The sea was violently torn apart by the ship's prow.
The colossal vessel resembled a moving mountain of steel, cleaving through endless waves as it sailed straight toward Dressrosa.
At the forefront of the terrifying giant ship, atop a ferocious beast-shaped head, stood a suffocating shadow.
Kaido!
He stood like an ancient demonic mountain, his feet rooted in the steel, impervious to the raging winds.
...
The rolling dark clouds in the sky seemed to follow him. Kaido slowly raised his head, gazing at the silhouette emerging on the horizon, his lips curling into a cruel arc.
His savage gaze seemed intent on chewing Dressrosa to pieces and devouring it entirely!
...
"He's here..."
At the port of Dressrosa, the entire Donquixote family stood in formation under Doflamingo's leadership.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Doflamingo's temple.
"No matter how many times I see it, such overwhelming pressure..."
"This is..."
"The world's strongest creature!! Kaido!!"
At the same moment.
A streamlined vessel, its hull forged from dark ice and bone-white porcelain, cut through the waves with a sharp, piercing stance!
Like an exceptionally long, famous sword, it pierced through the thick, dark clouds shrouding the sky.
Griffin stood at the ship's bow, his Justice Coat flapping loudly in the sea breeze.
Facing the Beasts Pirates head-on, he showed no trace of emotion.
Beside him stood Dracule Mihawk. The prestige of the World's Greatest Swordsman didn't need Haki to manifest; his hawk-like, sharp golden eyes alone were enough to cut through everything.
...
The two ships, together with the port of Dressrosa, formed a dangerous triangle.
"This..."
Doflamingo sweated profusely.
"Why are they arriving at the same time!!"
According to intelligence, Kaido's ship was supposed to arrive a day earlier, giving him ample time to prepare appropriate arrangements to deal with the arrival of Uchiha Griffin and others.
Was it because... that ship was faster?!
The moment their gazes met.
Without any unnecessary words.
BOOM!!
An invisible barrier shattered violently. The seawater between the two ships was forcefully pushed aside by an unseen force, forming a terrifying, bottomless trench.
On one side was a dark red, molten hellscape, filled with the roar of beasts and an endless, conquering fury.
On the other side—
It was like a cold, blazing sun. Opposing forces roared and intertwined; the seawater boiled and froze under the pressure of this aura, swirling violently.
The "kingly qualities" standing at the pinnacle of the world, colliding like comets!!
RIIIP————!!
The thick clouds were instantly torn apart, leaving a clear, winding, and ferocious scar across the sky.
Black and red arcs of electricity wildly tangled and exploded in the atmosphere, even the sea whimpered in fear!
Sky-Splitting!!
...
...
On the tower of Dressrosa's port.
Doflamingo's pupils beneath his sunglasses contracted to pinpoints, his trademark sinister smile frozen on his face.
His hands gripped the railing tightly, his knuckles turning white and creaking.
He had believed that with his intelligence and strength, serving as the "rein" restraining Kaido,
He was Joker, who could manipulate the underworld at his fingertips.
But now,
The two terrifying Haki forces outside the port, capable of tearing the sky apart, shattered that illusion in the most brutal way.
...
That was not a power he could control, nor could he even "borrow its momentum."
When such a colossal force crushed down, even the so-called Celestial Demon was nothing but a nameless pawn!
——
——
"Gurararara..."
A savage laugh roared like mountains and seas.
"Brat!! You even brought helpers! If you're too scared to face me, go play in your own amusement park!!"
...
Griffin grinned, his voice piercing clearly through the wind and thunder.
"I could open an animal circus for you in the amusement park."
"Too bad you're too ugly—probably wouldn't sell many tickets."
——
BOOM!!
Conqueror's Haki, boiling to its peak, clashed once more, shaking the seas and skies!!
The world abruptly lost its color,
leaving only Kaido's massive form, raising the Eight Precepts high, summoning endless lightning to strike!
——
"Thunder Bagua!!"
——
Griffin bent his knees and leaped, the tremendous force sending the warship flying backward.
His five fingers spread open, and a spear, entirely snow-white and flowing with crystalline ice flowers, seemed to coalesce from nothingness, firmly grasped in his palm.
