Next Bonus, 100!!
<><><><><><>
"Mamamama! Whitebeard, Garp, what are you doing here?"
Charlotte Linlin's ship approached, singing and laughing, as if she were just out for a picnic.
Big Mom had a comprehensive intelligence network, and there was a Totto Land island nearby.
When she heard that Kaido, Whitebeard, and the Marines... were all converging here, she couldn't just sit at home.
"Admiral Kuzan! The Big Mom Pirates are here too!"
Kuzan: "..."
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
This situation was spiraling out of control.
Counting Kaido.
All Four Emperors were gathering in this one patch of sea?
Even if all three Admirals were here, they'd have to tread carefully.
Damn it!
Kuzan took a deep breath of cold air. "Gion! Keep an eye on the Big Mom Pirates. Stay safe."
"Understood. Leave it to me!"
Gion nodded.
She led the G-5 Marines to defend the flank, standing ready for battle.
Fortunately.
The Big Mom Pirates stopped. They had no intention of charging the Marine formation and taking on an Admiral.
The situation was unclear. They had to be wary of the other pirate crews, so they wouldn't start a war with the Marines lightly.
"Hey, hey... isn't that Whitebeard?"
"Admiral Aokiji and Hero Garp!"
"And Big Mom!"
"What's going on?"
"What kind of day is this? The Four Emperors, who are rarely seen, are showing up one after another. It's enough to make your blood boil."
Among the arriving captains, there were plenty of madmen who didn't mind watching the world burn.
Some even opened fire.
"Hey, boys! Get Whitebeard's head!"
"Take down Big Mom!"
"Let's take their territory!"
In the Great Pirate Era, while many set out to sea because they were forced to by circumstance, that wasn't the whole story.
Some, like Ace and Luffy, sailed for their dreams.
Others were driven by greed, hoping to get rich quick.
The mindset of these pirates was simple: if you can get rich by looting and pillaging, why work hard?
Become a pirate.
With a sword in hand, you can roam the world. Money, women, power, the lives of others in your hands... isn't that the life?
Jin's success had only made them more restless.
The fact was...
After Jin had broken through two Emperors' territories, the world's awe of them had diminished. They were no longer seen as invincible.
Once a "god" bleeds, the sharks begin to circle. More and more newcomers were emerging.
A new generation was beginning its climb to the peak.
Trying to drag the old generation down.
Whether it was pirates, Marines, or nations, the trend was growing. The times were changing.
Cavendish of the Beautiful Pirates was among those attacking the Emperor's ships.
An unexpected naval battle.
Erupted!
"Found them!"
Since this was Shanks' territory, his intelligence network had been tracking and monitoring Kaido's group since they entered.
Soon.
Shanks and his crew spotted Kaido's fleet: three massive, three-masted ships, each over a hundred meters long.
Kaido's plan was to seize the island on the border of their territories that Red Hair had taken, and then wait and see if a conflict erupted between Shanks and Jin before making his next move.
He hadn't expected the Red Hair Pirates to arrive so quickly.
The moment they saw each other, there were no words. They just opened fire.
"Fire!"
"Sink them!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The roar of cannons filled the air.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Cannonballs screamed across the sky.
Exploding in mid-air.
Or being shot down by the powerhouses on the other side.
Yasopp shot the cannonballs out of the sky, one by one.
Jack the Drought swung his weapons, creating blades of wind that sliced the shells in half.
The artillery duel was mostly just a waste of ammunition.
Shanks stood at the prow, one hand on his sword, gazing at Kaido with a frown. "Kaido, do you want a war?"
"Wororororo..."
Kaido took a swig from his gourd.
"On this sea, only war determines a man's worth."
"Then, as you wish!"
It wasn't their first skirmish.
Shanks wasted no more words.
He gripped the hilt of his sword and leaped into the air. Drawing Gryphon, he swung a slash at Kaido.
SHING!
A blade of wind erupted.
It was a breathtaking strike, a crimson slash wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, like a meteor streaking across the sky.
Brilliant and radiant, it cut through the air, leaving a beautiful, spectacular trail as it flew straight for Kaido.
Kaido tossed his gourd aside, grabbed his Hassaikai, and swung it upward to meet Shanks' slash.
CRACK!
BOOM!
A deafening roar echoed out.
CRACKLE...
Sparks flew as the two forces collided, the powerful shockwave shaking the sea and rocking the ships.
"A clash between Emperors... the power is incredible."
"Truly strong!"
"Just the aura alone is terrifying. It's awe-inspiring!"
In the distance, on the Empress, Jin, Carina, Brook, and the others watched in amazement.
Jin didn't intervene.
Shanks wouldn't let him interfere anyway. If he couldn't even defend his own territory, where would his face as a Yonko be?
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A barrage of cannonballs threw up columns of water over a dozen meters high, the waves rocking the ships violently.
The naval battle prevented either side from going all out, limiting them to long-range attacks.
The two fleets engaged, chasing and maneuvering.
Before long.
They arrived near a desolate island.
Jin scanned it. It was a massive, barren rock, devoid of any vegetation. Scorched earth, jagged rocks, and deep ravines were all that remained.
Desolate, dead...
A forbidden zone for life.
However, in some places, ruins buried in the dirt were visible—massive reliefs and thick pillars.
There had once been a great city here.
But it had been destroyed in an instant.
Over decades, perhaps centuries, of wind and sand erosion, its former glory had been buried.
Only Pluton or Uranus could cause such devastation.
In the past eight hundred years, Imu had destroyed more than one island.
"ROOAAR..."
Kaido transformed into a blue dragon, his serpentine body soaring into the air. He landed on one end of the island and reverted to his human form.
He rested his kanabo on his shoulder.
He wore a purple shirt hanging from his waist.
Two gold chains hung from the hem of the shirt. He wore baggy, dark green pants, held up by a shimenawa rope.
A purple feather coat was draped over his massive, ogre-like frame.
"Wororororo..."
Kaido laughed. "This is a good battlefield! Shanks!"
WHOOSH!
The wind howled.
King, Queen, Jack...
The Beasts Pirates landed one by one.
Each one was massive and powerful, truly as fierce as wild beasts.
Fwoosh!
Shanks flashed onto the other end of the island, facing Kaido from a hundred meters away.
He was well-built, with red hair.
Three scars ran across his left eye, and he had a short stubble beard.
He wore a white shirt, only half-buttoned, a long black cape, and patterned, cropped trousers.
Sandals on his feet.
Confident and composed.
Beckman, Yasopp, and the others landed with him. Uta was among them.
Whoosh...
The sea breeze blew across the island, kicking up dust, billowing Shanks' cape and ruffling the purple feathers of Kaido's coat.
Kaido glanced out of the corner of his eye at the large ship in the distance.
A flag snapped in the wind, a ferocious black dragon on a red background.
As the King of Beasts, Kaido had a primal instinct. He could sense a terrifying aura coming from it.
Jin and Red Hair didn't fight?
A miscalculation.
But...
So what?
Kaido laughed loudly and gripped his kanabo tighter.
A powerful aura erupted from his body, sending the surrounding dust and sand flying.
Fwoosh...
Wisps of scorching flame, along with his fighting spirit, burst from Hassaikai.
"Alright, boys! Let's have some fun!"
Kaido stomped the ground, shattering the rock, and charged forward, his aura wild and ferocious, flames wreathing his weapon.
<><><><><><>
~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)