Crackling!
The sky split open.
Black thunder surged like a flood, crashing down over the entirety of the Beast Pirates' headquarters. In an instant, it became a sea of violent lightning and destruction.
"AAAAAAHHH!"
Screams echoed throughout Wano, piercing the heavens. Even battle-hardened marines flinched as fear crawled up their spines.
This was no ordinary lightning—it was Zeus's Divine Thunder, a celestial weapon now upgraded and wielded by Daemon.
It ignored defenses. It never missed. And even when used at just 5% of its full power... it was enough to annihilate armies.
Orochi, despite being shielded by the Barrier-Barrier Fruit's power, and the so-called Nine Red Scabbards, were all turned to ash—no exceptions.
"This is what you'd expect from a Celestial Dragon…"
On the deck of a Marine warship, Sengoku the Buddha watched the aftermath in silence, a complex look darkening his face.
Most of the Beast Pirates were gone.
"Tch. Pirates deserve nothing less."
Akainu's voice was as cold as the lightning had been hot.
"Anyone who refuses to join the World Government isn't a person—they're rebels. Trash. And there's never a shortage of criminals to throw into the mines."
Sengoku closed his eyes with a heavy sigh.
If men like Akainu and Daemon truly came to dominate the Navy's future… what would be left of justice?
"You two—go help suppress Kaido. I'll remain here."
Daemon waved a hand dismissively, commanding his soldiers not to move until the battle ended.
"Sengoku, don't tell me you're trying to sit this out?"
Stussy's voice cut through the tense air, suspicious.
Wano Country
The black lightning storm had passed, but its devastation remained. Smoking craters dotted the landscape, and death hung heavy in the air.
"F-Father… What was that?! We need to run! This country is cursed!"
Momonosuke clung to Oden's robe, his voice trembling.
Had that thunderbolt struck just a few meters closer, their whole family would have been incinerated on the spot.
But Oden wasn't relieved.
There was no joy in surviving.
His face was twisted with rage.
"KAIDO! You lied to me, didn't you?!"
Believing Kaido had unleashed the storm, and sensing through Observation Haki that none of his retainers still lived, Oden roared in fury and unsheathed his blades.
He charged toward Onigashima.
On Onigashima, Kaido stood frozen.
The once mighty Beast Pirates… reduced to a handful of survivors. He stared blankly at the charred remains of his empire.
"This bastard Celestial Dragon…!"
Kaido clenched his fists, fury boiling in his chest.
Years of struggle after leaving the Rocks Pirates—all wiped away in a flash.
"F-Father… Is that the bad guy from the Celestial Dragons?"
Little Yamato clung to his arm, her eyes wide with terror. For the first time, she felt true despair.
Had the lightning hit her head-on, she'd be gone.
"QUEEN! Report—how many of us are left?!"
Kaido bellowed.
"Just four, Boss… You, me, the little lady, and… Black Maria. That's it…"
Queen's voice came weakly from the distance.
Jack was dead. So were the rest.
Black Maria wept silently. She'd survived only because the lightning had twisted away at the last second.
"DAMN YOU, DAEMON!!"
Kaido howled at the sky.
And then—he was interrupted.
"KAIDO!!! YOU BETRAYED ME FIRST?!"
"You lied to me, you bastard! Our deal meant nothing?! I'LL KILL YOU!!"
Both Kozuki Oden and Gecko Moria stormed toward him, rage burning in their eyes, weapons drawn.
"You idiots…!"
Kaido swung his kanabo.
"Thunder Bagua!!"
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath them. Winds tore through the battlefield. Oden and Moria were blasted back, tumbling through the debris.
They pulled themselves from the rubble, still burning with anger.
"You killed my retainers!!"
Oden shouted.
"You slaughtered my people!"
Moria joined in.
"Shut up and LOOK, you fools!"
Kaido slammed his club into the ground, pointing at the lightning-scorched wasteland.
"You think I did this?! My own subordinates are dead too!"
The two paused, confused.
"…What do you mean?"
Oden asked, hesitating.
"This wasn't me. It was Daemon—the Celestial Dragon. The Navy and he have launched a full-scale invasion of Wano!"
Kaido growled, flexing his muscles.
"If we don't fight together today… none of us will live to see tomorrow."
Meanwhile, in the skies above Wano…
Daemon, flanked by Aizen and Saitama, regrouped with Akainu and Sengoku.
Eriri stayed high in the air, protected by the Bone Dragon Leviathan, observing the battlefield from a safe zone.
[Group Chat]
Uchiha Miyuki: "Your Highness… you wiped out all the pirates in Wano?"
Daemon: "In the original timeline, Kaido used military pressure to force loyalty. I'm not interested in that. They wouldn't surrender. So I removed them."
Uchiha Miyuki: "…Understood."
Eriri Sawamura: "As expected of the boss. Always efficient."
Esdeath: "It's the correct decision. Disobedience is not worth tolerating. Better to eliminate chaos at the root."
Yamamoto Mei: "Daemon, will you be executing Kaido as well?"
Daemon: "Hmm?"
Yamamoto Mei: "He's weakened. Not nearly as powerful or renowned as in the original timeline. Killing him now might weaken the Noble Phantasm you'd obtain."
Daemon: "Fair point. I'm not in need of more Phantasms right now. Whether he lives or dies... depends on my mood."
Uchiha Miyuki: "Makes sense. You've already merged with the Otsutsuki bloodline. A defensive artifact like Kaido's wouldn't be very useful."
Yamamoto Mei: "Then how about eliminating Kozuki Oden and Queen? They're not worth nurturing."
Uchiha Miyuki: "And don't forget Kozuki Momonosuke. That brat is a time bomb plus a huge pervert. Please, Your Highness—end him."
Uchiha Miyuki: "Oh—and after you kill Oden, you should claim his wife and daughter. Add them to your court. And Kaido's daughter too—Yamato, right? Hehehe~"
Tohsaka Sakura: "…."
Eriri Sawamura: "Ugh, this girl's like the male lead in some that kind of light novel… H-scenes and all!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "Just get used to it. She's a hopeless idiot—just like you, golden retriever loser."
Eriri Sawamura: "Wha—hey! You fat woman!"
Eriri Sawamura: "Tch, whatever! This time, I'll go with Daemon to get my number of draws. I'm definitely pulling an S-tier ability! Then I'll beat you down, you overhyped dragon girl!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "Tsk. I'll be waiting. Try me, golden retriever."
Even before the real battle had begun, the chat group was already scripting Kaido and company's downfall.
Among them, Uchiha Miyuki was the most outrageous—she had already arranged homes for Kaido's wife and daughter in advance.
[Wano Country – Onigashima]
"They're coming!"
Kaido's grip tightened around his spiked kanabo, his eyes narrowing as he stared toward the horizon. The air was heavy with tension.
Queen, ever jittery, had already transformed into his Brachiosaurus form.
Yamato and Black Maria didn't even bother joining the fight. They'd retreated far from the battlefield, ready to watch from a safe distance.
Only five figures emerged.
Moria sneered, his expression twisted. "Only five? Heh. Doesn't matter. No matter how many show up, they'll all be buried with my fallen men!"
Beside him, Kozuki Oden stood silent, his expression darker than a storm. The anguish in his eyes was unmistakable—Wano was his homeland.
He'd endured years of humiliation, dancing like a fool to save his people and his retainers, he still can't forget it... someone actually fingered his ahh when he was dancing and passing by the crowd. And now? All of them were gone.
These invaders… they deserved to die.
And soon enough, the figures became clear:
Admiral Sengoku. Akainu, soon to be promoted. Daemon—the Celestial Dragon. Two strangers—one bald, one with an eerie calm.
Kaido's gaze swept past Aizen's serene face and Saitama's blank expression. But it stopped at Daemon.
"…That thunder earlier… the same power as what destroyed the Southern Sea. Are you wielding one of the ancient weapons?"
The obsession was clear in Kaido's voice—drawn in by the devastating thunder Daemon had summoned.
Daemon laughed under his breath.
So that was it. Kaido had stolen heavenly gold, hoping to awaken the power of an ancient weapon. A ridiculous, suicidal move.
Even legends like Garp, Rayleigh, and the Golden Lion had fallen to him. What made Kaido think he stood a chance?
Was it because his daughter was cute?
"Let's just get this over with," Daemon muttered, brushing dust off his coat. "This farce is boring."
"You bastard!" Queen roared, infuriated by the disrespect. His arm shifted into a laser cannon and fired straight at the group.
"Watch your mouth!" Akainu growled, ready to retaliate—
But someone moved faster.
In a blink, Saitama appeared in front of Queen.
"Eh? Who the hell—!?"
Startled, Queen fired reflexively. A golden beam surged forward, lighting up the battlefield and piercing a distant mountain.
When the smoke cleared… Saitama stood there.
Unharmed.
