[TL/N: New Book -
Anime Group Chat in a Doomsday World!]
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Ace watched as Kaido and Linlin charged toward him, their attacks at full power. The corners of his mouth curled into a faint smile.
"Do you know why I waited for you to prepare your strongest attacks before acting?"
Ace's calm words sent a jolt through Kaido, who was barreling toward him in his Fire Dragon form.
Why?
Why would Entei wait for them to unleash their strongest attacks before taking action?
Kaido couldn't shake the memory of the Flame Emperor Incident—the sheer brilliance with which this man controlled the battle's flow.
Kaido's heart clenched at the memory of the chaos this man had wrought. Entei wasn't just strong—his intelligence and control over the battlefield were unparalleled.
Kaido knew all too well: once Entei seized the rhythm of a fight, his enemies were trapped in his tempo, unable to act freely.
So why? Why would a man like Entei give him and Linlin the chance to unleash their full power?
A terrible thought clawed at Kaido's mind.
Had they fallen into his trap again?!
Yet, there was no turning back. The arrow was already notched and the bowstring drawn. Gritting his teeth, Kaido roared, pushing his power to the limit.
Under the immense pressure, his Conqueror's Haki surged, becoming even stronger.
Ace laughed, his red eyes glowing like miniature suns.
He saw the change in Kaido's Conqueror Haki and nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction in his gaze.
As the ultimate mastery of willpower, Conqueror's Haki couldn't be trained like Armament Haki or Observation Haki. Its strength came from the user's growth in spirit and dominance, achieved only through battles and triumphs over adversity.
The most effective way to strengthen Conqueror's Haki was to clash against another Conqueror Haki-wielding conqueror stronger than oneself.
In such battles, the victor ascended by crushing their opponent's will, while the loser was reduced to nothing but a stepping stone in history.
In essence, Conqueror's Haki was a king's power, and only one could stand at the pinnacle of an era. All others were merely fuel for the strongest king's rise.
For Ace, who wielded the famous sword Enma, which could absorb Haki, other 'Kings' were the perfect source of nourishment.
The reason he had waited for Kaido and Linlin to unleash their strongest attacks was simple: to force them to tap into their full potential, strengthening their Conqueror's Haki to its absolute peak.
Ace's plan wasn't just to defeat them. He intended to absorb their power!
Would their strengthened abilities pose a threat to him?
Of course not.
Ace's eyes burned brighter, a flash of scarlet illuminating his gaze—evidence of his mastery over Future Sight, the ultimate mastery of Observation Haki.
He had already seen the end of this battle.
Everything was within his control.
"It's time to finish this."
Ace's voice was calm, his crimson eyes blazing with the brilliance of stars.
"I admire your fighting ability, Kaido."
Ace's voice was steady as he looked at Kaido, his eyes ablaze like real stars, burning with an intensity that was both mesmerizing and terrifying.
"But your ways are unforgivable. Under your rule, Wanokuni knows only suffering and tragedy.
The people starve, forced to drink polluted water just to fill their stomachs, only to die miserably.
Your strength is undeniable, but I would never allow someone like you to serve under me. Your existence is a roadblock—one that hinders the progress of the world I envision.
A world where everyone eats, everyone celebrates, and everyone is free to live without fear.
So, Kaido... die."
Ace's words echoed with conviction and absolute.
Kaido's rule, like that of Linlin, stood in direct opposition to Ace's ideals. To Ace and his crew, such tyranny was intolerable, and no amount of raw power could justify their actions.
Even if Kaido and Linlin were formidable warriors who might have been useful in future battles, Ace felt no remorse in deciding their fate. For him, there was only one outcome—death.
Ace's declaration caused Kaido's expression to darken, his composure cracking under the weight of those words.
Linlin's face twisted into a grotesque mask of rage, her fury boiling over.
"Entei, you arrogant brat! You dare look down on me?!"
To Linlin, it was as though Kaido were the only one worthy of Ace's attention. Her pride could not bear such dismissal.
"Don't make me laugh, you little worm! Die!"
Linlin screamed, her voice a maddened roar.
At that moment, both her devastating attack and Kaido, now in his Fire Dragon form, closed in on Ace.
Ace's lips curled into a faint smirk.
"Perish beneath my full power. Kaido... fall. Linlin, you'll follow."
As he spoke, his eyes burned brighter, no longer just metaphorical stars—they radiated with the intensity of celestial bodies.
"Entei! (Flame Emperor!)!" Ace roared, his voice resounding like a fiery proclamation.
The air crackled with power as Ace's body began to transform.
Kaido and Linlin froze, their pupils shrinking, terror etched onto their faces.
Ace's form ignited, his entire body engulfed in flames that burned brighter and fiercer than ever before. His body grew, towering over the battlefield, becoming a raging inferno.
At the center of this fiery maelstrom, the flames coalesced, condensing their terrifying energy. The sheer force of it obliterated Linlin's most powerful slash as though it were nothing.
Kaido, too, came to a halt—not by choice, but because the overwhelming energy immobilized him.
