...
In the central plaza of God Valley, the brief moment of calm was shattered. Turmoil spread through the crowd like a tidal wave.
Amid this chaos, a shocking scene in the sky drew every eye.
The newly transformed Azure Dragon Kaido was being relentlessly pursued and attacked by Big Mom, who had arrived right after!
Scorching flames and violent thunder intertwined, illuminating the massive dragon body—making it appear both majestic and somewhat disheveled.
Below on the battlefield, whether Marines or pirates, countless gazes snapped upward in unison.
Many people's expressions froze, mouths slightly agape, eyes filled with the same shock and disbelief that Saint Sommers had shown earlier.
They stared up at a creature that should only exist in mythology, their minds reeling.
But in the camps of the true powerhouses, the atmosphere was entirely different.
They furrowed their brows tightly, eyes sharp as blades, staring fixedly at Kaido's sky-blotting Azure Dragon form—each silently calculating the implications of this sudden new variable…
"Hey! You two, look quick—I've got an ability now too!"
Kaido's deep, booming voice rang down from the sky, brimming with irrepressible excitement. He was treating this brutal battlefield like a stage for showing off.
"I really want to keep testing out the other abilities…"
His words overflowed with fascination and eagerness to explore his new power.
Seeming to sense the complex stares gathering from below, Kaido's enormous dragon head shifted slightly. His colossal body shuddered.
Azure scales shimmered with flowing light. The massive dragon form rapidly contracted amid swirling clouds and mist—his mountain-like silhouette quickly vanishing…
Then he reverted to his burly human form, landing steadily from midair.
The Kaido of this moment showed none of his usual ferocity. Instead, he looked like a big child who had just received his favorite toy.
Filled with pure, burning excitement, he rushed eagerly to Rocks and Whitebeard, joyfully showing off: "Did you see that? This is my new power!"
Rocks's previously tense body relaxed. A genuine flash of gratification passed through his eyes. He burst into loud laughter and slapped Kaido's shoulder hard, his voice booming: "Well done, Kaido! This has gotta be the happiest you've ever been, right!? Hahahaha!"
Rocks was sincerely happy for his comrade.
Nearby, Edward Newgate—Whitebeard—remained silent, but his steady gaze never left Kaido. It carried scrutiny and a faint, barely perceptible gravity, as though weighing the deeper meaning behind this newfound power.
"Hey hey hey, Kaido kid,"
A mocking voice cut in—it was Golden Lion Shiki.
He stroked his chin, a sly "I get it" smirk on his face as his gaze darted back and forth between Kaido and Big Mom, who had just barely stabilized herself in the distance.
"You and Linlin didn't actually go and snag that thing, did you?" His tone dragged out deliberately, loaded with suggestion.
Then, Golden Lion's eyes suddenly snapped toward the nearby Saint Garling—whose face had turned livid. The mockery instantly turned into open, unrestrained taunting.
He threw his head back and roared with laughter: "Hahahaha! Are all you Celestial Dragons' brains kicked in by donkeys or what?! What the hell have you people even been guarding? This is killing me…!"
The laughter rang especially grating in the now-silent battlefield. His words stabbed like needles straight into Saint Garling's sore spot.
Wife, children—and now even the precious Devil Fruits symbolizing power seemed to have slipped away.
Saint Garling's body trembled slightly. His clenched fists turned white at the knuckles—he was truly on the verge of spitting blood from rage.
Watching him like this, Golden Lion laughed even more wildly and unrestrained, almost gasping for breath.
Just as tension and mockery intertwined, Charlotte Linlin came charging from the distance, wrapped in sky-shaking fury.
Her pink hair whipped wildly from the violent surge of Haki. Scorching solar flames and leaping thunder coiled around her. Napoleon in her hands buzzed with bloodthirsty hunger.
She ignored every gaze directed at her—whether fearful or probing. Her eyes, blazing with rage, locked dead onto Kaido, who had just returned to human form.
"Kaido! That was my Devil Fruit!"
She roared. An immense pressure surged forward like a tangible tsunami, cracking the ground inch by inch beneath her feet.
She raised Napoleon high. Prometheus and Zeus's powers converged upon it—she was about to unleash a world-destroying strike.
However, at this critical moment!
Above everyone's heads, the light screen that had been quietly hovering and emitting a soft glow suddenly erupted without warning into blinding blood-red radiance!
The light was so intense it instantly drowned out all vision, turning the entire central battlefield of God Valley into a scene from a blood-soaked hell.
"Buzz!"
An indescribable, terrifying force descended with the red light—like an invisible mountain—landing precisely and heavily upon Big Mom just as she prepared to attack!
"Ugh…!"
