"Gravity Blade!"
Boom!!
Fujitora's gravity surged violently, shattering the tiles and causing the entire courtyard to tremble as if caught in an earthquake.
Even though King the Wildfire was one of the All-Stars—the Three Calamities under Kaido—he struggled against Fujitora's relentless assault. It was obvious from the beginning: there was a chasm in their strength.
A Marine Admiral's Haki mastery and Devil Fruit awakening weren't just overwhelming—they were surgical and absolute. Fujitora's Zushi Zushi no Mi (Gravity-Gravity Fruit) granted him the power to manipulate gravitational force itself, a frightening ability when combined with his innate swordsmanship and acute Observation Haki.
If Carl hadn't arrived when he did, the battle would have already turned into a full-scale confrontation against Fujitora, with Kaido's subordinates forced to gang up on the blind admiral.
Meanwhile, Carl's sakura-blade ability—his Senbonzakura-style Haki technique—had completely sealed off the small pavilion atop the inner citadel, where the Kurozumi family and their remaining retainers were hiding.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The blade of Denjiro (formerly Kyoshiro) danced wildly, slicing the incoming petals apart. His jaw tightened as he realized: these petals weren't petals at all.
"They're all blades… cherry blossom blades…"
Boom!
A massive crack tore through the wooden paneling behind them as panic erupted.
Kurozumi Orochi, in his full eight-headed Yamata no Orochi form, slithered out like a cowardly rat caught in a blaze. His many heads screamed in unison, eyes wide with terror.
"Cherry blossoms! They're everywhere!"
"No… those aren't blossoms! They're blades!"
Senbonzakura's projection technique—an illusion of beauty concealing deadly steel—had no trouble piercing through the simple wooden structure. In moments, the interior of the pavilion was covered in gently falling, razor-sharp petals.
"Tch… annoying," Denjiro gritted his teeth, cold sweat dotting his forehead.
Despite his nerves, Denjiro was no weakling. He had once fought evenly against the likes of Zoro and led the Kyoshiro family in Wano's underworld. But now, he wasn't just protecting himself—he had to guard the shogun.
"To think you'd go this far… just for a prophecy," Carl muttered, standing atop the roof and shaking his head. He casually drew a cigar from his robes and lit it with a small flicker of flame.
"Well, whatever. Let's get rid of the rest of you first."
A crimson light flared within his right eye—[Hell Road]—and he turned, eyes narrowing as new combatants closed in fast from the eastern path.
It was the remaining Tobi Roppo—X Drake, Black Maria, Sasaki, Ulti, and Page One. With Who's Who already defeated and Fukurokuju slain, these five were the last of Kaido's elite subordinates.
Carl chuckled. "Kaido really has a thing for Zoan users."
Three Calamities. Six Tobi Roppo. Kaido himself.
Every single one a user of Ancient Zoan or powerful Zoan-type Devil Fruits.
It was no wonder they called themselves the Beasts Pirates.
"Who are you?!"
Drake shouted first, stepping in front, though his voice held more wariness than defiance. He had his doubts—after all, Carl was no ordinary swordsman.
Carl smiled, "Just a passing spectator."
"Tch! Don't waste time!" Sasaki growled. "Kill him and get to the general's mansion!"
They could still hear the fierce shockwaves thundering from inside—King clashing with Fujitora, and Kaido's palace under siege. There was no time for hesitation.
"I'll take care of him!" Ulti burst forth like a cannonball.
Her Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Pachycephalosaurus gave her a powerful armored head, capable of shattering stone and even tanking Luffy's Gear 2 attacks in the manga. Her favorite tactic—Ulti-Mortar—was a head-first charge.
"Well then… I guess I'm done spectating."
Carl unsheathed Sakura Ten, the white blade gleaming with cherry blossom-colored Haki.
"Slash Wave!"
CRACK!!
A massive arc of dark-gold energy tore through the ground, splitting it in a straight path that turned soil and stone into dust.
"Get back!" Page One cried out.
But Ulti was already committed, her speed maxed out, horns glinting and armored skull locked on her target.
She hardened her entire body with Busoshoku Haki, limbs morphing into scaled dragon talons, a spiked tail flicking behind her.
Clang!
Ulti's skull smashed directly into the Slash Wave—and for a moment, it seemed like she had resisted it.
But only her forehead was protected.
The rest of the slash carved through her torso in a jagged line—from collarbone to hip—sending blood spraying across the battlefield.
"Sister!!"
Page One roared, his rage boiling over. In a heartbeat, he activated his Spinosaurus Zoan, growing massive claws, a tail, and serrated fangs. His silhouette became monstrous as he leapt toward Carl and caught Ulti mid-fall.
"I'll kill you… I'll rip you apart!!"
Carl mimicked Kizaru's lazy drawl, "Oooh~ Scary~ The Beasts Pirates really live up to the hype."
Boom!
The ground cratered beneath Page One's leap as he charged at high velocity.
"It's useless," Carl muttered. "You're still too slow."
Page One's clawed hand landed cleanly against Carl's chest—but then it froze.
Time seemed to stutter.
Nothing happened. No damage, no recoil, no shift in Carl's posture.
"What…?" Page One stared at his claws, confused. "I hit you—"
"You were too slow."
Carl's voice carried no emotion. His body flickered like afterimages—proof of a Haki-enhanced movement technique or Soru-like footwork integrated into his sword style.
