The moment his strike failed to land, Ozz knew something was wrong.
Sure enough.
Splurt!
A wound ripped across Kaido's chest, and blood gushed out like a waterfall.
If it had been any ordinary man, this kind of blood loss would've sent him into shock or worse already at death's door. But Kaido, with his monstrous size and insane stamina, only staggered slightly as his eyes glazed over.
Then, just as quickly, he steadied himself.
The wound on his chest began to scab and close at an unnatural speed, halting the bleeding almost instantly.
"So this is the so-called patch-notes answer to everything Mythical Zoan, huh?"
Ozz stared at the cut he'd just inflicted not deep enough to be critical, but enough to draw blood. With a casual flick of his blade, he sent the crimson droplets flying.
Across from him stood a bloodied Kaido and a now thoroughly excited Ozz, whose eyes burned with the thrill of battle.
Big Mom opened her mouth, likely to explain something, but Ozz wasn't listening. She had no choice facing his incoming strike, she raised her weapon and joined the fray.
At the perimeter of the battlefield, everyone watching the clash of these three titans stood frozen in place.
But members of the Big Mom Pirates quickly snapped out of it. Whether or not they could help, they couldn't just stand by and watch.
Leading the charge were Oven and the others, fists clenched, about to rush forward when.
"Sandstorm!!!"
A cold, razor-edged voice rang out.
Before they could get anywhere near the fight, a massive sand-laced tornado swept through the battlefield, throwing everything into chaos.
A woman stepped forward.
She wore a long coat and had a deep scar running across her face, her expression permanently fixed into one of utter disdain.
Lighting a cigar with one hand, she stared at them like they were trash.
"Hey!!! Crocodile! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"You picking a fight with us?!"
"You son of a...!"
"Don't get cocky!!!"
The Big Mom Pirates, nearly swept away by the storm, all turned on Crocodile in outrage. But before things could escalate further, Katakuri stepped in.
His face was grim. He opened his mouth to speak.
"This is all a misunderstand."
Before he could finish, a sand blade burst from the ground, aiming directly at his abdomen.
The result, however…
"Oi, Mihawk. I don't need your help."
Crocodile's voice cut in, his tone sharp as he glanced at the silent swordsman gripping Yoru, who was clearly preparing to step in.
"That guy's just like a certain someone I hate damn good with Observation Haki. Let me handle him."
She was already in a bad mood, and nothing soothed her like pummeling someone who thought they could see the future.
Across from her, Katakuri stood unharmed. His waist had transformed into mochi and regenerated where the sand blade struck.
Crocodile's expression darkened.
That same disgusting feeling again being completely read like a book.
"Seeing the future, huh? Then how about this."
"Requiem: Erosion!"
The moment the words left her mouth, a glint of red flashed in Katakuri's eyes. Despite himself, a few drops of cold sweat rolled down his cheek.
An attack that wide?!
In the blink of an eye, the lavish banquet hall was swallowed in golden sand. A radius of nearly a kilometer transformed into a barren desert.
The rolling quicksand swept across the ground, making it impossible to rely on the mochi body to evade.
A sand blade slashed toward him Katakuri had no choice but to harden himself with Armament Haki and brace for close combat.
But in this sand-filled world, Crocodile clearly had the home-field advantage.
Boom!
A pitch-black fist collided with her golden hook then both fighters were blasted backward, taking several steps to regain their footing.
The battle was deadlocked.
It was hard to say who had the upper hand, but at this rate, they were going to be fighting for a long time.
As for the rest of Big Mom's children… they were completely outclassed.
Stussy and the others, along with their subordinates, "valiantly" blocked their way.
Not out of loyalty but simply because the Big Mom kids were still too young.
Even future Sweet Commanders like Smoothie and Cracker were just kids right now Smoothie at twenty-five, and Cracker barely fifteen.
Despite being around the same age as Mihawk and the others, their development wasn't even close.
