BOOM. BOOM. BOOM…
Kaido's weapon, wrapped in black lightning, suddenly expanded in size—its swings forming countless afterimages as he lashed out with everything he had.
Now completely consumed by rage and stripped of all reason, Kaido struck wildly at the golden beast before him, throwing caution to the wind.
His terrifying aura uprooted everything in its path.
A violent storm erupted without warning.
The sky changed color.
Dark, oppressive storm clouds were suddenly split in half by the violent updraft.
The ocean roared—towering waves rising like mountains.
VMMMMM!
Ghidorah, who hadn't stopped unleashing his beam, simply shifted his head slightly—his golden energy sweeping downward like a torrent of lightning, crashing into the earth and then into Kaido's path.
The destructive ray shattered the massive illusionary weapons in an instant and, without slowing, surged toward Kaido.
Seeing the incoming energy, Kaido prepared to use Conqueror's Haki to meet it head-on.
But in the next second—he regretted it.
The moment his Haki-laced strike made contact with that golden beam, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him.
VMMMM!
SPLAT!
Light—faster than thought.
In that fleeting instant, Kaido felt something slice through him.
Heat. A searing pain. And the acrid smell of burning flesh.
In his blurring vision, he saw a severed arm—massive, scaled, and covered in dragon tattoos—spinning through the air in front of him.
He couldn't believe it. Not until the searing pain of torn flesh and bone reached his mind did he realize the truth.
He had been severed.
"So easily… defeated?"
Only now did Kaido truly understand.
The gap between him and that monster wasn't just wide—it was unfathomable.
"Kaido," Ghidorah's voice rang out from the skies, calm and unmocking. "I'll acknowledge you as the strongest creature of land, sea, and air…"
"In the past 800 years, you're the only one who has survived a direct hit from my beam. You should be proud."
It was a sincere compliment. No sarcasm.
But to Kaido, it sounded like mockery.
His expression twitched. His jaw clenched. The words stabbed into his soul like poisoned daggers.
Never in his life had he been so humiliated.
And yet, he knew… If this continued—
He would die.
But still…
To be mocked like this? To just let it go?
Unthinkable.
Who was he?
Kaido—the Supreme Commander of the Beasts Pirates!
The Strongest Creature Alive!
A man with dreams of dominating the seas—how could he swallow such humiliation?
"Bastard!!!"
Suddenly, Kaido roared in fury, grabbing his weapon single-handedly and screaming to the heavens.
"AAAAARGH!!!"
"Strongest creature?! You dare throw that title in my face like it's an insult?!"
"Even if it kills me—I don't want your damn title!!"
With his roar, Kaido unleashed every last ounce of his power, burning through everything he had left.
In his one-armed dragon-man hybrid form, black lightning surged wildly over his body. The ground beneath his feet collapsed and cracked from the sheer force.
His Conqueror's Haki rampaged outward, consuming everything in its wake.
"AAAHHH!!"
He had gone beyond his limits—now burning his very lifespan as fuel.
His face twisted in pain and fury.
"Ssssht—!"
Suddenly, the raging storm… stilled.
The clouds parted. The wind died.
And moonlight spilled gently over the shattered remains of Onigashima.
For a moment, the world held its breath.
Kaido, wreathed in flickering crimson and black lightning, stood unmoving—silent.
Even the lightning wrapping around him seemed to roar in silence.
Seeing Kaido's state, Ghidorah's eyes glimmered faintly.
"So he's touched… that state?" he thought to himself.
In this eerie silence, Kaido's eyes snapped open, lightning flickering in his pupils.
He bellowed:
"Supreme King Haki: Hakai no Kuni!!" ("Land of Destruction")
VMMM!!
A shockwave of black energy, streaked with crimson lightning, burst from him—breaking the sound barrier as it tore toward the heavens.
In that moment, the world lost all color.
"Good!"
Ghidorah didn't hesitate. He called forth his inner reserves of thunderous energy.
Three golden beams surged from his mouths, merging into one overwhelming blast—rushing to meet Kaido's attack head-on.
CRACKLE! ZZZZZT!
The collision was deafening—two forces clashing with cataclysmic power.
Where they met, a massive, spherical energy field formed—half golden, half black, glowing with streaks of red lightning.
They battled for a single second—
And then…
Kaido's energy began to retreat.
"AAAAARGHHH!!"
Blood trickled from Kaido's lips. Veins bulged across his face. His teeth clenched so hard they cracked.
But it was no use.
The golden beam only grew stronger.
VMMM!!
BOOOOOM!!
Ghidorah's overwhelming ray crushed Kaido's full-power attack and smashed into him directly.
At the moment of impact, Kaido's life flashed before his eyes:
From forming the Beasts Pirates…
To joining the Rocks Pirates…
To starting over and seizing control of Wano…
His entire life passed by like a flickering slideshow.
His blood-red, furious eyes softened into clarity… then into confusion…
Without realizing it, tears streamed from his eyes.
THUD.
"So this… is what death feels like?"
He let go of his weapon and looked up at the sky, trying to glimpse the golden beast once more—
But all he saw was endless golden light.
So… blinding.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion shook the world. A massive shockwave expanded outward, forming a mushroom-shaped cloud in the sky.
WHOOSH!
A gust of wind carried the mushroom cloud higher and higher. Crimson flames lit up the remains of Onigashima, and choking dust spread for miles.
---
"Lord King…"
On a pirate ship near the shores of Onigashima, a trembling grunt turned to the figure at the bow.
"The energy's coming this way! We—we have to escape! Otherwise the ship'll be torn apart!"
King turned to glance at the unconscious Jack and the panicked Queen.
Then, without hesitation, he spread his wings and took to the skies.
"Queen—take Jack, and leave the New World."
"The Beasts Pirates… are disbanded."
With that, King ignored the shouts behind him and flew straight toward what remained of Onigashima.
"King…"
"I'm not giving up this pirate life!"
Queen—usually a goofball—stared at King's fading figure for a long moment.
Then, turning back to the crew, he barked:
"Set course for Whole Cake Island!!"
Everyone understood: after today, Kaido would not return. The chances of surviving such an attack were zero.
The Beasts Pirates were finished.
But Queen—who had spent his life as a pirate—had no intention of slinking off into obscurity.
Instead of starting from scratch, he figured it was smarter to join Big Mom.
---
WHOOSH.
The monstrous energy faded.
What had once been Onigashima… was now gone.
In its place was a shattered sea of jagged rocks and coral.
High above, King flew, hoping—against all odds—to find a trace of Kaido.
"Planning to avenge him?"
Suddenly, Ghidorah's cold voice echoed from above.
King's body flinched.
Then he answered calmly:
"Kaido showed me kindness. But I know the difference between us is… too great."
"Not completely stupid, I see."
Ghidorah looked down at the pteranodon below and spoke after a moment:
"Kaido's crew is no more."
"Come with me."
With a flap of his wings, he began flying into the distance—offering no room for refusal.
King hesitated briefly… then followed.
"Where to?"
"Punk Hazard."
"Heard there's an annoying little brat there."
"You want me to kill him?"
"Why else?"
"…Why me?"
"Because… you're too weak."
Ugh!
Hearing that, King nearly dropped out of the sky.
"Too weak so I should do the cleanup?? What kind of logic is that?!"
PS: Access the complete chapters/series at