Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 282 Kaido's Death: The Era of the Four Emperors Ends!

Amidst the flames and lava, Kaido's figure suddenly leaped out.

However, this time he was in a very sorry state. After escaping from that lava hell, he stumbled and fell against the cliff of the island.

At this moment, he was covered in charred smoke, looking extremely miserable. The blue scales on his body kept bursting open, blood was flowing out in a torrent, most of his body was severely burned, and his aura had become weak.

Even the strongest creature, after being subjected to the relentless attacks of two top-tier naval experts, was struggling to withstand the onslaught.

Just as Kaido was panting heavily and calming himself down, Sakazuki's figure gradually emerged from the still-gushing lava.

Hot, scorching lava flowed down his body, dripping onto the ground with a hissing sound.

Judging from his aura, Sakazuki's aura was still incredibly powerful, but his face was somewhat pale. As a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, wielding the power of nature requires a tremendous amount of physical strength. Moreover, he was not without injuries, having been torn apart by Kaido many times.

At the same time, Yixiao, holding the Gambler's Fireline already sheathed, walked over from the other side of the cliff with his eyes closed.

However, although his eyes were closed, his attention was not on Kaido, but was looking in another direction.

There, Bannchi stood with his upper body bent, watching the battle unfold as if he were enjoying a good show, stroking his chin.

Sakazuki, of course, noticed Bane as well. He looked him up and down, then asked, "Are you alright?"

Bane waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's just a little bit of weathering."

It was as if killing a top expert like Charlotte Linlin was nothing to him.

Kaido also saw Bane, and grinned, saying, "Looks like my death is near."

Fighting Sakazuki and Issho alone had already put him at a complete disadvantage, not to mention that Bane had now freed up his hands as well.

In particular, Bane seemed to be fine and in very good condition.

"Hmph, at least you have some self-awareness," Sakazuki sneered.

"Hahahaha!" Kaido laughed heartily, then said, "To die at the hands of the three of you, it wouldn't have been a wasted trip to this sea!"

The moment the words fell, Kaido seemed to struggle as he pulled the Eight Guards up from the ground. Then, with a ferocious expression, he endured the pain and injuries on his body, pushed off with his feet, and charged towards Sakazuki.

Sakazuki clenched his fist, scalding magma mixed with Haki clinging to his hand. His expression was fierce, and he roared, showing no fear of Kaido's desperate, cornered beast-like momentum as he charged forward.

In a one-on-one fight, given Kaido's current condition, although he probably wouldn't win, he could definitely put up a fierce battle with Sakazuki.

Unfortunately, this was not a fighting arena, but a chaotic battle for life and death!

Kaido had only taken a few steps when the purple energy aura in Issho's hand burst forth, instantly applying a surge of gravity to his body.

At the same moment, Bane also moved, his feet flashing with a shave, leaving behind several afterimages in succession, and in the blink of an eye, he had already arrived behind Kaido.

Due to the pressure of gravity and the severity of his injuries, Kaido could sense Bane behind him, but he was too late to react.

Then, Bane's arms slipped under Kaido's armpits, lifted up, and clasped his hands together at the back of Kaido's neck, locking Kaido in place while his dark power suddenly erupted.

Given Bane's physique, locking Kaido up like this seemed a bit strange and unreliable. However, the burst of dark power instantly nullified Kaido's abilities, causing Kaido to immediately break free from his dragon-man form and return to his original state, just enough for Bane to lock him up.

With a burst of power in his hands, Bane's brute strength was enough to lock Kaido in place, making it impossible for him to break free.

At the same time, Sakazuki had already arrived face-to-face with Kaido, the magma on his fists exuding a destructive aura, his eyes flashing with ferocious killing intent.

At this moment, Kaido understood that his journey had come to an end.

Countless images flashed through his eyes like a revolving lantern: the battles of his youth, the betrayal of his country, the solitary wandering of the seas, and being recruited by the Rocks Pirates to become a ruthless pirate.

"Bane, will the world change after I die!?" Kaido suddenly asked.

Bane, standing behind him, was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Of course, that's an undeniable fact!"

"So you think you're Joy Boy, the one who can change the world?" Kaido asked, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

But the next second, he heard a pleasant answer.

"No, I am Bane, nothing more!"

"Hahaha, that's right, you are Bane, not anyone else. But it's a real shame that you won't be able to see that distant future." Kaido said with a smile and regret.

The next second, Sakazuki punched Kaido in the chest, and the raging magma instantly pierced through Kaido's skin, muscles, and ribs, burning his passionate heart to ashes!

However, perhaps because Sakazuki's attack was intended to kill, he showed no mercy. In addition, Kaido was currently suppressed by Bane's ability and lost the blessing of the Mythical Zoan type. Although his physique was still very strong, his defense was obviously much weaker than before.

Sakazuki's attack not only burned Kaido's heart, but the surging magma also pierced through his body, and the scorching red light slammed into Bane, who was clinging to Kaido's back.

"Damn it!" Bane cried out in pain, no longer able to hold Kaido back, and was immediately sent flying by Sakazuki.

Bane rolled several times on the ground before standing up. Looking down, he saw that his left shoulder was charred black, and his shoulder blade was roasted. Because he hadn't defended himself at all, he had taken Sakazuki's magma fist without any warning, and his injury was quite serious.

"Damn it, you guys, you can't play if you don't attack your teammates, right?" Bane cursed.

The most serious injury he has suffered since the start of the war came from his teammate, which is truly remarkable!

Sakazuki looked a little embarrassed and quickly explained, "It's my first time working with you, so I'm not very skilled yet. I'll get used to it after a few more tries."

"You want to do it a few more times!?" Bane glared at Sakazuki, but after a moment, his attention was already on Kaido.

Kaido remained standing, not falling. From Bane's perspective, a large hole could be seen piercing through his back, the flesh charred black, and his heart was gone.

At the same time, Kaido's aura is rapidly dissipating, which means that the strongest creature has perished.

"It's over." Bane didn't have time to say anything more. Dark power erupted from beneath his feet, quickly enveloping Kaido and seizing the Devil Fruit power within him at the last moment.

While Bane was dealing with these matters, Issho walked up to Sakazuki and said, "With the ringleader eliminated, the outcome of this war in the New World is no longer a question."

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Sakazuki then raised his hand to cover his mouth, and a gush of blood, which he couldn't suppress, gushed from his nose and between his fingers. With a slightly pained expression, he said, "The so-called Great Pirate Era has finally come to an end."

A moment later, Bane held the brand-new Mythical Beast-type Azure Dragon Fruit in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips, clearly quite satisfied.

"Ability hunting, how terrifying," Sakazuki, also an ability user, remarked with a click of his tongue as he watched the scene.

Bane waved the Devil Fruit in his hand and asked, "Want it?"

After all, Sakazuki was the real main force in this battle against Kaido, so he should get a share of the spoils.

Sakazuki glanced at the wound on Bane's shoulder that was being gradually healed by the dark power, and shook his head somewhat embarrassedly, saying, "You can keep it yourself."

Without any formalities with Sakazuki, Bane tossed the Azure Dragon Fruit into the dark space and said, "Next, we can speed up the cleanup of the New World battlefield and try to wipe out their remnants as soon as possible."

"I thought this battle would last at least three to five days, but I didn't expect you to resolve Charlotte Linlin so quickly. Now that the battle here is over, I need to hurry back to headquarters. Next, I still need to investigate the Revolutionary Army's killing of the Five Elders, which is quite troublesome," Sakazuki said with a slightly melancholy tone.

Upon hearing this, Bane and Yixiao exchanged a glance. Well, even blind people could make eye contact; that's the general feeling.

Then, Bane immediately stepped forward, laughing heartily, "Why the rush? We finally wiped out all four Emperors of the New World, quelled the aftermath of the Great Pirate Era, and achieved the Navy's most glorious victory in many years. Shouldn't we celebrate? I have some good wine on my ship. You haven't been to Melvure yet, have you? Come on, come on, let's go sit down and have a good drink!"

Sakazuki was actually somewhat tempted. The tension that had been taut for him for years had eased with the deaths of Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, and with the fall of the Great Pirate Era. Now that Bane suggested going to celebrate, he naturally wanted to as well.

Thinking about it carefully, I realized that it had been many years since I had relaxed like this.

Even after the Battle of Marineford ended, he never let his guard down because of the subsequent struggle for the position of Marshal.

However, out of consideration for the Marshal's reputation, Sakazuki still hesitated and said, "As the Marshal, I shouldn't be too lenient. Besides, we haven't even found the missing Borsalino yet."

"What do you mean by too much indulgence? With such a great victory, what's wrong with enjoying it? No one can find fault with it. Don't worry, if Mary Geoise really wants to cause trouble, just say that I was the one who wouldn't let you leave!" Bane said casually, putting his arm around Sakazuki's shoulder.

Yixiao, who was standing to the side, also stepped forward to offer a few words of comfort. Sakas was basically just pretending. Seeing that Yixiao and Bane, the two generals, had said so, he readily agreed and said, "Alright, I have indeed never been to Melviu before. It would be only right for me to visit your place this time."

"Hahaha, that's right, that's right!" Bane said with a loud laugh.

Soon, the warship arrived, and the three boarded it. Later, other members of the navy came down to clean up the battlefield. Although they didn't find anything extra, they did help Kaido and Charlotte Linlin collect their bodies.

As top-tier powerhouses on this vast ocean, despite their differing stances and life-or-death struggle, it's impossible for them to be left to rot in the wilderness after the battle.

The navy does have this much quality.

In the sky, Morgans excitedly wrote in his notebook: "Three naval heroes have left Butter Island. With this, the era of the Four Emperors ruling the New World has come to a complete end. The Navy has once again proven with blood that they are the sole rulers of the seas!"

After finishing writing, Morgans quickly snapped a few more photos of the warships leaving Butter Island.

Gradually, his agitated emotions subsided, and a complex yet expectant look appeared on the birdman's face. He said softly, "The eternal theme on the high seas is the struggle between the navy and pirates. Now, this struggle has temporarily come to a close. What kind of play will the next one be about?"

(End of this chapter)