Nine Red Scabbards Attack (Please Keep Reading!!)

"No way! Yamato, sure—she inherited Boss Kaido's bloodline. But that brat has Conqueror's Haki too?"

Below, on the ground, Queen stared up at the sky in shock. The cigar clenched between his innermost teeth had already fallen from his mouth, which was hanging wide open. "He always tries to hide behind everyone else the moment something happens."

He couldn't understand it.

"What's so strange about that?"

King, arms crossed over his chest, spoke as though it were only natural. "A person's spirit only reveals itself at critical moments. What one says and thinks is nowhere near as direct as what one's body actually does."

"How many people in this world could face Mr. Kaido from childhood like Ian did? No matter what he said, he had never once backed down, even after being beaten to the brink of death dozens of times."

There was something else King didn't say.

What Ian possessed wasn't merely the courage to face Mr. Kaido. There was also an inexplicable arrogance about him.

Just as Queen had said, the brat always wanted to retreat whenever something happened. Yet King had never seen fear in his eyes.

It was as though he had been born with a sense of superiority over everything in this world—and it had not faded even now.

"That said, why are they here?"

After recovering from his shock, Queen rubbed his chin. "Boss Kaido explicitly forbade them from coming near."

"They probably happened to approach the battlefield while returning after completing their mission."

King said, "This place lies along the route from Oden Castle to Onigashima."

"But Ian did well this time."

He had seen it clearly.

Mr. Kaido had underestimated Kozuki Oden.

He had nearly been hit just now!

Even watching from afar, King found the power of Kozuki Oden's two slashes terrifying. Even his Lunarian defenses likely would not have been able to withstand them.

If Mr. Kaido had been struck, he would probably have been severely wounded.

Thinking of something, King suddenly spread his wings, transforming into a massive pterosaur as he swept into the sky.

"Momonosuke!!"

On the battlefield some distance away, Kozuki Oden leaped into the air, launching himself toward the sky like a cannonball.

The Conqueror's Haki pouring from Ian gradually subsided. Along with that surging spirit, his head—which had been somewhat muddled by Kozuki Oden's Conqueror's Haki—had completely cleared.

Without any hesitation, Ian beat his wings and flew even higher into the sky.

If he rashly faced the enraged Kozuki Oden, he really would get cut to death.

Fortunately, Kozuki Oden couldn't use Geppo. Even if he could leap several hundred meters into the air in one go with his jumping power, he still couldn't catch Ian.

"Where do you think you're going? Demolition Gust!"

At that moment, a roar came from below.

The azure dragon raised its head, coiling its body as it unleashed countless gigantic wind blades that surged toward Kozuki Oden like a storm.

Yet Kozuki Oden lowered his head in delight. "Perfect! Kaido!"

Black Haki instantly covered his entire body, and Kozuki Oden was swallowed by the storm in an instant.

Even Haki could not completely block the razor-sharp wind blades, and Kozuki Oden's body was soon covered in wounds.

But as he was injured, the terrifying storm also carried Kozuki Oden rapidly upward.

"Huh?"

Ian, who was desperately flapping his wings, instantly went pale.

Teacher Kai, are you the mole?

"Give Momonosuke back to me!"

Riding the gale, Kozuki Oden had already rapidly closed in on Ian.

"Oden!!"

Shimotsuki Yasuie, held in Ian's hand, shouted excitedly.

"Brother Yasuie!"

Kozuki Oden's expression darkened further.

Sure enough, Oden Castle had been attacked. Even Brother Yasuie had been captured!

"Lady Toki and Hiyori weren't captured!"

Yasuie immediately told Oden what he knew. "They escaped!"

Toki and Hiyori were safe?

Kozuki Oden immediately let out a sigh of relief.

Right—Toki was a Time-Time Fruit user. As long as she didn't want to be caught, no one could catch her!

Then all he needed to do now was rescue Momonosuke and Brother Yasuie!

Kozuki Oden's eyes hardened with resolve.

But Ian could not smile.

"Ian!"

Yamato, clinging to Ian's head, cried out in alarm.

She had already witnessed Kozuki Oden's strength, so she understood the danger they faced now.

Ian said nothing. Flames blasted downward from his wings and the joints of his body, turning those points into jets and sharply increasing his upward speed.

Though he had kept insisting to Yamato that he had already been flying at full speed, he could obviously still go faster.

As he accelerated, Ian opened his mouth wide.

"Divine Flame Cannon!"

Scorching flames formed a pillar of fire that plunged downward, aimed straight at Kozuki Oden.

Kozuki Oden merely swung his swords. His twin blades, wreathed in black lightning, slashed out, and a white, ribbon-like flying slash surged upward, splitting Ian's breath attack down the middle in an instant and continuing skyward without losing any momentum.

But at that very moment, a black shadow descended through the air.

Clang!!

The pterosaur, the flames behind his head extinguished, closed in like lightning and placed himself directly in the path of the slash.

