Kaido's pupils shrank to pinpoints. His heart pounded furiously as a drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead.
Beside him, both King and Queen fell utterly silent. A bone-deep chill surged from the soles of their feet, crept up their spines, and stabbed straight into their skulls.
The gale tore through the smoke, and through the flickering flames, they finally saw the distant sea clearly.
To the left, a mid-sized battleship had already rammed into the port.
Zephyr was leading the charge, spearheading a battalion of Marines ashore, his momentum unstoppable.
To the right, the battleship carrying Sengoku the Buddha and Borsalino was rapidly circling in a flanking maneuver, bombarding Kaido's position relentlessly.
And in the center—was a uniquely designed dog-headed battleship!
Atop the decorative doghead, a deep-auraed figure stood, wearing a doghead cap, arms spinning like windmills as he hurled shell after shell toward the island, laughing heartily.
The relentless explosions blew apart who knew how many pirates that hadn't managed to flee.
"The legendary Marine!!"
"The Strongest Marine!!"
"The Hero of the Marines—Garp!!"
"How is this even possible!?"
The Beasts Pirates turned deathly pale, clutching their heads, howling in despair.
Shells fell thick and fast, erupting into blazing infernos that swept across the ground.
Kaido's expression turned pitch black. Rage thundered in his chest.
What the hell is this!? Darren's just a damn Commodore!!
Why the hell are these three monsters here to rescue him!?
Who the hell is Darren, really...?
A Celestial Dragon!? Even those pigs wouldn't get this kind of treatment!
Kaido clenched his jaw, eyes bloodshot, fury simmering inside him.
Sengoku and Zephyr were powerful, sure—but not terrifying.
Images surged in his mind—memories from the God Valley incident. Back then, a rookie in the Rocks Pirates, Kaido had watched with his own eyes as their demon of a captain was overwhelmed by a blood-soaked Vice Admiral with a doghead cap—Garp—and how he turned the tide of battle into a bloodstorm.
The shadow of those memories made Kaido's palms sweat against his kanabo.
"Bwahahahaha!! Darren, my boy, where are you!? Gramps is here to pick you up!!"
From atop the doghead battleship, Garp laughed as he looked around. Not seeing Darren, he scowled at Kaido:
"Kaido! Hand over Darren! He's my adjutant!!"
On the other two battleships, Zephyr and Sengoku paused and turned in unison to snap:
"No!! Darren is my adjutant!!"
Garp laughed even louder:
"Is that so? Then let's make a bet."
"Whoever rescues Darren first—he's their adjutant!"
"—Who the hell would bet with you!?"
Zephyr and Sengoku shouted in unison, red in the face.
"Wait... did I hear that right? Three legendary Marines... fighting over who gets Darren as their adjutant..."
Queen's jowls quivered. He looked utterly dumbfounded.
Then his eyes lit up as he mumbled:
"Boss Kaido's poked the Marine hornet's nest this time... Darren's off-limits..."
"So this isn't my fault. Boss caught the wrong guy. If anyone's to blame—it's him—"
A massive kanabo slammed down, burying Queen's head in the earth. Only his suspenders and twitching legs stuck out.
Kaido stood above him, panting heavily, eyes blazing red.
"Brother Kaido... what now? That's Garp—from God Valley..."
Kaido snapped, cutting him off.
He glanced at the sea, then at his trembling subordinates. He clenched his teeth.
"I'm not that brat from back then anymore!!"
With a burst from his scaled legs—
The ground cracked in a hundred-meter radius. Kaido launched skyward like a cannonball.
"Worororo!! Come, Garp!! We never finished our fight back then!!"
His eyes burned red, power surging like a storm. Black-red lightning burst from his body, wrapping around his kanabo.
He shot across hundreds of meters in a blink.
Gripping the kanabo with both hands, thunder arcing off it—he swung at Garp!
"Bwahaha!! Back then, you were just a shivering brat!!"
Garp's eyes lit up. Leaping from the deck, his massive fist was sheathed in crackling black lightning.
One punch—like the sea itself collapsing.
"Thunder Bellow Bagua!"
Kanabo and fist collided mid-air.
Lightning swallowed the skies. Black-red Conqueror's Haki compressed into a destructive sphere. The shockwave storm exploded from the two of them.
Winds tore through everything—buildings, trees, pirates—obliterated.
King drew his blade, stabbing it into the ground to anchor himself.
Queen clawed his way from the crater, clinging to a boulder as hell unfolded around him.
Color vanished from the world. Only endless lightning—and two god-like figures remained.
The storm shattered clouds, tearing trenches into the sky.
"They're not even touching... just clashing Conqueror's Haki..."
"Someone... is going toe-to-toe with boss Kaido...?"
Before he could finish—
The energy sphere exploded.
Kaido's body slammed into the ground like a meteor, kicking up a dragon's roar of dust.
The island cracked. The sea surged inward. The land rippled.
"Bwahaha!! Not bad! But you still lack guts!!"
Garp landed steadily on the battleship, picking his nose and laughing.
Kaido staggered up from the crater, blood trailing from his lips.
But before he could catch his breath—
Two auras crashed through the smoke.
"Kaido! Hand over Darren!!"
"Hand over my adjutant!!"
Kaido's pupils shrank.
Two white cloaks surged into his vision.
"Black Arm—Shatter Impact!"
"Great Buddha—Smash!"
Zephyr's fist turned to black steel. Sengoku transformed into a towering golden Buddha.
"You Marines... You're ganging up on me—"
Two heavy impacts exploded.
Golden fist hit Kaido's gut—he curled like a shrimp.
Black Arm's blow smashed his face—rippling it grotesquely.
Their Haki detonated behind him in white shockwaves.
Queen winced, twitching.
Kaido coughed blood. He flew like a broken kite, slamming into the island, dust billowing a hundred meters high.
Sengoku and Zephyr landed, staring into the smoke.
They sensed something—faces changing.
A massive black shadow pierced the smoke, roaring.
Kaido, now in dragon form, bloodied and furious:
"Marines!! One day—I will repay this humiliation!!"
With that, he soared skyward, storm in his wake.
Queen and dozens of elite pirates clung to him desperately.
"He's trying to flee!" Zephyr's eyes narrowed.
"Borsalino!!" Sengoku shouted.
A slow, lazy voice answered from afar:
"Got it... You say you want a new adjutant, and still order me around... how heartless, hmm?"
Sengoku's face darkened.
Brilliant golden light rose into the sky, forming a towering figure.
With Marine cloak fluttering, Borsalino smirked at the fleeing Kaido and raised his arms.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
A flood of golden beams burst forth, scorching the sky like a storm of divine arrows.
A black shadow streaked through the air, its wings burning crimson.
Wreathed in flame, a massive blade cleaved forward.
"Fire Dragon Emperor!"
A colossal fire dragon burst forth, jaws wide, crashing into the golden barrage.
Explosions lit the sky. Flame wings licked the clouds.
Borsalino landed, sunglasses reflecting the fleeing King.
"Haven't seen that one before..."
He glanced at Sengoku:
"Admiral Sengoku. Shall I pursue?"
Sengoku stared at the vanishing dragon, then shook his head.
"No. Alone, I fear something unexpected."
He turned to Zephyr approaching quickly, and said:
"Darren's not on this island."
Zephyr met his gaze, checked with Observation Haki—nothing. He nodded.
"That brat... really escaped from Kaido..."