Outside, the rumbling of cannon fire echoed across the water. Inside Onigashima, Kaido and Big Mom sat together, drinking.
"Have they finally started their attack?" Kaido took a sip of his sake and glanced indifferently toward the noise outside.
"Yamato's plan was actually quite good. Why didn't you follow it? If you had done what that child suggested, this war would have ended two days ago," Big Mom said.
Kaido remained completely unmoved. "I am the boss of the Beasts Pirates. Naturally, things around here are done according to my word alone."
"Then it really is a hardship for Yamato to have a father like you who won't listen to a single word anyone says," Big Mom noted. She had realized that Kaido was far more stubborn and opinionated than she was. Back on Whole Cake Island, she did not tolerate her children disobeying her orders, but that was only because none of them possessed a level of strength that she truly respected. If she had a child as powerful and intelligent as Yamato, Big Mom would definitely be willing to listen to their advice.
"You talk as if you're so wise, Linlin. Don't think I don't know that your children are all scared to death of you. You still make every single decision yourself," Kaido retorted bluntly.
"That's right, my children are afraid of me because their strength is lacking. If it were Yamato, I certainly wouldn't treat them that way," Big Mom said, not at all annoyed by his comment.
Kaido let out a harsh sneer. He knew exactly what kind of person Big Mom was; she was just as selfish as he was. Despite her fine words in front of him, if a child like Yamato ever appeared among her own subordinates, she would surely grow suspicious every single day. She would likely be even more paranoid than Kaido himself.
Seeing Kaido fall silent, Big Mom thought for a moment and decided to change the subject. "Do you think they can actually break in?"
"If they can't even fight their way inside, it would be too disappointing. They'd be nothing but trash," Kaido snorted. He was actually quite looking forward to the Straw Hat brat making it into the castle.
"That's true. Those brats aren't easy to deal with, but it might still be a bit difficult for them to break through. After all, Yamato is out there guarding the lines too," Big Mom laughed.
Kaido was silent for a moment. "No, that brat knows what to do. She won't take away her father's fun."
"You really have a lot of trust in that child," Big Mom looked at him in surprise.
"That brat has never expected anything good from me. Her way of thinking is completely different from mine," Kaido said flatly. From the time she was small, Yamato had angered him countless times. As her father, how could he not notice that Yamato disliked his way of doing things? However, Yamato always knew exactly where the line was and wouldn't confront him too directly; she was quite cunning. Otherwise, Kaido didn't know how many more headaches he would have had to deal with by now.
"Even if her thoughts are different from yours, that child is still staying in your pirate crew, isn't she? Otherwise, with her level of strength, she could completely strike out on her own," Big Mom shook her head.
Hearing Big Mom say this, Kaido had to admit that this was one point where that brat Yamato was actually quite dependable. "Enough talk. Let's see what those brats are truly capable of."
In front of the main gate of Onigashima, Yamato walked out, accompanied by Black Maria and Haruko. Standing on the high ground and looking down at the front lines, they could clearly see the entire situation on the battlefield.
"Right now, our Beasts Pirates are waiting in full battle array. It will be a major problem for those guys to try and invade us directly. It just so happens that we've changed our approach," Yamato looked down, her golden haori fluttering in the wind. Now, if the Nine Red Scabbards and the others wanted to invade Onigashima, they would need to lead the gathered samurai in a difficult landing operation to seize the coast. Such a landing operation was no small feat in terms of difficulty.
"Unfortunately, it can't even be called a true landing battle. After all, they're only attacking the port rather than landing across the entire line. The front is only that short stretch," Yamato glanced over the coast and shook her head again.
At that moment, Black Maria's Den Den Mushi began to ring.
"Reporting to Lady Maria, enemies have appeared from the rear of Onigashima! We are currently intercepting them!" a subordinate reported the situation urgently.
"What is the enemy's situation? How many ships and how many people do they have?" Black Maria inquired.
"There are only three ships, but they are all flying pirate flags. It seems to be the Straw Hat Pirates, the Heart Pirates, and the Kid Pirates!"
"Good, I understand. Block them with all your might and don't let them land. We'll be there immediately," Black Maria issued her orders. After hanging up, she looked over at Yamato. "Yamato, you were right. They really have split into two groups, it's just that they sent the entire pirate contingent to attack from the rear."
"From the look of things, these samurai in the front are specifically being used to pin down our forces," Haruko spoke up.
Yamato nodded. "Since their main force is in the back, we'll go to the rear to meet them ourselves. We'll leave the front lines to Ulti and the others." Having said that, Yamato contacted King directly. "Second Uncle, have Jack come to the front to take charge of the defense."
"Alright, I'll arrange for him to head over there now. So, it's just as you said, Young Miss—Straw Hat and the others are flanking us from the rear," King understood the situation immediately.
"Yes, I'm heading over there now with Maria and Haruko. Second Uncle, you and Third Uncle should also get ready," Yamato nodded and then ended the call. "Let's go and meet those guys who want to pull the Emperors off their high horses," Yamato beckoned and turned to walk toward the back of Onigashima. Black Maria and Haruko followed closely behind her.
At the rear of Onigashima, things looked very different. Unlike the front of the island, there was only a very small port here, and the path leading into the interior was just a narrow trail. Furthermore, no defensive fortifications had been built here, so no cannons were installed. Long before today, Yamato had already arranged for eight thousand men to be stationed here to guard this back road. Now, the three great pirate crews led by Straw Hat had already landed and were engaged in a fierce battle with the members of the Beasts Pirates.
Boom!
Although the three pirate crews didn't even have a hundred people combined, every single one of them was an expert. The average members of the Beasts Pirates were simply no match for them and found it difficult to effectively block their advance. Fortunately, the Beasts Pirates had numbers on their side and managed to stall them by sheer force of numbers and will.
"What audacity, daring to barge in here with so few people! Did you really think our Beasts Pirates would ignore this place?" Queen arrived with a large group of men. This group of subordinates wasn't many—only about three hundred—but they were all Artificial Devil Fruit users. Furthermore, they had all undergone Queen's cybernetic modifications, and their strength was not at all weak. "Boys, go! Take these guys out!" Queen puffed on his cigar and gave a sharp wave of his hand. Immediately, over three hundred modified Gifters charged out.
"Be careful, these are Artificial Devil Fruit users, and they've been modified. They're very troublesome," Kid, with his sharp red hair, warned Straw Hat and Law.
"Kid-ya is right, don't be careless," Law also warned everyone around him.
"Who's that guy who looks like a giant balloon?" Straw Hat Luffy asked while sending a charging enemy flying with a punch.
"Luffy, that's an All-Star of the Beasts Pirates, Queen the Plague. Besides him, there's also Jack the Drought and King the Conflagration. They are the strongest Lead Performers in the Beasts Pirates besides Kaido," Sanji told him.
Just then, a black shadow appeared in the sky, trailing sparks of fire. It dove down at incredible speed, transformed back into human form, and landed right beside Queen.
"King the Conflagration!"
The moment they saw King, Straw Hat and the others fixed their gazes heavily on him.
"Straw Hat, Trafalgar Law, and the former prisoner Kid. I didn't expect you to actually join forces here. However, even if you team up, you have absolutely no chance of winning," King looked down at them coldly.
"Enough talk! I don't care which 'Plague' or 'Conflagration' you are, get out of the way! I'll knock down anyone who stops me from taking down Kaido!" Straw Hat Luffy shouted.
"You certainly talk big, brat. Then try and see if you can get past this point," Queen laughed. After speaking, he turned and shouted to his modified Gifters, "Boys, it's time for you to make a name for yourselves!"
"Ohh! Kill them!" Those three hundred-plus modified Artificial Devil Fruit users charged toward Straw Hat and the others like hungry wolves.
"Crush them!" Seeing this, Straw Hat, Law, and Kid all prepared for battle.
However, their respective crew members all stepped forward to block the path. "What kind of crew would we be if our Captains were held up here? Your targets are Kaido and Big Mom. You can't waste your time or energy here. Leave this place to us. You just go find Kaido and Big Mom and take them down."
Straw Hat Luffy, Law, and Kid glanced at each other and nodded. "Alright, then we'll leave this area to you guys." With that, the three Captains quickly charged forward, intending to bypass the main forces of the Beasts Pirates and enter the interior of Onigashima.
"If you want to break through here, it's impossible!" King and Queen also saw through their plan immediately. With cold sneers, they both transformed—a massive Brontosaurus and a soaring Pteranodon appeared on the battlefield. The next second, both of them charged out.
Whoosh!
Queen opened his large mouth, and a mechanical cannon barrel extended from it, unleashing a fierce barrage of laser blasts at Straw Hat Luffy and the other two. At the same time, King dove down from the sky at high speed, his massive Zoan claws wreathed in raging flames, preparing to kick Straw Hat into the ground.
Clang!
At that exact moment, a figure intervened and blocked King's heavy attack with his swords. "An Ancient Zoan type. Perfect, I'll be your opponent!" Zoro immediately locked his sights onto King.
"Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro," King's gaze was sharp and focused.
On the other side of the path, another figure appeared dressed in a suit, one leg wreathed in bright flames as he kicked fiercely at Queen. Queen raised one heavy arm in front of him to parry, successfully blocking the attack.
"Black Leg Sanji. I know you, the brat from Judge's family," Queen exerted force with his arm, knocking the cook back a few steps.
"Shut up! Don't mention that man's name in front of me," Sanji said with a deep look of displeasure.
Queen laughed loudly. "That old fogey didn't seem to die at Big Mom's hands after all. It turns out you, the unwanted son, actually saved their entire family."
"Less talk. It has nothing to do with you," Sanji said impatiently, launching directly into another attack.
Just like that, King the Conflagration and Queen the Plague were both held back by Zoro and Sanji. Seizing the opportunity, Straw Hat Luffy, Law, and Kid quickly rushed toward the interior of Onigashima.
"Luffy, go for it!"
"Captain, leave this to us! You must win!"
Watching their Captains charge toward the castle of Onigashima, the crew members all shouted out encouragement. The victory or defeat of this entire battle depended on whether their Captains could defeat the two Emperors of the Sea, Kaido and Big Mom.
"Isn't it a bit too early to talk about winning?"
Just then, three figures walked out from high above the path. It was Yamato, Black Maria, and Haruko.
"It's her, Onihime Yamato!"
The moment they saw Yamato appear, the footsteps of Straw Hat, Law, and Kid all came to a sudden halt, their gazes becoming incredibly solemn. The second Emperor of the Beasts Pirates, Kaido's own daughter, Yamato. They had almost forgotten about her presence on the island.
"We must stop Onihime Yamato here. We can't let Luffy and the others waste their stamina before the main fight. Having to face three Emperors in a row would be far too much!" Jinbe spoke up, raising his fists. While the others thought the exact same thing, the modified Gifters of the Beasts Pirates were simply too difficult to deal with. Coupled with so many foot soldiers, they couldn't free themselves to provide support in a short time.
"Straw Hat, we meet again," Yamato stood on the high ground, looking down at the three Captains on the narrow path. Her golden pupils glowed, and a daunting Haki spread out across the area.
"Yamato, are you going to try and stop me too? My target is Kaido. Get out of the way!" Straw Hat Luffy shouted up at her.
"Insolent!" Haruko's gaze was ice-cold as she drew her weapon.
"You little ones are certainly in a major hurry. Are the three of you really going to challenge Lord Kaido? What are your actual chances of winning? Besides, there are two Emperors inside right now. People are going to die, you know," Black Maria said with a soft chuckle, holding her blade.
"Enough talk, get out of the way!" Kid said, his face full of impatience as his metal arm whirred.
"Kid-ya, are you telling some kind of joke? They are the Young Miss and an Executive of the Beasts Pirates. How could they possibly step aside obediently for us? This battle is definitely unavoidable," Law shook his head, drawing his sword slightly.
"Then we'll just knock them all down," Straw Hat Luffy didn't care about any of that.
"Though I'd like to say that's the worst choice, we clearly have no other option available to us. If we can't break through this line of defense, we won't even make it to Kaido and Big Mom's presence. Straw Hat-ya, Kid-ya, prepare for a hard fight," Law's voice was low and serious.
Boom!
Suddenly, a powerful laser beam shot out from a distance, exploding violently right in the middle of the crowd. In an instant, the forces on that patch of ground were all blown away by the blast. Looking toward the source of the sound, they saw a giant robot walking toward them. The laser beam from just now had been fired directly from its body.
"A robot?" Yamato looked over, a flash of genuine surprise in her golden eyes. She had long known that the shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates was a weapons expert, but she hadn't expected him to create something like a massive combat robot that could even fire lasers. This kind of advanced technology was not inferior even to Queen's mechanical modifications.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Several more lasers were fired in quick succession, landing heavily among the Beasts Pirates' ranks, constantly exploding and blooming across the battlefield like flowers. This time, even those thick-skinned Artificial Devil Fruit users couldn't withstand such a high-powered attack.
"Quick, I'll clear the way! Everyone follow me and charge! Cover Luffy and the others!" a voice boomed from inside the giant robot, and as it walked forward, it continued to fire lasers at the surrounding Beasts Pirates.
The battlefield quickly fell into complete chaos, and the tight encirclement formed by the Beasts Pirates was instantly broken. Just like that, under the heavy cover of the robot, the members of the three pirate crews all moved quickly to support their Captains.