One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

The roof of the Skull Temple was completely destroyed.

The once magnificent building has become a charred ruin, with several broken stone pillars pointing crookedly to the sky, and the stone slabs on the ground shattering, melting, and then solidifying again.

The flames were still burning, and thick smoke obscured the moonlight.

The Straw Hat Alliance members scattered and took cover amidst the bombing.

But Kaido's attack range is too large.

With each round of bombing, people fall.

The number of wounded is increasing, while the number of those still able to fight is decreasing.

The ground was covered with charred marks and bloodstains, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder and blood.

Yamato rushed forward the moment Kaido began his bombardment.

She transformed into her Great God form, landing on all fours, her fangs biting Kaido's dragon tail, attempting to pull him down from the sky.

But Kaido's dragon body was too big. With a casual flick of his tail, which was hundreds of meters long, Yamato was sent flying, crashing through a stone wall before coming to a stop.

She got up, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and transformed back into her Great Mouth God form to charge forward.

This time, she opened her mouth and spat out a wave of icy blue energy—the freezing air attack of the Great God.

The freezing air drew an icy blue arc across the night sky, striking Kaido's dragon body and freezing a thin layer of ice on his scales.

Kaido frowned slightly.

But he only frowned.

The ice melted within seconds from the dragon's intense heat, turning into water vapor that dissipated into the air.

Kaido unleashed a burst of heat, which Yamato dodged with incredible speed, but his left shoulder was still burned by the intense heat, and a large patch of the Great Mouth God's white fur was singed off.

She gritted her teeth, her face filled with stubbornness and resentment.

"How many times do I have to fight this old monster...?"

Kaido circled in the air three times, and only after confirming that there was no significant resistance below did he slowly descend.

The dragon's body shrank again in mid-air, transforming into a human-beast form.

The dragon horns are still on its head, the dragon tail swings behind it, and the lower body consists of human legs.

The overall form retains the power of a dragon while also possessing the agility of a human.

He landed in the middle of the ruins, took the gourd from his waist, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp.

The wine dripped down his chin and onto the charred stone slab.

The gourd looked small in his hands—but that was relative to his seven-meter height; an average person couldn't even hold it with one hand.

The smoke and dust slowly dissipated.

The moonlight shone on the ruins once more.

The scene on the battlefield can only be described as horrific.

All nine members of the Red Scabbards fell to the ground.

Kin'emon knelt on the ground with his broken sword, the burned skin on his left hand still steaming.

Denjiro lost consciousness and was trapped under a broken stone pillar.

Kikunojo's right arm was charred black, and his back was torn open; he was completely unconscious.

He Song, covered in blood, stood protectively by her side, too weak to even stand up.

Ashura Doji used his chipped twin swords to support himself on the ground, but his knees fell back down as soon as they left the ground.

Inuarashi and Nekomamushi supported each other, their legs trembling violently.

The Mink warriors suffered heavy casualties in the previous bombing, with less than half still standing.

Ap's right arm was completely destroyed, and he could no longer conjure musical instruments. Hawkins had only one straw doll left, and his face was as white as a corpse.

Becky's suit was burned to shreds, his castle inside his body was damaged in many places, and he was bleeding from the corner of his mouth due to the damage to his Devil Fruit power.

Drake transformed back into human form, his body covered in electric shock scars and burn marks, and he needed to hold onto a broken wall to stand.

Kidd used his metal arm to brace himself against the ground, trying to stand up, but the arm shattered into pieces the instant he managed to do so.

Sanji leaned against the broken stone pillar, his pants tattered and torn.

Zoro knelt on one knee, with three swords stuck in front of him.

His hand split open again, blood flowing down the hilt of the knife, and the muscles in his arm spasming uncontrollably.

Luo leaned against him, panting heavily. The continuous high-intensity use of the Op-Op Fruit had greatly increased his physical strength.

Only Luffy and Yamato remained standing, staring intently at Kaido.

Kaido stood in the center of the ruins, looking around at the people lying on the ground.

He finished the last swig of wine and then smashed the gourd on the ground.

The gourd shattered, and the wine splashed onto the stone slab, gleaming amber in the moonlight.

"Is that all you've got?"

Kaido's voice echoed above the ruins, each word carrying undisguised contempt.

"You bunch of nobody think you can overthrow me?"

No one answered. Or rather, no one had the energy to answer.

"What One Piece? What revenge—"

Kaido hoisted the Eight Precepts onto his shoulder, grinning to reveal a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"I've lived for so many years and fought more battles than all of you combined."

Do you think you can win just by talking?

Innocent."

His gaze swept over the fallen Nine Red Scabbards, and the smile on his lips became even more sinister.

"Kozuki Oden was just as naive back then."

They thought that with just a few retainers and a bit of foolishness, they could drive me out of Wano Country.

The results of it?

His head is still hanging on the city gate of the Flower Capital.

Kin'emon knelt on the ground, his fingernails digging into his palms.

His lips were trembling, not from fear, but from anger.

But he couldn't even stand up, let alone lift the broken knife.

"There is only one law on the high seas—the strong live, the weak die."

Kaido gave Luffy the Eight Rings.

"Straw Hat Boy, I recognize your potential."

Mastering Ryuo in just half a month and initially wrapping Conqueror's Haki around his fists, this talent is truly remarkable.

But right now—you're not qualified.

Luffy didn't say anything.

He lowered his head, his hands hung at his sides, and his shoulders rose and fell slightly due to his rapid breathing.

The bone fragments that Luo had temporarily fixed in his chest were trembling slightly, and the pain inside his body had accumulated to a point where he could collapse at any moment.

"The throne on this vast ocean has long been reserved by Lao Tzu and Roy."

Kaido's voice echoed through the ruins, each word like a hammer blow to everyone's heart.

"You people are at best just stepping stones on our path to becoming kings."

Straw Hat Boy, you'll die here today, and tomorrow another overconfident brat will come and challenge us, and then you'll die too.

Again, and again, die—until everyone understands one thing.

He took the Eight Precepts off his shoulder, and the spikes on his mace gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

"On this vast ocean, only a handful of people will ever stand at the top."

"And you—don't deserve it."

despair.

True despair.

That feeling of helplessness when you know you've used all your strength but still can't even scratch your opponent.

Zoro gripped the hilt of his sword, trying to stand up, but the spasm in his arm made it impossible for him to even hold the sword steady.

Sanji's right foot was still numb. He gritted his teeth and tried to move his ankle, but the sensation was returning too slowly.

Kidd's metal arm shattered on the ground; his magnetic force had been pushed to its limit, and he couldn't even attract a piece of metal the size of a fingernail.

Amidst this atmosphere of despair, Luffy lowered his head and remained silent.

He was still wearing his straw hat, the brim of which covered most of his face, making it impossible to see his expression.

His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.

His breathing became increasingly rapid, not from the gasps of injury, but from some emotion building up, swelling, and about to explode in his chest.

Kaido's gaze fell on him, waiting.

Waiting for this little brat in the straw hat to utter some grand pronouncements, only to be slapped in the face by reality once again.

He'd seen this kind of thing far too many times; he was numb to it.

But Luffy didn't say anything.

He simply lowered his head, his body trembling slightly.