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Though they were among the highest ranks of the Marines, in this moment, the spotlight belonged to Kozuki Oden.
"Kaido should have received word by now," Arashi said softly. "The final battle isn't far off."
At his words, Kizaru and the others grew visibly tense.
On Onigashima, the revelry of music and drinking had yet to cease—the feast continued without pause.
Queen and Jack were nearly passed out from drinking, while King remained composed and seated, his aura steady.
As one of the All-Stars, he held a special position within the Beasts Pirates. A subordinate approached, clearly terrified.
"Is something the matter?" King asked, his voice low and grim.
The pirate flinched but gathered his breath. "We're in trouble, Boss King! The Marines broke through our defences at the outer harbour and pushed into Kuri! All our forces there have been wiped out!"
His voice was barely audible above the music, but King heard every word. His eyes narrowed behind his mask as he stood and turned without a word.
Moments later, he approached the centre of the banquet hall, where two towering figures loomed—Kaido and Big Mom.
At King's arrival, Katakuri, standing behind Big Mom, opened his eyes.
One was the King, one of the Three Calamities. The other was Katakuri, one of the Sweet Commanders.
Their eyes met briefly, tension thickening the air though nothing was said aloud.
"Captain Kaido," King spoke quietly, yet with firm intent. The words reached Kaido's ears and made him snap his eyes open.
"Oh?" Kaido grinned. "King, not drinking? This is a day worth celebrating, isn't it?"
"I had three cups," King replied flatly. "The Marines have arrived."
That final statement, though calmly said, struck like thunder. Kaido's grin faded. His pupils shrank.
"What did you just say?"
"The Marines broke through the outer harbour and have taken Kuri. All forces stationed there have been eliminated."
King's voice was calm and precise.
Silence.
A dead, oppressive silence fell across the hall.
"Woo-ro-ro-ro-ro-ro!"
Kaido's signature laugh erupted violently, followed by a burst of overwhelming Conqueror's Haki that engulfed the entire island. On the other side of the table, Big Mom awoke with a start.
"Linlin!" Kaido bellowed. "Now is not the time for sleeping!"
Thunder cracked overhead. The skies over Onigashima darkened at once.
"Mamama~ma." Big Mom's smile faded. "You'd better explain clearly, Kaido. What's going on?"
"The Marines are here," Kaido growled coldly. Big Mom's eyes widened with gleaming interest, then her grin returned. "Isn't that exactly what we wanted?" Kaido grinned in turn.
"Right here, on our turf, let's fight the Marines to the death! Let the world witness who the real number one is!" His voice grew louder with each word.
"Legend? Hero of the Marines? Strongest in history? All nonsense! Whitebeard—an ageing relic! Red-Haired—just a cripple with one arm!"
"They're nothing. Just hollow names from a fading era. But I, Kaido—only I! And Linlin! Our alliance! We are the ones who will rule the world!"
His declaration was thunderous, igniting a firestorm of excitement throughout both pirate crews.
"That's right. We are the strongest and freest on the seas! Whitebeard's just a decrepit old man! Red-Haired is a one-armed cripple!"
"They're no match for us! Right here—let's destroy the Marines."
Wild, arrogant chants roared across the hall, but not a soul objected. To them, Kaido and Big Mom's confidence was everything.
"Everyone!!" Kaido's voice was like thunder across the island. "Grab your weapons!"
"Prepare for battle!!"
With his furious Conqueror's Haki surging skyward, dark clouds gathered overhead. Lightning flashed in a frenzied storm.
"Roar!!"
Weapons were raised, and voices shouted in unison. Battle cries echoed to the heavens. This was the war cry of the Yonko—the final declaration before the storm.
.....
Meanwhile, across the seas of the New World…
Two fleets slowly approached each other. As they drew closer, tension exploded like a fuse lit on both sides.
"Teach!" On the massive Moby Dick, Ace's expression turned ice-cold.
Opposite him—
"Zehahaha! Isn't that Ace? What a coincidence!" Marshall D. Teach laughed.
Thunder rumbled above. The sky grew heavy. As the fleets met, even the weather seemed to change.
"Zzzzt!"
A kilometre-long bolt of golden lightning split the clouds, dancing above the sea.
Winds howled.
Ace's cloak fluttered violently as he stood at the bow. Behind him, Marco, Vista, and the other commanders wore grim, furious expressions.
They remembered clearly—this man, this traitor, was the spark that ignited the Marineford War.
Time had passed. Now, Teach had built a formidable force and gained fame worldwide.
But to the Whitebeard Pirates, he was their enemy. Their meeting now felt like fate.
"Zehahahaha!"
"How about it, Ace?" Teach laughed. "See how thriving and prosperous my crew is now?"
"Why not bring your men and join me? I've always respected you—my former commander!"
His tone was light and casual, like meeting an old friend, not someone he had betrayed. Behind him, Sakazuki stepped forward. His cold eyes locked on Ace, and he sneered.
"You should've died in that war, brat. Can't believe you're still alive and Arashi... soft-hearted fool. That man's unfit to be Fleet Admiral." The sight of him made Marco and the others' faces darken.
