"Whoosh—"
The sky-obscuring tidal wave resembled a cascading river of stars pouring down from the heaven.
Carrying boundless pressure, it bore down upon the Beasts Pirates.
Yet eerily, the wave seemed alive.
It precisely avoided all other areas of Marineford's harbor, targeting only the Beasts Pirates.
...
Elsewhere in the harbor, the sea remained calm, without even a whisper of wind.
This was the absolute dominion granted by [Master of the Sea!]
On these waters, Mike was the one and only god!
"Tsunami!!!"
"A massive... tsunami is coming!!!"
Queen's eyes widened in terror, his voice shrill with fear.
"Dodge it! Get out of the way!"
King let out a desperate roar, trying to warn his comrades.
But his voice was instantly drowned out by the thunderous crash of the wave, rendered utterly insignificant.
"Dodge? Dodge where?!" Jack stared hopelessly at the sky-collapsing wave descending upon them.
Against this apocalyptic force, any resistance seemed pitifully futile.
"Everyone—MOVE!"
"ROAR—"
An earth-shaking draconic roar split the heavens.
Kaido's massive form erupted from the ground, piercing through the clouds.
In an instant, the humanoid monster vanished, replaced by an enormous azure dragon coiling across the sky.
"Whoosh—"
Blistering flames surged from the azure dragon's body.
The fire coiled around its draconic form, rising and churning until it engulfed the entire beast.
"Flame Dragon Torch!"
This was Kaido's ultimate technique, merging flames with his draconic transformation.
Creating a colossal fire dragon that completely enveloped himself.
The scorching flames were hot enough to melt steel and incinerate all things.
Anything touched by these flames would instantly turn to ashes, leaving not a single trace behind.
Facing the towering tidal wave Mike casually summoned, Kaido didn't retreat in the slightest.
He chose the most violent, most direct method to respond to this provocation from the New Marine.
"Rising Dragon: Flame Hachiman!"
The fire dragon roared, carrying world-incinerating might as it violently collided with the sky-obscuring tidal wave.
Dark purple Conqueror's Haki, as tangible as steel, coiled around the head of the Fire Dragon Torch.
Haki and flames intertwined, forming a destructive force that seemed capable of tearing and burning everything apart.
"BOOM—"
The massive head of the fire dragon clashed head-on with the sky-covering tidal wave.
For that instant, time seemed to freeze.
The entire world was left with nothing but deafening thunder and light piercing through the heavens.
Flames and seawater wildly collided and merged.
Massive amounts of steam rose like thick fog.
All of Marineford was shrouded in a white haze of steam.
This was Kaido's strongest attack, condensed from all his power.
He had temporarily halted the advance of the tidal wave.
The fleet of the Beasts Pirates beneath him thus gained a brief moment of respite.
"ROAR—" Kaido, in his azure dragon form, howled at the sky.
The dragon's roar carried a hint of triumph, a hint of exhilaration.
Think you can bully me just because I'm outnumbered? A mere tidal wave is nothing to fear!
However... This triumph lasted...
Not even a single breath.
"SPLASH—"
A new tidal wave arrived.
Not just one.
Ten.
A hundred.
A thousand!
Ten thousand!!
From all directions of Marineford, endless seawater seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand, transforming into towering water columns that shot into the sky.
"..."
Mike watched this scene calmly, his eyes steady without the slightest ripple.
He knew full well that with Kaido's strength as a top-tier Emperor, a single tidal wave indeed couldn't pose any real threat to him.
But...
One isn't enough?
Then...
What about ten thousand!
For someone who had become the "Master of the Sea," mere tidal waves were just "trifles" casually conjured.
As many as he wanted, as many as he could summon.
"..."
"GURARARARA—!"
At that moment, earth-shaking laughter suddenly resounded across all of Marineford.
"Kaido you brat!"
Whitebeard's massive frame leapt up like a cannonball.
"WHOOSH—"
He flung off the captain's coat embroidered with his white mustache symbol from his back.
The coat traced a graceful arc through the air before finally landing in Marco's hands.
"Hmph, that old bastard Garp keeps eyeing Ace, trying to snatch the boy away from me..."
Whitebeard snorted coldly in his heart.
Ever since Ace was rescued, that old coot Garp had been hovering around him constantly.
He'd even been shamelessly bringing senbei to suck up to Mike, dropping hints left and right about wanting to "take Ace back."
Going on about how Ace should be disciplined by him personally...
Bullshit!
"Did he really think I'd let that old thief have his way?!" Whitebeard silently vowed in his heart to put on an impressive display during this grand military parade.
He would make that old bastard Garp give up once and for all!
"Crack—!"
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and pure white Conqueror's Haki were unreservedly channeled by Whitebeard into his Murakumogiri.
The intertwining forces of Haki and tremors formed a devastating power, as if ready to tear and shatter everything in its path.
"Kaido, you brat!"
"Let this old man test your current strength!"
Whitebeard roared like thunder, his voice shaking the very souls of those who heard it.
His Murakumogiri swung down fiercely toward Kaido, who had transformed into the Fire Dragon Torch in midair.
Whitebeard roared again, his voice resonating with the same terrifying intensity.
His Murakumogiri descended mercilessly upon the Fire Dragon Torch that was Kaido.
"Hmph!"
Kaido sneered with a flash of madness in his eyes.
'Newgate… If you were in your prime, I might have hesitated.'
'But now… I'll finish you off with this move, then deal with those annoying tidal waves at my leisure!'
"ROAR—!"
The Fire Dragon Torch let out an ear-splitting roar.
Dark purple Conqueror's Haki surged wildly from within the dragon's body, intertwining with the flames.
"BOOM—!"
The massive head of the fire dragon swung violently, crashing headlong into Whitebeard's descending Murakumogiri.
"BANG—!"
A deafening explosion erupted between heaven and earth.
Murakumogiri collided with the Fire Dragon Torch's head in a cataclysmic impact.
The terrifying shockwave spread outward like a tsunami.
"BOOM—!!!"
A colossal black shadow, carrying unparalleled force, plummeted from the sky.
Like a burning meteor, it crashed violently into the sea.
"NEWGATE!!!"
Kaido's furious roar echoed across the sky, "You…"
"You've regained your prime?!"