New World, Kibu Island.
Not long after Sakazuki began his free fall, every pirate outside on the island looked up in confusion, searching for the source of the sound.
Whoosh!
Something was tearing through the sky at an incredible speed.
The noise was so loud it made their ears ache, and it kept growing. Even Kaido and King were shaken out of the building, rushing outside as their Observation Haki spread out.
"A meteor?"
After all, one of the Admirals fighting Kaido was Fujitora, so they were very familiar with that kind of sound.
But the moment their Haki spread out, they realized something was wrong, and sweat began to drip down King's forehead.
"Damn it!! Why is that guy here?!"
Kaido's eyes widened in fury as he stared at the sky. His body transformed into a massive azure dragon and shot upward.
"Sakazuki!!!!"
Flames ignited around his enormous body, twisting the air as they gathered toward his head, forming a blazing dragon head that surged toward the descending Sakazuki.
From a distance, it looked like two meteors about to collide.
Sensing Kaido rushing toward him, Sakazuki, wrapped in magma, accelerated even more. The molten mass, coated in black Armament Haki, crashed toward the flaming dragon head as the distance between them closed rapidly.
Crack!
A thunderous explosion erupted like a bolt striking the ground, instantly echoing across the sky.
The pirates on the island were left dizzy, and then a violent shockwave swept over them, shaking the island to its core and stirring the sea into chaos.
Those who managed to stay conscious looked up, their throats tightening and their faces filled with fear.
Someone finally screamed in terror, "Run!!!"
Only then did the others snap out of it and scramble toward the edge of the island.
Because…
In the sky…
A dragon was falling.
* * *
High above Kibu Island, thousands of meters in the air, the two separated slightly after the violent collision.
Kaido's dragon head burst apart, scales scattering in every direction. His mind spun, and he lost control of his body as he twisted and fell downward.
The molten mass surrounding Sakazuki was also knocked off course, no longer heading straight for the island's center but slightly to the side.
Thousands of meters passed in an instant.
Sakazuki could already sense every pirate on the island, while Kaido regained control and charged toward him again.
As the massive dragon head closed in, the surface of the magma suddenly turned a deep red, blazing with extreme heat, and inside, energy compressed to its limit.
Kaido's pupils shrank as a sharp sense of danger surged through him. It felt as if colliding with it would trigger an explosion.
He hesitated for only a moment.
The falling meteor accelerated again.
At that instant, Kaido understood what Sakazuki intended and roared toward the island below, "Everyone! Leave the island!!"
Roar!
In his dragon form, he let out an enraged roar and sped up in pursuit.
But it was already too late.
Like the end of the world, the meteor slightly missed the exact center and slammed down.
BOOOM!!!!!
The island trembled violently and split apart. Seawater rushed into the massive cracks, and pirates caught in it were wiped out instantly.
But that was not the end.
It was only the beginning.
Above, the azure dragon rushed down in desperation.
Inside the massive crater, magma slowly flowed as Sakazuki's cold voice echoed out.
"Magma Burst…"
BOOOOOM!!!!!
Endless magma erupted outward with overwhelming force, and in an instant, it swept across the entire island. The place where nearly ten thousand of Kaido's forces had gathered was swallowed by towering waves of molten rock, wiping them out completely.
Only a few stronger ones struggled to survive within the magma…
* * *
Kibu Island.
Everything on the island had been destroyed.
Buildings, trees, mountains, nothing remained. Under the sheer force of the explosion, everything had been flattened, and as far as the eye could see, there was only flowing magma.
Some pirate officers with strong Armament Haki managed to endure part of the impact and barely struggled back to their feet.
One of the Tobiroppo, Ulti.
She had just returned from battle already injured, and before she could recover, this disaster struck.
Struggling against the magma, she forced herself up.
"Pfft!"
The shock had damaged her internal organs, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
Sizzle!
The blood hit the magma and instantly burned away into steam.
Nearby, the magma shifted rapidly, forming into a human shape.
A single word flashed through Ulti's mind.
Death.
Her legs bent as she prepared to leap away, but before she could move, the fully formed Sakazuki grabbed her by the head.
He lifted her up in front of him and spoke coldly, "You're quite lively, kid. It's just the death of a younger brother, yet you destroyed several Marine warships. Hmm?"
His grip tightened slightly.
A crushing pain exploded in Ulti's skull. Even with Armament Haki, it did nothing against his overwhelming strength.
For the first time in her life, the one who always used her head to ram others felt what it was like.
That feeling of her head about to burst.
The first time.
And the last.
Whoosh!
A sharp sound cut through the air behind him.
Kaido gripped his kanabo with both hands, lightning crackling around it as he swung it toward Sakazuki's head.
Sakazuki glanced back and, without hesitation, shoved Ulti behind him as a shield.
Kaido's pupils shrank, but it was too late.
Sakazuki even let out a cold laugh, stepped forward, and forced her upward.
Bang!
Caught between two top-tier powers, Ulti's head burst like a watermelon.
It exploded into a cloud of blood.
Kaido's dragon eyes turned savage. There was no pause, no regret. It was already beyond saving, and he poured even more power and Haki into his strike.
Boom!!!!
The kanabo slammed into Sakazuki's left fist. They clashed for a brief moment before Sakazuki was sent flying.
And the direction of that flight… was deliberately adjusted toward another surviving pirate.
* * *
On the other side, the leader of the Tobiroppo, Who's-Who, had also climbed to his feet.
He had not gone out to fight that day, and with his strength, he was among the first to recover.
Seeing Ulti's head explode with his own eyes made his heart tremble. But before he could decide whether to fight or flee, he saw the Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki, being knocked toward him by Kaido.
An opportunity!!!
His heart pounded violently.
That figure flying toward him… wasn't it the chance to rise straight to an All-Star position…?
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