"Admiral Akainu? He's joined Blackbeard?"
"No, he's a former admiral now. There were rumours he defected, and now it's confirmed."
"Just a traitor then—hah!"
Whispers followed, heavy with scorn and anger. Ace ignored Sakazuki's glare and replied coldly.
"You're not even worth my time anymore." Then he turned to Teach. "I told you long ago, Teach!"
"I will take your head with my own hands—bring it to Thatch's grave, and make you pay and more than that…"
His tone dropped, his body flared with a terrifying aura that surged skyward, rolling like a tidal wave.
"Buzz—"
The air seemed to twist. Space itself trembled. Lightning and clouds above fell silent.
"Working with scum like you would be the greatest shame of my life." His voice, bitter cold and filled with killing intent, sent shockwaves through the enemy fleet.
Many pirates with weak wills rolled their eyes back, foaming at the mouth, and collapsing unconscious.
"Conqueror's Haki!!"
"This guy—he's nothing like he was during the Marineford War!" Sakazuki's eyes widened in shock.
The same thought struck Teach as well. He narrowed his gaze. The pressure in the air… Ace's Haki was overwhelming.
"Ace… You've changed. No wonder the World Government raised your bounty so drastically."
Ace's expression didn't shift. His eyes only grew colder. He raised his right hand. With a sharp hiss, golden flames erupted, spiralling into a swirling ball of fire.
Then he raised it overhead.
"Flame Emperor!!"
The fireball exploded in size, growing into a blazing sphere nearly a kilometre wide. It hung in the sky like a second sun.
Reflected in the sea, it looked like a golden sun falling from the heavens. The heat surged instantly. The blinding light spread out in all directions.
Then, Ace raised a single finger and spoke quietly.
"Flame Meteor."
The edge of the flaming sun twisted. Dozens, then hundreds of fireballs broke off like comets, streaking toward the Blackbeard fleet in a golden barrage.
"What the hell is this?!"
Teach was stunned. He had known Ace's powers were strong, but this? This was a natural disaster. The scale and destruction were incomprehensible.
"Watch out!" Sakazuki warned. "His Logia powers… they're not weaker than mine anymore!"
That shocked even Teach. Van Augur and Lafitte were visibly disturbed. This Ace was no longer the hot-headed second division commander they once knew.
He was a force to be reckoned with—an actual Emperor-level threat. The oppressive force rolling toward them was unmistakable.
"We don't need to say anything more between us, Teach! Since we've run into each other, let's settle this right here!"
Ace's low voice echoed across the entire sea, ringing clearly in everyone's ears.
Marshall D. Teach's pupils shrank, then he burst into a sharp, menacing laugh, his expression twisted with cruelty.
"Zehahahaha! Since you're so eager to follow in Whitebeard's footsteps, let me help you along!" In the next instant, he raised his right hand high.
"Ahh!!" With a roar, black flames surged upward at breakneck speed, then erupted like a fountain, spreading across the sky.
"Black Hole!" In a flash, all light vanished—an infinite darkness seemed to devour everything in existence.
The countless fire meteors falling from above were instantly swallowed by the darkness and vanished. "My ability is the bane of all Devil Fruits in this world!"
"Ace! After our last fight, do you still not understand?" Teach laughed wildly.
Beside him, Sakazuki's eyes flashed with caution, a foreboding feeling rising in his heart as he watched the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
"I'm no longer someone who relies solely on my Devil Fruit, Teach," Ace replied coldly, then extended his right hand and suddenly clenched his fist.
In an instant, crimson flames coiled around his hand, rapidly forming a long flaming spear. "Crack!" Black and red lightning burst out, wrapping around the fiery weapon.
Ace raised his right hand and launched it like a javelin. "Whoosh!" With a flash of black-red lightning, the flame spear shot forward like a bolt of thunder.
"Flame God Spear!" The spear flew so fast that it reached Teach in the blink of an eye—only then did Ace's voice reach him.
"So fast!" Teach's pupils shrank as he quickly raised his right arm to block it.
The spear paused for only a moment before the black-red lightning exploded with devastating force. "And this Haki… It's razor-sharp!"
Wild Conqueror's Haki burst forth the moment it touched his arm, releasing a wave of destructive power.
It was Armament Haki fused with Conqueror's Haki—its might stacked to the extreme.
"Puh!" In an instant, the flaming spear pierced straight through Teach's right hand and struck a pirate ship behind him.
"Boom!" A towering inferno exploded, the deafening blast echoing in everyone's ears.
A gaping hole appeared in Teach's extended hand, with black flames seeping out from within.
"AAHH!! It hurts. Tch—!" Teach groaned in pain, cold sweat breaking across his forehead. His crew's expressions changed dramatically at the sight.
Behind him, the fire roared, and the pirate ship was reduced to ashes in moments.
Countless pirates screamed in agony as their twisted figures vanished into the flames.
"He's using Conqueror's coating… and advanced Armament Haki! Don't underestimate him, Teach! That guy's become has reached Yonko Level!"
