Kaido stared at the massive ice pillars that had erupted skyward, towering higher than any warship, as the Second Elder transformed into a colossal white dragon. He swallowed hard, disbelief flickering in his eyes.
"Is that old Gorosei also a Devil Fruit user…? One connected to dragons?" he muttered, his voice trembling. "That aura… it's terrifying. He's releasing Dragon's Might!"
Kaido's eyes widened further. Dragon's Might — power equal to a human's Conqueror's Haki — the kind of strength he had always dreamed of possessing.
A dragon capable of projecting such might stood far above an ordinary one. It was like facing a Conqueror's Haki Awakener among humans.
This white dragon before him, Kaido realized, could probably make even his own Azure Dragon form tremble uncontrollably.
"Thankfully we chose to side with the World Government, Kaido," Big Mom muttered, her tone grim. "Otherwise, we'd be crushed in an instant."
Even Katakuri, Shiryu of the Rain, and the others trembled slightly as that overwhelming Dragon's Might rolled across the battlefield.
"The Gorosei… they're true monsters," Shiryu of the Rain growled, gripping his sword tightly. "Ashveil's done for this time."
But then Katakuri suddenly gasped, his mouth opening so wide that his scarf fell away. "Wait… that attack didn't even break his defense! Is Ashveil a demon or something?!"
Shiryu blinked. "You're joking, right?"
High above the frozen sea, the white dragon roared, light surging between its claws. A sphere of blinding white energy condensed, wrapped in streaks of lightning.
"Die, Ashveil!"
A pillar of white lightning exploded downward, tearing through the air as if to rip space apart. In an instant, it slammed into the spot where Thorne Ashveil stood.
Ashveil only raised an eyebrow, surprise flickering in his golden eyes.
"I didn't expect that. A white dragon… a Devil Fruit ability, perhaps?" His lips curved slightly in curiosity.
He studied the strange transformation — the Elder's body covered in flowing white beards forming the dragon's frame. Was it a Zoan Fruit connected to dragons… or some rare Paramecia?
Boom!
The golden shield of Conqueror's Haki surrounding Ashveil rippled faintly. Even the vast ice sheet beneath them — tens of thousands of meters thick — quaked violently from the impact.
The shockwave tore across the battlefield, whipping up storms of shattered ice. Even the strongest fighters in the United Army had to brace themselves, their coats snapping in the wind.
For the ordinary Marines and pirates, it was chaos. The flying ice chunks struck them like cannonballs; many collapsed instantly, knocked unconscious. The survivors dropped flat to the ice, praying not to be blown away.
Commander-in-Chief Kong smashed an incoming ice boulder with his fist, shards scattering as he frowned deeply.
"Even the aftershocks are this strong… if this keeps up, the whole army will be wiped out before the real fight begins!"
He seized his Transponder Snail.
"All Vice Admirals and below-executive combatants, retreat! Fall back thirty thousand meters from the battlefield!"
Meanwhile, beneath Ashveil's feet, the ice cracked apart from the residual power. Entire sections slid into the freezing sea.
"Is he dead?" The dragon's enormous head loomed over the splintering ice, its glowing eyes scanning the frozen field.
Then, a calm, almost lazy voice echoed behind him.
"Behind you, you foolish dragon."
In the next heartbeat, Ashveil appeared atop the dragon's skull.
Boom!
A golden shockwave burst forth, faster than light. The Second Elder's pupils shrank in horror.
That voice… impossible! Ashveil never dodged — how had he suddenly moved behind him?
He'd thought Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki was formidable but his speed lacking. Now, he realized how wrong he'd been. Even with his Observation Haki amplified tenfold by his dragon form, he hadn't sensed Ashveil's movement at all. It wasn't speed — it was something else. Could this man be manipulating space itself?
In a panic, the Saint Mars wrapped his massive dragon form in a storm of white beard strands, reshaping his body into a gigantic turtle.
Boom!
A split-second before Ashveil's golden shockwave struck, the dragon became a dragon-turtle — the Elder's ultimate defense.
Ashveil paused briefly in midair, intrigued. "So you can change form using that beard… fascinating," he murmured. "But even a turtle shell won't save you."
Boom!
The golden blast struck home. The ice sheet erupted, forming a crater tens of thousands of meters deep. Half of the dragon-turtle's shell shattered and spun through the air before crashing down and sliding across the ice for a kilometer.
Silence fell. The United Army stared in disbelief.
"Another one, defeated?" Sengoku whispered.
The mighty white dragon, capable of releasing Dragon's Might, had been crushed like it was nothing.
Kaido gawked, unable to believe it. "That… that dragon made even me shiver! And he still lost to Ashveil?!"
"Hey, Big Mom," Kaido said, still stunned, "why'd the dragon turn into a turtle?"
Big Mom blinked slowly, her massive frame shaking. "Don't ask me, Kaido. My brain's melting just trying to keep up! This fight… it's beyond anything I've ever seen. Stronger even than the day Captain Rocks fell!" Her voice cracked with awe and fear.
On the field, Ashveil gazed down at the fallen dragon-turtle, his tone calm but curious.
"So your beard lets you transform into all sorts of beasts. That's a strange ability indeed," he mused.
In the crater below, the Saint Mars reverted to human form, surrounded by torn strands of white beard. He lay unconscious — completely defeated.
But before Ashveil could move, a vast shadow fell over him.
"Arrogant child!"
A deep, furious voice boomed. Saint Saturn — one of the Gorosei — glared down, his eyes blazing with fury.
A wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him, distorting the air for hundreds of meters. That same power flooded into the axe, dark and violent, twisting the clouds overhead.
Far away, aboard the Moby Dick, Marco shaded his eyes against the glow.
"Conqueror's Haki Infusion… that giant axe — is that Ashveil's doing?" he wondered aloud.
Whitebeard shook his head slowly. "No. That aura feels darker. He's one of the Gorosei."
"But… who else could reach that level of Haoshoku Haki?" Jozu asked.
"We felt them before, during the Summit War," Doflamingo cut in, his grin gone. "This one belongs to the Gorosei."
Whitebeard nodded grimly. "I didn't expect one of them to have mastered Conqueror's Haki on par with Ashveil."
Then Mihawk stepped forward, his voice calm but certain. "Even so, I doubt he can win. Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki turned golden — its strength has already transcended the ordinary."