King stared intently at Big Mom's massive figure.
His voice, when he finally spoke, was as cold and sharp as the blade at his side.
"In that case, let's be direct, Charlotte Linlin. The only reason you would come all this way and demand my captain's blood is to purchase a Devil Fruit from the Whitebeard Pirates." He paused, letting the accusation hang in the air.
"Ten pounds of it… are you planning to turn all of Totto Land into a kingdom of dragons? Or are you simply trying to drain Kaido-sama dry?"
His gaze was like a razor, trying to pierce through Big Mom's intentions.
The atmosphere in the room, already tense, instantly grew dangerously volatile.
Everyone held their breath.
Big Mom, however, paid no attention to the furious, suspicious glares of the commanders.
To her, they were nothing more than annoying flies.
What truly mattered was Kaido's stance.
"Mamamama, Kaido are you going to give it to me or not?" she sang, her voice a chilling mix of threat and displeasure.
"Don't forget, back then, it was I who—"
"ENOUGH, LINLIN!" Kaido suddenly roared, cutting her off with a voice that shook the very foundations of the hall.
He raised his head, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous, drunken light, like a beast on the verge of eruption.
"How long do you plan to keep bringing up that old, worthless nonsense?!"
Faced with Kaido's raw fury, Big Mom didn't react with anger.
Instead, she keep laughing.
"Linlin," Kaido said, his voice dropping to a low, menacing rumble, "in case you haven't heard, Newgate's bounty has just reached seven billion Berries. The world is changing."
"So what?" Big Mom couldn't have cared less.
To her, Whitebeard's bounty meant nothing.
She glanced disdainfully at a crumpled newspaper on the floor, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"Long before this, I already made a deal with that 'Ron' boy. Too bad I didn't trust them back then, so I only tested the process on a few useless souls. Who knew it was actually real!" Her voice brimmed with a greedy confidence.
Then, her eyes lit up, and she stared at Kaido as if he were the most delicious, most valuable treasure in the world.
"Give me your blood," she demanded, "and I will become a Dual-Fruit ability user! Once that happens, my body will grow even stronger! I will be the second dragon to dominate the seas!"
Kaido frowned.
'So this crazy woman wants my ability for herself!'
And when exactly had she started making deals with Whitebeard's crew behind his back?
How had he not heard about this?
"Kaido," Big Mom continued, her tone shifting, "the only thing between you and Whitebeard is that trivial matter with Oden. It's no big deal."
The mention of that name caused Kaido's expression to turn to ice.
"Oden was a rule-breaker," she went on, her tone carrying a hint of provocation.
"Everyone knows the situation back then. Even though he boarded Whitebeard's ship, he didn't join him as his son. That guy just wanted to set sail. He just happened to encounter Whitebeard's ship first. If it had been your pirate ship that appeared, I think he would have boarded without hesitation."
"ENOUGH, LINLIN!" Kaido roared, his voice growing harsher.
"Since when did you become a mouthpiece for the dead?! Besides, Oden himself couldn't handle the heat, and now you're blaming me for his weakness?!"
"Hmph!" Big Mom sneered, her eyes filled with disdain.
"I'm not taking your blood for free. Consider this little history lesson as part of the payment."
"Worororo! Linlin, you can't seriously think I'd just let you walk out of here with my blood!" Kaido's voice dripped with a sarcasm that was quickly boiling over into pure rage.
"Oh? Then you want to test my blade?" Big Mom shot back, her own eyes flashing with a cold, murderous light.
"Try me if you dare!"
The negotiation was over.
The commanders immediately sensed the shift as the air grew perilous.
"MAMAMAMAMA! NAPOLEON!" Big Mom shouted, swiftly reaching for the bicorne hat on her head and gripping its hilt.
With a forceful pull, the Emperor's Blade, Napoleon, was drawn!
Simultaneously, the Sun Homie, Prometheus, appeared at her side and spewed a mouthful of scorching flames that coated the blade.
Under the influence of the flames, Napoleon's blade visibly lengthened, and at its tip grew a pair of sharp, fiery fangs.
A thick, black layer of Armament Haki instantly enveloped the entire weapon, making it even more indomitable.
Without a moment's hesitation, Big Mom swung the enhanced Emperor's Blade directly toward Kaido.
"Emperor's Blade: Ikoku!"
Faced with such a ferocious attack, Kaido was equally unyielding.
He sneered and pulled his massive spiked kanabo, Hassaikai, from behind his back.
As he did, streaks of crimson-black lightning crackled through the air, coiling around the weapon, forming a terrifying, world-ending power.
"Worororo! My blood's right here, Linlin! Let's see if you have what it takes to get it!"
With that, Kaido swung his kanabo with thunderous momentum, aiming straight for Big Mom.
"Thunder Bagua!"
BOOM!
The two forces collided instantly, like two massive shockwaves clashing violently in mid-air.
Their terrifying Conqueror's Haki met in a silent, invisible storm that erupted outwards with the force of a hurricane.
The power was so immense that the very foundations of Onigashima trembled.
The windows of the great hall couldn't withstand such a violent impact, shattering instantly with a cacophony of cracks, glass fragments scattering like shrapnel.
The entire roof was torn off in an instant by the powerful air currents, exposing the fragile structure beneath to the stormy Wano sky.
Tables, chairs, and benches were all swept up into the sky by the raging storm, tumbling and spinning before crashing heavily in the distance.
The ground cracked, deep fissures spreading wildly like a spiderweb across the entire battlefield.
Several unaware underlings were caught off guard, losing their footing and disappearing into the darkness below.
"RETREAT! FALL BACK NOW!" one of the Flying Six shouted in terror.
They quickly scrambled back, fleeing desperately to a safe distance before turning to stare in horror at the two figures clashing at the center of the destruction.
Blow after blow, they slashed and smashed at each other wildly, each strike accompanied by uncontrolled surges of Haki that rampaged in all directions.
This level of combat was far beyond what any of them could participate in.
They could only watch from afar and pray to escape unscathed.
"Seriously…" Queen panted, his face pale.
"They just started fighting without another word?!"
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