"Phew, it seems I've only slept for a little while."
Yamato awoke on Genesect's back, looking at the sun overhead. She felt she had only slept for a few minutes.
After all, the sun's position hadn't changed since she fell asleep, but after she reawakened Rotom, she found something amiss.
"Strange, how did the time go backward? Rotom, is your timer broken?"
"No, Loto, all functions are intact."
"Strange."
"Miss Yamato, you actually slept for an entire day."
King revealed the truth beside her; she had fallen asleep on the morning of the fourth day and awoke on the morning of the fifth day, sleeping for a full day and night. By then, the battle below was finally reaching its conclusion.
Awake, Yamato rubbed her eyes and didn't continue to dwell on the matter, instead directly refocusing Rotom's camera lens back down below.
Meanwhile, on Ghost Island, with the awakening of Yamato and Rotom, the broadcast footage became clear again, and the battle between Whitebeard and Kaidou seemed to be reaching its final showdown.
Three claw marks had appeared on Whitebeard's chest, left by Kaidou's Dragon Claw, along with countless minor scrapes and bruises.
Kaidou was in a similar state; despite the cover of Dark Dragon Scale, twisted bruises were still visible, and a massive wound remained on his left shoulder—no longer bleeding but unmistakably Whitebeard's handiwork.
They had stopped large-scale attacks; both Kaidou and Whitebeard were reaching their physical limits.
"Hey, wake up, Kaidou seems to be winning."
"Look, look, Whitebeard got injured!"
"Stop eating, skipping one meal won't kill you; the pictures are back!"
The human brain tends to see what it wants to see, so these people somewhat disregarded the injuries on Kaidou.
With their shouting, the onlookers gradually increased in the open space, and with the growing noise, Ulti slowly awoke from her slumber.
"Mmh~ this bed is really comfortable this time."
"If you like it, feel free to lie there a bit longer."
Seeing Maria's smile, Ulti sensed something was amiss. Her sleepy brain quickly came to full consciousness—the equivalent of public embarrassment for her, sleeping on someone else's leg, never mind with Page One sleeping even better beside her.
"Page! Wake up, stop sleeping; the battle's starting!"
In rare panic, Ulti didn't even muster a retort, dragging Page One off Maria's leg, shifting the topic before Page One could react.
....
At that moment, the island was reduced to only the size of a football field. Looking at the heavily gasping Whitebeard, Kaidou felt a bit of admiration for that monster.
"Newgate, you old coot, still capable of fighting for five days and nights at your age?"
"Gurarara, don't underestimate me, kid. When I was making my name, you were just a snot-nosed brat behind Linlin. I can go another five days just fine!"
Having battled an Awakened Zoan for five days and nights, Whitebeard indeed lived up to the monster's name. Kaidou's stamina was also gradually reaching its limit.
Whitebeard's Awakening was terrifying. Advanced Armament aimed to harm the enemy's insides by bypassing Armament Defense on the outside.
Whitebeard's Awakening let him achieve a similar effect; while not entirely ignoring external defense like Haki, it was close enough.
Combined with Whitebeard's incredible destructive power, normal people couldn't possibly endure it.
Adding his environmental destruction, fighting him on home turf was a grave mistake—victory was possible, but at irreparable harm to the island.
"Woah-oh-oh-oh, Newgate, your era... is over!"
Gathering strength in his legs, Kaidou in his dragon-man form leaped into the air, pushing his body to the extreme, having become stronger over the five-day battle due to accumulated Haki.
As a "Teacher," one must not only teach students but also self-improve; in his duel with Whitebeard, Kaidou seemed to have made some breakthroughs.
"Descent of the Three Worlds! Hiku Naraku: Dragon Scale Dance!"
With Thunderbolt, Haki, and Dragon Power, Kaidou unleashed his most powerful strike, as the Hassaikai sliced through the air, making it wail.
Kaidou's words, "Your era is over," seemed to sting Whitebeard's heart. Reminiscing, one powerhouse after another had departed, but thinking of those family members, the most valued in his life, Whitebeard seemed to have a revelation.
No longer did white light emanate from his body. The power of the Quake-Quake Fruit compressed onto Murakumogiri's blade, entwined with his Supreme King Haki.
"When my era ends... that's up to me! You can't decide my finale!"
Boom—!
Morgans snapped the shutter but quickly covered his ears; the roar was too terrifying. Apart from a buzzing sound, he seemed to hear nothing else for the moment.
Yet the smile on his avian face revealed his satisfaction; this journey had been worth it for him.
The island beneath them began to fracture and collapse; soon, only two footholds remained, the island erased from the world. Henceforth, no one would sense the island's presence here.
Watching the blood drip from his chest, Kaidou's expression was complex.
With his current physique, such a wound wouldn't scar, but since Kozuki Oden, it was the first time he'd been so gravely injured.
Whitebeard was in no better shape, his headband lost who knows where, his hands slightly trembling—not from the tremor effect but from the recoil after the clash.
His steps faltered slightly, but with Murakumogiri's hilt steadying on the ground, he managed to keep his balance.
"Newgate, I've won."
"Kid, you really don't know how high the sky is; do you call this victory?"
He could tell Kaidou's condition wasn't much better; both were in a desperate state, their endurance at its limit despite Zoan's greater recovery ability.
"Newgate, what you seek is family, but your family is too weak, while my companions are far stronger."
Indeed, the current state was not Kaidou's victory. At most, it was mutually assured destruction, but Kaidou already held a straw in his hand.
But before he could make a move, both King and Marco brought the same news, while another dog-headed ship appeared on the distant horizon...