The instant he took position, the flames behind his head roared back to life. The pterosaur raised his wings, coated in Black Haki, before him, and Black Haki swiftly spread across his entire body.

Boom!!

The immense slash slammed into the pterosaur's wings. The terrifying force drove him relentlessly backward, tearing cracks into even those incomparably hard wings.

"Graaahhh!!"

The pterosaur roared, twisting his body slightly before suddenly exerting force with both wings. The black trail of the slash tilted slightly, then was deflected deep into the sky the next second.

Huff—

King let out a deep breath.

He had barely blocked it.

"Uncle King!"

Even Ian could not help feeling moved at that moment.

Uncle King had saved his life!

Uncle King's wings were still spraying blood!

King did not look back. He merely watched Kozuki Oden, who was still flying upward and raising his swords again.

That man was indeed someone he could not match, but there was no need for him to worry about that now.

"Where do you think you're running?"

A roar came from below. "Great Vajra—!"

Flame-like clouds continuously formed beneath him. Teacher Kai, already in Beastman Mode, stomped on those clouds and shot upward like a rocket, moving at an astonishing speed. In only a few breaths, he had closed in on Kozuki Oden.

Long black lightning trailed from the spiked club in his hand, stretching almost from the sky to the ground. Thick bolts struck the earth below, gouging deep tracks into it. His Conqueror's Haki had completely taken physical form!

"Thunder Bagua!!"

Kozuki Oden gritted his teeth and turned around.

"Peach White Waterfall!!"

Boom!!

Black Conqueror's Haki lightning immediately exploded and danced wildly through the night sky!

The cloud layer was torn apart. Raging winds crushed downward, accompanied by thick black lightning that set off wave after wave of astonishing explosions the instant it struck the ground below.

Ian beat his wings desperately, trying to keep himself balanced amid the collision between those two monsters.

This was absurd. The aftershock of a single clash had already whipped up a world-shaking storm in the sky.

"Ian! Look!"

Yamato tilted her head up in amazement. "The sky split apart!"

Ian had indeed felt the surroundings brighten in an instant. He looked up and saw a vast rift splitting the dark clouds overhead. With that rift as the crack, the clouds rapidly receded to either side, and the moon illuminated heaven and earth.

"Wororororo! I'll admit it! I really did underestimate you before!"

The monster's roar echoed through the sky. "If not for the brat from my crew interfering, you would definitely have severely injured me by now. I owe you an apology for that!"

"As compensation, let's have a proper fight now!! Wororororo!!"

Kaido shot into the air, then dropped down with a swinging club. "Third Class Descent: Pulling into Naraka!!"

Clang!!

Conqueror's Haki lightning exploded once more. Kozuki Oden blocked the blow, but with nowhere to brace himself in midair, he was still knocked downward.

"Brats!"

Teacher Kai suddenly raised his head. "Get the hell out of the way! I'll settle the score with you later!"

Ian's mouth twitched.

Teacher Kai, this student must remind you that if it weren't for me, you'd have been cut down just now.

"Let's go."

Uncle King flapped his wings and flew over. "Get farther away from here. What comes next will be the real battle."

Ian nodded lightly.

Jack and Black Maria had both been knocked unconscious. It wouldn't be good to keep them on his back the whole time.

Before long, Ian followed King to the edge of the battlefield, landing atop the small hill where Queen was.

Almost the instant they landed, thunder exploded across the nearby battlefield. The Haki from the fierce clashes transformed into surging dragons, sweeping wildly through the entire forest and blasting vast stretches of trees straight into the sky.

That was truly outrageous.

Maintaining his dragon form, Ian watched silently. In the distance, the two figures collided again and again, every clash shaking heaven and earth.

The forest was instantly reduced to bare ground, and then the plains were blasted flat.

"So amazing!"

Yamato's eyes shone as she repeatedly patted Ian's forehead. "Ian! We have to become this strong someday too!"

"Of course."

Ian did not hesitate in the slightest. "We'll become even stronger than them!"

Teacher Kai lost to Nika, but I don't believe that I, the Sun God, will lose to that damn rubber brat who has nothing to do with the sun.

Whatever else might be said, his conviction to grow stronger was beyond question.

In this world, only the strong could control their own fate.

And Ian had never doubted that he would become stronger than anyone—whether Teacher Kai or Whitebeard, whether Red-Haired or Nika.

I think that's what confidence is.

"Well done, brats!"

Queen laughed as he stepped forward. "But it looks like it's our turn to take the stage next."

Ian lowered his head.

Below the hill, several figures were rapidly approaching through the densely packed Beast Pirates.

"Give Lord Momonosuke back!!"

The nine people known as the Nine Red Scabbards were desperately charging this way.

They had also seen what had just happened in the sky.

"You stay here."

King drew the long sword at his waist. "They won't come one step closer."

Queen transformed into a massive Brachiosaurus.

The Beast Pirates' All-Stars had finally made their move!