"Gurararara...! Aoki brat, I didn't expect you to show up as well. As far as dividing our territorial spheres of influence in these seas, wasn't that already agreed upon long ago?"
Whitebeard guzzled huge mouthfuls of sake, completely indifferent to Kaido's darkening face nearby.
Before talks had even formally begun, Whitebeard had already framed Shiraishi as his ally, drawing clear faction lines.
Combined with Shanks having collaborated with Shiraishi multiple times in the past, Kaido was effectively isolated.
"I just figured Kaido was looking for an excuse to pick a fight with someone, so I came over to take a look."
Shiraishi's retort made Kaido roar with laughter. But soon enough, the peerless brute's expression twisted into a ferocious scowl: "Sunagakure Pirates... I heard you're the one who killed BIG MOM?"
Facing Kaido's mountain-like silhouette, Shiraishi adjusted his glasses, casually flipping through the pages of a book held in his hand: "Yes."
Kaido spoke in a deep, booming rasp, his tone dripping with raw menace: "I owed her a debt of gratitude. So tell me... do you think I should take your head to repay that favor?"
"That depends entirely on whether you possess the ability to do so."
"Is that so?!"
Kaido vanished, reappearing directly before Shiraishi in a split second. The spiked kanabo Hassaikai in his grip unleashed a terrifying, crushing smash downward. Yet a dense surge of sub-zero frost erupted from Shiraishi's frame, flash-freezing the outer surface of the iron club before Shiraishi dissolved into an afterimage, reappearing several paces away.
"What a savage greeting."
"Ghahaha! Greeting or not, it makes no difference—I've been wanting to fight you for a very long time!"
A scorching blast of dragon breath erupted across the battlefield. Gathering frost in both hands, Shiraishi forged a colossal sub-zero shield, holding off Kaido's explosive blast. Meanwhile, Whitebeard picked up another jug of sake, taking long, steady gulps: "Aoki, watch your back, brat. This Kaido fellow is far from easy to deal with."
As fellow Emperors of the Sea, each possessed their own pride. Even if Whitebeard maintained friendly personal ties with Shiraishi, ganging up two-on-one was something he would never stoop to doing.
A violent shockwave burst from Kaido's kanabo. Seeing this, Shiraishi pointed a finger, gathering countless streams of freezing cold in mid-air to weave into an exquisite, swirling torrent of frost.
Glaciate Cold Flames!
The burning icy flames instantly etched intricate frost patterns across the spiked club. Exhaling a heavy breath, Kaido shattered the ice with a monstrous roar, shaking Fish-Man Island as if doomsday had arrived.
Kaido's temperament was notoriously volatile—one moment lamenting in agony, the next exploding in berserk fury.
He loved drinking and attempting suicide, and was an absolute battle maniac at heart. Though he commanded legions of subordinates and a sprawling territory, he frequently operated as a lone wolf.
He relished taking on entire armies single-handedly, setting out without a single crewmate to challenge Marine bases or rival Emperor fleets on his own.
He wandered the world looking for novel ways to end his life. Thus, his direct, unprovoked assault on Shiraishi came as no surprise to Whitebeard whatsoever.
Of course, Kaido had his own strengths—chief among them an appreciation for genuine talent. He was obsessed with recruiting top-tier warriors into his ranks.
When facing Shutenmaru, Kaido set aside past grievances and invited him to join his crew, and he would routinely beat enemies like Luffy or Kid until their spirits broke before attempting to recruit them.
However, Aoki Shiraishi was certainly not on his recruitment list. An Emperor of the Sea could never be subjugated, and even if Shiraishi surrendered, Kaido would never trust such a powerhouse in his ranks.
On another note, Shiraishi enjoyed exceptionally high popularity among the civilian populace compared to the other Emperors.
His refined, elegant looks made him popular among women; compared to the rugged, monstrous Kaido, the aging Whitebeard, and Shanks—who remained thoroughly single—Shiraishi possessed immense personal charisma.
Within the Sunagakure Pirates, there was even a specialized female combat vanguard composed entirely of elite warrior women who held deep, unwavering admiration for their leader.
BOOM!
The two traded a direct punch. The resulting shockwave of clashing Haki knocked out scores of spectators across Fish-Man Island on the spot. Whitebeard continued sipping his sake, watching the brawl with relaxed amusement.
In the past, the madman Kaido would always hound Whitebeard for a fight. Whitebeard had found no permanent way to put the monster down for good; though he could overpower Kaido in battle, Kaido would always escape when an opening appeared.
Over time, Whitebeard grew tired of brawling with such a rabid hound. Having Shiraishi show up today gave Kaido a shiny new target, diving headfirst into an all-out clash with the Sunagakure leader.
"Gurararara...! Red-Hair, did you deliberately show up late just to watch the show?"
"Haha! Not watching a show—just curious to see how a fight between Kaido and Aoki would play out."
The current Red-Haired Shanks had already lost his left arm, and the straw hat upon his head was nowhere to be seen. Whitebeard glanced at him, pausing for a moment: "It seems... you've already found the person you were looking for."
"You could say that. I bet the next era on him."
"Gurararara! Now you've made even me curious."
The clash between Shiraishi and Kaido sent violent, continuous tremors reverberating through Fish-Man Island. The destructive force was so intense that vibrations could be felt as far away as the Sabaody Archipelago above.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford
"These lawless pirates... what in the world are they plotting this time?!"
With Zephyr having stepped down to an instructor role, the position of the Three Marine Admirals was now officially occupied by Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan—bearing the codenames Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji!
Holding the intelligence report detailing the clash on Fish-Man Island, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's face darkened.
Kizaru maintained his usual casual, nonchalant expression, holding a newspaper with exaggerated curiosity: "My, my... what happened?"
"Whitebeard and Aoki likely formed a secret alliance long ago."
"Red-Haired Shanks's stance remains ambiguous, while Kaido is technically in a disadvantageous position," Sengoku analyzed. "However, with Kaido's unkillable constitution, ordinary methods can't eliminate him anyway."
If the Four Emperors were willing to sit down and discuss a coalition, the World Government and Marine Headquarters would face an unprecedented crisis.
"Instead of sitting here debating meaningless nonsense, we should focus on neutralizing the Sky Corridor once and for all," Akainu Sakazuki cut in coldly, thick plumes of smoke venting from his shoulders.
Having clashed with both the Sunagakure Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates across the New World countless times, his hatred for pirates had reached its absolute zenith. He held open disdain for Sengoku's drawn-out meetings.
What the Navy needed to do right now was accelerate armament production, recruit more high-tier fighters, and crush those pirates with absolute, overwhelming force.
Sitting here dissecting a pirate summit—how disgraceful was that?
His blunt critique left Fleet Admiral Sengoku's face twitching with suppressed frustration, yet Sakazuki's points were undeniably valid.
Right then, Aokiji Kuzan, who had remained silent all along, spoke up in a languid drawl: "So, Sakazuki... do you intend to sail down to Fish-Man Island personally and arrest three of the Four Emperors in one go?"
"We target them one by one. According to intelligence, Aoki Shiraishi traveled to Fish-Man Island completely alone. With proper planning, we can encircle and capture him right there."
Sakazuki's objective was razor-sharp: the Navy's greatest threat was the Sunagakure Pirates with their monopoly over the Sky Corridor. With Shiraishi appearing unaccompanied, this was the single best opportunity to take him off the board.
Sakazuki's plan quickly secured Fleet Admiral Sengoku's backing. However, knowing full well that Akainu alone was insufficient to handle Shiraishi, Sengoku deployed both Aokiji and Akainu together.
The deadly combination of Ice and Magma...