He was helpless to resist. Blasted away, Orochi lost two more of his serpent heads.
Even if the Yamata-no-Orochi form granted him regeneration, the pain—the agony of being decapitated—was all too real.
A pain so intense it nearly made him faint.
BOOM!
The massive black serpent crashed to the ground, flattening a house before rolling to a stop.
"Is… is that guy really the new Yonko who appeared in the New World recently…?"
The thought clawed its way into Orochi's mind like a parasite. The overwhelming strength that boy had just shown — it was too much. It felt… familiar.
Like facing Kaido.
Not the Kaido from twenty years ago.
The Kaido of today.
Yes… from the moment those cold eyes met his, Orochi had a creeping suspicion.
This wasn't just any young man.
This was a Yonko.
Ice. Lightning. Martial prowess. Swordsmanship…
He's a monster!
The most terrifying of the current Yonko…
Elior.
And now, the boy reappeared.
Lightning wrapped around his arms, crackling and flashing. Orochi watched in horror as Elior raised both hands high—like he was reaching for the heavens.
"This will be my strongest strike, 'Shogun' of Wano."
Elior's voice was calm. Cold. Detached.
He had no interest in dragging this out. After all, in the original timeline, Denjiro had killed Orochi without ceremony.
"Who are you?! We have no grudge! Why are you doing this?!"
Orochi was panicking now. The more he thought about it, the more sure he became. This wasn't just a strong pirate — it was a monster in human skin.
And a Yonko at that.
But Elior didn't answer.
He just clenched his fists.
KRA-KOOOM!!
A colossal thunderbolt ripped down from the sky, exploding in a blinding flash as a massive thunderstorm tore through the air and struck Orochi head-on.
The night sky turned white.
"AAAAAAGHHH!!"
"IT HURTS! STOP IT!!"
"LET ME GOOOOO—!!"
"YOU BASTARD! YOU DAMNED BASTARD—!!"
Orochi's agonized screams echoed like tortured souls crying out from the underworld. His body twisted, burned, and writhed under the storm's wrath.
For nearly twenty seconds, the lightning raged.
Then, silence.
The monster that was the Yamata-no-Orochi had been reduced to a charred, broken husk. His Zoan form shattered, he reverted to his human body — bloody, barely breathing, crumpled in a pool of his own blood.
The once-mighty shogun was now just a pitiful, broken man.
"W-Who… are you…?"
His voice was hoarse, his eyes filled with disbelief and fear.
"Why…? We… we had no conflict… Why would you do this…?"
He couldn't understand. He didn't even know this boy.
That storm of lightning had overwhelmed his mythical Zoan — his supposed 'immortality'. Now he couldn't even stand.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the distance.
Orochi's blurry vision saw a massive silhouette walking toward him.
A hulking figure… with a giant kanabō mace resting on his shoulder.
"K-Kaido! Help me…!"
It was Kaido — his ally!
Yes! Kaido would save him. Kaido always protected their shared rule over Wano. Kaido wouldn't let him die here.
"Elior, huh? Didn't think you'd deal with the snake so quickly" Kaido grunted.
Orochi's heart stopped.
"He… he's not here to save me…?!"
Despair crashed over him like a tidal wave.
Kaido wasn't here to rescue him. He was celebrating.
And he had just called the boy by name—
Elior…
That's… That's the name of the Yonko…!
The boy… he really was Yonko Elior!
"Kaido! Why?! Why are you doing this to me?!"
Orochi screamed with every ounce of strength he had left. Confused, furious, betrayed.
"Why are you siding with him?! Why are you turning on me?!"
Kaido snorted.
"Simple."
"You annoy me."
No excuses. No lengthy explanation.
Just the cold, brutal truth.
"If you feel like it, go ahead and finish him" Elior said casually, motioning toward Orochi.
Kaido didn't hesitate.
In that final moment, as Orochi screamed and begged, Kaido swung his kanabō with all his monstrous strength.
CRACK!
A sickening crunch, like smashing a melon.
Orochi's body spasmed once, twice… then fell still.
The eight-headed snake was finally dead.
"Phew… that felt good" Kaido said, twirling his kanabō. "Always wanted to crush that smug bastard."
"Wano's yours now, Kaido" Elior said calmly.
"Heh. Of course. This land already belongs to me."
For Kaido, it was the perfect ending.
"Plenty of samurai left, though" Elior added. "You'll have to clean them up slowly."
"Tch… They're just cockroaches. As long as I'm here, they'll live the rest of their lives in chains."
Meanwhile, in the Flower Capital…
King and Queen — were moving through the city, only to be blocked by a lone figure wearing a mask.
Her presence was unmistakable.
Yamato.
Kaido's daughter.
The tension was immediate.
Queen raised his hands nervously.
"Miss Yamato… Don't blame us if things get rough, alright?"
Even though Yamato openly defied Kaido, she was still his daughter — and one of the strongest people in the country.
Hell, even Kaido himself hadn't been able to defeat her.
"King, Queen… Why are you trying to start a war here in the Flower Capital?" Yamato demanded.
"Answer me."
The generals exchanged glances.
"Tch. Why'd the Boss have to raise a daughter like this…?" groaned Black Maria. "It's bad enough she's not on our side—she actually worships our enemy!"
"We're just following orders" King replied. "And as Kaido's daughter, you should support his actions."
"That's right!"
"Exactly!"
Their subordinates chimed in.
Yamato lifted her kanabō, pointing it straight at them.
"Wano is the land Kozuki Oden died to protect."
"I carry Oden's will. And I won't let you monsters destroy this country—not you, not Kaido!"
"If you want Wano… you'll have to go through me!"
She stood tall, unyielding, a single warrior holding back an army.
Of course, she was still a woman—
—but in that moment, she was a force of nature.
"Y-You…!"
"Damn it all…!"
The Beast Pirates clenched their fists in frustration.
Yamato… was the one existence even Kaido couldn't tame.