"Franky—V-for-Victory Slash!"
*Slash!*
The blade swung down, slicing through the air. Sasaki, one of the Tobiroppo and a Triceratops Zoan user, looked at the spiraling blade in his hands—which now had a huge chunk missing—and couldn't help but shout:
"What the hell kind of nonsense attack is this?!"
Even though Franky's sword skills are terrible, his high-tech gadgets make up for it. His plasma blade doesn't use Haki, so he can just swing it around wildly, and it's still deadly.
If someone weak held this weapon, the Beasts Pirates could disarm them with grappling moves or steal the sword with bare-handed techniques. But Franky Shogun is a robot, so he doesn't give them the chance. Instead—
"Sixty-Floral Hook Claw!"
*Crack, crack, crack!*
A series of sharp bone-snapping sounds echoed as Robin's technique took down a group of armored Beasts Pirates fighters surrounding Franky and Sasaki. No matter how tough their armor was, they couldn't escape Robin's joint-locking moves.
Unless someone has no joints or an absurdly strong Haki, fighting Robin is an instant defeat.
"Need a hand?"
The calm and intelligent Robin offered help, but Franky's cheerful voice boomed from inside the Franky Shogun's chest.
"Leave this to me! I'm feeling *super* good right now!!"
"Hmph, these weaklings are already down?"
Sasaki, in his half-beast form, stood tall like a bipedal triceratops, glancing around with disdain.
"Fine. I'll show you why the Tobi Roppo are feared!"
Then—his massive, shield-like neck plate started spinning—launching him into the air like a drill! Franky was so shocked that he peeked out from the Shogun's chest.
"Wait, dinosaurs can *do* that?!"
As he spun rapidly, Sasaki dragged his blade along his armored neck plate, sparking a burst of flames.
"Sun Horn Dragon!"
His spinning neck plate radiated blinding golden light, turning Sasaki into a fiery wheel cutting through the air with unstoppable force, aiming straight for Franky.
"What the—"
*Zzzzzzt! Crack!*
As a *Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model: Triceratops* user, Sasaki's neck armor was the toughest part of his body. With Armament Haki coating it and spinning at high speed, its destructive power was off the charts! Even Franky's plasma blade was sliced apart—because, in the end, it was just a weapon, not a shield.
With his sword broken, Franky's defenses collapsed. The spinning armor, carrying enough force to cut through an island, slammed into the Franky Shogun's chest!
"Ugh, this is *super* bad!"
Sparks flew as Franky quickly switched tactics—grabbing Sasaki and throwing him backward.
"Franky *Back Suplex*!"
*Boom!!*
The two were separated as Sasaki crashed into the ground. Meanwhile, Franky Shogun's thick Wapometal chest plate now had a massive, several-meter-long gash. If it had been anyone else, they'd be split open by now.
"Hmph, now you see! That's what a triceratops can do!"
"Who are you trying to fool?! Dinosaurs don't do that!!"
Peeking out from the chest cavity, Franky couldn't help but call out the nonsense. Just because he was a mechanic didn't mean Sasaki could just make up dinosaur facts! Did he forget that the *Straw Hat Crew* had the world's best archaeologist?
Ruins are archaeology. Dinosaurs *are* archaeology. Among the crew, Franky was one of the few who could have deep knowledge discussions with Robin. Don't let his speedo-wearing, goofy uncle look fool you—Franky was one of the smartest in the crew.
"Hmph! Try this—*Cannon Horn Dragon!*"
With a cold snort, Sasaki's neck plate started spinning again. Then—
*Whoosh!*
He suddenly dropped to all fours and shot backward at full speed, leaving Franky baffled.
"Wait… don't tell me—Did you spin the wrong way?"
"Just… getting a *running start!*"
Franky was at a loss for words as Sasaki tried to play it cool.
"Yeah, sure, whatever!!"
*Cannon Horn Dragon!!*
Before Franky could say anything else, Sasaki rocketed forward like a charging tank! His spinning neck armor roared with deafening metallic clanging, tearing through the air with insane centrifugal force. The sheer wind pressure created massive shockwaves, making the samurai nearby feel like their faces were being torn apart. They could barely keep their eyes open, let alone jump in to help.
"*Brace yourself!!*"
This was Sasaki's most powerful, sharpest, and most devastating attack—putting all his strength into a single point to pierce through anything.
Sparks flew as General Franky raised his arms to block, but even then, a burst of fiery sparks exploded in front of him! Even the tough Wapometal was getting sliced, ground down, and flung off under the assault. It was only a matter of time before the attack drilled through his arms and reached his main body!
"Now's my chance—!"
?!
But in the next instant, an unbelievably strong shockwave blasted Sasaki right in the face!
Even though his head was the toughest part of his body and his Armament Haki was no joke, his entire body still trembled from the impact! It felt like he had been thrown inside a massive bronze bell while a dozen masters hammered away at it from the outside.
*Buzzzzzzz—*
His bones shook violently, his head rang, his vision blurred, and his insides twisted as if they had been flipped upside down. Even his Armament Haki started to fade, accompanied by the harsh, grating sound of metal cracking as he was sent flying backward.
"Portable Lion Roar Cannon!"
With the terrifying power of the main weapon originally meant for the *Thousand Sunny*, even one of the Tobi Roppo from the Beasts Pirates was blasted away! The shockwave left a massive circular crater in the battlefield, and even General Franky himself was knocked back by the recoil.
"Again!!!"
With a furious roar, the Triceratops tumbled across the ground for hundreds of meters before suddenly flipping back onto his feet. His bloodshot eyes locked onto the distant robot, and with his neck twisting, he kicked off the ground and charged forward again.