"The World Government underestimated his strength!" Sakazuki said coldly.
"Leave him to me. My fruit is his natural counter." Teach grimaced in pain but nodded after a brief flicker of thought.
"He's all yours! You're the right hand I trust most!" A cold smirk flashed in Sakazuki's eyes as he sprang into action.
His right arm turned into molten magma, which he hurled into the sky. "Meteor Volcano!"
A massive attack right out of the gate—it showed his caution and fear of Ace's current power.
The two fleets were still hundreds of meters apart, yet the battle had already begun from afar.
"Fsh fsh fsh fsh!" Streams of magma streaked through the sky, carving grey trails in the air.
They arced downward, forming parabolas before plummeting toward the Moby Dick and the Whitebeard fleet. Marco looked up, his eyes cold.
In the next instant, his entire body was wrapped in blue flames as he shot into the sky. "Do you think the Whitebeard Pirates are defenceless?"
The blazing blue phoenix fire expanded rapidly, forming a massive shield that covered the Moby Dick. "Phoenix Brand!"
The first falling magma fist struck the shield and shattered instantly, sizzling as it fell into the sea. Then Bista leapt high into the air, slashing his twin blades.
"Rose Tempest!" A flurry of crimson petals shot upward, slicing through the magma in the sky.
Sakazuki's Meteor Volcano was swiftly neutralised, and the Blackbeard Pirates' expressions darkened.
"Teach! This is between you and me! You owe a blood debt, and you will pay it!" Ace stared forward coldly, his voice sharp as a blade.
At once, the Haki in the air grew even more suffocating. Even the surging waves stilled at that moment.
"Zehahahahaha! Then let's see who survives this sea today! Ace, I admire you even more now! You were my captain once, after all!"
With a flick of his hand, Teach banished the flames from his right arm. Dark energy coiled around it as the wound vanished, his hand fully restored.
He looked forward with focused eyes, standing tall at the bow of the ship.
The freckled young man facing him—his very presence seemed to shift the colours of the world. At this moment, Ace was a man worthy of true recognition.
"Whitebeard has stepped down, and a new emperor rises to claim the throne? Zehahahahaha! This is getting interesting!"
Laughing loudly, Teach waved his hand. "All hands! Move in!"
His eyes turned cold and crazed, his expression twisting unnaturally. "This is war!"
Lightning exploded across the sky, thunder roaring endlessly. "Take down Teach!"
"Avenge Pops!" The Whitebeard Pirates roared in unison.
The Moby Dick surged forward at full speed, every crew member's face burning with rage, their eyes spitting fire. Moments later, the fleets collided.
BOOM—!
A deafening explosion echoed across the sea. A burning crimson sun flared with endless light, clashing fiercely against a monstrous black shadow.
When bitter enemies meet, their fury knows no bounds.
The rapidly rising Blackbeard Pirates, led by the self-proclaimed Admiral Marshall D. Teach, now faced the veteran Yonko crew of Whitebeard, led by the reborn Ace, the Fire Fist.
....
Wano Country, Kuri. Temporary Daimyo's Residence. Countless middle-aged samurai dressed in patched-up robes knelt solemnly on the ground.
They gazed at the tall figure seated cross-legged before them with deep emotion.
"We will strike the forces of the Beasts Pirates on Onigashima, and Orochi in the Flower Capital."
"Marine Fleet Admiral Arashi, five Admirals, and a vast force of elite Marines will be our greatest allies."
"But this war cannot depend on them alone. Our own hands must defend the honour and peace of Wano!"
Kozuki Oden's expression was firm as he spoke with gravity.
The samurai listened silently, but they sensed that the man before them had become something entirely different from the one they remembered.
"Yes, sir!" the samurai roared in unison.
"Gather all supplies and support our allies, and about the weapons in your hands…"
Oden frowned slightly. Without swords, the samurai would be severely weakened in battle.
Meanwhile, the Marines had assembled a massive force in a short time, but naturally hadn't brought enough arms for everyone.
The samurai lowered their heads in silence. Just then, Oden looked up toward a figure walking steadily toward him.
In the blink of an eye, the tall man stood before him. "Fleet Admiral Arashi!" Oden said in a deep voice.
"I brought you something." Arashi smiled. Oden was stunned, but before he could respond, a long sword was tossed to him.
He caught it instantly, then froze when he saw its blade. His expression changed dramatically.
"And," Arashi continued as he turned toward the samurai, "I've brought gifts for all the warriors of Wano."
The samurai stared in awe at the man before them, a Marine Fleet Admiral, whose rank was even higher than Kuri's Daimyo Kozuki Oden.
"His name is Onimaru Alias, Gyukimaru", Arashi said, pointing at a tall man trembling with emotion, eyes brimming with tears. "For over a decade, he has been collecting swords for this battle."
"There are more than enough for all of you." Then Arashi took a deep breath, his tone solemn.
"The war will begin in three days. We will form a massive fleet to bring down Kaido."
Upon hearing this, the samurai all trembled in fear. Light of hope burst into their eyes—they had waited for this moment far too long.
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach top 100)
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