Countless elite Marines and Whitebeard Pirates stared up at the massive dragon head in the sky, its enormous body shifting within the thick, rolling storm clouds. Their mouths hung open, eyes wide with shock, their minds frozen in disbelief.
"D-Dragon?! A real dragon?!"
Usopp and Chopper, looking up at the colossal beast, felt their eyes nearly pop out of their sockets in terror.
"It's a real dragon?! This is beyond anything I could've imagined!"
Brook was equally dumbfounded. "It's truly a jaw-dropping sight! Though I have no jaw to drop! Yohohoho!"
Nami stared blankly at the massive creature in the sky. "You have to be joking... This is completely beyond anything reasonable!"
Franky gulped hard, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. "This... don't tell me..."
"Emperor Kaido?! Why is he here?!"
Vice Admiral Onigumo shouted in horror, his face pale.
No one had an answer for him.
"Kaido... Another one of the Four Emperors... Is he really here to completely destroy Marineford?!"
Smoker gritted his teeth as he exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
Hina and Tashigi both stood frozen, their expressions filled with dread.
At that very moment, the entire world watching through the video Den Den Mushi erupted into chaos.
"Emperor Kaido has appeared in Marineford?!"
"This has to be a joke..."
"Two Emperors, and the enigmatic Traveler Ron... Is this the end of the Marines?!"
"Is the world coming to an end?! God help us!"
"What is even happening anymore?!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru stared at the enormous dragon winding through the stormy sky, their faces grave.
"Kaido, what do you want here?!"
Sengoku's voice was sharp, cutting through the roaring thunder.
Kaido's dragon form loomed over Marineford, his voice booming like an earthquake. "What else?! I came to fight! How could I miss out on such an exhilarating war?!"
His vicious, battle-hungry dragon eyes locked onto a figure on the battlefield below.
"It's been a while... Traveler Ron!"
All eyes turned toward Ron.
Ron looked up at the enormous dragon and smirked. "So, you're here for me?"
Kaido laughed heartily, his massive body coiling through the air. "That fight on Onigashima was a blast! But we never settled who was stronger! Fight me again, Traveler Ron!"
Ron calmly sheathed his blood-red sword, then pressed the entire blade—scabbard and all—into the shimmering ripples of space in front of him, making it disappear.
Under the stunned gazes of all those watching, he rolled up his sleeves, then stomped hard on the ground. The earth cracked beneath him, and his body shot upward like an arrow, hurtling toward the sky-bound dragon.
A lone man and a monstrous dragon clashed in mid-air.
Every blow they exchanged carried the force to level mountains. Each impact sounded like thunder crashing across the battlefield, and the resulting shockwaves dispersed the surrounding storm clouds for hundreds of meters.
To the countless people watching through the video Den Den Mushi, it was as if two gods of destruction had descended to wage war in the heavens.
While two Emperor-class combatants fought above, the battle on the ground raged on.
After exchanging three slashes with Whitebeard, Dracule Mihawk stepped back, withdrawing from the battle entirely, choosing instead to observe silently from the sidelines.
Whitebeard, however, once again faced off against Akainu.
Though his power remained formidable, many could see it—his strength was waning, his body struggling to keep up with the battle.
Marco gritted his teeth in frustration, but Fujitora's relentless attacks left him no opportunity to escape.
Jozu, leading the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders and their strongest allies, was held back by Aokiji and the elite Marine officers, completely unable to break through.
Slowly but surely, the Whitebeard Pirates' offensive was losing momentum. The tides of battle were shifting against them.
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Sabo and his allies were in an equally dire situation.
Emporio Ivankov was desperately trying to save Luffy, who was on the brink of death. Jinbei, Sabo, Zoro, Sanji, and the others were gradually being surrounded, forced into a defensive formation by Dalmatian, Onigumo, and their fellow Vice Admirals.
They had no way of reaching the execution platform.
Marineford was descending into chaos.
Empress Hancock, after shattering six Pacifistas and defeating Sentomaru, refrained from further action.
Enzo and Carrot, having triumphed over a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, regrouped with Kuina, Robin, and the rest of the Ron's Crew.
"Look over there. That Marine Ensign... she looks just like Kuina," Bonney pointed at a distant figure—Tashigi.
Robin and Conis turned their heads to look.
"It's incredible that two people could look so alike!"
Kuina stared at Tashigi from afar, her expression tinged with an odd feeling.
Tashigi seemed to notice the gaze and turned to look back.
When their eyes met, both felt an eerie sensation, as if staring into a mirror. The only differences were one having short hair and the other long, one wearing glasses and the other not.
They both turned away at the same time, a strange thought surfacing in their minds.
"Did our fathers really never do anything... suspicious?"—they both questioned internally.
Robin, meanwhile, glanced toward Nami's group, who were struggling against a swarm of Marines.
"Nami looks like she's in trouble."
"Then I'll give her a hand," Conis said with a smile. "I just developed a new move and haven't had the chance to try it yet."
Raising her gloved hands, she sent a wave of swords and weapons from the battlefield into the air, controlling them with unseen force before launching them toward Nami's attackers.
Bonney folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. "That's just basic metal manipulation."
With Conis's assistance, Nami and her group managed to break free and rush toward them.
"We're saved!" Usopp collapsed onto his back, panting heavily.
"Thanks, you really saved us," Franky said seriously, expressing his gratitude.
Nami turned to Conis with a look of appreciation. "Thank you, Conis."
Conis smiled warmly. "No need to thank me."
Kuina, her gaze cold, shot them a glance. "It's only going to get more dangerous ahead. You should stop interfering, or you'll die."
"D-die..." Usopp and Chopper swallowed hard, turning to look at the battlefield ahead—where magma, ice, gravity, and sword slashes clashed in a chaotic inferno. Their faces turned pale with fear.
Franky scratched his head. "As much as I hate to admit it, it looks like we're at our limit."
"But... will Luffy and the others be alright?" Brook asked with concern.
"I hope they'll be fine..." Nami murmured, her eyes filled with worry as she looked toward the battlefield.
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