"Gomu Gomu no... Spinning Great Ape King Gun!"
"Endless Yellow Spring!"
Roman, Ace, and Yamato kept Kaido occupied, while Luffy—now in Gear Fourth—twisted his Haki-covered arm, coiling it tightly before springing back with overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, launching his punch straight at Kaido!
Kaido hastily raised his kanabo in defense, and as their attacks clashed, the impact tore through the air, creating pitch-black streaks of lightning like rifts in space itself.
*BOOM!!!!*
The sheer force of their ultimate moves colliding sent a massive beam of light piercing through the clouds, lingering like a spectacle of nature—both breathtaking and apocalyptic. Then, shockwaves and deafening roars followed, spreading outward.
A massive mushroom cloud began to form... only to be torn apart by the raging storm of energy before it could fully take shape.
*Rumble~ Rumble~~ Rumble~~~*
Onigashima, already battered, started to crumble under the repeated destruction. Huge chunks of bedrock and stone foundations cracked and fell apart.
As Kaido weakened under the relentless assault, the flame clouds keeping Onigashima afloat began to flicker and break apart. A massive boulder, carried by the violent winds, plummeted toward the land below—heading straight for the Flower Capital!
"Onigashima is falling!"
"Run for your lives—!"
But—
"I'm not leaving!"
An old samurai sat at the doorstep of his home. "This is my home. I'm not going anywhere."
"I've lived long enough. Let me witness the outcome of this battle with my own eyes."
"I'm staying too!!"
A red-eyed man straightened his back, staring defiantly at the falling rock above.
Maybe it was the sake clouding his mind.
Maybe it was because life had pushed him to the edge.
"When Kuri was destroyed, I didn't stand up—because I didn't live in Kuri!"
"When Hakumai was destroyed, I didn't stand up—because I didn't live in Hakumai!"
"And now, it's the Flower Capital's turn to be destroyed… But this time, no one will stand up for us—"
"..."
"I won't run anymore!!"
An elderly man, who had just heard Otama's explanation, cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to the sky:
"Captain Luffy!! And Ace—"
To the people of Wano, a "captain" was the highest title one could have. After all, wasn't Kaido, who ruled over Wano for twenty years, the captain of the Beasts Pirates?
"I don't know who you are, and I know it's selfish to place our hopes on you, but—please defeat Kaido! We're begging you!!"
"Captain Luffy!"
"Ace!"
"Please, save Wano! Save us all!!!"
"Luffy!"
"Ace!"
"Luffy, please!!"
———
"Heh… So because of their own weakness, they're forcing their dreams onto others?"
"I originally planned to blast Hanamigawa Town with Onigashima, completely wiping out those pests and then slowly searching through the ruins for the secret treasure."
"But now, looking at the state of Wano, the Beasts Pirates are barely holding on, and even I am starting to struggle."
"So fine—since you all believe in that Straw Hat brat so much, let's see if he can really save you!!"
With a furious roar, Kaido spread his arms wide. In an instant, the flame clouds holding up Onigashima vanished. The massive island hung in the air for a moment before gravity took over—
And it began to fall.
Rumble—rumble—rumble—
At the same time, Onigashima, already battered from battle, started breaking apart as it lost its flame cloud support. It was now crumbling midair, and soon, enormous chunks of rock would crash down like a rain of meteors. The impact might be scattered, but the destruction would be several times worse.
And once it fell…
The Flower Capital would be devastated.
"Kaido, you're despicable!!"
Yamato's furious shout rang out, but Roman, standing nearby, simply shook his head calmly.
"Don't panic."
"All's fair in war. Deception and tricks are part of the game."
Winning by any means necessary—wasn't that normal?
After all, the dead wouldn't rise to argue with the victor.
"Luffy, Ace!"
Wrapped in shining diamond armor, radiating sheer opulence, Roman kicked off the ground and leaped toward the edge of the island.
"Kaido is yours to handle—I'll take care of Onigashima."
"I'm coming too!"
As someone who carried Oden's will and dreamed of opening Wano to the world, Yamato couldn't just stand by and watch Onigashima destroy the Flower Capital.
Not to mention, her Devil Fruit—Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi-no-Makami—was the guardian deity of Wano. Just like how Alabasta had the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Jackal and the Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Falcon, this fruit carried a sense of "duty."
But… how exactly did these Devil Fruits, so closely tied to specific places, always appear in the right country? It was worth thinking about…
"Roman, I'll handle the armory!"
Now in her beast form—a majestic wolf with flowing cloud-like fur and a thick sacred rope around her waist—Yamato dashed toward Onigashima's weapon storage.
If the island simply crashed, the Flower Capital would suffer heavy casualties.
But if the armory exploded on impact, it would mean total annihilation.
"Hah… you really think I can't handle a mere island?"
Roman glanced toward the edge of the island and saw that there were only a few places left where battles were still raging. If it weren't for the fact that the Beasts Pirates were all Zoan users—tough, resilient, and full of stamina—most of them would have already collapsed.
Even though Onigashima was starting to fall, for the powerful fighters still standing, a simple free fall from high altitude wasn't something that could actually kill them.
"Nami!"
"Got it—"
For large-scale abilities, Nami was the one to call. Roman's abilities were more suited for close combat and support skills, but lifting an entire island? That wasn't his specialty.
Diamond Knight + Gem Princess, fusion complete! The knight, shining like a diamond, reached out and lifted the jewel-covered princess onto his shoulder. Pages of paper swirled around them, merging together—Omni-Knight had returned!
————
"This... how is this happening?!"
As Tama gasped in shock, Onigashima, which had only been partially breaking apart before, now began to fall completely!
From thousands of meters in the air, a massive island was crashing down, picking up speed, gaining overwhelming momentum, and hurtling toward the ground with unstoppable force.
Below, in the Flower Capital:
"It's over... we're all going to die!"
"If we hadn't cheered just now... no, if those outsiders hadn't come, maybe—"
"What are you talking about?! It's obvious that this is Kaido's doing! At this point, do we really have the right to blame the people who dared to stand up to him?"
"Captain Luffy! Ace! Take down Kaido!! Take him down—"
"Is this really the end...?"
As death came crashing down from above, whether it was despair, regret, or furious anger—it didn't change a thing!
Just like Roman had said before, in a world ruled by the strong, ordinary people often didn't even have the chance to resist.
As gravity pulled Onigashima down, a ring of white air rippled at its base. The sheer force of its impact alone was enough to leave 99% of the world's strongest fighters helpless.
But—
That didn't include Omni-Knight, the fusion of Roman and Nami.
Whoosh—
The towering Omni-Knight shot downward, tracing an arc as it rushed toward the bottom of the island. Even though the ten-meter-tall knight looked like nothing more than an ant beneath the enormous Onigashima, Roman wouldn't have acted if he weren't confident in his plan.
"More More... 80 times..."
"Feather-Light... Gravity Shift..."
With both hands pressed against the falling island, Roman activated the Momo Momo ability, amplifying its effect, while Nami precisely controlled the power to cover the entire island.
Together, they unleashed—
"Fusion Technique: Super Light-Heavy Rock!"
STOP—!!
Onigashima, which had been plummeting at high speed, suddenly jolted to a stop, as if someone had slammed on an invisible brake.
If Newton were alive, he would've jumped out of his grave at the sight.
The massive shadow cast over the Flower Capital sent countless people collapsing to the ground in shock.
Even the warriors still fighting on the island were caught off guard—when the island came to a sudden halt, they all stumbled downward as if they had been thrown forward by a broken elevator.
Most of them ended up half-buried in the battlefield.
"What the hell now?!"
Amid the complaints of the powerful fighters, who casually pulled themselves out of the ground as if nothing had happened, Kaido's expression turned sharp—but there was also a hint of frustration in his eyes.
They even managed to stop a falling island...
"Kaido!!"
The failed "falling island" attack didn't destroy the Flower Capital, but it pushed Luffy's rage to its absolute limit!
Luffy might call himself a pirate, but in his heart, being a pirate meant being a free-spirited adventurer.
Kaido, on the other hand, was the kind of person who could wipe out an entire city with a casual wave of his hand.
"You won't get away with this!!"
In the brief moment when Kaido was distracted, Luffy's fist—coated in Conqueror's Haki and crackling with dark lightning—slammed into Kaido's face without any hesitation.
"Gomu Gomu no... King Kong Gun!!"
"Ahhh—!!"
A terrifying scream shook the sky, making the clouds churn and the ground rumble. Birds and beasts scattered in panic.
The people of the Flower Capital, who had just barely escaped death, were once again hit by the overwhelming shockwave. Large crowds collapsed, eyes rolling back as they fainted.
"Skyquake: Space Fracture!"
At that moment, Ace seized the opportunity and delivered a powerful punch to the back of Kaido's head!
The force of his Conqueror's Haki tore through the air, creating dark cracks in space itself. Even Kaido's dragon scales were ripped apart by the shockwaves.
Of course, this wasn't the *Quake-Quake Fruit* of Whitebeard.
It was Ace using his Conqueror's Haki to create spatial tremors.
The effect was much smaller in scale—nowhere near the earth-shattering power of the *Quake-Quake Fruit*—but—
It was enough to cause real damage!
The fists of both brothers struck Kaido's head at the same time!
With an attack from both sides, Kaido's vision blurred with a blinding red, his head burned with unbearable heat, his ears rang with deafening thunder, and his nose was filled with the scent of his own blood as his flesh and scales were torn apart.
*Am I going to die?*
"NEVER!!!!"
A surge of fear crashed over Kaido.
Desperate, he poured all his Armament Haki outward to defend himself while twisting his massive body to shake them off!
His spiked club slammed into Luffy's waist, while his dragon tail smashed into Ace's chest!
*BOOM—!*
With one all-out counterattack, Kaido sent both Luffy and Ace flying!
Even with their Armament Haki defenses, blood still sprayed from their mouths as they crashed in opposite directions, smashing into Onigashima's ground.
The impact sent massive shockwaves through the battlefield, shattering the terrain. Dust and debris filled the air, creating a thick cloud over the battlefield.
"Luffy!!"
"Ace!!"
From their vantage point, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet saw what happened and rushed forward.
Two groups quickly reached Luffy and Ace, pulling them out of the craters they had created upon impact.
While keeping an eye on Kaido—who was still dripping with blood in the sky—they checked their captains' conditions.
"I'm fine,"
"...I can still fight!"
"*Cough* *Cough*... So, Joy Boy really is among you."
Kaido, still hovering in the sky, looked down at Luffy and Ace—beaten but still standing.
His face, covered in blood, showed emotions flickering between frustration, resignation, and relief—before finally settling into a cold smirk.
"Destiny? What a joke. You naïve brats... But fine."
"Show me what kind of world you're trying to create..."
Before he could finish his words—
The mighty Kaido, who once stood as an invincible force—
*THUD!*
He collapsed.
——————
PS: I know this kind of battle isn't quite in the style of *One Piece*, but at this point, with the Straw Hat Crew's strength, if they still kept getting knocked out and standing back up over and over again...
Anyway, this is what I've got.
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You can read 30 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu