"Kaido, you wouldn't dare!"
The shout echoed across the water, but the damage was already done. Every single Marine present looked as if they had seen a ghost. Even Sengoku, who had stepped down from the front lines to take a secondary role, wore a mask of pure grimace. The Void Century—the one hundred years of history erased from time—was the ultimate taboo of this world.
As if reacting to Kaido's blasphemous words, the sky, which had been clear only moments ago, began to churn with heavy, charcoal-colored clouds. The winds howled across the waves like mourning spirits. It was as if the world itself was trembling in rage at the mention of its deepest secret.
On the island below, Doflamingo felt a drop of cold sweat slide down his neck. "Fufufu, Lord Kaido... what exactly are you trying to pull? Is that really something you can just say out loud?"
While the heavy hitters were reeling, the ordinary pirates were lost in confusion.
"The Void Century? What the hell is that?"
"Beats me. But look at the Marines—they look like they're about to have a heart attack. It must be something that gives them a massive headache!"
On the deck of the Marine flagship, Sengoku could no longer remain silent. He stepped forward, his voice a thunderous roar that cut through the wind. "Kaido! Have you truly thought this through? Do you have any idea what kind of chaos you'll unleash by revealing this?"
"Worororo!"
High above, Kaido's dragon eyes crinkled with amusement. He glanced toward Big Mom. "Linlin, do you hear that? Old man Sengoku is trying to scare us!"
"Mamamama!" Big Mom laughed, her massive form shaking with glee. Any lingering doubts she had about Kaido's plan had vanished. "We are pirates, Kaido! Since when do we let the Marines tell us what we can or can't do?"
"Exactly, Linlin!"
Their joint laughter crashed over the sea like a physical wave. Sengoku's face darkened completely. He realized words were useless now. He turned his gaze toward the man currently holding the title of Fleet Admiral.
"Sakazuki, it's your call."
"I know," Akainu growled.
He had no love for the bureaucrats of the World Government, but he understood the stakes. If Kaido revealed the truth of the Void Century, it would be a disaster far worse than Gold Roger's final words. It wouldn't just spark an era; it would burn the current world order to the ground.
"All Marines, battle stations!" Akainu's voice crackled with the heat of his magma. "Point every cannon at the island! Kaido, if it's a war you want, it's a war you'll get!"
The Marine fleet shifted in unison, their massive cannons rotating to lock onto the Wano coastline. The Beasts and Big Mom alliance didn't flinch, their own weapons primed and ready. The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder and salt, balanced on a knife's edge.
The pirates were buzzing with adrenaline, while the Marines were stiff with tension. Then, the sky changed again.
Suddenly, arcs of red and black lightning crackled through the clouds. A tidal wave of Conqueror's Haki swept across the sea, so dense and powerful that everyone on the island instinctively turned their heads.
Garp, standing on the deck, felt the familiar pressure and gritted his teeth. "Red Hair... that bastard actually showed up?"
Big Mom's brow furrowed as she peered through the mist. A massive ship with a red figurehead was slowly emerging from the fog. She looked at Kaido, expecting anger, but saw only a cruel, expectant smile.
"Kaido," she said, her own smile widening. "Red Hair is here. Now, except for that dead old geezer Whitebeard, the whole gang is back together!"
"Worororo! That's right! A show only truly begins when every character is on the stage!"
"This... this is insane."
"I can't... I can't breathe..."
On the island, the weaker pirates and spies were collapsing. The pressure in the air was suffocating.
"Is this the power of a Four Emperors' Haki? It's terrifying!"
As the Red Force sailed closer, the man standing at the prow became visible. One of the Four Emperors, the man who had stopped the war at Marineford: Red-Haired Shanks.
"Fufufu, look at that. Every big name on the sea is in one place," Doflamingo remarked, glancing at Mihawk and Crocodile.
Mihawk remained silent, his hand resting on the hilt of Yoru. Crocodile, however, took a long drag of his cigar. "It's a shame Whitebeard isn't around to see this. Today would have been a real party."
The gathering of the Four Emperors was a historical anomaly. Since the system of the Great Powers was established, they had never all occupied the same space at the same time. The sheer potential for destruction was staggering.
The sea area was now locked in a tense, three-way standoff: The Beasts-Big Mom Alliance, the Navy Headquarters, and the Red Hair Pirates.
"Too interesting! This is too much!"
The news mogul Morgans was practically vibrating with excitement. He had his Den Den Mushi out, recording every second. From the Shichibukai and the Revolutionaries to the CP spies and the Supernovas hidden in the shadows, everyone was a witness to history.
In the sky, Kaido and Big Mom looked down at the newcomers with the eyes of predators.
"It really brings back memories, doesn't it, Linlin?" Kaido rumbled. "Reminds me of our days on the Rocks Pirates!"
Big Mom's eyes softened for a brief moment of nostalgia. "Yes... though it's a pity Newgate and Shiki aren't here to join the fun."
The Red Force dropped anchor, completing the triangle of power. On the deck, Shanks looked up at the two monsters in the sky, then at the Marine fleet, before finally locking eyes with Kaido.
His expression was deathly serious. "Let this farce end here, Kaido. Do you really intend to start a war that will sink the entire sea?"
His voice, reinforced by his Haki, echoed clearly across the water.
"Worororo!"
A cunning light flashed in Kaido's eyes. With a massive shift of his body, he transformed back into his colossal dragon form, his scales shimmering like obsidian. He coiled in the air, looking down at everyone with pure disdain.
"Whoa, whoa, Red Hair! Don't get it twisted. I'm the one throwing a party today, and you're the ones crashing it! You show up without an invitation and start threatening me on my own turf? Do you think I'm someone you can just push around?"
Kaido let out a roar that tore through the atmosphere, stirring up a hurricane-force wind. Waves surged against the hulls of the ships, and the trees on the island bent nearly to the breaking point.
Shanks didn't flinch. "Don't play word games, Kaido. You know the consequences of revealing the Void Century better than anyone."
"Worororo!"
Kaido's laughter turned booming and genuine. He had reached the moment he was waiting for. "Of course I know! And listen... I have no problem shutting my mouth if that's what you want!"
The world seemed to pause. People couldn't believe their ears. Kaido—the most stubborn, violent man on the sea—was offering to compromise?
But his next words shattered that hope instantly.
"However," Kaido's voice dropped to a low, dangerous rumble. "I've already made the announcement. I can't take it back. So, I'll leave the choice to all of you. Tell me... do you really want to know the truth? Think carefully. Because the Void Century isn't just history. It is the key to becoming the Pirate King... and the ultimate secret of this entire world!"
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