on the northern battlefield, Big Mom, Shiki the Golden Lion, and Dragon all felt the storm of Conqueror's Haki raging from the shoreline. Each of them was shaken.
Big Mom, however, only grew more excited. She had already crushed Klein Saint, pried the Pluton blueprints from his hands, and now chased him as he fled under CP0 protection. Wounded and bloodied, Klein barely escaped with his life.
Big Mom didn't bother finishing him. She turned instead, storming toward Pains Saint. His blueprints would complete her prize.
"Charlotte Linlin! Back off! That prey is mine!!"
Shiki snarled, fuming as the massive woman crashed into his battlefield.
"Mamamama! Crippled lion, even when given the chance you fail! You think you can take him? Let me handle it—the Pluton blueprints are mine!"
Ignoring his rage, Big Mom hammered her way into the fight, striking at both Pains Saint and Shiki without hesitation. The battlefield dissolved into a chaotic three-way melee.
"Dragon, stand aside! Take your Revolutionary Army and leave this island!"
Aokiji Kuzan, holding his ice blade, stood in Dragon's path with his usual frigid calm.
"Hand over the blueprints, and I'll let you pass."
Dragon smiled faintly. Though he and Kuzan each held only a few weathered fragments of the Pluton plans, it was enough. The important thing was ensuring no one faction ever assembled them all. Even incomplete, scattered plans would keep the warship locked away forever.
"Fine."
Kuzan thought for a moment, then passed Dragon the fragile sheets. Perhaps leaving the designs divided among the Celestial Dragons, the Revolutionaries, and the pirates was the best way to guarantee Pluton never saw the light of day.
"If the old man knew how eager you were to protect the Celestial Dragons, I wonder if he'd reward you with another 'Fist of Love.'"
Dragon chuckled softly as he dissolved into the wind.
Kuzan's expression didn't change. He drew a deep breath, then strode into the chaos once more. He could not allow Big Mom to seize Pains Saint's portion of the plans—if she succeeded, she would control half the blueprint herself.
With his entry, the battlefield grew even more frenzied. Big Mom and Shiki, forced into an uneasy truce, turned together to face the World Government forces.
From the shadows, Crocodile watched the carnage with mounting frustration. The sheer power on display convinced him his chances of claiming the blueprints for himself were dwindling. And yet, he couldn't make himself leave. Not until the last possible moment. Perhaps, if the titans destroyed each other, he could swoop in to reap the spoils.
Elsewhere, Bartholomew Kuma, who had blasted tens of thousands of civilians to safety, was beginning to falter. His chest heaved, his massive body strained. Today, even his Paw-Paw fruit had been pushed to its absolute limit.
"King Kuma, you've done enough. Rest now."
King Bulldog urged him gently, his own wounds already healed by the Blood-Crystal Dandelions. Seeing Kuma save so many citizens from the northern region filled him with both gratitude and awe.
Rescuing the south had already been more than enough. After all, those residents belonged to non-affiliated nations. Yet Kuma had gone further, saving countless others from the allied territories as well.
Still, many in the north refused to leave, stubbornly clinging to their homes and wealth. Nobles in particular refused to abandon their estates, refusing to believe the World Government would truly annihilate their land.
"Papa Kuma! If those fools won't listen, let them rot! Souta said it himself—don't cling to some savior's guilt. Respect their fate!"
Bonney's voice was sharp, but her eyes softened with worry as she looked at Kuma's exhausted form. They had already saved nearly everyone they could—especially those closest to them. They weren't gods. They couldn't save the entire world, nor did they have to.
...
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