Off the waters near the Sabaody Archipelago.
The sea was dyed crimson with blood, littered with broken ship fragments and corpses.
The once-mighty Beasts Pirates fleet now only had a few burning warships left.
On the deck of the mammoth, Jack the Drought, covered in blood, was gasping for breath.
His two scythe-like weapons were snapped, his body riddled with gruesome wounds gushing blood.
Facing him, Saint Saturn, in his Ox-Demon form, braced eight jointed legs on the deck, his pupil-less eyes staring coldly.
"With this level of strength, you dare come to Marineford to die?"
Saint Saturn's voice dripped with mockery.
Jack gritted his teeth, transformed into his mammoth form, and with his trunk flung a broken mast straight at Saint Saturn!
"Die, damn you!"
Saint Saturn didn't budge, merely raising one leg.
"Bang!"
The mast exploded mid-air into countless shards.
The next instant Saint Saturn vanished.
Jack's pupils shrank; before he could react, agony lanced through his back!
"Thud!"
A pitch-black limb pierced straight through his chest!
"Aaarrgh!"
Jack howled in pain, his massive frame staggering forward.
Saint Saturn withdrew the limb and kicked him off the deck.
"Boom!"
Jack's colossal body crashed into the sea, sending up a water column dozens of meters high.
The seawater swallowed him instantly.
Saint Saturn stood at the rail, looked down at the bloodstained surface, then turned toward another warship.
"One down."
He picked up the den den mushi and spoke calmly, "Saint Saturn calling all units: Jack the Drought eliminated. Situation report?"
"Marcus here: King the Conflagration is being suppressed by Saturn and me; we'll finish him shortly."
"Nasujuro here: Plague Queen and I have slain Queen."
Saint Saturn nodded and hung up.
He gazed at the distant sea now turned into a sea of flames, a cold glint in his eyes.
"Beasts Pirates—nothing special."
...In another stretch of sea.
High above, Saint Marcus Mars soared in his Itsumade form, wings spanning over a hundred meters.
He opened his giant maw, pouring down a waterfall of terrifying flames!
"Boom, boom, boom!"
King the Conflagration, wrapped in black fire, twisted mid-air, barely dodging most of the blast.
Yet several tongues of flame grazed him, leaving shocking burns.
"Damn it!"
King clenched his teeth, his black wings beat fiercely as he shot skyward toward Marcus!
But right then—
a huge Ox-Demon figure burst up from below, eight spear-like limbs stabbing at King!
It was Saint Saturn!
"What?!"
Startled, King spun to evade.
Too late.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Multiple limbs skewered him; blood gushed like a fountain!
"Aargh!"
With a scream, King's black flames snuffed out and he plummeted from the sky.
Marcus dived, jaws open, flames condensing!
"It's over."
"Boom!"
The fearsome blaze swallowed the falling King whole!
A shrill scream rang out amid the inferno, then faded.
When the flames dispersed, only a charred corpse dropped into the sea.
Marcus circled once, confirmed King's death, then landed on Saint Saturn's warship.
"King the Conflagration eliminated."
Saint Saturn nodded. "Good. Nasujuro should be finishing up too."
Just as he spoke, a deafening explosion thundered in the distance!
The two turned to look.
There, Saint Nasujuro on his skeletal horse wielded the first generation oni-giri, slashing out a pitch-black sword wave that tore through the air toward Plague Queen!
The frigid sword-qi carried a ghastly chill.
Queen tried to dodge, but Saint V. Nusjuro sprang from the other side, roaring with a deafening bellow!
"Roar—!"
Conqueror's Haki fused with the sonic blast, dazing Queen instantly!
His reflexes slowed by half a beat.
And that half-beat—
"Shred!"
The sword-qi swept past.
Queen's obese body was cleaved clean in two!
Blood rained down, organs spilling everywhere.
His bulging eyes were frozen in disbelief and terror.
"How… could…"
Before he could finish, the two halves slammed onto the deck.
Saint Nasujuro sheathed first generation oni-giri and stated flatly, "Plague Queen has been slain."
Saint V. Nusjuro returned to human form, dusting himself off. "All three Disasters of the Beasts Pirates are wiped out."
On the sea, the remaining Beasts Pirates witnessed this and fell into utter despair.
"Lord Jack is dead!"
"Lord King too!"
"Even Lord Queen…"
"We're finished…"
Some knelt on the deck weeping, some leapt overboard to flee; most simply stood dumbstruck, all fight gone.
Saint Saturn stood at the prow of his warship, gazing down at the remnants.
"Relay the order."
His voice was icy and commanding: "Every member of the Beasts Pirates is to be killed without mercy."
"Yes, sir!"
The accompanying Marine officers answered in unison.
The five warships turned broadside, aiming at the remaining pirate vessels.
"Fire!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of shells tore the pirate ships to shreds!
Screams rose and fell, soon drowned by the blasts.
Within ten minutes the whole sea was silent.
Only floating corpses and burning wreckage remained.
Saint Saturn surveyed the scene, then said to the other four Elders, "The Beasts Pirates are finished. Set course for Marineford."
The other four nodded.
The five warships turned and sped toward Marineford at full sail.
At Marineford, the war that would decide the era had reached its fiercest stage… Marineford, Plaza.
High above, Shamrock's battle with Kaido had already lasted several minutes.
Kaido's massive dragon form writhed through the clouds, spewing Heat Breath again and again.
Yet every strike was cut apart by Shamrock's sword-qi!
"Damn brat!"
Kaido roared, his dragon body diving, jaws gaping as he lunged at Shamrock!
Shamrock's expression didn't change; he spun his longsword in a flourish.
"Too slow."
He flashed, instantly appearing above Kaido's head.
His sword raised, a fearsome sword-qi condensed upon the blade!
"Down you go!"
"Slash!"
The black sword-qi crashed downward!
"Boom!"
Kaido's colossal body was smashed straight toward the ground!
"Bang!"
He slammed into the plaza, carving a huge crater!
Marines and pirates nearby scrambled back, afraid of being caught in the blast.
Smoke cleared.
Kaido climbed out of the crater, a bone-deep wound now scoring his dragon form!
Blood streamed out.
He looked up at Shamrock in the air, wariness appearing in his eyes for the first time.
"Who… exactly are you?"
Shamrock slowly descended, blade pointing at Kaido.
"God's Knights, Figarland Shamrock."
He paused, a cold smile curling his lips: "By the Young Lord's order, I've come to take your life."
Kaido fell silent for a few seconds, then threw his head back and laughed to the sky!
"Worororo!"
"I've roamed the New World all these years, and this is the first time anyone's pushed me this far!"
His massive dragon body began to tremble, an ever more terrifying aura surging out!
"In that case—"
"Let me get serious!"
Before the words faded, Kaido's body started to change!
His dragon form shrank into his human-beast hybrid!
He hefted his spiked kanabo, dragon scales covering his body, dragon horns on his head, wings still on his back!
This was Kaido's strongest fighting form!
Shamrock narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his sword.
"Come then, Kaido of the Beasts."
"Let This Young Master see just how strong the so-called 'strongest creature' really is!"
The instant the words left his mouth, both vanished!
The next second—
"Clang!"
Longsword and kanabo clashed mid-air, a deafening metallic roar bursting forth!
A shockwave blasted outward, shattering the surrounding ground!
Marines and pirates in the plaza scrambled in panic, desperate to avoid the aftermath!