"Jack!!"
Kaido's eyes were streaming with blood.
The empire he took such pride in was being destroyed by the Navy, led by Raleigh and Sakazuki.
Was Kaido strong? Of course he was.
As a Great Pirate who dominated the New World, he fought his way from being an apprentice in the Rocks Pirates to the pinnacle of piracy, becoming the strongest person aside from the Pirate King.
Throughout his life, he faced all kinds of hardships—from being raised by a kingdom as a killing machine, to destroying that kingdom, to joining the largest pirate crew in the New World.
Then came the defeat of the Rocks Pirates at God Valley.
The world-dominating pirate force crumbled, yet he emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries.
From then on, with a precious Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, he made a name for himself in the New World, embarking on a journey of conquest.
Strength, shrewdness, cunning—he lacked none of it.
In the end, he earned the title of one of the Three Emperors, occupying Wano Country and establishing the Beasts Pirates.
To fight his way from this chaotic Great Pirate Era to the top of the pirate world, Kaido's talent was among the greatest.
Yet today, all his confidence crumbled bit by bit under the Navy's assault.
After witnessing the deaths of Queen and Jack with his own eyes, Kaido trembled with fear.
"Kaido-san, what's wrong?" King quickly asked.
"King, do you think we can survive?" Kaido stared blankly at Jack's corpse on the ground.
King hurriedly reassured him. "Kaido-san, you're the strongest creature on land, sea, and air. As long as you want to leave this place, the Navy doesn't have the means to stop you. Don't forget how you used to love charging into Navy bases alone. They can't kill you—you're immortal!"
The reason King held such high hopes for Kaido was because of Kaido's fierce track record.
He would always charge into Navy bases single-handedly.
Even when captured by the Navy, subjected to slashing, burning, or other methods, nothing worked.
Kaido would always walk out completely unscathed.
"King, the times have changed. That bastard Raleigh once captured me for research. Although I escaped when they weren't paying attention, the time I spent there was the most unbearable, living hell of my life."
Facing a life-and-death crisis, Kaido came to terms with it, taking the initiative to tell King about his grudge with Raleigh.
This was why Kaido's conviction wavered upon seeing Raleigh.
Raleigh became Kaido's nightmare—someone he still gritted his teeth at upon waking from a drunken stupor, yet couldn't help but feel grateful for having escaped his clutches.
Whenever Raleigh's Observation Haki sensed Kaido, he could always detect a trace of fear in Kaido's gaze.
It reminded him of something.
There was only one reason Kaido feared him: the time he captured Kaido for experiments.
For a strong warrior, dying in battle is an honorable thing.
But if one's life is completely in the enemy's hands, with the enemy freely drawing blood or cutting flesh for research, any strong warrior would do everything to escape and seek revenge.
Unfortunately, although Kaido managed to escape due to Raleigh's deliberate leniency, he still didn't dare return for revenge.
The methods Raleigh employed back then filled him with dread whenever he recalled them.
Was Raleigh terrifying? Extremely so.
Even within the Navy, many considered Raleigh's methods excessively cruel.
Not to mention the Pirates who opposed him—almost all of them had their heads severed.
Raleigh's fearsome reputation was built upon tens of thousands of Pirate heads.
Pirates in the Four Blues and Paradise would flee to the ends of the earth upon receiving intelligence about Raleigh.
Those Pirates who refused to believe this saying only added weight to it with their lives.
...
In the distance, the sounds of battle on the sea faded.
One after another, Pirate ships drifted brokenly across the ocean.
Navy soldiers swiftly cleaned up the battlefield, loading the Belly, gold, and other valuables onto their battleships before letting the Pirate ships, laden with corpses, sink into the depths of the sea.
A few Pirate ships managed to escape. Fearing the power of the Navy's cannons, they could only retreat to Onigashima.
Raleigh and Sakazuki exchanged a glance, both brimming with excitement.
This time, they could finally eradicate a major Pirate force.
Buru buru— Buru buru—
The Den Den Mushi in Raleigh's pocket suddenly rang. Sakazuki frowned, unsure who would call at such a time.
Raleigh pulled out the Den Den Mushi, his expression turning grim.
Because this Den Den Mushi belonged to Fleet Admiral Sengoku. With a skeptical attitude, Raleigh chose to answer.
"Hello, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, what is it?"
At Marineford, two individuals in white uniforms stood in the Fleet Admiral's office.
Sengoku's expression was far from pleasant.
Just as the Navy was raising its banners and conquering territories in the New World, the World Government could no longer sit idly by.
The Five Elders believed that the relationship between the Navy and Pirates should be one of mutual restraint, not the current dominance of the Navy alone.
More importantly, they needed the Navy to deal with those troublesome Revolutionary Army forces, not some insignificant Pirates.
"Raleigh, headquarters order. Abandon all occupied islands in the New World, return to Marineford for reorganization, and then head to the Four Blues to suppress the Revolutionary Army uprisings."
The Den Den Mushi's voice was loud, and everyone present was highly skilled, so they clearly heard the message.
For a moment, there were feelings of disappointment and delight.
The Navy side was disappointed.
They couldn't understand why they weren't continuing to expand their gains—let alone abandoning the islands they captured and withdrawing from the New World.
If that was the case, why had they fought in the first place?
What kind of Justice did such a Navy even stand for?
As for the delighted side, it was naturally the Pirates.
They thought this was a hopeless situation.
Who would've imagined things would turn out like this? It felt unbelievable.