Above the sky, a low and sharp sound echoed, piercing through the air and causing people's eardrums to throb painfully.
In that instant,
Countless pirates raised their heads one after another, their expressions frozen in horror.
"Above the sky... There's something up there!"
No one knew how many pirates were left shocked to their core. They all stared upwards in disbelief, wondering—what could it be?
Crash!
Marco's enormous flaming wings suddenly appeared behind him, and in a burst of speed, he soared into the sky, flying away from the spot.
Boom!
At that moment, a massive black dot appeared high in the sky, plummeting toward the island at a frightening speed.
"What is that?!"
Countless pirates looked up, watching the rapidly falling black shape grow larger by the second, their eyes wide with fear.
"It's... a person!"
Finally,
The enormous black figure became clear!
Bang!
A massive, terrifying figure crashed from the sky with incredible speed.
"Damn it!"
Big News Morgans quickly tried to fly away.
But the immense figure falling from the sky created a terrifying shockwave, pulling Big News Morgans back with its powerful force.
"No!"
Big News Morgans screamed.
His entire bird-like body was caught beneath the enormous being that fell from above.
At this moment, the unlucky eagle looked utterly defeated.
Boom!
The massive figure landed on the island, shaking the entire island violently in the most intense earthquake imaginable. Thick smoke and dust rose instantly, engulfing the entire area.
Crack!
Right in the middle of Marco and Katakuri's battle, the already crumbling island began to completely fracture.
Bang!
The island split into countless sections from the deep cracks, and it started to sink!
The sea churned and surged, as enormous waves rose, crashing back onto the sinking island. Everything began to collapse into chaos.
"Run for your lives!"
But all the pirates on the island started to flee in terror!
However,
It was already too late. The violent earthquake, the tsunami-like waves, the rapidly sinking and splitting earth—all of them conspired to bury every pirate in their path beneath the sea.
Even pirates who were still at sea, close to the island,
Were swept into the water by the colossal waves.
At that moment,
Countless pirates met their fate, swallowed by the ocean.
Including Big News Morgans—many pirates, unlucky enough to be bystanders, perished simply because they watched the battle... and died!
"The island... it's sinking!"
"They're... being swallowed by the sea! Life or death, who knows?"
From afar, the pirates who managed to escape watched in horror.
They were relieved not to have been so close to the battle.
At the same time, they learned a crucial lesson: whether you're watching for entertainment or out of curiosity, never get too close to a battle... or you'll end up like Big News Morgans… caught between life and death!
"What fell from the sky... what the hell was that?! Could it even be human?"
The remaining pirates, stunned and still alive, could only wonder.
A colossal figure had descended from the heavens.
This... was a terror they had never witnessed before.
"Who on earth was that?!"
Many pirates were filled with extreme fear. They wanted to know... Who on earth was that?
Marco, flapping his flaming wings, hovered mid-air, looking down at the sinking island and the colossal, unrestrained figure.
Ding!
"In the dangerous battle with Conqueror's Haki, the host has successfully acquired Conqueror's Haki and unlocked further potential through the system's auxiliary mechanism!"
At that moment, the system's notification rang out—the reward from his final battle with Katakuri.
Marco's Haki had been enhanced once again.
Under such circumstances, Marco couldn't help but feel a surge of surprise.
...
As the billowing smoke began to clear,
The terrifying figure finally became visible.
"This is... Immortal Kaido?!"
"The Four Emperors, King of Beasts, Kaido!"
Finally,
A pirate from the New World, gritting his teeth, spoke each word with dread.
Immortal Kaido!
The Four Emperors, Kaido!
Wow~~~!
At that moment, the uproar spread like wildfire, and shock gripped everyone present.
The man who had fallen from the sky... was really Immortal Kaido?!
"It's really Kaido."
Marco was secretly astonished.
Having read the original history, he knew Kaido wasn't a stranger to these wild stunts, often attempting suicide by jumping from the sky islands. According to legend, Kaido did this frequently, finding empty islands just to leap down in his endless quest for death.
But,
Seeing it with his own eyes,
The sense of shock was far more profound than reading about it in the past!
"Kaido must have some method to land on a sky island at an altitude of 10,000 meters at will."
Marco mused.
Perhaps among the Beast Pirates, someone possessed the ability to send Kaido to the sky islands.
Suddenly, a terrifying surge of Conqueror's Haki exploded into the air!
It was so powerful, it almost seemed tangible.
In the sky, visible ripples of energy swept across the entire sea!
Knock knock~~!
At that moment, even the pirates out at sea in the distance were rendered unconscious one by one by the overwhelming Conqueror's Haki!
Crack~~!
Their pirate ships started to break apart, splintering under the intense pressure!
Rumble~! Bang~!
All over the sea, the pirates were knocked unconscious, collapsing on their decks—no matter their strength, none were spared.
Their pirate ships continued to crack, and seawater began to flood in.
Following that,
The pirate ships sank into the depths of the sea!
This time, every pirate who had come to watch the battle met the same fate—none survived, all of them lost to the sea.
This was the brutal price they paid for witnessing the battle.
Almost simultaneously with the terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki,
Marco unleashed his newly enhanced Conqueror's Haki as well.
The two immense waves of Haki clashed fiercely, battling for dominance in the air!
"Huh?"
The giant figure, with half its body submerged in the sea below, was none other than Kaido, the King of Beasts. He suddenly raised his head, his massive eyes, glowing like lanterns, locked onto Marco. "You surprise me, little brat!"
boom
Kaido's voice boomed like thunder, roaring through the sky, deafening to those who heard it.
"Soon, you'll be even more surprised," Marco replied calmly. His massive, sky-blue flaming wings beat steadily, flickering in mid-air. His tone was composed, without a hint of fear.
"Good..."
Kaido's colossal form, a godlike demon far larger than any giant, suddenly raised a hand with incredible speed, reaching out to grab Marco in mid-air!
The energy emanating from that hand was terrifying, surging like a storm.
The mighty, ancient figure of Kaido, like a god or demon, stood firmly on the ground, stretching out his enormous hand to capture the Immortal Phoenix in the sky...
It was truly astonishing...