Time and space seemed to freeze, the moment suspended in awe-inspiring stillness.
Then, in the blink of an eye—
"BOOM!!!"
A star was born.
A true star blazed into existence, its light and heat consuming everything in its path.
Ace's transformation was the culmination of his powers—the fusion of the Mera-Mera Fruit, the conceptual freedom of Nika, and the might of Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki.
In this ultimate form, Ace embodied the Sun God, Nika, wielding the full force of the Sun itself.
Above Wanokuni, two suns now hung in the sky.
One of them was Ace.
Kaido and Linlin stared in horror, unable to comprehend what they were witnessing.
Entei... had become the Sun.
The blazing energy radiating from Ace incinerated everything it touched, and Kaido and Linlin were no exception.
Flames engulfed their bodies, growing fiercer with every rotation of the fiery star Ace had become.
Their flesh, bones, and even their internal organs began to burn.
This was no ordinary flame—it surpassed nature itself, rendering even Kaido's ability to control the elements through his Fish-Fish Fruit: Mythical Zoan – Azure Dragon Form utterly useless.
"AAAAHHHH!"
Linlin's screams pierced the air, unrelenting in their anguish.
Her infamous steel balloon, which had never been broken, was now ablaze, melting under the relentless heat.
Linlin, a natural-born monster whose body was once thought invincible—even more so than Kaido's—was writhing in agony.
For the first time, she felt pain that she could not withstand.
Kaido, however, remained silent.
Though his face contorted from the unimaginable agony as his flesh, bones, and organs burned away, he refused to scream.
This was his pride—his dignity as one of the strongest in the seas.
Ace, now the incarnation of the Sun, watched as his flames consumed his enemies, unwavering and absolute. His vision of a better world burned as brightly as the flames, leaving no room for the tyrants of the old era.
The Sun had risen, and with it, the dawn of a new age.
——
"Unbelievable, Entei, your methods are really unheard of."
Kaido's mouth pulled out a slightly hideous smile because of the severe pain.
"I believe what you said. Although you have the power of 'Nika', you are not Joy Boy! WORORORORORO"
Kaido laughed loudly and looked at Ace with a calm look in his eyes.
"You're stronger than Joy Boy! More incredible! It's worth dying in your hands!"
Kaido laughed continuously, and his body was still burning.
"Aren't you curious why I have to wait for you to attack with all your strength and waste so much effort?"
Ace's voice came from the inside of the star.
"This is the answer."
"Buzz!"
As Ace's words fell, a magical wave flowed into Kaido and Linlin's bodies.
Then, the black-purple lightning representing Conqueror's Haki, the pitch-black airflow representing Armament Haki, and even the red and slightly illusory ripples representing Observation Haki, were continuously stripped from Kaido and Linlin's bodies, and then their marks were burned alive under the burning of the flames.
Then, these black-purple lightning, pitch-black airflow, and red and slightly illusory ripples all poured into the star incarnated by Ace.
Then, they were swallowed up!
"You, you absorbed our hakis?!"
Kaido felt that the Haki in his body had completely disappeared, and looked at the star incarnated by Ace in front of him in horror, swallowing up all the Haki of the two of them.
Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, Observation Haki,
The Conqueror's Haki of the Four Emperors, who stood at the top of the sea, was swallowed by Entei?!
How could such a thing be possible?!!!
This is definitely not the power of Devil Fruit. Devil Fruit definitely does not have such power.
Even the power of "Nika" is impossible!
Haki and Devil Fruit, although Haki can be entangled with Devil Fruit power and perform amplified attacks,
They are two incompatible things at all!
From the fact that Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki can penetrate Devil Fruit power and hurt the body of the power user, it can be seen that no Devil Fruit power can help the devil fruit user absorb Haki!
Even the Dark Fruit, which is known as the most evil power in history, is impossible!
And Haki, of course, can't do such a thing.
Kaido, who has cultivated Conqueror's Haki to the Ultimate in this sea, has already stood at the top of this sea in terms of control over his Haki.
Even if Entei's Haki is stronger than his, it is impossible for such a power to appear out of thin air.
It is not a Devil Fruit ability, nor is it Haki.
That is to say, this power belongs to Entei himself!
Unbelievable! This is simply more terrifying than any bloodline!
It can actually directly devour and absorb other people's Haki and use it for itself.
No! Impossible! There is absolutely no such power in this sea!
Even in the long history, even Joy Boy, even eight hundred years ago, the twenty kings of the World government, could not have such power!
This is a power that does not belong to this world!
At this moment, Kaido looked at the star incarnated by Ace, and there seemed to be some enlightenment in his eyes.
"So that's it... so that's it! Entei! You're not from this—"
Kaido's words were abruptly cut off.
Together with Linlin, they were consumed by the raging flames, burned alive.
Two of the Four Emperors—
The Admiral of the Beasts Pirates, Kaido of the Beasts,
and the Captain of the Big Mom Pirates, Charlotte Linlin—had perished!