Not even a scratch.
Queen's jaw dropped. "W-what!? This is a laser! Even Whitebeard wouldn't take that head-on! And you're just… fine!?"
Saitama blinked. "Mm… kinda tickled."
He scratched his bald head innocently.
Kaido's eyes narrowed. His arms bulged with muscle as he raised his kanabo high.
"Thunder Bagua!"
BOOM!
The islands-shattering attack slammed into Saitama's head—
And Kaido's weapon shattered.
Saitama didn't even flinch.
"What kind of monster…?"
Kozuki Oden's eyes widened in disbelief. That level of durability—was he even human?
"Tch! Maybe Kaido's just getting old!" Moria roared, charging with his massive scissors.
Oden followed, drawing both Enma and Ame no Habakiri, slicing down with divine fury.
"Paradise Totsuka!"
CLANG! DING! SHING!
Blade after blade struck Saitama, each one powerful enough to destroy an island.
And none left a mark.
Not a bruise. Not even a scratch.
"This—this is nonsense!" Moria shouted.
Kaido, Queen, Oden—all of them attacked. Slashes, haki-coated strikes, conqueror's will—it didn't matter.
All of it… useless.
Saitama just stood there, blinking, like he was trying to remember what he came for.
Sengoku's jaw had dropped long ago. He had prepared for an intense battle in Wano, but… was it already over?
Akainu stared silently. He had always prided himself on being Daemon's strongest subordinate.
The frozen woman earlier was impressive, but this bald man…
Did he eat the Invincibility Fruit or something?
"Father..."
From a distance, Yamato stood frozen. She hadn't yet succumbed to Oden's brainwashing, and her eyes were locked on Kaido, who was spiraling into madness, swinging wildly at the silent bald figure before him.
Nearby, Black Maria was just as stunned. To her, Kaido had always been an unstoppable force.
Yet now, he looked like a blacksmith hammering against unyielding steel—relentless, but utterly ineffective.
"So annoying," Saitama muttered, brushing dust from his glove.
"Are you done yet?"
No one knew how many times Kaido had attacked—thousands, tens of thousands? His mace was already shattered.
His body heaving, sweat and blood mixed on his forehead, yet the bald man in the cape stood there, bored out of his mind.
Saitama sighed and finally raised a hand.
"Just a Normal slap."
SMACK.
It looked like the lazy swat someone might give a mosquito.
But in an instant—Kaido, Queen, and Moria were all sent flying.
A spray of blood burst from Kaido's mouth as he soared back. Moria and Queen hit the ground like ragdolls, their bones crunching audibly. Both were out cold before they landed.
"..."
On the sidelines, Sengoku and Akainu could only gape in silence. Their jaws hung loose, eyes trembling in disbelief.
Were the pirates playing a prank on them?
Was this some kind of slapstick performance? This couldn't be real.
Even the chat group fell into stunned silence.
Jibril, who could physically withstand hydrogen bombs, narrowed her eyes. She figured Kaido and Oden wouldn't pose much threat to her, but even she found Saitama's display... unsettling.
For the others—Luo Hao included—the bald man's casual, almost lazy attack felt beyond comprehension.
He didn't dodge. He didn't block. He didn't care. He just stood there, Menacingly.
That level of confidence... no, certainty... was monstrous.
"You damn bald bastard!!"
Kaido roared, covering his misshapen face with one massive hand. Fury twisted his features.
Then, without warning, he turned on his heel—and charged straight toward Daemon.
It wasn't blind rage. Kaido might've looked reckless, but he wasn't stupid. In truth, he was shrewder than most gave him credit for.
He had already realized it—he couldn't harm that absurdly powerful man in the cape.
So he changed tactics.
If I can't kill the monster, I'll crush the master behind the scenes!
"Thunder Bagua!"
Kaido leapt into the air, haki bursting from his frame—Armament and Conqueror's Haki flaring to life, forming a makeshift weapon around his fists.
With the full weight of his titanic body, he came crashing down toward Daemon's skull.
From the side, Aizen's expression sharpened. His hand went to the hilt of his Zanpakutō, reiatsu beginning to leak around him.
But Daemon raised a hand to stop him, calm and focused.
"It's fine. I'll handle this."
A slight smile crept across his lips.
He'd been waiting to try out the Noble Phantasm he'd just unlocked.
The air grew heavy. Wind stopped. Even Kaido's descent seemed slower, the moment stretched thin like a blade about to strike.
Daemon exhaled.
"The sky is dead——!!"
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