If it came down to it, Mihawk wouldn't have any more trouble dealing with them than Kuzan did during his original invasion. He could probably one-shot them.
Even Stussy alone, if she didn't hold back, could wipe the floor with all of them. And that's not even counting the rest of the heavy hitters from the underworld.
Mihawk scanned the battlefield, looking left and right.
No worthy opponents remained.
So naturally, his gaze turned toward the main event.
Big Mom, was she holding a sword?
She was, right?
Mihawk gripped the hilt of Yoru and was just about to unleash a slash when.
Whoosh!
In his Observation Haki, something dropped from the clouds just like Kaido had before.
It was a massive, jet-black bird, diving like a fighter plane straight from the sky. The sheer momentum made Mihawk's brow twitch in concern.
Something was coming… straight at him.
No matter.
Cut first, ask questions later.
With a swift pivot, Mihawk raised his blade and slashed down at the incoming figure.
Clang!
Zzzzzzzzz!
But instead of slicing clean through, like he usually did his blade hit resistance.
Yoru clashed with the creature's beak, and for the first time in ages, Mihawk's strike stopped cold.
He was shocked. His slashes could cleave through mountains like butter yet this… this creature actually blocked it?
Even with Armament Haki added to the blow?
Just what kind of absurd durability was this?!
As the creature retreated midair, it began to morph.
A tall, black-armored warrior emerged, every inch of flesh covered by sleek, jet-black plating. A massive pair of wings stretched from his back, and flames flickered behind his head.
But what caught Mihawk's eye wasn't the armor or the fire.
It was the weapon.
He was holding a sword.
"The All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates… King, is it?"
Now that Kaido had shown up, Mihawk wasn't surprised to see his right-hand man too.
"Vice Captain of the Beasts, and Vice Captain of the Black Emperor Pirates… Dracule Mihawk. I've heard the name."
Both men were right-hand figures in their respective crews trusted, deadly, and decisive.
Neither of them liked wasting words. Once they confirmed each other as enemies, their swords did the talking.
Mihawk's hawk-like gaze locked onto the long blade in King's hand. A fierce glint lit up in his eyes.
It had been so, so long since he'd last crossed swords with someone like this.
With a single motion, he unleashed a sword wave of emerald green, hundreds of meters long, tearing through earth and stone as it roared toward King.
"Nani?!"
The slash was too fast. King had no time to dodge.
The sword wave engulfed him, smashing through dozens of buildings before it finally came to a halt.
Even though it didn't actually injure him, the sheer force of it made King freeze for a split second.
Clang!
Yoru, wrapped in Armament Haki, struck him again through the smoke but still couldn't break through his armor.
Mihawk narrowed his eyes.
"Don't you get it? Just biologically speaking…"
"You'll never beat me."
"…Is that so?"
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[ Chapter 100 Preview: The Black Emperor vs. The Two Emperors Alliance
The battlefield shakes as Ozz, the so-called Black Emperor, stands alone against two rising legends Kaido and Big Mom. Steel clashes with flame and lightning as Mihawk's mysterious blade speaks, revealing hidden power that slices through the defense of King himself. As the next generation of Ozz's crew proves their worth, the man himself welcomes the fury of two future Emperors with a grin.
Kaido's kanabo, laced with Conqueror's Haki, meets Ozz's crimson fist in a cataclysmic clash that cracks the sky and carves canyons into the earth. Big Mom, reborn in her prime, unleashes Prometheus and Zeus with unholy fury. Yet Ozz doesn't retreat he thrives.
Old grudges from the Rocks era resurface, and the battlefield becomes a storm of muscle, will, and Haki. As the two Emperors synchronize their assault, even Ozz feels a twinge of real danger.
And then it comes Hakoku: Sovereignty of the Sea.
This isn't just a battle between monsters.
It's a war to decide the future of the seas.
Who will break first The Alliance, or The Black Emperor? ]
The tides are shifting, and secrets linger in the dark... Step into the shadows early on P@treon, where the next chapter awaits before the world sees it.
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