The Tobi Roppo, even with their Ancient Zoan durability and regeneration, were still comparable in strength to the Worst Generation Supernovas. Maybe stronger than some—yes—but nowhere near the level of Kaido, Big Mom, or a Marine Admiral.
"You're not bad," Carl said with a casual swing of Sakura Ten. "But you're not a disaster-level opponent."
"Shut up!!" Page One roared, claws swiping furiously.
Ssh! Ssh! Ssh!
Wind howled as he slashed again and again, but each strike was fruitless.
Carl didn't even move.
And then—
All their attacks were like pebbles sinking into the sea—silent, without a single ripple.
"Alright, go join your sister down below," Carl said coldly, lifting one leg. Jet-black lightning, resembling Ryusoken-infused Armament Haki, surged around his foot like liquid shadows crackling with crimson sparks.
BOOM!
A violent kick struck Page One squarely in the waist, infused with Internal Destruction Haki.
CRACK—!
The unmistakable crunch of shattered ribs echoed as Page One's body bent unnaturally into a flying V-shape, crashing through a patch of stone and splintered bamboo.
THUD!
The impact cratered the earth and sent a shockwave blasting through the courtyard. Dust rose like steam from a cannon blast.
ROAR!!
With a guttural cry, the Ancient Zoan-empowered Sasaki, in his colossal Triceratops hybrid form, charged headlong and rammed into the foundation below Carl's feet, demolishing a thick stone wall in the process.
Carl landed gracefully, the falling debris swirling behind him like flower petals in a storm. But he had no time to breathe—Black Maria, her upper half monstrous from her Kumo Kumo no Mi, Model: Rosamygale Grauvogeli, came down at him with a blade coated in hardened Haki.
CLANG!
Carl raised Sakura Ten, his cherry-blossom-themed katana, and blocked her cleanly. Sparks exploded in the air like fireworks.
A short distance away, X Drake—still in his Allosaurus hybrid form—leapt forward and swung his blade with a conflicted look in his eyes.
BOOM!
His blade tore open the ground, but only sliced through an afterimage. Carl had vanished again, faster than sound.
In the next moment, Carl appeared atop Sasaki's horned skull.
"Zoans sure are tanky, huh?" Carl muttered thoughtfully, rubbing his chin with mild amusement.
"RAAAH!!" Sasaki bellowed, thrashing violently to throw him off.
"Quit yelling," Carl sighed. He stomped hard, and the black lightning fused with his internal Hell Road Haki drilled downward like a demon's claw.
CRRRACKK!
The sound was otherworldly, like steel beams buckling under divine force. Sasaki's entire body shook as if convulsing—his massive dinosaur frame swayed as if dizzy, unable to process the incoming energy overload.
The blow overloaded his durability—an Ancient Zoan's trump card.
Carl leapt off. Behind him, the towering beast crashed down with the weight of a mountain, sending tremors through the whole compound.
"W-Who are you people?!" Black Maria gasped. Her voice cracked, cold sweat running down her spine as she staggered back.
This man was a monster. No—he was beyond that.
Even Kaido rarely toyed with enemies this nonchalantly.
Carl's casual posture, the way he smiled without menace—it was psychological warfare.
"I already told you," Carl said with a grin, hands in his pockets. "I'm just here to enjoy the show."
He turned toward the innermost courtyard.
Kurozumi Orochi, blood leaking from the petal-thin cuts carved into his torso, was limping away under the protection of a handful of trembling Kurozumi loyalists.
Despite being shredded by Carl's petal storm, Orochi hadn't died.
The man was still surviving thanks to his Yamata no Orochi powers, a Mythical Zoan that gave him multiple lives—one for each head.
But just as Carl was about to move, he heard a whooshing sound behind him.
Black Maria had returned—grinning triumphantly as she brought her Haki-coated blade down toward his exposed neck.
"Carl!" Drake shouted, eyes bulging in shock.
Too late.
CLANG!
Her blade stopped midair.
It hadn't been blocked—it had been caught. With one finger.
Carl stood there, completely unmoved, one gloved finger pressed gently against the blade's edge.
Black Maria's smile crumbled.
"Impossible…!"
She trembled.
This was the kind of power only a Yonko—or someone like Kaido—could wield. Her full-power swing hadn't even drawn blood.
A normal human couldn't do this. Not without a Devil Fruit, not without mutation.
"Well, let's wrap this up," Carl said lazily. He wasn't in the mood anymore.
His foot lashed out again, wrapped in that dense black-and-red lightning aura, and slammed into Black Maria's side.
WHAM!
She flew across the courtyard like a cannonball and crashed through one of the buildings, leaving behind rubble and groans.
"That leaves you," Carl turned toward Drake with a lopsided smirk. "Don't take it personally~"
Boom!
The afterimage of Carl faded. He was already behind Drake.
Before the former Rear Admiral could react, a roundhouse kick struck him full-force.
BOOM!
He followed the same flight path as Black Maria—straight into a collapsed wall, leaving a Drake-shaped dent.
"It's handled," Carl dusted his gloves off and took a look around.
Across the battlefield, Kurozumi Orochi was just about to flee through a hidden passage out of the shogun's palace.
In the sky, a massive fight was breaking out—Issho (Fujitora), the blind Marine admiral, had engaged King the Wildfire. Their Haki-clad blows thundered across the night sky, purple gravity orbs clashing against flaming wings.
Though King held back nothing, it was obvious he was being overwhelmed.
But it wouldn't be easy to finish the battle quickly—Lunarian durability was no joke.
This war wasn't over yet. But the tide had already begun to turn.
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