The raging blast waves lasted for almost five minutes, like an apocalyptic cataclysm.
When the blinding light, comparable to a solar flare, finally faded, Doll struggled to her feet to survey the surroundings.
The entire island of Punk Hazard was shattered and fragmented. Large swathes of land had simply vanished. The sea was filled with giant waterspouts over a hundred meters in diameter.
Even more horrifying were the frequent crashes of sea kings as large as battleships falling from high altitudes, clearly flung skyward by the explosion's shockwave.
"What level of power is this?!" Doll was utterly shocked, yet couldn't help wondering: 'Exactly how many dimensions lie between an Admiral and a Vice Admiral?'
"Hey hey, isn't this a bit too much?" Ace's mouth twitched slightly. He felt he should probably just give up on any notions of surpassing Setsuna.
"I'm really done for," Caesar said despairingly, lying flat on the ground, staring emptily at the sky.
If time could rewind, he would travel back to slap his past self silly.
He could have just left with Kaido back then! Why did he have to run his mouth?!
Soon, a 'Yellow Flash' appeared on the island.
"Yohoh, truly strong like a monster, aren't you?" Kizaru shook his head, sighing.
This time, it wasn't sarcasm but a sincere compliment.
If he had taken one of Kaido's ultimate attacks head-on, he'd be dead or at least grievously wounded.
Of course, his fighting style wouldn't involve taking an opponent's ultimate attack in the first place.
"Old man, you took way too long," Sentomaru couldn't help but complain. "You only show up after the fight's over."
Kizaru stroked his stubbly chin. "I dropped my vacation and rushed over the moment I got the call. That's already going above and beyond."
Setsuna took the Den Den Mushi from Ace and dialed the Five Elders.
The Five Elders were clearly closely monitoring the situation. The call connected the moment it rang.
"What was the outcome?" Saturn's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, carrying a rare sense of urgency.
"I blasted him away. Unfortunately, I couldn't capture him," Setsuna's voice held a tinge of regret.
Even the most optimistic Elder found this result hard to believe. "You actually defeated Kaido?"
"In a manner of speaking. But it was also because Kaido got careless," Setsuna shook his head slightly. "If he had maintained Future Sight throughout the fight, the best I could have hoped for was maintaining a stalemate."
This was also one reason he hadn't involved Uta in the fight. If Kaido, on a whim, foresaw a future where Uta used her ability to trap him and launched a sudden, violent attack, Setsuna might not have been able to save her in time.
Setsuna pondered inwardly, 'Next time I meet Shanks, I should ask him how to train that [Observation Kill] technique.'
Hearing Setsuna's explanation, the Elders immediately understood. "Do not blame yourself. You have performed exceptionally well. As a reward, we can grant you one reasonable request."
Setsuna thought for a moment. "I am searching for a certain Devil Fruit… the Logia-type Yami Yami no Mi. I would be extremely grateful if you could help me find it."
"You want the Yami Yami no Mi?" The Elders were quite surprised. While it was indeed a very rare Devil Fruit, for a physical combatant like Setsuna, it should be more of a liability, shouldn't it?
Setsuna offered a serious, fabricated explanation. "I've heard the Yami Yami no Mi doubles the pain the user feels. I thought if I endured double the pain during training, perhaps I could achieve double the growth."
"Heh, truly... an unconventional idea." The Elders naturally had no objection to Setsuna putting shackles on himself. That would make them feel even more at ease using his power. "We will mobilize the World Government's forces to search for it with full effort."
Kizaru, standing nearby, had a strange expression, 'Could this Warlord be targeting me?'
After all, in a certain sense, his Pika Pika no Mi was countered by the Yami Yami no Mi. No matter how fast light was, it couldn't escape a black hole's pull.
…
The New World, two days later.
On the Red Force, Benn Beckman took a drag from his cigarette, tapping the newspaper in his hand.
"Captain, hold off on your party for a sec. Look at this."
Shanks, arms slung around Yasopp's shoulders as they drank, turned his head, grinning drunkenly. "What news do I, the Captain, need to know? You handle it."
Beckman expressionlessly threw the newspaper onto his face. "You don't even want to know about Kaido's defeat?"
"What? Kaido was defeated?"
"Did he try to assault Marine Headquarters again?"
The drunken officers all crowded around, fighting to see the newspaper, the scene so chaotic they ended up pinning Shanks underneath them.
The front page featured a shocking photo: The sky over Punk Hazard torn asunder, Kaido's fiery dragon form being blasted away. From the angle, it seemed to have been taken from a battleship.
"That Warlord... actually defeated Kaido?"
"What a monster. I remember the previous papers said he's suspected to be under twenty?"
"Hah, when I was twenty, I was still a mountain bandit."
"This paper also gave him a new title. Says he should be called the [Supreme Warlord]."
In the midst of the crowded jostling, an arm suddenly shot up from below and grabbed the newspaper.
The officers then realized they had gotten too excited and ended up sitting on top of their Captain.
"Captain, you alright?"
"You guys went too far! How could you sit on Captain's face?!"
Shanks, still tipsy, took the newspaper. His gaze suddenly locked onto a photo in the corner. "U-Uta?"
Lucky Roo leaned in for a look, his mouth falling open in surprise. "It really is Uta! How is she with that Warlord?"
Beckman calmly blew a smoke ring. "Isn't it obvious? She boarded Setsuna's ship."
"Hah, looks like she's grown up quite..." Shanks tilted his head. "Or is it my imagination? The way she looks at that Setsuna guy seems a bit... off?"
Yasopp also leaned in, a nostalgic look on his face. "Banchina used to look at me like that."
Shanks jolted, all traces of drunkenness gone. "Prepare to set sail. I want to meet this [Supreme Warlord]."
…
On the other side of the New World, aboard the Moby Dick.
"Oyaji, look at this!" Marco unfolded the newspaper. The Whitebeard Pirates all gathered around.
The front page clearly showed the shocking image of Kaido being blasted away.
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed heartily. "That brat Kaido actually lost. This sea keeps getting more and more interesting."
"Kaido... lost?" The commanders were utterly shocked. They had clashed with Kaido's Beasts Pirates many times and knew exactly how terrifying that monster was.
Jinbei stood to the side, his tone full of gratitude. "Thanks to him, Fish-Man Island was saved. He single-handedly stopped the falling Noah."
Jozu's eyes widened. "Noah? That giant ark? He stopped it with his body?"
Jinbei nodded gravely. "It truly is an unbelievable level of strength. So I'm not too surprised he defeated Kaido."
In the shadows at the edge of the deck, Teach silently listened to the commanders' conversation. A flash of jealousy crossed his eyes.
He clenched his fists tightly, fingernails digging deep into his palms.
'Why can a brat like that become famous across the seas at such a young age? While I've had to endure and hide on this ship for so many years?'
…
Whole Cake Island, Totto Land.
Big Mom munched on a massive cake, cream smeared around her mouth. "Mamamama! That sneaky brat Kaido actually lost. What delightful news!"
Katakuri looked at the newspaper, his expression grave. "Mama, we don't know his stance yet. His appearance could very well become a variable that disrupts the New World's balance."
Big Mom laughed uproariously. "I don't care about any of that! Hurry up and invite him to my tea party! I've heard he has many excellent chefs. Perfect chance to show him how outstanding my daughters are!"
Perospero licked his candy cane. "But Mama... the paper mentioned he refused Kaido's marriage proposal..."
"Shut up!" Big Mom suddenly erupted in rage. Her ferocious glare made Perospero tremble. "My precious daughters could never be like that fool's daughter!"