Under the pitch-black night sky, the dragon body, hundreds of meters long, coiled and undulated.
Its scales gleamed coldly in the darkness, delivering an indescribable visual shock to the Marine forces.
The dragon eyes, gazing down at the sea radiated a blazing light.
Each of its claws clutched a ball of fire, as if ready to ignite the entire night sky.
An overwhelming and invisible pressure was unleashed without any restraint, pouring down with full force. The extreme sense of oppression made every Marine soldier aboard the warships tremble from the depths of their souls.
The ferocious head, the terrifying body covered in azure scales, the majestic posture and the condescending gaze—all of it struck the nerves and senses of the Marine soldiers and even many officers.
Even the Vice Admirals, in this moment, felt their own insignificance.
Sweating profusely, they braced themselves against the immense pressure and assumed combat stances.
"Yonko Kaido!"
"Such overwhelming pressure!"
"Damn it, his size is just absurd!"
"Everyone, stay sharp! The real war has just begun!"
Though the Marine soldiers on the warships felt the immense pressure brought by Kaido in his Azure Dragon form, not a single one retreated.
Even those whose bodies trembled uncontrollably under the extreme oppression seemed to see military merits beckoning to them.
Clenching their teeth, they stubbornly straightened their backs and fixed their gazes forward.
Unlike the oppression felt by the Marines, as Kaido descended upon the sea in his Azure Dragon form, the ships of the Beasts Pirates, which had just been suppressed by Sakazuki, erupted with thunderous roars.
The pirates' fighting spirit burned to its peak at this moment, each eager to charge onto the warships and engage in a life-and-death battle with the Marines.
"Gion!"
Sensing the sudden surge of fighting spirit from the Beasts Pirates, Sakazuki calmly stepped forward and said in a deep voice.
"Leave Kaido to me."
"Understood!"
Gion, holding her sword, gave a slight nod.
She then took out a Den Den Mushi and raised her voice.
"Member of the Momousagi Army, follow me and attack!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As soon as Gion finished speaking, the deafening sound of cannon fire erupted.
Immediately after, the warships of the Momousagi Army, which had flanked the Beasts Pirates alongside Akainu fleet, unleashed a full barrage of firepower.
As dense volleys of cannonballs streaked across the sky, ear-splitting explosions erupted one after another on the sea where the Beasts Pirates' ships were located.
Gion was not idle either.
With a swift movement, she appeared on another warship and stood at the bow, her sharp gaze fixed on King, who had flown back to the Brachiosaurus (Queen SFlagship) alongside Queen when Kaido appeared.
Standing on the deck of this warship were none other than Vice Admiral Tokikake, who had been summoned by Gion Den Den Mushi and Commander Hina, who had returned from the East Blue with Gion to enter the New World.
"Hina!"
Standing at the bow, Gion gripped her sword, Konpira, with one hand and pointed toward the Brachiosaurus with the other, commanding.
"Press forward and crush them in one go!"
"Yes!"
Hina nodded firmly and then turned to run toward the ship cabin.
Tokikake also didn't hesitate, decisively leaping to stand beside Gion.
Though he, like Gion, was a candidate for Admiral, he had been placed under house arrest by Orion when he stood up to stop Orion military coup.
However, he was not an obstinate person.
As early as the third day of his confinement, he had already grasped the situation.
Firstly, he realized that apart from the few of them who had stood up to stop the coup, everyone else, including the former Fleet Admiral Sengoku, had quickly chosen to stand behind Orion.
Secondly, the World Government had compromised, not only recognizing Orion as the Fleet Admiral of the Marines but also granting him power on par with the Five Elders.
Under such circumstances, the question for him was no longer whether to acknowledge Orion position as Fleet Admiral, but whether he would be valued and utilized by Orion!
After all, his existence was of no importance to Orion and it had absolutely no impact on the overall situation.
Orion had send him to the New World not because he was indispensable, but because Orion was giving him a chance to prove himself.
If he could deliver an outstanding performance in this war, he would undoubtedly continue to serve at the Headquarters.
However, if his performance was mediocre, his rank as Vice Admiral would surely be stripped away.
***
Meanwhile.
High above, Kaido moved.
His massive dragon body, spanning hundreds of meters, swayed slightly, causing the surging dark clouds around him to churn violently once more.
Then, his dragon body suddenly unleashed an even more overwhelming pressure, causing the void to tremble with low-frequency vibrations.
The oppressive aura of the strongest creature swept down furiously, directly targeting Sakazuki, who stood on the deck of Akainu army flagship.
Facing the overwhelming pressure from the strongest creature, Sakazuki did not hesitate for a moment.
He decisively commanded "Bring him down!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!—
The officers on the flagship did not dare to delay.
The moment Sakazuki order was given, the ship's cannons, which had already been aimed at the massive dragon body circling high above, fired almost simultaneously.
In an instant, the roaring cannonballs streaked across the night sky, trailing long white arcs as they headed straight for Kaido.
The deafening explosions, like thunder, erupted around Kaido.
The shockwaves, one after another, directly dispersed the dark clouds that had enveloped the sky, revealing Kaido visually striking, massive body in stark detail.
After two rounds of bombardment, Kaido remained unscathed.
"ROOOAAAARRRR—"
A dragon roar shook the entire night sky.
Buzzzzz—
The familiar low-frequency vibration appeared once again.
Amidst the horrified gazes of all the marines, Kaido ferocious head suddenly emerged from the thick smoke left by the exploding cannonball.
His gaping maw opened wide, and a ball of flame instantly rose from his mouth, condensing into a searing mass.
Hum—
The air trembled again and a wave of apocalyptic force radiated outward in all directions, centered on Kaido.
The next second, a torrent of flames shot out from Kaido mouth, drawing a fiery red line stretching a thousand meters across the night sky. In the blink of an eye, it enveloped the warship where Sakazuki stood.
"BORO BREATH!"
The scorching Dragon Breath arrived in a flash, obliterating and vaporizing a pirate ship that had been reduced to wreckage in front of Sakazuki.
In an instant, it loomed infinitely large in the eyes of Sakazuki and his men.
Boom—
A deafening explosion rang out, and a terrifying shockwave swept across the area.
A dazzling crimson light illuminated the entire sea.
Under the rising flames, the world fell into silence.
The once turbulent sea became eerily still, as if time itself had stopped.
------------------------------
Read 60 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator