...
In truth, it wasn't just Kaido. Other powerhouses thought the same way.
Take Rocks, for example. He strongly agreed with Kaido's way of thinking.
In an era written by authority and violence, power was the only pass that mattered.
Without strength capable of shaking the world, how could one speak of becoming king?
Without power that stood above all living beings, how could one possibly overthrow that colossal entity that had dominated the pinnacle of the world for hundreds of years?
Was Kaido wrong? No. He had simply pushed this truth to its extreme, practicing the laws of this world in the most primal, savage, and irrefutable manner.
His path might be extreme, his methods might be brutal, but his logic itself was deeply rooted in the most fundamental survival reality of this sea.
And it wasn't just Rocks.
In God Valley, the powerhouses from various factions—even pirates, Marines, or the adventurers and ambitious figures wandering the gray areas watching the light screen from other places…
Deep in their hearts, they all acknowledged this cruel truth.
Sengoku pushed up his glasses. The look behind the lenses was profound. He had seen far too many talented young people who perished midway because their strength was insufficient…
He had also seen far too many powerhouses who relied on absolute power to maintain order or even create disasters.
The young Whitebeard remained silent. More than anyone, he understood that if he didn't possess enough power to protect his family in the future, those brilliant smiles on his family's faces would one day be stained with blood.
Garp clenched his fists tightly, his brows furrowed.
He loathed those who abused power, yet at the same time he understood all too well that without the strength to oppose it, so-called "justice" was nothing more than empty talk.
So-called "protection" was nothing more than a powerless slogan. Without that unreasonable level of strength, he would only be an ordinary Marine.
This sea did not believe in tears. It only recognized strength.
Those without "power" could not even control their own fate. They could only become chess pieces to be manipulated on the board, or dust silently annihilated beneath the tide of the era.
Only by grasping power could one earn respect, protect what one cherished, and carve one's name into the torrent of history.
At this moment, Rocks was watching the future Kaido on the light screen with a calm, appraising gaze.
That existence who had pushed "power above all" to its absolute limit.
"Power… huh? Not wrong, I suppose…"
Rocks finally spoke. His voice wasn't loud, yet it was enough to make the surrounding pirates prick up their ears.
When these words came from his mouth, their weight was completely different.
A spark of light flashed through the young Kaido's eyes. He straightened his back even more.
To receive his captain's "approval"—even if it was only ideological resonance—was already an enormous encouragement to him.
"But this still isn't enough…"
As if he had seen through Kaido's thoughts, Rocks changed the direction of his words. His sharp gaze swept over everyone present. "Power alone is never enough."
He pointed at the light screen: "Look clearly. The future you possesses power sufficient to shake the world, yet you were still forced into this state on Onigashima by a group of 'weaklings.' Why?"
Kaido was stunned.
Rocks didn't wait for an answer and continued speaking on his own: "Because you only have power, but you lack a vessel capable of controlling that power."
"Power is a blade. Belief is the hand that grips the blade. If the hand is unsteady, no matter how sharp the blade, it will only wound yourself."
Rocks' words exploded in everyone's hearts.
While the crowd was still savoring these words, the battle on the light screen had already entered its most brutal stage.
Kaido's kanabo, carrying the might to destroy everything, smashed toward Zoro. If this strike landed, the swordsman would have no chance of survival.
Zoro's consciousness was already blurring from excessive blood loss. His body instinctively wanted to dodge, but he couldn't even move half an inch.
At this critical moment, a figure flashed in like lightning!
Luffy's fist blocked the front of the kanabo with perfect accuracy.
The shockwave from the collision of the two forces turned all the rubble within dozens of meters into powder.
Kaido's arm trembled. A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes. This brat's strength… had actually increased again?
"I still haven't…"
Luffy panted heavily, but his eyes burned like torches: "I still haven't fulfilled my promise with everyone yet!"
It seemed Luffy hadn't taken Kaido's earlier words to heart at all. In his eyes, Kaido was a high wall that had to be overcome.
"I'm going to defeat you, surpass you. Until then, I absolutely won't fall!"
Luffy's declaration ignited the battlefield.
Zoro used Wado Ichimonji to prop up his body. He gripped all three swords once more. Kid grinned, and the magnetic field on his mechanical arm began spinning wildly.
Law drew Kikoku. The radius of his ROOM quietly expanded…
"Then come and try it!"
Kaido laughed wildly and charged forward again. In his Azure Dragon human-beast form, his speed was so fast it left afterimages.
Luffy met him without the slightest fear.
The collision between the two split the battlefield into two worlds—one side a hell of dark red lightning, the other side rubber attacks steaming with white vapor.
They turned into two "meteors," constantly colliding, separating, and colliding again in the air. Every clash triggered deafening explosions.
"Linlin, you should get serious too!" Kaido shouted toward Big Mom while taking a moment.
"Mam-ma-ma-ma~"
Big Mom raised Napoleon and charged forward very excitedly. However, just as she was about to join the battle, three figures simultaneously blocked her path.
"Your opponents are us." Killer's long scythe drew a cold arc.
"ROOM!" Law's "scalpel" had already arrived.
"Magnetic Demon!" Kid's metal giant rose with a roar.
The three "Supernovas" had formed a perfect coordination at this moment.
Killer's rapid attacks tied down Big Mom's attention. Law's ability was ready at any moment to redirect lethal strikes. Kid's magnetic field sealed off all escape routes.
"Annoying brats!" Big Mom roared angrily. Her Emperor Sword swept out horizontally.
At the other end of the battlefield, the fight between Luffy and human-beast Kaido had entered its most dangerous phase.
"Heat Breath!"
Kaido opened his dragon mouth. Scorching flames spewed forth like a flood.
Luffy had nowhere to dodge and could only cross his arms to tank it head-on.
The flames blasted him flying!
"Luffy!"
"Straw Hat boss!"
Kid and Law moved almost simultaneously.
Just as Luffy was about to crash into the cliff at the edge of Onigashima, two hands caught him at the same time.
The two exchanged a glance—at this moment, no words were needed.
"Throw him back!"
"Got it!"
Both exerted strength at the same time. Luffy was hurled back toward Kaido like a cannonball.
His rubber fist was coated in the heaviest Armament Haki mid-flight. A sharp glint flashed through Luffy's eyes.
The fist struck Kaido's cheek, but Kaido merely tilted his head slightly. His grin grew even more savage: "Is that all you've got?"
The kanabo was raised high above his head. The dark red Conqueror's Haki wrapped around it reached its peak.
"Ragnarok!"
This was currently Kaido's strongest attack.
The kanabo, carrying the might of divine punishment, smashed downward. Luffy's pupils trembled…
He couldn't take this strike!
Everyone watching felt their hearts leap into their throats. However, just a second before the kanabo landed, Luffy suddenly smiled.
It was the smile of a plan succeeding.
While they were locked in a bitter fight here, Law's voice rang out from the other side of the battlefield.
It turned out that everything earlier—Luffy being blasted away, Kid and Law's rescue, and Luffy's feint attack…
Had all been to buy these few seconds.
And in these few seconds, the three Supernovas had already completed their encirclement plan against Big Mom's three major Homies.
Kid's mechanical arm suddenly closed. Countless metal fragments rose from the ground and instantly assembled into a massive sealed iron box, trapping Zeus—the thundercloud that had tried to support Big Mom—inside.
Zeus wildly released lightning within the box, but the interference from the magnetic field prevented it from locking onto precise targets.
"ROOM!"
Law lightly waved his hand. The trapped Zeus swapped places with a pile of rubble in the distance. That piece of rubble was instantly magnetized by Kid, forming a second layer of seal.
"Next is my side!" Zoro forcefully propped up his nearly collapsing body. The three swords in his hands resonated.
His breathing was already ragged and his vision was starting to blur, but the hand gripping his swords remained steady.
The three swords traced a bizarre trajectory. Wherever the blades passed, Prometheus—Big Mom's sun Homie—let out a shrill, miserable scream before the slashes.
Its flames were "severed" of their ability to burn by the blade. Its massive body shattered into countless sparks like broken glass, temporarily unable to reform.
"What?!" Big Mom showed a shocked expression for the first time.
Killer wasn't idle either.
His long scythe struck Napoleon's blade seven times in succession, each time precisely hitting the exact same spot.
Napoleon's movements showed an extremely brief moment of stiffness. Kid's mechanical arm wrapped around Big Mom's body. The magnetic field activated at full power, temporarily pinning this Yonko in place.
From afar, Law controlled a massive boulder from Onigashima and smashed it toward Big Mom's head.
Zoro took a deep breath and used the last of his strength to leap up. The three swords merged into one.
Blade light flashed.
The iconic Onigashima horn at the top of the building snapped off with a crack. The enormous horn, under gravity and Law's ability, smashed toward the restrained Big Mom like a meteor.
BOOM!!!
Smoke and dust shot into the sky.
When the dust settled, what everyone saw were two separated "battlefields."
On one side was the duel between Kaido and Luffy. On the other side was Big Mom, who had temporarily lost the support of her three major Homies, surrounded by four Supernovas who were panting heavily but whose eyes remained firm.
Law wiped the blood from his forehead. The corner of his mouth curved into a small arc.
Kid spat out a mouthful of bloody foam. His mechanical arm emitted an overloaded hum: "The real hard fight starts now."
Zoro dropped to one knee, using his sword to support his body, but his gaze remained sharp as a blade.
Killer adjusted his breathing and spun his long scythe in a circle: "It's time to let her witness the 'fangs' of the new era."
Meanwhile, in the distance, the battle between Luffy and Kaido had only just entered its true climax.
Inside and outside the light screen, everyone held their breath.
...