Kaido frowned as the dark spear gradually melted into the ground, retracting to Carl's feet and transforming into a shadow.
This ability was not unfamiliar to him. It resembled the powers of Moria, whose will Kaido had once crushed.
But now wasn't the time to ponder the mechanics of Carl's ability. The seven Admirals on the other side were watching him like hawks. Today, the Beasts Pirates might truly face annihilation.
There was no way around it. The Navy had grown far too powerful. The strength reserve of seven Admirals was utterly overwhelming. Kaido had been lulled into complacency during the so-called Sengoku Era.
Had he foreseen this, he would have swallowed his pride and sought an alliance with Big Mom. But even she wouldn't have been enough. After all, the Navy still had those ageless monsters lurking in the shadows.
Kaido's expression grew increasingly grim at the thought.
Yamato slapped her chest with a relieved look, but her face quickly hardened as she glared at Carl.
"Hey! You're the worst!" she shouted angrily. "Attacking from the shadows! Now I know how someone like Oden lost to you—it must've been a sneak attack! Same goes for Ace!"
Yamato was the very definition of "big-hearted and brainless." As soon as she finished her rant, Lucia transformed into a streak of black light and charged at her.
With a blade engulfed in haki and purple flames, Lucia swung downward at Yamato's head. This time, Yamato managed to react. She wasn't weak—in fact, by now, she had a rudimentary mastery of advanced Conqueror's Haki. Lifting her black iron club, she blocked the incoming strike.
Clang!
Black blade met black club, and the ground beneath Yamato's feet collapsed. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she gritted her teeth to hold off Lucia's strike, her strength clearly waning.
Compared to Yamato, Lucia appeared calm and composed. Gazing down coldly, she sneered,
"Oden was nothing more than a weakling. He wasn't even fit to face the Young Master."
"What did you say?! Don't you dare insult Oden!"
Yamato, Oden's number-one fan, couldn't tolerate her idol being ridiculed. She roared in defiance, trying to knock Lucia away. But the gap in their strength was insurmountable. No amount of rage could bridge it.
Lucia remained unyielding while Yamato sank deeper into despair, barely able to hold on.
Seeing Yamato in distress, members of the Beasts Pirates immediately rushed to help. King spread his wings and charged toward Lucia.
Borsalino smirked, his body dissolving into photons before reappearing in front of King. With a flash of light, he delivered a devastating kick that sent King crashing to the ground.
"King!" Jack cried out, activating his hybrid form and charging toward Borsalino with a roar.
Before he could reach him, Queen intervened, his mechanical arm firing a golden laser beam.
Borsalino blinked lazily, letting the beam pass harmlessly through his body. It vanished without leaving a trace.
Using lasers against the wielder of the Glint-Glint Fruit was akin to feeding him ammunition.
Realizing his mistake, Queen switched tactics, extending his mechanical arm in an attempt to grab Borsalino.
But before he could make contact, five green vines coiled tightly around his arm. Queen's face twisted in shock as he turned to see Aramaki. Picking his nose with one hand, Aramaki smirked arrogantly.
"A pile of scrap metal? Pathetic."
Queen, who prided himself on his inventions, bristled with anger.
"You don't know anything! These are the creations of a genius!"
"A genius? You're nothing but a fat pig!" Aramaki sneered, his disdain cutting deeper than any blade.
Kuzan frowned and called out, "Aramaki, why bother talking to him? Just finish him."
In a flash, Kuzan left a trail of frost in his wake.
Before Queen could react, two spears of ice shot toward him. Activating his Armament Haki, Queen shattered them, but Kuzan was already upon him. Placing a hand on Queen's belly, Kuzan muttered,
"Ice Time Capsule."
In an instant, Queen was encased in a massive block of ice. However, before he could be shattered, he broke free by transforming into his full-beast form, his tail lashing out at Kuzan.
Meanwhile, ten hulking Numbers charged toward Akainu and the others.
Akainu snorted disdainfully, his arms erupting into molten lava that instantly obliterated two of their heads. Their headless bodies stumbled forward a few more steps before collapsing.
The remaining Numbers met similarly gruesome fates—some were drained dry by Aramaki's vines, others were reduced to ash by shockwaves, and the rest were incinerated by Akainu's magma.
The Beasts Pirates' vaunted Numbers, capable of destroying nations, were completely wiped out in the blink of an eye.
Faced with such overwhelming power, even the Tobiroppo and the elite Shinuchi hesitated. Rallying their troops, they charged, their ranks a chaotic mix of Zoan-type transformations.
But their onslaught was futile. Lava, vines, and shockwaves ravaged the battlefield as Akainu, Aramaki, and Kuzan unleashed their full power.
The strongest force in the Beasts Pirates, Carl, had yet to make a move. He stood calmly, arms crossed, watching Kaido.
Kaido could only watch helplessly as his subordinates were slaughtered like livestock. He wanted to intervene but knew Carl wouldn't give him the chance.
The six Admirals paid Kaido no attention, as though he didn't exist. They had tacitly left him to Carl, confident that Carl could take down the so-called "strongest creature alive."
No—kill him.
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+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg