"Kaido, hand over my student—Darren!"
A powerful, commanding voice thundered from the battleship across the sea, laced with an overwhelming sense of force and authority.
As the words echoed, the members of the Beasts Pirates turned pale. When they caught sight of the towering figure, cries of horror escaped their lips.
"It's Zephyr!! The former Marine Admiral... Black Arm Zephyr!!"
"A legendary Marine!!"
"Wasn't he already retired!? Why is he out at sea again!?"
"...We're done for. This is the end..."
Zephyr—former Admiral of Marine Headquarters, one of the highest military powers of the World Government.
Renowned for his immense Armament Haki, the world called him "Black Arm."
A seasoned warrior of countless battles and glorious achievements, he had once been a nightmare for pirates across the seas.
That short, purple-haired back was a banner that countless young Marines had once sworn to follow into battle.
"Hand over... Darren?"
Upon hearing Zephyr's words, Kaido's eyes instantly surged with bloodshot fury.
He glanced at the unstoppable battleship, then at the collapsing military factories behind him, explosions still flaring in the distance. Finally, he swept his gaze across the scorched, corpse-strewn island that was once his base.
His bulging, bloodshot eyes looked like they could burst into flames.
He gritted his teeth furiously, chest heaving, black and red lightning crackling wildly across his kanabo.
Kaido suddenly burst into wild, manic laughter. His whole body trembled, and tears streamed from the corners of his eyes.
"Interesting! Truly interesting!"
"You're actually asking me to hand over that little brat!?"
The painstakingly built arms production line—gone.
His crew—slaughtered and shattered.
The two brats responsible for it all had mocked him and escaped right under his nose...
And now the Marines had come knocking on his door, asking for them!?
"Worororo... This is killing me!!"
Kaido couldn't stop himself. Laughter racked his body, the world around him suddenly absurd.
Seeing this, Queen instinctively shrank back, trembling, and took a step away.
"It's over... boss Kaido's about to blow..."
He knew boss Kaido's temper. That look—he was ready to explode.
Beside them, King the Wildfire said solemnly:
"Brother Kaido, now's not the time to fight the Marines."
Kaido's face twisted. He gritted his teeth hard.
He took a deep breath, forcing his mind to calm, then roared toward the port:
"Zephyr! Your student already escaped!"
Onboard the battleship, Zephyr froze, then shouted back, furious:
"Impossible!! Kaido, do you take me for a fool!? You expect me to believe that so easily!?"
"Darren is a Devil Fruit user! You must've put Seastone cuffs on him—there's no way he could have escaped your heavily fortified base!!"
"Are you telling me Darren, shackled with Seastone, broke free from your prison and fled through your ranks!?"
"Is the Beasts Pirates really that useless!?"
"Don't make me laugh!!"
Zephyr didn't believe a word. He thought Kaido was lying to stall.
But what he couldn't see was that, with each sentence, Kaido's face darkened further—until it was pitch black.
"Zephyr, you goddamn bastard!!"
Kaido roared at last, unable to contain his seething fury.
Next to him, Queen panicked, grabbing his arm, shouting:
"Boss Kaido, don't lose it! That's the former Marine Admiral Black Arm Zephyr... Darren's damn teacher!!"
Darren's strength had exploded in just a few days. Together with Bullet, they had even withstood boss Kaido's full-power blow.
If Zephyr had trained him... just how strong was this legendary Marine really!?
Queen shuddered at the thought, cold sweat pouring down his round face.
"Let's retreat for now. With how long we've delayed, the arms production line's probably unsalvageable anyway."
He pleaded, drenched in sweat.
But Kaido seized him by his suspenders, yanked him up to his face.
Those blood-red vertical pupils locked on him, blazing with rage.
"Who the hell do you think I am!?"
"Just a former Marine Admiral!?"
"Follow me—we're heading for that battleship!!"
Kaido was ablaze with fury, unstoppable.
It was bad enough that Darren had destroyed their base and escaped.
And now the Marines demanded he hand someone over!?
Just a former Admiral. He could take one down by himself.
But just as Kaido finished speaking—
A deafening cannon blast erupted from the opposite shore.
"Kaido!! Hand over Marine Headquarters Commodore Darren!! And I'll spare your life!!"
King and Queen's pupils contracted sharply. They turned.
In the distance, another Marine battleship tore through the waves.
At its bow stood a man with a black afro and black-rimmed glasses, shouting in a firm voice.
Behind him stood a tall, disturbingly lanky figure, stroking his stubbled chin with a smile.
"A-A Marine Admiral..."
"Sengoku the Buddha!!"
"One of the World Government's top powers!!"
"And that's the Marine 'monster'... Borsalino!!!"
"Two Admiral-class forces!!"
The pirates gasped in horror, reeling in disbelief.
Sengoku's arrival made Kaido's heart skip a beat.
One Zephyr was bad enough. If Sengoku joined him... a sense of impending disaster crept into Kaido's heart.
"B-Boss Kaido... are we... still going forward?"
Queen trembled, his face pale, voice low.
Kaido froze, glanced around at his subordinates who had gathered, recalling his earlier bold words. His face contorted.
He gritted his molars nearly to pieces.
"Bullshit!! Who the hell do you think I am!?"
"Darren wrecked our base. His teacher Zephyr came demanding him. Even Sengoku showed up to watch the show... Then let's fight!!"
"Just two Marine Admirals!"
"King! You handle Zephyr!"
King's lips twitched slightly, but he said nothing, resting his hand quietly on the hilt at his waist.
Kaido gripped his kanabo tight, eyes locked on Sengoku, voice a cold murmur:
"Two Admirals... still manageable—"
A massive shell fell from the sky, erupting in a tower of fire not far from them.
"Bwahahahaha!! Kaido!! Hand over my adjutant!!"
"Or I'll gut this little lizard of yours and roast him over open flame!!"
A hearty, wild voice suddenly rang out across the waves.
And the moment Kaido heard it—his face changed drastically.
His heart pounded like thunder.