Big Mom's thick hand clenched unconsciously, her nails digging deep into her palm.
The sea breeze swept up smoke and dust, which drifted across the battlefield like ghosts, adding an eerie atmosphere to the entire scene.
That strange atmosphere spread over the battlefield like an invisible net, enveloping everyone and making them feel suffocated and oppressed.
Big Mom's mind raced like a precise machine running at full speed.
She was thinking of new bargaining chips. A trace of panic and urgency appeared in her eyes.
Was Kaido really destined to die here today?
That thought circled endlessly in her mind like a trapped beast unable to find an exit.
Just as Big Mom sank into thought, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
Only the sea breeze brushed past gently, letting out a faint whistling sound.
At that moment, Kaido, who stood nearby, suddenly let out a disdainful cold snort.
The sound was especially abrupt in the silence.
He forced his battered body upright.
Every inch of his muscles trembled slightly, enduring tremendous pain.
The skin covered in dragon-scale tattoos gleamed coldly under the sunlight.
Those tattoos seemed like marks left behind by time, battle, and countless brushes with death.
"What's the point of wasting so many words on these people?"
Kaido's voice was hoarse and filled with hostility.
Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth and slowly slid down his cheek, only for him to wipe it away roughly.
The gesture carried both resolve and defiance.
"Kill me or cut me down, come at me! If I so much as frown, I'm not Kaido of the Beasts!"
He raised his head, eyes wide open, blazing with fire.
It was both fearlessness toward death and rebellion against fate.
Under the sunlight, his figure stretched into a massive silhouette. Even in desperation, he would never bow his head.
"Shut your mouth!"
Big Mom suddenly turned and roared.
Her voice rang like a great bell, shaking the surrounding air.
A terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki pressed toward Kaido like a surging tide, an invisible force that seemed capable of crushing everything.
Her heavily made-up face had become frighteningly twisted from anger.
Under the impact of her fury, her once-careful makeup looked distorted.
"You brainless idiot! Is this the time to act like a hero?!"
Her eyes widened, flashing with both anger and anxiety. Her huge body trembled slightly from emotion.
Kaido's blood-red eyes glared fiercely at Big Mom, his teeth grinding audibly, as if he were trying to vent all his rage through that single action.
His chest rose and fell violently.
His breathing became rapid and heavy, each breath like swallowing flames of anger.
But in the end, his face darkened and he fell silent.
He knew that arguing with Big Mom now would do no good, so he seized every second to regulate his breathing and recover from his injuries.
Because he understood very clearly that, given the hatred between him and the Whitebeard Pirates, his chances of leaving alive today were extremely slim.
That deep hatred was like an uncrossable chasm between them and the Whitebeard Pirates.
Whenever he recalled their past conflicts and battles, complex emotions surged in his heart—anger toward his enemies, and helplessness toward an uncertain fate.
Just then, a sharp glint suddenly flashed in Big Mom's eyes, brief yet bright like a meteor cutting across the night sky.
The corner of her mouth curved into a sinister smile, and her voice suddenly became meaningful.
"Kaido… if you die here today, who will save your dear brother King?"
She deliberately slowed her speech.
Every word stabbed into Kaido's heart like a knife, cutting precisely into the softest part of him.
"Are you going to watch helplessly as he suffers in the World Government's research labs?"
Kaido's body trembled violently.
His clenched fists turned pale at the knuckles, as if he were enduring immense pain.
King's figure appeared uncontrollably in his mind—the brother who had fought by his side and shared life and death with him.
He remembered the hardships they had endured together, those moments when they wandered along the edge of life and death, supporting and trusting one another.
Their bond had long since become unshakable.
Every word Big Mom spoke slithered into his ears like a venomous snake.
"What methods wouldn't those old monsters use? Think back to your own days in the laboratory…"
Her voice was low and chilling, like she was telling a horrifying story.
Cold sweat seeped from Kaido's forehead.
The dark memories of the laboratory surged back like a tide, making his body tremble slightly.
"And this time…"
Big Mom's voice became even colder, like wind blowing from an icy cellar.
"That old bastard Saturn was willing to risk serious injury just to capture King. What does that tell you?"
The sea breeze suddenly became piercingly cold, blowing Kaido's hair and clothes.
A trace of panic and worry appeared in his once-firm eyes.
Every word Big Mom spoke tore at his nerves.
"If you die here acting like a hero, then everything ends for you… but what about your dear brother King?"
Her voice suddenly rose like thunder exploding beside Kaido's ear.
"He'll be locked away in a lightless dungeon, forced to endure the hands of those mad scientists, day after day!"
Her voice echoed through the open space, throwing Kaido's heart into a fierce struggle.
"ENOUGH!!"
Kaido suddenly erupted with a beast-like roar.
The roar seemed to come from the depths of hell, and its terrifying sound wave spread outward like a violent tsunami.
The broken stones around him were sent flying by the impact, drawing chaotic arcs through the air.
Kaido's eyes were now filled with bloodshot veins.
Those red eyes burned like flames, yet they also carried endless exhaustion and despair.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
Every muscle endured tremendous pain, a torment that seemed to sink into his bones.
Yet the man who had just been as mighty as an enraged lion now seemed to have all his strength drained away.
In an instant, he lost his former majesty and dominance, staggering two steps backward.
Because he knew that every word Big Mom had spoken was like an impossibly sharp dagger stabbing straight into his heart.
Every word was soaked in truth.
Those words echoed endlessly in his mind like a curse, impossible to drive away.