Yamato Joins the Fray, Close-Quarters Combat

Onigashima

To the left of the giant skull:

Tsk, what a troublesome old woman!

Despite being Fat Big Mom in her seventies, her movements were still clean and efficient, and her attacks were skillfully executed. Even when there were occasional openings, no one could break through her steel-like body for a while, leaving Roman feeling extremely frustrated and forced to switch back to a more defensive stance.

Tsk, what a troublesome brat!

They are just two juniors who have just entered New World; if they were separated, there would be plenty of ways to deal with them. However, after the two of them combine: the sword-wielding boy is fierce in both offense and defense, while the girl who uses elemental abilities controls the weather; a quick victory is no longer very likely.

Although the battle has escalated, it's still the same old story. Whether it's the All-Rounder Knight formed by Roman and Nami, or Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, both sides employ Haki attacks incorporating various elemental attacks: mixed damage, diverse types, enough to handle any enemy. However:

With both sides able to control the elemental weather, their battle fell into an awkward situation where neither could damage the other due to mutual neutralization.

Although charging up a powerful attack could quickly end the battle, neither side wanted to give the other a chance to charge up, resulting in the two behemoths tumbling and rolling around in a chaotic melee, making little progress beyond creating a mess on the battlefield.

Forget it, let's wait and see what happens on Kaido's side first. X2

Amidst the intense battle, both sides tacitly agreed to use only 70% of their strength. To avoid friendly fire, All-Rounder Knight fought Big Mom on the left side of the giant skull, while the battle on the right side took a strange turn:

"Stop, Father!"

A figure wearing Hannya mask and wielding a thin spiked club stood alongside Luffy and Ace, Luffy completely bewildered.

This guy... could he be Kaido's son? But why did he immediately attack his own father with a stick as soon as he appeared? Although Luffy with his grandfather, it's just 'playing around'. This guy in front of him:

"Yamato!"

"Hey, hey, hey!? Ace— "

The masked man, who had just struck his father with the filial piety stick, Guotou and noticed Ace beside him.

The main reason is that Ace has changed too much: all his unique decorations have disappeared, and because he was pierced by Akainu, only half of the iconic Whitebeard Pirates symbol on his back remains. In addition, there are the black radiating patterns on his chest and back after activating the 'Emperor Engine', and the preconceived notion that Ace died at Marine Headquarters.

"How come... no, I'm so glad you're alright!"

The masked man excitedly removed his mask, revealing a pretty face.

"Huh? Aren't you Kaido's son?!"

While Luffy isn't particularly interested in beautiful women, he's not without discernment. The scene before him made him want to say to Kaido, "Why are your son's pectoral muscles so exaggerated...?"

However, his gaze fell on the shackles on the other person's hands... those things gave Luffy the feeling of the Celestial Dragons slaves he had encountered in the Sabaody Archipelago.

"Ace, I'm so glad you're still alive!!"

As Ace's first "friend," Yamato pulled Ace into a tight hug, leaving Ace visibly embarrassed. Partly because Yamato was 2.6 meters tall, making the 1.8-meter-tall Ace look like a child. And partly because...

Charging with the ball, warning!

"Awooo~~"

After transforming into a dragon, even Kaido's laughter changed. He went from a dragon form to a half-dragon human form, which means he is ready to go all out! After all, facing three rising stars who are approaching top-tier combat power, even Kaido, who is known as the Strongest Creature, has to take them seriously.

"Yamato, what are you doing?"

Although this 'son' has always been rebellious, Kaido was still displeased that he so openly and directly stood on the enemy's side. Therefore:

Beat!

Beat him until he comes to reality!

Well, that's Kaido's upbringing. Whether it was effective in fostering communication between the two generations is unclear, but it certainly played a significant role in transforming Yamato into Division Commander.

"Luffy, buy me some time."

"Oh!!"

Although he didn't know what Ace was planning, Luffy instantly entered Fourth Gear! Future Sight, and his Conqueror's Haki coating his fist as he unleashed a powerful attack. Even against Kaido at his full strength, he could hold out for a while! Meanwhile, Ace had already taken Yamato's hands in his.

"People cannot choose their parents, Yamato."

Unlike before, when he focused on developing his Devil Fruit, after losing the Mera Mera no Mi, Ace concentrated on training his Haki, which ironically elevated his strength to a new level! As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Now he can do things he couldn't before:

"But we can choose how we live."

Armament Haki unleashed—

Ace's Haki instantly enveloped the shackles on Yamato's wrists, and with a forceful pull, he broke off the Explosion Bracelet. He then tossed the shackles binding Yamato aside in a flash.

Boom!!!

Amidst the deafening explosion, flames raged ever brighter from the handcuffs' center, eventually transforming into a massive, incredibly thick and tall pillar of fire, visible for miles around, shooting straight into the sky. For a moment, the night sky was ablaze with fiery clouds, forming a magnificent and awe-inspiring spectacle spanning several miles!

I have no idea where Kaido got such powerful explosives. Under such a terrifying close-range explosion, even someone with Armament Haki would at least lose two arms; more likely, they'd be blasted to ashes...

"Aaaaaah!! That bull-headed Masira, is he really trying to kill me!?"

Although Yamato, as Kaido's 'son,' idolized Oden from a young age and nurtured by the samurai of Wano Country Yamato, was constantly beaten by her father and even had her hands bound with explosive shackles, she still couldn't believe Kaido truly intended to kill her. But the explosion before her eyes...

