The sight made his stomach twist in disbelief and unwillingness to accept it. How could someone just copy what he spent years building into himself? This wasn't fair, it was wrong and unfair on so many levels.
Yamato laughed as her body began to shift. Scales rippled across her arms, her teeth sharpened, and her form took on the unmistakable traits of a dragon—yet she still retained her human shape.
The sight left both King and Queen stunned. For a brief second, neither could process what they were seeing. Her aura expanded, heavy and wild, radiating with power that felt eerily similar to Kaido's. Yamato grinned, the mixture of confidence and excitement lighting up her eyes as she lunged forward, forcing the two commanders to retreat.
All around them, the battlefield fell into chaos. The Beast Pirates, once organized and fierce, had turned on each other. Their blades clashed, their roars filled the air, and confusion spread like wildfire.
Hiyori's music carried through it all, her shamisen controlling the rhythm of the fight itself. The melody wrapped around their minds, twisting their will until they couldn't tell friend from foe. Yet not everyone was caught under the spell. From above, Ulti descended in fury, her hardened forehead coated in Armament Haki as she charged straight for Hiyori.
[Music is your domain. Picture the elements themselves gathering to defend you.]
The Omni Sage's voice echoed gently in Hiyori's mind, calm and instructive. As Ulti closed the distance, the very air around Hiyori began to shift. A sudden gust swirled upward, forming an invisible hand that caught Ulti mid-strike. Her leg was snatched by the wind itself, lifted high before she was hurled back with overwhelming force. The movement was smooth and effortless, as though the air had acted purely out of instinct to protect its master.
[You don't want to be hurt, so rest assured—so long as you play, nothing shall touch you. Let the music flow, and all things in reality will bend to its rhythm. The universe itself loves your sound and will not allow harm to silence it.]
Hiyori began playing her instrument with greater skill, her fingers moving faster and with more skill than before. The sound that poured from the shamisen carried a depth and weight that hadn't been there moments ago. Every note seemed to blend with the air itself, shaping the world around her.
The ground beneath her feet came to life seemingly dancing, the wind moved in rhythm, and the very sky seemed to hum along. Each stroke of her fingers rewrote the world's tempo, bending the battlefield into harmony with her song. The more she played, the stronger the pull became, as if existence itself wanted to follow her lead.
Ulti, who had landed on her feet, let out a furious roar, trying to shake off the strange calm pressing against her spirit. But the more she fought, the more her anger slipped away, replaced by an unsettling peace that dulled her will to fight.
The music wrapped around her like chains made of silk—soft yet unbreakable. Desperate to free herself, she slammed her head against the wall again and again, but even the stone refused to behave as it should.
It rippled and softened beneath her strikes, turning into a cloud-like haze that cushioned the impact. Reality itself seemed determined to quiet her rage and guide her toward serenity, forcing her to listen to the melody that ruled everything.
Jack roared from a distance, his fury boiling over as he hurled his weapon toward Hiyori. The massive blades spun through the air, cutting a violent path meant to end her performance once and for all. Yet before the attack could reach her, the blades dissolved mid-flight, transforming into a swarm of radiant butterflies.
They scattered in every direction, while they danced through the air in perfect rhythm with her music. Jack's eyes widened in disbelief. Refusing to stop there, he lunged forward—but he barely made it off the ground.
All the energy he had gathered for that jump was suddenly gone, drained away by the very melody he had sought to silence. The power he lost now flowed into the music, making its presence across the battlefield even stronger.
Jack let out a deep, guttural roar, his body expanding and twisting as he transformed into his colossal mammoth form. The ground trembled beneath his massive feet as he charged straight toward Hiyori, his rage overpowering any trace of reason.
Each step sent cracks running through the earth, his tusks glowing faintly from the friction of the air against them. But Hiyori didn't flinch—she simply closed her eyes and continued to play, her fingers moving with effortless precision.
The music rose in intensity, and just as Jack reached her, he suddenly stumbled forward with a strangled cry. His enormous frame slammed into a stone pillar, the sound echoing across the battlefield. The impact was light, nothing major; it was like one stumbling into a wall… but for some reason, cracks sounded from his body, his bones cracking and breaking under the force.
[Those who wish to harm you as you play shall face the worst calamity. Even the gentlest touch of a leaf could shatter their bones, and the light of the sun shall burn upon their souls. The more they struggle against your melody, the greater their suffering will become, for the universe itself delights in your music and will not allow its song to be interrupted, and would grow angry with anyone who doesn't show the respect you need while you play.]
Jack screamed in pain, his enormous body trembling as the air itself scorched him. Every gust of wind felt like fire, every sound stabbed deeper into his being. The more he fought, the more the world turned against him.
Even the faintest touch from the ground left him in pain, as if the earth itself rejected his existence. The battlefield grew quiet, the sounds of his agony echoing through the air, a clear reminder that the melody ruling over them was not something that could be resisted.
'So, I'm the strongest?' Hiyori asked, opening her eyes slowly. Before her, Jack screamed helplessly, his massive frame still burning where the wind had touched him. Each breath he took came out as a ragged cry, his strength fading with every passing second.
The world itself seemed to turn against him, as if denying his right to exist if it hated something it loved. Hiyori watched in silence, her fingers never leaving the shamisen. The power she had been given was beyond anything she could have imagined, and it was still growing with every note she played.
[No, this can be nullified with strong enough Haki. Try learning Haki, and one day even the likes of King and Queen shall not be able to stand against your music. Also, your music skills equal strength. The more skilled you are, the more the universe shall go out of its way to ensure you finish playing.]
Hiyori nodded, her eyes burning with determination to improve herself. She could easily become the strongest, at a rate faster than everyone in the crew; all she needed was time and practice. The music in her hands held endless potential, and she understood that now. Every note she played brought her closer to unlocking what her power could truly do.
"Worororo, you brat!" Standing atop Onigashima—the massive skull that made up most of the island—Kaido laughed in joy, his voice booming like thunder. The ground beneath them trembled from the sheer force of his presence, the air rippling as his laughter echoed through the sky.
Across from him, Billy stood smiling lightly, unfazed by the sight of the enormous giant towering before him. Kaido's laughter carried pride, excitement, and bloodlust all at once, thrilled by the destruction below and the challenge standing before him.
He could sense his crew being overwhelmed, yet it only fueled his excitement, his grin stretching wider as his aura flared violently around him.
"You really want a grand death? You think it completes you, right? Come, let's see if I can do it," Billy said with a grin. Kaido didn't wait to answer. He burst forward, his kanabō swinging with such speed that it cut through the air like a blur. The ground shook under his charge, each step heavy and powerful as he closed the distance between them.
Honestly, Kaido was fast; if Billy didn't use his Reality Observation Haki, he would have been destroyed before he could blink. The speed and weight behind that first charge alone would have crushed him flat. With that Haki active, Billy tracked every motion and angle, keeping pace with Kaido's swing long enough to react. And just as Kaido was about to hit him, Billy snapped his finger, cutting the momentum short as the world around them exploded into a sea of colors.
Kaido's eyes widened. His kanabō turned into colorful paper in an instant, light as nothing, while his body landed behind Billy without warning.
Billy now held the paper in his hand. Kaido looked around at the world around them, confused by the sudden shift and what he was seeing. He turned back and saw Billy push his hair back, this time it looked as if his hair was jelled back. With another snap of his finger, the paper in Billy's hand changed again, taking the clear shape of a sword.