"This… is this still a Sea King? How can its hide be this tough?"
"There's no justice in this! Our cannonballs are specially modified!"
Queen was visibly shaken. Sweat rolled down his face as disbelief filled his voice.
"This is a plague bomb I created by combining hundreds of viruses, yet it didn't even scratch that monster."
This was his proudest creation so far. He had personally named it Scorching Plague One.
Any creature struck by it would slowly burn from the cellular level until its entire body collapsed. During testing, a single cannonball had infected a normal Sea King with ease.
Countless pirates and Marines had died because of that weapon.
Yet now, against the Giant Sea King before them, it produced absolutely no effect.
How could he accept that?
"Perorin~ What a strange monster. Is it really a creature from this world?"
Perospero stared ahead in shock.
Since when had attacks from an Emperor's crew failed to leave even the slightest damage on a beast?
If news of this spread across the seas, the entire pirate world would mock them endlessly.
Just as confusion spread across both fleets, the ocean suddenly began to tremble violently.
"What's happening?"
"Is this an earthquake?"
"An underwater volcano?"
"Is a tsunami coming?"
The sea churned wildly. Then, far behind the Giant Sea King's massive eye, a tail fin nearly three hundred meters wide slowly rose from the water.
It towered into the sky.
A deafening roar followed.
"ROAR!"
The enormous tail fin cut through the air and slammed toward Kaido and BIG MOM at terrifying speed.
The force alone tore through the atmosphere, creating hurricane-like winds that split the sea apart and raised enormous white waves.
In a blink, the attack reached them.
Compared to that colossal fin, Kaido and BIG MOM looked insignificant, like insects before a natural disaster.
"So fast!"
Bang! Bang!
Two explosive impacts echoed across the sea as both Emperors were launched violently into the sky.
"Nani?!"
"Lord Kaido!"
"Governor!"
"Mama!"
Cries of shock erupted from both pirate crews.
No one expected such a massive creature to move with that level of speed.
"Mama!"
BIG MOM shot through the air so quickly that Zeus failed to keep up at first. Only after chasing more than two thousand meters did the thundercloud finally catch her.
Blood trickled from the corner of BIG MOM's mouth as she glared at the Sea King.
She was injured.
Kaido stabilized himself using Flame Clouds after being blasted nearly the same distance away. A thin line of blood appeared on his lips as well.
The two Emperors exchanged looks.
For the first time, unmistakable caution appeared in their eyes.
The Giant Sea King possessed overwhelming size, terrifying defense, and unbelievable speed.
Even monsters like them felt pressure.
Legends said the Sea Kings could command others of their kind across the oceans.
If several creatures like this appeared at once, conquering the Grand Line would become effortless.
What made the situation worse was a realization neither of them wanted to accept.
Both princesses standing behind this battlefield belonged to Rolan's side.
That meant the Sea King itself answered to Rolan.
Rolan's strength alone already stood near the peak of the pirate world.
Now he controlled something comparable to an Ancient Weapon.
If this continued, the balance of the seas would completely collapse.
Any dream of becoming Pirate King would mean nothing before him.
...
Meanwhile, the massive tail fin crashed back into the ocean with a thunderous boom.
Towering waves hundreds of meters high surged toward the two pirate ships.
The enormous vessels instantly looked fragile, tossed around like drifting leaves.
"Stabilize the ship!"
"Hold on!"
"It's going to flip!"
"What kind of monster power is this?!"
After desperate efforts from both crews, the ships barely regained balance, though they had already been pushed thousands of meters away.
...
"Princess Shirahoshi, what's wrong?"
Vivi noticed Shirahoshi's face turning pale and immediately grew worried.
Shirahoshi forced a gentle smile.
"It's nothing, Sister Vivi. I'm just a little tired."
In truth, when Shirahoshi first awakened Poseidon's power, Rolan had already warned her.
Unlike Pluton or Uranus, Poseidon was not a mechanical weapon.
It was a living authority.
The power to command every Sea King in the ocean.
However, her ability had not fully matured yet. Forcing Sea Kings into battle would place immense strain on her body.
Each movement of the Giant Sea King drained her mental strength.
Issho and Wyper quickly sensed her weakening presence.
"Princess Shirahoshi, fall back," Issho said calmly. "Leave the rest to us."
Shirahoshi shook her head stubbornly.
"No… I can still continue."
At that moment, numerous ships sailed out from Peach Garden.
Issho and the others turned toward the horizon.
Thousands of guards were approaching.
"Raki? What are you doing here?" Wyper immediately recognized her among them.
"Wyper! You've been gone too long. I came to help," Raki replied, worry clear in her voice.
"All of you go back!" Wyper shouted. "You're not needed here!"
These warriors might be powerful elsewhere, but against crews like the Beasts Pirates and the BIG MOM Pirates, they stood little chance.
He understood they wanted to defend their homeland.
But their presence would only put them in greater danger.
...
At the same time, the two Emperor ships returned to the battlefield.
"Damn it!" BIG MOM roared. "Kill that beast!"
"Open fire!"
"I refuse to believe it can't be killed!"
Cannon fire erupted nonstop as countless shells bombarded the Giant Sea King.
Forced under heavy assault, the Sea King shifted its focus toward the ships swarming around it like pests.
Kaido and BIG MOM seized the opportunity and advanced again, stopping several dozen meters in front of Issho.
"Oh? Planning to rely on numbers now?" Kaido said with clear disdain as he looked at the arriving fleet.
"The Sea King you relied on is busy now," he continued coldly. "Do you really think these weaklings can save you?"
He grinned fiercely.
"I'll say this one last time. Hand over the two princesses, and we might spare Peach Garden."
"Keep resisting, and this place will disappear from the sea."
A calm voice suddenly echoed across the sky.
"Oh? Who exactly is talking so confidently?"
The heavens darkened instantly.
Crimson lightning burst across the distant horizon.
Bolts of black and red electricity split the sky as they descended toward Kaido and BIG MOM.
Kaido's pupils shrank.
"This level of Conqueror's Haki… impossible!"