Meanwhile, on the other side.
Rocky Port.
A few years ago, this had been an obscure, deserted island in the New World.
But because it lay close to Pirate Island Hachinosu,
the Rocks Pirates seized it and spent a fortune building it up.
Now it had become one of the most famous ports in the New World.
Under the protection of the Rocks Pirates,
it served as a transit hub for countless pirates, criminals, and Underworld figures.
Every day, innumerable shady deals were struck here.
As the Rocks Pirates grew ever stronger,
attacks on the port had become rare in recent years.
After all, the fearsome reputation of the Rocks Pirates spoke for itself.
Even the greenest rookie pirate wouldn't joke with his own life.
Today, however, the peace Rocky Port had enjoyed for years was shattered.
Boom!
Without warning,
the pirates and criminals crowding the docks for trade suddenly heard a deafening roar.
Before they could react, the sky above them darkened.
It was as if a storm cloud had appeared out of nowhere.
Looking up in bewilderment, the pirates' pupils shrank and their faces turned to shock and horror.
A hundred meters above Rocky Port, a massive pirate ship was flying in.
Its huge hull blocked the sun, casting a vast shadow over the docks.
"You've got to be kidding… that's—"
"A pirate ship??"
Several Rocks Pirates stationed at the port to keep order hadn't yet processed what they were seeing. Staring at the flying vessel, they muttered,
"Why is a pirate ship in the sky? Could it be… Lord Shiki's here?"
In their minds,
only that man's power could make a forty- or fifty-meter-long, hundreds-of-tons-heavy ship soar through the air.
But they quickly realized something was off.
The oncoming ship was upside-down: deck and masts pointing at the ground, keel to the sky.
And that wasn't all.
Amid the rising cries of alarm, they heard stunned shouts.
"How can this be? Why is our Kamaito Pirates' ship flying?"
"Damn it, Rocks Pirates! Are you behind this? Did you find out about our cargo and decide to rob us openly?"
"Bastards!!"
The Rocks Pirates tried to explain,
but the ship was already plummeting.
It had appeared without warning,
and it fell with terrifying speed—
far too fast for the packed crowd to scatter.
The huge pirate ship, its hull still dripping seawater, slammed down on them!
"Boom!!"
The massive vessel crashed squarely into the densest part of the crowd.
Bodies scattered like ants from a crushed nest!
In an instant,
blood flew, limbs were torn apart!
The ship shattered into countless splinters that shot in every direction.
Nearby buildings collapsed; smoke billowed skyward.
The ground shook.
Panic, terror, and angry shouts mingled together,
turning the scene into utter chaos.
Yet the ship's crash wasn't the worst of it.
When the hull broke apart,
the Kamaito Pirates' stored gunpowder, crushed by the impact—
exploded!
"Boom!!"
A blazing fireball of choking smoke shot upward.
The blast's shockwave swept the area.
Pirates were flung about like scarecrows in a gale.
Flames surged outward, sending the crowd fleeing and screaming.
Before they could get far,
the sky darkened again!
"What now?"
Faces ashen, the fleeing pirates looked up—to see another ship spinning through the air, its sails shredded to rags by speed.
No!
Not just one!
Two!
Three!
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
One after another, pirate ships and cargo vessels came hurtling from the distant sea, crashing into Rocky Port and smashing it to pieces!
Even the slowest realized the port was under attack!
"Enemy raid! Enemy raid!!"
Shrieks pierced the air.
Rocks Pirates stared in disbelief.
Who dared assault Rocky Port?
Did the attacker not know this place was protected by the Rocks Pirates?
Clearly… he knew!
Over the roar of crashing and exploding ships, a thunderous voice rolled across the harbor:
"Oro-ro-ro-ro, oro-ro-ro-ro!"
"So this is Rocks' territory?"
"Where is Rocks?"
"Get out here and face me! I'm here to challenge him!!"
"Beat him and I'll be the top pirate of the New World, right?"
The voice boomed louder than the explosions,
making pirates clutch their ears as they ran.
Following the sound,
they saw, amid the burning, collapsing docks, a towering, monstrous silhouette.
Calling it human felt wrong,
for atop its head curved two great horns.
Mountain-tall, muscle-bound, one arm hung at its side while the other hoisted a weapon over the shoulder.
Step by step he advanced along the flaming street into Rocky Port.
As he walked,
the blazing fires ahead seemed to flee in fear, parting to make way.
It looked like a demon king striding out of infernal flames!
When the attacker's iron-forged, muscle-laden form came fully into view,
a savage aura fiercer than the surrounding flames swept over the harbor.
Every pirate and criminal inside changed color.
Anyone who did business in the New World and dared remain in Rocky Port was no lightweight.
Bounties in the tens of millions, hundreds of millions—even hundreds of millions more—were common here.
These powerful men instantly sensed immense danger.
Though they knew this horned demon was the cause of the chaos,
caution held them back from striking at once.
Yet the restraint lasted only moments.
Soon someone lost patience.
A man of average height, gloomy-eyed, wielding two curved swords, leapt forward and roared,
"Damn bastard! Was my ship your doing?"
"Who are you? Why? Do you have any idea how much priceless tobacco and liquor I had? Worth hundreds of millions of Berries—"
A black spiked club, gripped by a vein-roped arm, exploded through the air,
whipping up a howling gale!
It crossed a dozen meters in a blink,
smashing straight through the man.
"Boom!!"
In an instant,
flesh burst, bones turned to paste!
The shouting man's upper half vanished,
leaving only a blood-soaked lower body standing for a moment before toppling.
Under the horrified stares of the port, the horned demon kept his swing, grinned coldly,
"Yammering about what?"
"Can't hear a thing!"
On a rooftop deep in the harbor, Carlo's eyes lit up at the sight.
"Teacher Kaido? What a coincidence."
"Now things get interesting!"