Big Mom's forward charge halted abruptly. The Napoleon sword, brimming with terrifying energy, struck what felt like an absolutely unyielding wall, producing a dull, massive boom.
Her enormous body sank violently. Her feet plunged deep into the ground; her knees even bent slightly. For the first time, her face showed utter disbelief—mixed with pain and astonishment.
The flames and thunder around her dimmed and became chaotic under the red light's suppression.
A cold, mechanical voice—devoid of any emotion—rang out as though from the Ninth Heaven, yet also directly within everyone's souls.
It echoed clearly across the deathly silent battlefield:
[Slaughter is prohibited within the light screen's range. This is your first warning!]
Under the blood-red illumination, an instinctual, primal fear gripped everyone present—causing hearts to race, blood to nearly freeze.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events. They stared in horror at the light screen now radiating ominous red light!
No one had expected this thing, which had existed like mere background until now, to suddenly unleash such terrifying power!
At this moment, Big Mom—who had borne the brunt of the red light—had turned deathly pale. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled from her forehead.
The hand gripping Napoleon—the arm strong enough to shake mountains—now trembled uncontrollably.
She seemed to be enduring unimaginable pressure and fear.
"Suppress your killing intent quick, Linlin!"
Gloriosa and Stussy reminded her at the same time. Though reluctant, Big Mom forcibly restrained her murderous aura.
Sure enough, the moment the killing intent receded, the oppressive feeling vanished completely. The red light faded back to yellow…
Seeing this, Saint Garling—who had been ranting earlier—swallowed hard. Then, under the gazes of the opposing pirates, he sheathed his sword.
Since the light screen was that powerful, why would he stick his neck out for trouble!
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Big Mom panted wildly. Though her killing intent was gone, her eyes still glared fixedly at Kaido. Having her top-tier fruit stolen was an utter humiliation.
"Alright, alright—enough messing around. Right now I just want to see what happens next in this Marineford war. Can you all quiet down a bit!"
At this point, Garp—who had been silent until now—put an end to the farce. After seeing Ace die, Garp's mood was noticeably much lower than before.
Hearing Garp's words, several of the big shots nodded in unison. Since fighting was impossible here right now, they might as well watch how the future unfolded.
The explosive tension once again settled into calm. As if sensing it, the light screen flickered once before continuing to switch scenes!
[Seeing Luffy being rescued by Jinbe, Sakazuki let out a furious roar. His usually cold and resolute face twisted with extreme rage; his eyes blazed red like erupting magma.]
"You're not getting away!"
[He bellowed. The destructive energy surging within him exploded without restraint!]
[Scorching magma surged forth in an even more violent torrent. With one punch, he sent Marco—who had desperately blocked his path—flying. The phoenix's azure flames dimmed in the face of absolute power, streaking away like a meteor into the distance.]
At this moment, the path toward the Straw Hat kid seemed wide open.
Sakazuki's eyes held only the Straw Hat being carried away from the battlefield—and the absolute failure of justice it represented.
Magma roiled beneath his feet, turning the earth to scorched soil. His body leaned forward, ready to charge at thunderous speed to devour his target completely.
However, at this critical instant!
A bone-chilling, razor-sharp killing intent—sharp as an icicle from the deepest frozen hell—struck without warning from behind!
The intent pierced straight through his blazing magma field and struck deep into his soul!
Sakazuki's pupils shrank to needle points!
It was a long-forgotten, potentially lethal sense of threat!
He could even clearly feel every hair on the back of his neck standing on end!
"Hm?!"
His charging motion froze mid-stride. The magma all over his body churned violently.
Almost instinctively, he twisted his body hard, wanting to see the source of this terrifying threat.
What met his eyes was the cold, gleaming edge of Murakumogiri's massive blade—already seemingly pressed against his spine!
And behind that blade stood the towering, mountain-like figure: Edward Newgate—Whitebeard!
The World's Strongest Man had somehow, like a phantom, broken through everything and appeared silently behind him.
The shadow cast by Whitebeard's colossal body completely enveloped Sakazuki!
In Whitebeard's domineering gaze burned undisguised fury and icy killing intent.
In this moment, time seemed to freeze.
(The above is the manga scene—Whitebeard goes straight for the Western-style beatdown, charging in with a fist to hammer Akainu. In the anime, they fully amplify and extend that sense of overwhelming pressure!)
The rage-twisted expression on Sakazuki's face instantly stiffened, replaced by a look of utter disbelief.
The boiling magma around him seemed to stall for a moment. The unstoppable, all-destroying momentum he had carried was abruptly interrupted and suppressed by this sudden figure!
Whitebeard—merely standing there—exuded a pressure greater than a thousand armies.
...