The air on the Island of Silence was thick with tension, a prelude to the chaos that loomed on the horizon. The villagers moved like ghosts, their whispers swallowed by the weight of oppression. Lale and Ace, now clad in Wano's traditional attire, stood out like flames in the dark—unwelcome but impossible to ignore.
Ace adjusted the sleeves of his black haori, rolling his shoulders.
"So, what's the plan? Sneak in, punch Kaido's soldiers, steal their lunch, and maybe set something on fire?"
Lale's Sharingan flickered to life, scanning the bamboo groves ahead.
"Your plans are getting worse by the day. But yes. Except the fire part. We don't need more attention."
Ace grinned.
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
The path to Kaido's stronghold was guarded by a squadron of Beast Pirates, their hulking forms silhouetted against the twilight. At their helm stood Yamato, Kaido's "son," their massive kanabo resting on one shoulder.
Yamato's voice boomed across the clearing.
"Halt! You're not welcome here!"
Ace cracked his knuckles, flames dancing along his arms.
"Yeah, we get that a lot."
Lale sighed.
"Here we go."
What followed was a whirlwind of chaos.
Ace launched a Hiken, only for Yamato to counter with a swing of their kanabo, sending him skidding backward.
Lale darted between soldiers, her Sharingan predicting their moves before they even twitched. A swift kick to the jaw here, a pressure-point strike there—bodies dropped like stones.
Yamato, intrigued, locked eyes with Lale.
"Your eyes… they see everything, don't they?"
Ace, mid-backflip, yelled,
"Hey! No flirting with the enemy!" before getting smacked into a tree.
At one point, a Beast Pirate tripped over his own weapon, knocking out two of his comrades. Ace paused mid-fight to applaud.
Lale, in a rare moment of pettiness, used a genjutsu to make a group of pirates believe they were being chased by giant, fire-breathing monkeys. They fled screaming.
Yamato, after realizing Ace was Roger's son, suddenly switched from enemy to overenthusiastic fan, demanding a sparring match. Ace, confused but never one to back down, agreed.
As the dust settled, a deep, earth-shaking roar echoed through the valley. The trees trembled. The villagers, who had been watching from a distance, vanished into their homes like startled mice.
Lale's Sharingan spun wildly.
"Ace."
Ace wiped blood from his lip, still grinning.
"Yeah. That's our cue."
Above them, blotting out the sun, Kaido descended—a dragon of scales and fury, his presence alone enough to crush the spirit of lesser warriors.
Yamato stepped forward, gripping their kanabo.
"Father…"
Kaido's voice was thunder.
"You bring fools to my doorstep, Yamato?"
Ace lit his fists ablaze.
"Nah. We brought ourselves."
Lale exhaled sharply, her fingers twitching toward her sword.
"This is it."
The ground beneath them cracked.
TO BE CONTINUED