...
Beneath the mask, there was no expression at all.
CP0 simply stood in front of Kaido like a lifeless statue.
He knew he couldn't escape. No one could escape the wrath of a Yonko and walk away unscathed from this emperor's hands.
But even if he died, it didn't matter…
His mission was complete!
Not long ago, the Five Elders had given him an order: "No matter the cost, eliminate Straw Hat Luffy."
As for the reason, it was definitely because of that fruit of Luffy's!
No further explanation was needed. As a member of CP0, the only thing he had to carry out was the Five Elders' order!
And now, that boy who carried the name "Nika" was lying in the rubble at his feet.
Motionless. No heartbeat.
Mission accomplished…
The corner of his mouth beneath the mask might have curled up slightly.
No one could see it, and no one cared, because the next second, thunder descended.
"Boom!!!"
Kaido's kanabo, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, smashed heavily into CP0.
The force was so great that it directly blasted a bottomless pit into the ground. That white-masked figure collapsed into a pool of blood.
The dust settled.
Kaido withdrew his kanabo and looked down at the "insect" that had already disappeared. There was no emotion in his eyes.
Killing had never been something that required hesitation for him.
But when he turned his head and looked toward that boy lying in the rubble, his brows furrowed.
That was not the expression of a victor.
Kaido's eyes were filled with something more complex, something more indescribable.
Luffy just lay there like that, covered in blood, covered in wounds all over his body. There was no rise and fall in his chest.
Kaido looked at that face.
He looked at this opponent who had fought him for an entire night, who had shocked him countless times, and who had made him rediscover the joy of battle.
"Cough!"
A mouthful of blood surged from Kaido's mouth.
After wiping the corner of his mouth, Kaido looked at Luffy and did not deliver a finishing blow. He no longer needed to destroy the corpse or confirm anything.
It was over!
Just like that, it was over…
Kaido stood in place, staring at that boy's "corpse," silent for a very, very long time.
Then he raised his head and looked toward the sky, toward that moon hidden behind dark clouds.
"The victor…"
His voice was hoarse and low, without any joy of victory: "Is this old man."
In the banquet hall, Kaido once again transformed into his Azure Dragon and descended upon the area!
The battle had stopped at some point. Everyone had heard that voice.
Nami's face turned deathly pale in an instant.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.
Then she exploded: "You're lying!!!"
Nami pointed at Kaido on the dome. Her voice was so sharp it almost tore her throat.
Tears burst from her eyes, blurring her vision.
But Nami was still cursing, still roaring, still venting all her anger and grief: "How could Luffy lose!! He's the man who's going to become the Pirate King!! He promised us he would come back!! He promised!!"
Her voice echoed through the banquet hall, carrying sobs, trembling, and despair.
That person who feared the Yonko the most. That little cat burglar who would always hide at the back whenever they encountered a strong enemy.
That "weakest" existence in the Straw Hat crew was now standing in front of everyone, cursing a Yonko…
Kaido heard it.
His gaze fell upon this tiny human. There was no anger in his eyes, no killing intent, not even any emotion at all.
Only indifference, like a deity looking down upon ants.
The next second, he opened his dragon mouth. Blazing energy gathered in his throat and transformed into scorching breath.
Heat Breath aimed at Nami!
"Stop!!!"
A streak of blue flame cut across the sky. At the instant the Heat Breath was about to erupt, it blocked in front of Nami.
Marco, in his phoenix form, spread his wings and used his own body to forcibly take the attack.
"Guh!"
The blue flames violently flickered under the impact of the Heat Breath. Marco gritted his teeth and turned back to roar at Nami: "Fall back! Fall back quickly!!"
Nami was being dragged backward by Sanji, but she was still "struggling," still crying and shouting, still cursing the murderer who had killed Luffy.
Marco endured the impact of the Heat Breath. The blue flames burned, extinguished, and reignited.
He could endure it physically, but the collapse of his beliefs—he couldn't endure that.
"Those who surrender can live."
Kaido's voice rumbled like thunder across the sky above Onigashima: "Those who swear to fight to the death—"
He paused. The indifference in his eyes transformed into cold killing intent.
"Will all be killed. Not one left alive!"
The banquet hall fell into dead silence. Immediately after, the fodder of the Beast Pirates began cheering and jumping for joy. Although the enemy had been unusually difficult to deal with, in the end it was their Lord Kaido who had seized victory!
The samurai's hands gripping their blades were trembling, but they did not put them down.
They would not give up. It was either success or death with honor!
Besides, that boy had also said it—he would win…
He had never gone back on his word.
Outside the light screen.
The crowd's silence was like a mountain, pressing down on everyone's hearts.
Those ordinary civilians, watching that boy lying in the rubble in the light screen, watching that straw hat being blown by the wind, watching those samurai who were still persisting…
Some had their eyes moisten with empathy. Some remained completely silent. The children watching Luffy gently bit their lips.
"He's dead…"
"That big brother with the straw hat…"
"He's really dead…"
Although the events of Wano Country had nothing to do with them, although it was only a "future" reflected in the light screen, seeing all of this would move anyone.
Seeing those people fight with everything they had. Seeing that boy fall again and again, only to climb back up again and again.
Seeing in the end, he lay on the ground, motionless…
That feeling of powerlessness, that heartache, that sense of "why did it turn out like this" was universal.
God Valley.
The Five Elders—all five of them—collectively let out a long breath.
That breath had been held for too long. So long that they themselves had forgotten when they started holding it.
From the first time they saw that boy in the light screen?
From the time they saw him awaken the "Nika" form?
From the time he escaped death again and again, creating miracles again and again?
They didn't know…
But at this moment, he was finally dead.
"Although the process was a bit winding…"
The corner of Saint Saturn's mouth curled up slightly: "But the result is still satisfactory."
"What does it matter if we offended Kaido?"
Saint Warcury's eyes were filled with relief: "As long as that kid is dead, everything was worth it."
"Let's report to Lord Imu." Saint Ju Peter said.
The Five Elders exchanged glances, preparing to report this matter. But right at that moment…
"Thump…"
A strange sound came from within the light screen. The Five Elders' movements froze at the exact same instant.
"Thump!"
Another one.
"Thump…"
The third.
That sound was low and powerful, like some kind of ancient musical instrument, like the heartbeat of some sleeping being that had finally awakened.
Everyone heard it. Everyone in God Valley. Everyone outside the light screen.
That mother holding her child. Those civilians who were crying.
Those strong people who roamed the seas. Everyone heard it.
"This is…" Someone asked blankly, "What sound?"
"Sounds like drumming?"
"Drumbeat? It sounds like the sound of drumming!"
A little girl suddenly pointed at the light screen, her eyes wide.
"Daddy, look! It's that big brother! It's that big brother who was lying down!"
Everyone followed her finger and looked.
On the light screen, Luffy was still lying there, but his hand had moved slightly. Immediately after, that drumming sound came from Luffy's body.
That sound rang out again. This time, everyone heard it clearly!
The sound was coming from Luffy's body!
It was coming from his chest…
More accurately, it was coming from his heart.
It was a heartbeat.
The Five Elders—all five of them—at the exact same instant, their pupils shook violently.
Saint Saturn's cane fell to the ground with a "clack."
Saint Warcury's mouth opened wide enough to fit a fist.
Saint Ju Peter's snot bubble was about to come out.
Saint Nusjuro's sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
Saint Mars' pupils shook violently. The five of them looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief.
This sound…
This rhythm…
This…
"Impossible…"
Saint Saturn's voice was hoarse like sandpaper scraping across glass: "Absolutely impossible… He was clearly already dead… He clearly already had no heartbeat…"
But that sound continued. It even became clearer and more powerful.
It sounded more and more like drumbeats before some kind of ritual began…
In God Valley, it wasn't only the Five Elders who were shocked. The Giants were equally dumbfounded!
Dorry suddenly stood up. His massive body was trembling.
It wasn't fear. It was some kind of more primal, more instinctive excitement.
"Gahahaha——!!!"
Brogy had already started jumping.
This Giant warrior, known as the "Red Ogre," was now dancing like a child.
His body wouldn't listen to him. His feet moved to that rhythm. His face was filled with an uncontrollable smile.
"This is the drumbeat of a banquet! Gahahaha!"
He wanted to stop, but his body wouldn't listen.
That drumbeat, that rhythm, that sound coming from within Luffy's body made his blood boil!
It even made his soul tremble. He couldn't help but want to dance.
Dorry started too. Then Harald. Then all the Giants—they were all dancing!
It wasn't that they wanted to dance. It was their bodies' instinct.
It was a resonance with that rhythm, engraved deep in their bloodline.
"This sound…"
Roger and Rocks' voices trembled for the first time.
The two of them stood there, staring at the light screen, staring at that beating drumbeat. Their eyes were filled with incredulous light.
Roger and Rocks turned their heads at the same time!
Immediately after, the two of them began staring at each other. In that instant, they saw the same thing in each other's eyes.
It wasn't hostility. It wasn't vigilance. It wasn't anything related to their positions.
It was awe!
Awe toward some existence, toward some legend, toward some "god" that was awakening!
The drumbeat continued. The rhythm grew faster and faster.
Luffy was still lying there, but at this moment, something was awakening inside him.
Something was about to break through the soil!
Outside the light screen, countless people held their breath. The Five Elders' faces turned deathly pale in an instant.
Because they knew what that drumbeat meant. They knew what was awakening.
They knew that the nightmare the World Government had feared for a hundred years was about to reappear in this world.
And in the light screen, Luffy still lay quietly on the ground. However, his body was beginning to change. His hat and hair were becoming distorted. The corners of his mouth curved upward!
...