"Of course, Yamato!!"

Kaido, who was dominating Luffy, glanced over with his cold gaze.

"I'm not one of those thugs who use empty words to intimidate. If I say this explosive shackle will kill you, then it will definitely kill you!"

Hey, is it really necessary to take this so seriously?

Ace was speechless. Even though her own dad was a jerk, at least she could still imagine that he had his reasons, or that he wasn't actually a heartless person... But compared to her best friend Yamato beside her, her dad was righteously announcing that he was going to blow her up...

This is truly tragic.

"I've made up my mind, Kaido, I'm going to beat you to a pulp!!"

Wielding a long, thin spiked Yamato charged towards Kaido. Although her Armament Haki wasn't top-tier, she had another skill she excelled at:

"Thunder-"

?!

"Gossip!" x2

Crackle!

Countless tiny black Inazuma radiated endlessly along the vertical plane between the two spiked clubs, which were separated by a dozen centimeters. Wherever they struck, the earth churned, the air tore, and glass shattered! It was as if an endless wall, shattering and destroying everything, including matter and energy, had completely cleaved the world in two insurmountable halves, centered on the point where the two men clashed.

Conqueror's Haki Entwine!

Observation Haki is for observation, Armament Haki is for defense, Conqueror's Haki is for true offense!

It's just that most people don't have Conqueror's Haki, so they develop Armament Haki for both defense and offense.

"I've already killed Kurozumi Orochi,"

After a hard-fought blow, Kaido spoke:

"Yamato, you will become the new Shogun of Wano Country, ruling this land as the production base of the Beasts Pirates! Help me seize the treasures of Wano Country, and then step onto the best battlefield in this world—"

However, the one who answered him was his son... no, his daughter's 'verbal attack'.

"Ice Fang!"

A blast of Ice Storm lashed out at Kaido, and at the same time:

"I will become the 'Shogun' of Wano Country! But not by your designation, but by me driving you all out!"

"I will open Wano Country to the world, so that everyone can live a life where they have enough to eat and wear, and have clean water to drink! As for your 'best battlefield,' I will face it too! Because I am Yamato Kozuki!!"

"You bastard, you're my son, you have to listen to me—"

???

Witnessing the father-son duo fighting and arguing in front of him, Luffy was completely bewildered.

Although I couldn't understand it, I was deeply shocked!

"Roman, explain to me... Roman?"

"Stop shouting,"

A white dove landed on Luffy's shoulder. His bright eyes glanced at Yamato, who had taken over the battlefield and was fighting Kaido, and then at Ace and Luffy, who were trying to recover their strength.

"I am 'Roman No. 1' created by Roman using the Devil Fruit ability —of course, there can't be No. 2 or No. 3."

"Getting back to the point: Roman is very busy, let me explain it to you."

Despite this, Luffy could sense that this 'Roman No. 1' dove had the same aura as Roman, meaning that it was actually Homies created by Roman using his own soul.

"Simply put, Kaido's daughter Yamato has always been raised as a son, but she idolizes Kozuki Oden, the shogun of this country twenty years ago. Although Oden's intelligence was a bit questionable... his generosity, courage, confidence, strength, and pursuit of dreams are still commendable."

Unfortunately, Oden was absolutely qualified to be the Whitebeard's Second Division Captain. He was capable, loyal, and responsible; he was undoubtedly a true man. However, his character flaws destined him to be an unsuitable 'king'. He was only suited to be a powerful second-in-command, which is the origin of the tragedy of Wano Country...

"So as you can see: Yamato wants to carry on Oden's will, drive out Kaido, and open Wano Country to the world."

"I see,"

Luffy stretched his arms.

"So, Yamato is also our friend, right?"

The next sentence is a glance at Ace beside him.

"That's right, Yamato is my friend. And her opposition to Kaido is genuine, so:"

A few seconds later, Ace, having regained his strength, assumed a charging stance.

"Yamato, we're here to help you!"

"Me too!"

"Oh!"

In an instant, the battle on this side turned into a 'three heroes against Kaido ', allowing the flying 'Roman No. 1' to sweep across the entire battlefield.

On the main side, the battle between the two sides is fiercely contesting, with neither side gaining the upper hand in the short term. Meanwhile, elsewhere, as the battle intensifies, the high-ranking officers of both sides have begun close-quarters combat.

The Straw Hat crew, the Whitebeard Pirates' captain, the Bad People, Zou, the Red Scabbards...

The Babanuki, the Six Sons, the All-Stars, the Charlotte's children...

"Snowflakes drifted in the clear sky, like flowers in the wind, and the full moon was clearly visible in the sky."

Amidst the murmuring of the white dove 'Roman No. 1', the Mink Tribe warriors of Zou below roared and 'transformed' into their 'Sulong' forms, their manes flying wildly! Their combat power instantly increased to a whole new level.

"Avoid the two battlefields atop the skull and surround them from all sides—"

Because both royal-level battlefields are located at the top of Onigashima, the Beasts Pirates are the most affected, while the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, scattered around, is compressing the two deadly battlefields according to plan.

"Kill! For the blood feud of twenty years ago!"

"Hahaha, so the captain is Ace! Brothers, let's go!! Let's show Dad our courage."

"Favorable timing, advantageous location, and harmonious relationships."

All that's left is to fight, to fight desperately, to squeeze out every last bit of potential. War is not about who is stronger, but about who can stand the last one standing!