Jack struggled helplessly, his massive body suspended in midair by the invisible pull of Kaito's power. Within the range of that crushing suction, he couldn't move a muscle—breathing was shallow, and even speaking felt impossible. It was as if the air around him had turned to iron.
All he could do was glare down at Ayanami Kaito with wild, bloodthirsty eyes. Those eyes alone were enough to send shivers down the spine of any ordinary man.
Kaito tilted his head slightly, his voice calm yet sharp. "Nice look… but what a pity. You shouldn't have come."
He flicked his other hand lazily toward the sea below. The once-still waters rippled violently, and within seconds, the waves began to surge.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The ocean churned, battering the Beast Pirates' ship as if a giant hand had reached beneath it and was shaking it apart.
"Damn it! The sea's going wild again!" Ginrummy shouted, bracing herself against the mast as the ship rocked violently. "Sheepshead! Be careful! I have a bad feeling about this one. Boss Jack might actually be in danger!"
"Relax," Sheepshead barked, glancing at the sky with an indifferent look. "Boss Jack ate the Ancient Zoan: Mammoth Fruit. His hide's tougher than steel, and he can fight for days without rest. Whatever that lightning freak did before—probably just tickled him."
Still, even as he shouted to the crew to steady the ship, the unease in his gut wouldn't fade.
"Stop lazing around! Get us to Dressrosa's port now! Something's not right about this weather!"
As he spoke, the sky above them began to darken—not with storm clouds, but with something heavier, unnatural. Ginrummy's eyes widened as she stared upward.
"Sheepshead… why is it getting dark all of a sudden?"
Before he could answer, a trembling voice echoed from the stern. "B-Boss! Something's wrong with the sea! The waves—they're too high!"
Sheepshead turned sharply. "Speak clearly, idiot!"
"No need…" Ginrummy said quietly, pointing toward the horizon.
Sheepshead followed her gaze—and his expression froze. A colossal wave, high enough to blot out the sun, was racing toward them. The wall of water towered over their ship, roaring like an ancient beast.
"How is this even possible?!" he shouted, his pupils dilating in horror.
Ginrummy clenched her fists, heart pounding. "There's no storm, no clouds… not even wind. Don't tell me this is—" her voice trembled "—man-made?"
Her memory flashed to the sky—the moment Kaito, that strange young man battling Jack, had pointed down toward the sea. Her blood ran cold.
"Not good! Everyone, abandon ship! Swim for Dressrosa!" she screamed. "NOW!"
But her words were drowned out by the deafening roar of the ocean.
WHOOOSH!
The titanic wave came crashing down like the heavens themselves had split open. In an instant, the three-masted ship bearing the Beasts Pirates' flag was swallowed whole. The vessel splintered under the force—its timbers, masts, and sails shattered and scattered like matchsticks.
The impact didn't stop there. The wave continued to surge, barreling straight toward Dressrosa's port.
When it finally receded, the sea returned to a deceptive calm. The sky was clear again, the air still. Only the drifting wreckage and a few unconscious figures floating amid the debris hinted at the destruction that had just occurred.
At the port, Trebol's ship—once docked safely—had been torn loose and swept away. The Donquixote Family's remaining cadres, all Devil Fruit users, had been dragged underwater, helpless against the sea that now claimed them.
In the sky above, Jack's enraged roar broke through the sound of the wind. "You… you bastard! I'll kill you for this!"
Kaito didn't flinch. "You?" His calm tone cut through Jack's fury like a blade. "If Kaido himself were here, maybe you'd stand a chance."
He raised his hand, obsidian Haki coating his fist in a dark sheen. "But since he's not…"
He threw the punch.
The blow struck Jack square in the chest with a dull, earth-shaking boom. The sound rippled through the air like thunder. Jack grinned viciously through the pain—his massive frame barely flinching.
"Ha! That all you've got?!" he spat, his deep voice mocking. Bound by Kaito's suction, he couldn't move, but his body was still reinforced by Armament Haki. Combined with his Ancient Zoan durability, most attacks would bounce off him like pebbles.
Kaito's gaze didn't waver.
The next moment, Jack's smirk faltered.
A wave of agony tore through his chest, sharp and deep like a thousand blades cutting from the inside out. His eyes widened, disbelief flickering across his monstrous face.
His breath hitched. "T-This… this is—"
Kaito's voice was cold. "Ryou."
Jack coughed violently, blood pouring from his mouth. A chunk of red flesh followed, splattering against his chest. His body trembled as the pain spread through his organs—heart, lungs, liver, every fiber of his being cracking under invisible pressure.
"That's right," Kaito said with a faint grin, his tone laced with quiet finality. "You can rest now."
The Haki around his fist pulsed, and the internal destruction intensified.
Puff… puff!
Blood streamed from Jack's mouth in thick rivers, his limbs twitching uncontrollably. Within seconds, the massive Beast Pirate's body went limp. His eyes stayed open, wide and full of unwilling fury, as the light drained from them.
The towering body of Jack the Drought—one of Kaido's All-Stars—hung motionless for a brief, silent moment before Kaito released his hold. His corpse floated weightlessly in the air, a titan brought low by an invisible force.
Kaito exhaled softly, grasped Jack's body with one hand, and vanished in a flicker of light.
Meanwhile, in Dressrosa—
Kyros stumbled through the streets, his broken leg dragging behind him as his body trembled. The spell that had turned him into a toy had been broken, and he now stood in his true human form once again. His eyes glistened with relief—but his heart was pounding with urgency.
"King Riku-sama!" he shouted as he rushed toward the bullfighting arena. Inside, King Riku III waited anxiously, surrounded by his remaining loyal guards.
The king turned sharply at the familiar voice. "Kyros?! You're alive?!"
Kyros dropped to one knee, tears welling up in his eyes. "Yes, Your Majesty! I'm alive—and it's over. Doflamingo… was defeated!"
King Riku's expression twisted between disbelief and joy. "Doflamingo's… defeated?"
Kyros nodded, quickly recounting everything—the years he'd spent cursed as a toy, his struggles, and the man who had brought an end to the tyrant's reign.
"So it was all Doflamingo's doing…" King Riku murmured, his voice heavy with anger and sorrow. "I knew it. That vile man brought ruin to this country."
As he spoke, a shadow fell over the plaza.
Both men looked up.
Floating silently in the air above them was Ayanami Kaito—his cloak swaying gently in the breeze, his eyes as calm and distant as the sky itself. In one hand, he held the massive, lifeless body of Jack the Drought.
The air around him shimmered faintly with residual lightning and Haki. His expression didn't betray exhaustion or satisfaction.
King Riku and Kyros could only stare in shock.
---