"Rocket Triceratops!"
"Franky—Stray Laser Blast!!"
———————
"Seriously, why are you only chasing me?!"
Not far away, Usopp dashed across the battlefield, somehow managing to turn his head and yell at the furious Page One behind him.
"You still dare to provoke me?!"
From Page One's perspective, this was nothing but arrogance. How else could Usopp afford to look back while running? He clearly wasn't taking him seriously at all!
Unforgivable! And—
"Tell me, what Devil Fruit did you eat?!"
Anyone this tough had to be an Ancient Zoan user! This was a battlefield, and yet Usopp had been leading him on (at least in Page One's eyes), taking several hits along the way but still running around like nothing happened.
"Don't tell me... you have the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model: Long-Nosed Lizard?!"
"No, no, no—"
Usopp quickly waved his hands. "I'm 100% a regular guy, I don't have any powers—"
*BAM!*
Before he could finish, he crashed headfirst into a shield held by one of the Beast Pirates' artificial Devil Fruit users, sending the gorilla-faced pirate reeling in confusion. He scratched his head, wondering what just happened with his "wait here with a shield" strategy.
"Damn it! Who the hell left a door in the middle of the road?!"
As Usopp peeled himself off the shield, Page One glanced at the human-shaped dent left behind—especially at the deep nose-shaped hole that had pierced straight through it.
"...And you still claim you're not a Devil Fruit user?"
"I already told you, I'm just a normal guy!!"
...
By now, they had fought their way deep into the New World. Was there even such a thing as a "normal guy" on their ship anymore?
Up in the sky, Roman No.1 rolled his eyes.
Usopp, you get your skull smashed in and walk it off like nothing happened. How can you still call yourself normal? At least apologize to actual normal people.
But more importantly...
His eyes turned toward the biggest battlefield.
Even while being attacked by Luffy, Ace, Yamato, and his own *real* body, Kaido was still standing strong. In fact, he seemed to be getting even more excited.
"Ooorororo~~ This is fun! So much fun!!"
As Kaido let out a loud laugh, a wave of terrifying, bone-chilling Conqueror's Haki burst out like a raging storm, shaking the very heavens and earth! This overwhelming presence was something only an emperor of the sea—who ruled over countless lives—could possess!
"You brats really think the title of 'Strongest Creature' is just something I made up?"
His furious roar, filled with unstoppable Haki, sent a shiver down everyone's spine, making it hard to breathe. But at this point, only the strongest fighters—those with bounties in the hundreds of millions—were still standing. A simple burst of Conqueror's Haki was no longer enough to shake them.
"Fight! Keep fighting with everything you've got!!"
"Boss Kaido will finish off those enemy leaders soon!"
Even while battling Sanji, Jack was still trying to boost morale. A true model underling.
"Victory will be ours!"
Meanwhile, on the battlefield—
"Three-World…"
Kaido, in his half-dragon form, leaped into the air, his roar shaking the sky like thunder, echoing again and again—
"Ragnaraku!!"
His voice, filled with the authority of a king and the bloodlust of a warrior, sounded like it came from the heavens—or the deepest pits of hell. At close range, it was enough to leave even skilled fighters dazed and disoriented.
Before the sound could even reach them, a blinding black lightning bolt had already erupted, freezing the battlefield in dead silence.
Unlike the previous enemies the Straw Hat Crew had faced, Kaido neither let his guard down nor held back in the slightest. His spiked club came crashing down with enough power to split mountains—
And his target was—
"Watch out, Yamato!!"
"Dodge, Yamato!"
Luffy and Ace, still reeling from Kaido's previous attack, couldn't reach in time. All they could do was shout a warning.
This strike was stronger, faster, and more devastating than even his previous "Thunder Bagua." Kaido was now fighting at full strength, aiming to take down his own so-called "child" first—because out of everyone, Yamato knew him best.
The devastating lightning strike crashed down, engulfing Yamato's figure!
The force of the attack carved a massive, bottomless crack into the giant skull on Onigashima, almost splitting the entire mountain in two. It was a terrifying display of Kaido's raw power.
But Kaido's face darkened.
Because Yamato was still standing.
"That's… insane."
In front of Yamato, kneeling on one knee, was the All-Purpose Knight—holding an unbreakable… no, a cracked barrier shield.
"As expected… nothing in this world is truly unbreakable."
Even the so-called indestructible barrier power had started to crack under Kaido's Conqueror's Haki!
Yamato's club was propped beneath the knight's shield, providing extra support—because without it, Roman wouldn't just be kneeling. He would have been smashed straight into the ground.
"Hah… Kaido,"
Yamato looked up at the spiked club that had nearly crushed her. If Roman hadn't stepped in, she wasn't sure she could've blocked it alone.
"You never hold back against me!"
"Of course not. This isn't some father-child squabble. If you call yourself 'Kozuki,' then be prepared for war, Yamato."
"Is it wrong to dream? I admire heroes like Oden!!"
Whoa, whoa, whoa—do you two think this is some kind of family drama?!
Trapped between their two clashing spiked clubs, Roman rolled his eyes.
"Not everything in this world has an answer just because you ask."
His words cut through the strange "father-child" argument.
As expected, the more intense the life-or-death battle, the faster one's Haki grew! The All-Purpose Knight's sword in his other hand was now coated in an even more refined layer of dual Haki.
"If we don't see eye to eye—then we fight!!"
His sword, coated in razor-sharp Haki, was pitch black like ink—but when condensed and compressed to the limit, it sparked with blinding golden lightning!
It wasn't Conqueror's Haki infusion, but its destructive power was just as deadly.
"The one who falls… is the one who's wrong!"
It was that simple.
(End of Chapter)
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