Crack—!
Countless blazing electric patterns surged from where he gripped the spear. Haki was intensely compressed and solidified at the spear's tip, erupting into a blinding, blazing white cold light.
Aiming at the descending thunderous hammer, he arched his waist like a bow and thrust violently!
"Demon Gun!!"
Blazing white light, carrying a torrent of Haki, soared into the sky!
The next moment—
Clang!!
Not the clash of metal, but the shriek of ultimate Haki colliding!
Between the spear tip and the club, all energy was tightly compressed within a turbid orb of light, annihilating and resisting each other.
Around the orb, eerie black-red cracks appeared, as if the world itself could not withstand such a level of confrontation!
The stalemate lasted only an instant.
Then...
It exploded!!
BOOOOOOM——————!!
Destructive energy wildly erupted, manifesting as black-red shockwaves that swept across everything with a ferocity surpassing the speed of sound!!
The sea boiled!!
——
Whoosh—
Two figures flew back from the explosion's epicenter.
Thud————
Kaido landed on the deck, his feet leaving deep imprints in the steel plating.
A clear white mark marred the Eight Precepts, wisps of smoke rising—whether from heat or cold, it was unclear.
...
Griffin staggered a few steps before steadying himself, his arm holding White Fang numb, with black-red arcs of electricity still dancing along the spear's shaft.
Gazing at each other from a distance, they both laughed aloud.
"Gurararara!!! Brat, is that all the strength you've got!!"
...
"Only your brute force is worth praising. How about I assign you a job pulling a millstone?"
Quietly, he hid his trembling hand behind his back.
An Indestructible body, huh...
Truly tough!
...
As they spoke, the ship, back on course, approached the harbor.
Thud!!
Kaido leaped onto the island, shattering large swaths of reef, then turned his head with a cold sneer.
"Big-talking brat... If you want to fight, we'll settle it later. I'm here for the auction."
"Do you even have the wealth to compete with me?!"
...
Griffin drifted down leisurely.
"Those country bumpkins from Wano Country can't squeeze out much. I could snap off a tree branch, and it'd be worth more than your entire family."
Crack—
Veins bulged on Kaido's arm gripping the club.
He truly didn't want to start a fight before obtaining the fruit, especially not here.
Over the years, Doflamingo had appeared to be a wise ruler on the surface, with Dressrosa flourishing.
But in secret, he had enslaved the Tontatta Tribe and numerous civilians, operating an underground SMILE Factory to produce Artificial Zoan Devil Fruits.
This factory exists to serve Kaido, the foundation for his dream of creating an army entirely composed of Zoan-type Ability Users.
...
But what Griffin said next...
To hell with dreams, I'm going to sink you along with this island!!
...
Griffin realized that if he kept provoking the old bull, he'd snap.
"Great minds think alike. Let's secure the fruit first."
"It would be ridiculous if some lowlifes managed to snatch it away in the chaos."
Kaido's rising anger slowly subsided.
"This way of speaking... it's a bit like Kari. That guy's still alive, right?"
...
"Still trying to figure out how to kill him. He's a tough one."
"Heh..."
Kaido chuckled lowly. "You managed to kill one of those things, yet you can't handle Kari?"
Among the top tiers, information becomes transparent.
After trading with the World Government for so many years, he had his own people planted in the Holy Land and had long noticed the change in attitude among the government's higher-ups toward Griffin.
Upon closer investigation, although he wasn't sure which one Griffin had killed, he knew that a member of the God's Knights had died at his hands.
Because of this, Kaido didn't dislike Griffin all that much.
This Marine is different...
...
...
"Fufufufufu..."
Doflamingo forcibly pulled the corners of his mouth into a dry, strained laugh, tinged with a barely perceptible tension.
He spread his arms wide, adopting the most grandiose welcoming posture.
"Welcome, Mr. Kaido!"
Then, he turned to Griffin, the complexity in his smile deepening.
"And... Lord Griffin!"
...
Griffin brushed past him, speaking softly.
"If you want to turn the world upside down and stand at the pinnacle, you can't have even a shred of fear in your heart."
"You're still far from it, Doflamingo."