At a time when the world situation was changing rapidly and everyone was trembling with fear,
Wano Country, which had closed itself off from the world, remained completely unaware of everything happening outside.
At this moment, Luffy and the others had already reunited with Zoro, Law, Kin'emon, and the rest, discussing their plan for the coming days, intending to defeat Kaido during that window of opportunity.
Just as they were still planning, the sky suddenly churned with wind and clouds, and a massive azure dragon emerged from within.
"Is that Kaido?!!!"
"What terrifying pressure!!!!"
"He's probably coming for us, right?!!!"
Luffy, Law, and the others stared solemnly at the gigantic azure dragon in the distance as they discussed their strategy.
But in reality...
He was simply drunk and flying around causing trouble.
The dizzy Kaido opened his enormous mouth, gathering a blazing breath attack and beginning to charge it toward Okobore Town...
"BOOM——!!!"
A thunderous explosion erupted.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, they saw—
A gigantic divine bird descended amid a raging storm, kicking Kaido squarely with one claw!!!
The massive dragon body crashed to the ground, flattening mountains and buildings, carving an enormous trench across the land.
The divine bird spread its wings, sweeping away clouds for thousands of miles as the skies cleared!!!
"Waaaaaah!!!"
Even Luffy, Zoro, and the others were blown off their feet by the violent storm, rolling across the ground in complete disarray.
Only Law managed to stabilize himself using his Room ability, barely holding his position while staring into the storm to see the bird's true appearance.
One glance made his eyes widen.
"This is!!!"
"No way…!!!"
Within the storm, Law recognized the true identity of that massive shadow—
[The World's Strongest Seagull]
[Seagull King]!!!
"The situation here… is getting more and more chaotic!!!"
Meanwhile, the Seagull King, having kicked Kaido flying, wore an expression of relief.
Gaa— (Good thing I made it in time…)
Although it didn't understand why Orin-sama wanted this tiny broken village saved, Orin-sama's orders were absolute.
That kick had been delivered with full strength—more than enough to sober Kaido up.
"Kaido-san!!!"
In the distant sky, a black bird with flames burning behind its back arrived late. Seeing Kaido knocked to the ground, its eyes widened instantly before charging straight toward the Seagull King!!!
A pair of incredibly hard wings slammed toward the Seagull King, yet it showed no panic.
Just before impact, it suddenly reverted to its normal seagull form, using the wind to redirect the incoming force, avoiding the attack without taking any damage.
"Gaa—" (I'm not interested in fighting you.)
The Seagull King disliked combat. Most of the times it fought were only to complete missions.
Earlier, upon entering Wano's territory, it had accidentally encountered King, who was heading out to block the Big Mom Pirates. The two birds instantly disliked each other and started fighting.
During the battle, it casually kicked the Big Mom Pirates' ship—just as it was about to climb the waterfall—straight off the cliff.
The Seagull King recognized him because Orin had told it before.
It hadn't expected that merely wrapping wind around its claws and smacking King across the face—blowing him far into the horizon—would make him chase after it so relentlessly.
This was bullying a bird too much!!!
Nami froze. She clearly recognized the bird—it was the Seagull King, Orin's pet, which she had seen before in Loguetown and other places.
"Isn't that one of Orin's…"
Law nodded.
"Yeah. And the one fighting it is Kaido's strongest All-Star—'Wildfire' King!!!"
"Even a pet can fight evenly against a monster with a bounty over a billion… honestly…"
Cold sweat dripped down Law's face.
Meanwhile, Luffy looked extremely excited.
"That seagull that fought the pineapple head two years ago! That guy's really strong~"
"But this works perfectly! Let's take down Kaido in one go!!!"
Ignoring his companions' attempts to stop him, Luffy ran toward where Kaido had fallen.
"Kaido!!!"
And what about Kaido, who had been kicked to the ground?
Thanks to that kick—and the violent storm that followed—he was gradually sobering up.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw someone running toward him while shouting:
"I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!!!"
"You said you'll become what king?!!!"
"Gear Fourth!!!"
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
With a single swing of his club, Luffy's eyes rolled back, blood spraying as he instantly lost consciousness.
Kaido didn't even take Luffy seriously.
After all, not every teenage kid was called the [Black Emperor].
Kaido's attention instead focused on the distant sky, where the two birds were fiercely battling.
He did not join the fight. Instead, he clenched his teeth, his expression turning grim.
"What are you trying to do, Orin…"
...
Elsewhere.
The Flower Capital of Wano Country.
Inside the Shogun's chamber, several figures dressed in white stood speaking with Kurozumi Orochi.
"I see~ so that's how it is~"
Sitting in the main seat, Orochi burst into laughter as he looked at Guernika and the others.
"No wonder nobody's come asking me for Seastone lately~"
Guernika and the other CP0 agents sat across from him and issued a sincere invitation.
"Our World Government would greatly welcome Wano Country joining the ranks of affiliated nations."
"Don't joke with me~"
Before CP0 could finish speaking, Shogun Orochi fired a shot, knocking one agent's hat to the floor, revealing a sly grin.
"What your World Government really wants is Wano's mineral resources, isn't it?"
"But we don't need anything from the World Government~"
Guernika showed no anger and calmly continued:
"But without Doflamingo as an intermediary, your Seastone has lost its sales market, hasn't it?"
"Or are you worried about Kaido's—"
"No, no, no."
Orochi wiped his gun, confidence written all over his face.
"Even if you come to me, it's impossible for Seastone shares to be directly handed to the World Government. That's already beyond what I can control…"
"And besides, it's not Kaido's issue."
Hearing this, Guernika fell silent, raising his head toward Orochi in confusion.
"???"
Orochi smiled smugly at everyone, wearing the expression of a petty man savoring his advantage.
"The one who first demanded Seastone was never Doflamingo… it was—"
Orochi pointed upward.
"Someone higher up."