"Lord Queen!"
As Queen's figure suddenly appeared, those who had been doubtful were stunned into silence—then realization hit them all at once.
Ragnar had been watching the invisible Queen from beginning to end.
"Even Germa 66's stealth tech... completely useless?"
King the Wildfire, who had observed the entire sequence, felt a deep unease gnaw at his chest.
This was the first time.
Neither the Tobi Roppo,
Nor Jack the Drought,
Nor even Queen—with his advanced cybernetic augmentations, Plague-based viruses, and Brachiosaurus Zoan fruit—could stand firm before Ragnar.
"…Is this the man you believe… can surpass even you?"
King turned slowly to glance at Kaido, perched atop the great horn of Onigashima in his Azure Dragon form.
As though sensing his subordinate's doubt, Kaido's colossal draconic head turned, his golden eyes locking onto King's.
For a moment, their gazes clashed mid-air.
And in that brief connection, King understood.
"I yield!"
"I surrender!"
"I, Queen the Plague, recognize you… as the new True Lord of Beasts!"
Queen deactivated his stealth and raised both hands high in mock surrender, a sheepish grin on his wide face.
He hadn't even fought.
But the pressure from the mystical third eye between Ragnar's brows was too oppressive.
He would never forget the sensation: not just as though his body were stripped bare, but as though even his most guarded thoughts were being peeled open like a dissected virus under a microscope.
He never wanted to feel that again.
"Even Lord Queen surrendered...?"
"Two of the Tobi Roppo are down. Jack the Drought was caught like a pet."
"Now even Queen…"
"The rumors are true! The Beast Prince is as monstrous as the Yonko!"
Gasps and murmurs filled the ranks of the Beast Pirates. The cruel, violent men of Onigashima—who respected only strength—began to lower their weapons and bow their heads.
In mere minutes since landing, Ragnar had:
- Crushed Page One and Ulti with a single thunderclap.
- Subdued Jack one-handed, as if lifting a beast cub.
- Broken Queen's resolve without even attacking.
Nothing earned loyalty faster than power—and Ragnar's was overwhelming.
"Only King is left!"
Someone in the crowd shouted it.
Every head turned toward the last of the Three Disasters—King, Kaido's right hand.
Clang.
It was the sound of King unsheathing his blade.
A response to the crew.
A challenge to Ragnar.
A test of his own convictions.
"You're truly disappointing, Queen."
King's voice was flat, distorted slightly through his black mask. His face was unreadable, but the contempt in his tone was clear.
As he strode forward, he passed Queen, who hissed in irritation.
"Tch! Freak who loves slicing people up! You'll see how terrifying he is when you're the one dangling."
King didn't reply. His sword arm stayed loose. He stopped in front of Ragnar's towering form and looked up.
"Ragnar."
Just two words.
But what happened next was unexpected.
Ragnar's towering body—easily over a hundred meters tall—suddenly compressed, shrinking with a burst of concentrated Haki and divine control over his Mythical Zoan form.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of King.
Snap!
Ragnar's hand pierced the wind like a bolt of divine judgment, seized King by the collar, and hoisted him off the ground.
"You called me?"
Ragnar's voice was low, edged with menace.
"I once vowed to follow Kaido to the ends of the sea... to make him the Pirate King."
Held aloft by Ragnar, King did not struggle. Instead, he stared deeply at his captor, his voice laced with nostalgia.
"But now Kaido calls you Joy Boy… sees you as the one to carry on his will. So what was the point of everything I fought for?"
His words hung heavy in the air.
Many of the Beast Pirates, hardened warriors who had followed Kaido not just for power but out of belief in his vision, stood silently. Like King, they had been drawn to Kaido's dream—one forged in the fires of strength, survival, and the void left by Rocks D. Xebec.
But now…
Kaido had not only survived his clash with the Worst Generation—he had returned with him, Ragnar.
More than that, he had named Ragnar the True Lord of the Beasts, a title carrying power and authority equal to the Governor-General himself.
To some, this felt like betrayal.
Years of bloodshed, loyalty, and dreams… for what?
"Fools."
A sudden, sharp voice cut through the haze of doubt. Ragnar's tone was cold, his divine eye half-lidded, pulsing faintly with golden light.
King didn't reply. He only narrowed his eyes, his wings twitching.
"You see the world through too small a lens. All you care about is Joy Boy. All you dream about is the One Piece. But I…"
Ragnar released a burst of haki so heavy it dropped several lower-ranking pirates to their knees.
"I don't need to become someone else. Joy Boy? Pirate King? Worthless titles clinging to dead men's dreams."
"If I aim for anything…" he said, voice calm yet filled with unshakable conviction, "it's to make the world want to become me—Ragnar."
Even King's stoic mask cracked for a second.
And far above, perched on the dragon-horned cliff of Onigashima, Kaido's eyes opened.
He had sought to become Joy Boy, and when he failed, pinned that hope on Yamato.
But now, for the first time in decades, Kaido felt the stirrings of something stronger than fate.
A force that didn't inherit the will of D—but replaced it.