Lucian Thorn's casual words echoed in the minds of Kaido and Charlotte Linlin like the vilest curse.
The expressions on the faces of the two Emperors who had reigned over the seas for decades were undergoing a bizarre transformation—
From utter disbelief and dazed stupor, to a twisted mix of fear and maddening battlelust!
Elemental attacks had failed.
Their strongest combination attack, dubbed "Supremacy Sea," had proven meaningless before the man in front of them.
All the world-ending methods they once prided themselves on… In his eyes, they weren't even worthy of being called "a decently bright fireworks show."
Then what remained?
Only their bodies—tempered through countless wars, hardened beyond the limits of this world!
And their Conqueror's Haki strong enough to tear the sky itself!
Return to primal force.
Return to raw instinct.
Return to the most barbaric clash of pure strength!
"Wororororo... Wororororororo!!!"
A sick and crazed laughter burst from Kaido's mouth without warning, shattering the suffocating silence.
It was Kaido!
In his human-beast form, his mountainous muscles bulged once again to their absolute limit.
Each knotted tendon brimmed with enough strength to shatter an island.
He abandoned all flashy abilities.
He simply hoisted the massive spiked club, Hassaikai, slowly and heavily onto his shoulder.
Supreme Armament Haki surged up, coating the club in pure black.
On its surface, black-red Conqueror's lightning coiled wildly, crackling with an agonized screech!
BOOM!!
In the next instant, his enormous body transformed into a blur of blue lightning that tore through the air—not from the front, but from the left—charging straight at the hovering Lucian Thorn!
"Ma—ma—ma—ma—ma—!!!"
At the same moment, from the other side, Charlotte Linlin let out an ear-piercing shriek!
Her bulky body moved with an agility completely unfitting her size.
She, too, poured all her power—all the dignity of a Yonko—into her body and the sword in her hand, Emperor's Sword: Napoleon!
Black-red lightning danced violently along the blade, its ferocity not a bit inferior to Kaido's spiked club!
From the right came the purest, most primal slash!
The two Emperors of the Sea abandoned all coordination and combination attacks.
They chose the simplest, most direct tactic—an all-out pincer attack!
Using the pure power they were most proud of, they would smash this arrogant, godlike man into dust!
Left and right.
Spiked club and Emperor's sword.
Two weapons imbued with the lifetime strength and will of the Emperors, each wrapped in Conqueror's Haki strong enough to rend the sky, came crashing toward Lucian Thorn's head from opposite directions!
From afar, King and Katakuri watched in horror, feeling their souls tremble just witnessing the moment.
They were certain—this combined blow could instantly erase a large island from the map!
And yet—
Faced with a physical strike that could reduce islands to dust…
Faced with two Emperors who had ruled the seas for decades, now gambling it all in pure violence…
A subtle change finally flickered across Lucian Thorn's eternally indifferent face.
A hint of… something close to seriousness.
As if to say: This most primitive of your powers has finally barely earned the right to be taken seriously by me.
Under the fierce and maddened gazes of Kaido and Linlin…
Under the watchful stares of all spectators…
Lucian Thorn no longer blocked with a single hand.
For the first time, he slowly raised both arms.
Then, crossing them, both fists coated in Armament Haki enhanced by the power of the Sun God, wrapped further in a divine protective force—
He directly met the destructive force of the spiked club and Emperor's sword!
CLAAANG——!!!!!!
A metallic crash loud enough to shatter souls rang out across the entire sea surrounding Totto Land!
Centered on Lucian Thorn, the already-ruined main island of Totto Land could no longer bear the weight!
RUMBLE—
Bottomless fissures spread wildly.
The island's continental shelf collapsed rapidly into the sea!
And yet—
At the epicenter of all this—
The man who met the Yonko's joint strike with his bare fists still hovered in place.
Unmoving.
As if he stood not atop a crumbling island, but the unshakable foundation of the universe itself.
In contrast—
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin let out simultaneous cries of pain!
An unimaginably terrifying rebound force, one beyond comprehension, surged back through their weapons!
Kaido's giant hand gripping the spiked club was instantly torn and bloodied.
The Emperor's Sword in Linlin's hand let out a mournful wail and nearly flew from her grasp!
Both of them felt their arms go numb in an instant, losing all sensation.
That overpowering shock even struck their organs, leaving their blood and energy in turmoil.
How… is this possible?
Just fists, coated only in Armament Haki, could block their strongest strike?
This—this—how could this be?
The madness in their expressions faded in an instant.
What replaced it was a fear and confusion a hundred times deeper than when Conqueror of the Seas was shattered!
This was their ultimate power!
The foundation of their identity as the "Strongest Creature on Land, Sea, and Air" and the "Natural Calamity"!
The very reason they reigned over the seas for decades!
And yet this pure physical attack, struck together, had been—
Blocked.
Head-on.
By bare fists.
And their opponent was completely unscathed…
While they themselves suffered backlash injuries!
This was no longer a matter of strength or weakness.
This was absolute dominance in physicality.
As the two of them stood stunned, their worldview in pieces—
Lucian Thorn slowly lowered his crossed arms.
He flexed his wrists, still clad in that divine Armament Haki, letting out gentle crack-crack sounds—
As if he'd only just done a minor warm-up.
Then he looked up, his voice calm yet penetrating, tinged with judgment and appraisal.
It wasn't loud, but to the two Emperors, it sounded like the final verdict:
"Not bad, that strength."
'If not for the divine reinforcement and protection of my body…
I definitely wouldn't have been able to take that head-on.'
'In terms of sheer durability and toughness, I'll give you two credit.'
'Compared to those five old fossils of the Gorosei, you're definitely stronger.'
'If those five undead geezers went one-on-one with either of you, they'd lose for sure.'
"But—"
"What a shame."