A Single Man Challenges the Emperors
Since the rise of the Four Emperors (Yonkō), no one—not even the so-called strongest in the world—has ever stood alone against them all.
Not the "Strongest Creature" Kaido.
Not the "Natural Calamity" of Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Not even Gol D. Roger or Edward Newgate at their peak dared take such reckless initiative alone.
Especially not against the Red Hair Pirates—a crew unlike any other Yonkō faction.
They were few in number, but each one was a fearsome powerhouse, battle-hardened and notorious.
Against such opponents, schemes and deception were meaningless.
Only absolute strength could contend with them.
That's why, even after witnessing Ragnar defeat Aokiji and Akainu consecutively, Ben Beckman and the rest still stood firm—undaunted.
"The Red Hair Pirates… will be my opponent?"
The words surprised even Shanks himself.
But what truly disturbed them was the way Ragnar said it—with an ease that didn't match the stakes.
That cold, knife-like smile on his face carried a hint of something deeper—nonchalance.
Ben Beckman narrowed his eyes. His instinct—honed by years of warfare and survival—screamed that something was off.
"Is there something wrong with what we said, Ragnar?"
"Not at all."
Ragnar turned, his tall frame shifting from his human-dragon hybrid back to the celestial form of Erlang Shen. The third eye on his forehead opened, its divine light sweeping over the Red Force's deck.
In that brief moment, even Shanks, Beckman, and Yasopp—the world's best sniper—felt their skin crawl. It was as if a celestial blade had sliced through them from within.
Ragnar's voice was calm, yet heavy with hidden might.
"You're mistaken. The Red Hair Pirates aren't facing me alone..."
"You're facing our family."
Before they could react—
A deafening dragon roar thundered from the far sea, shaking heaven and earth.
A single roar... and the sky exploded with rings of shockwaves, tearing up the sea in violent crescents.
And then, as if nature itself were submitting—
White lightning split the ocean like a divine blade, erupting in bursts across the waves.
From the remnants of the G-1 Marine Base, now reduced to rubble, a great wind rose.
A storm of sea tornadoes churned the surface.
And amidst it all—a massive azure dragon surged from the sea.
Covered in scales that shimmered like obsidian under the sun, it soared, claws cutting through the clouds.
It was Kaido of the Beasts, the infamous Azure Dragon—but not the defeated beast from before.
This Kaido radiated overwhelming vitality, and his eyes—sharp and calculating—locked on the Red Hair Pirates from miles away.
The atmosphere on the Red Force turned suffocating.
Every crewmember—from veterans to greenhorns—felt the pressure weighing on them like a mountain.
The legend was true: the name of a man casts a shadow like a tree.
This was Kaido, the terror of Wano, the man who fell from the sky and could not die.
And beside him stood the terrifying new force that had defeated two Navy Admirals without pause—Ragnar.
Two emperors, side by side.
Even the "Iron Wall" of the Red Hair Pirates couldn't help but flinch.
"Kaido..." Yasopp narrowed his eyes, his sniper instinct kicking in.
"But... wasn't he captured?" asked Lucky Roux, wide-eyed. "Wasn't it Akainu, Aokiji, and even Tokikake who cornered him?"
Even his signature barbecue had dropped unnoticed to the floor.
"Something doesn't add up," muttered Beckman. "Even Kaido shouldn't have escaped seastone restraints so quickly—unless someone helped him."
And yet...
Hongo—another core officer—gritted his teeth.
"It doesn't matter how he got out."
"The only thing that matters now… is that we're facing not one, but two emperors."
At the prow of the ship, Shanks exhaled slowly, then placed his hand on the hilt of Griffon, his famed saber.
The sword that once clashed with Whitebeard's Murakumogiri.
Despite the tension, his expression sharpened—not with fear, but battle clarity.
This is the most domineering man in the world.
And he was about to prove it—against Ragnar and Kaido, the most dangerous alliance the sea had seen since the era of Rocks D. Xebec.
Having weathered countless storms, he didn't panic for long. After the initial shock, disorientation, and surprise passed, he calmly prepared to confront not one, but two Yonko.
"No—this changes everything,"
Ben Beckman said gravely.
"What does?"
Yasopp, Lucky Roux, and the others looked at him, confused.
"According to our intel," Beckman continued, "Kaido shouldn't have been able to break through the seastone restraints for at least another half a month."
"But now that Kaido's escaped... it means the plan we carefully laid out has collapsed. We're no longer dealing with just one Emperor."
As the massive azure dragon—Kaido in his Seiryu form—closed in on them from the sky, Ben Beckman's voice dropped further, thick with tension.
"What about two Emperors?"
Shanks said, drawing Gryphon, his famed saber, the edge catching the light of the sun.
His presence radiated Haoshoku Haki, sharp as a blade, unwavering.
"Yes... they're Yonko," he said with calm resolve. "But it's not as if we've never clashed with them before."
"Even if it's two of them... so what?"
"We're the Red Hair Pirates. We don't bow to anyone!"
At that moment, seeing Shanks—who stood as the pillar of their strength, facing down two Emperors without flinching—the Red Hair Pirates felt their fear fade.
Instead, a rebellious, fighting spirit surged in every crewmate.
Yes.
So what if it's two Yonko?
Let's fight.
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