The Battle Begins

Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Even with the support of the Night Pirates, Wano Country still has a lot to prepare, mobilizing the entire country and gathering military forces—something that is completely new for Wano Country.

In addition, during Oden's campaign, a large portion of Wano Country's forces would inevitably be drawn away, leading to a decline in its internal strength.

Leaving behind a sufficiently strong defensive force to prevent invasion by external forces is essential.

Despite its geographical advantage, many forces are eyeing Wano Country. The period when Wano Country is at war with the Beasts presents a good opportunity for these forces, and they will not miss it.

In particular, there is a Road Sign Stone in Wano Country.

The slow pace of the Wano Country war gave the Beasts Pirates ample time to prepare, enough to build an impenetrable defensive line.

According to the saying, speed is of the essence in war, and this alone puts Wano Country at a disadvantage, which is obvious to many outsiders.

Both leaders have already appeared. Kaido of the Beasts is waiting on an island in the isolation zone, Wano Country has also arrived at this isolation zone based on intelligence.

A major battle between the two sides is about to break out.

The only way to retrieve the Road Sign Stone is to defeat the Beasts Pirates. The former royal palace ruins of the Babarossa Kingdom, the Beasts Pirates' headquarters, stand here, fortified by the Beasts Pirates like an iron fortress.

If they don't even know where the Road Sign Stone is hidden, how can they sneak in and steal it? They'll only get caught.

Therefore, Wano Country didn't have any strategies; they just fought a major battle with the Beasts Pirates.

This isolation zone is a long, vertical strip with dozens of islands. The distance between the Night Pirates and the Beasts Pirates' territory is not far; in fact, it's quite close.

This place has become the focus of attention for countless people. The Beasts Pirates' Steel Fortress, with its powerful and ferocious cannons, makes people's hearts tremble at the sight.

I never imagined that the Beasts Pirates' weaponry technology had reached such a level, not to mention that they have a kingdom as their foundation, a huge arms factory, and super production capacity.

Another unique feature is the variety of ferocious beasts raised by the Beasts Pirates, including many rare and exotic species that no one has ever seen before.

Combining the animal taming techniques of the Babarossa Kingdom, and even going a step further, these beasts have become the main fighting force of the Beasts Pirates.

Basically, every member of the Beasts Pirates owns their own pet beast.

Even Kaido of the Beasts is the same; he loves to lean against the giant lion beast he raised.

On the other side, ships with distinctive Wano Country features kept approaching, Night Pirates were transporting large quantities of supplies to the islands behind them.

This is a naval battle. Before breaking through the Beasts Pirates' defenses and landing on the island in Wano Country, this can only be a naval battle.

This is something the samurai of Wano Country find very difficult to adapt to.

Despite their formidable strength and exceptional physique, some warriors experienced physical discomfort and felt unwell during their voyages at sea.

Fortunately, no one fell ill. Some diseases at sea are extremely dangerous; without timely treatment, they can easily take one's life, even for the strongest individuals.

Oden hadn't considered this thoroughly beforehand, which led to this problem. It was only after resting for two days and recovering that they officially prepared to go to war.

In this war, Wano Country dispatched a very powerful force, consisting of 10,000 samurai led by Oden, many of whom were strong warriors from Wano Country.

The two sides stood facing each other from a distance. Kaido checked the distance and felt it was about right. He raised his hand and immediately swung it forward like a general.

"Fire! Let these warriors perish in this sea!"

The air was filled with the sound of artillery fire; the shells were faster and more powerful than anyone could have imagined.

After all, its extra-long barrel and caliber make it comparable to, or even surpass, the main guns of naval warships in power.

One of the ships belonging to the Wano Country exploded instantly, engulfed in flames. A single cannonball destroyed half of the ship, leaving the remaining half burning and sinking.

Such power is terrifying. This is a technology unique to a kingdom in the New World, which even used to defend against many pirates. Now, the Beasts Pirates have plundered, mastered, and even upgraded it.

Although the accuracy was not high, a few unlucky ships were always hit and destroyed.

The sea surged violently under the impact of these cannonballs, causing the ships to rock so badly that the warriors could hardly stand.

Their campaign got off to a bad start; in short, they faced strong resistance from the very beginning.

Their extremely long range made them easy targets for the Beasts Pirates' artillery fire.

Although I've witnessed pirate battles through videos, experiencing it firsthand still makes me realize the gap between myself and the sea.

The samurai of Wano Country would not sit idly by and wait to die; they sprang into action, advancing relentlessly while simultaneously fending off the cannonballs raining down from the sky.

Countless slashes were unleashed, hurtling towards the sky, creating a truly spectacular sight.

Each of these samurai was a skilled swordsman, and they attacked simultaneously to intercept the cannonballs hurtling towards them.

Even a single slashing wave could shoot down an entire sky full of cannonballs.

Huge explosions rang out continuously, and shells bloomed like fireworks, briefly illuminating the entire sky.

The combined force created a terrifying impact, further turbulent the ocean.

Oden's ship was the fastest and at the very front, like the tip of a sharp cone.

These cannonballs were ineffective against a powerful figure like Oden, a fact Kaido was well aware of. The defensive lines they had constructed were simply no match for Oden.

"I'll go first, you guys hold them off here." Kaido's eyes were fixed on Kozuki Oden, a smile on his face, his body trembling with excitement.

The world before them seemed to consist only of Oden was also one of Kaido's desired opponents, though he hadn't had the chance before.

On the high seas, Oden also had a legendary experience, boarding the ships of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates. He made a name for himself as a legendary samurai in the Whitebeard Pirates and helped Roger become the Pirate King.

As one of the world's top powerhouses, he led the opening of Wano Country, which had been sealed off for four hundred years, and connected it with the sea.

Among the many who have navigated the seas over the years, Kozuki Oden's name ranks among the top, especially given the significant influence Wano Country has had on the New World.

Oden, too, could sense that he was being targeted by a ferocious beast— Kaido of the Beasts.

"Roar!"

Kaido looked up at the sky and let out a deafening dragon roar. His entire body was enveloped in blue light, which kept changing.

In the blink of an eye, dark clouds gathered and lightning flashed wildly, seemingly in celebration of the appearance of the Divine Dragon.

Above the vast sea, a blue dragon, over a thousand meters long, appeared before everyone's eyes, its enormous body weaving and flashing through the thunderclouds.

"Bolo Breath!"

A flash of crimson-gold light appeared, and a scorching pillar of light, tens of meters in diameter, descended from the sky.

Its terrifying, destructive power struck directly at Kozuki Oden.

The air vibrated, triggering a powerful hurricane; the sea surged, and ships rocked irregularly.

Oden stood steadily on the deck, watching the approaching pillar of light without any panic. Under these circumstances, as the leader, he could not show the slightest sign of weakness.

An aura of Haki flowed around him, and Enma Ame no Habakiri, tightly.

With a burst of speed, his figure streaked across the sky like a meteor, shooting straight into the heavens.

"Oden Two-Sword Style: Tougen Shirataki!"

A terrifying slash was unleashed in an instant, splitting the descending Bolo Breath in two and extending upwards as if to strike Kaido in the clouds, which is exactly what it was.

The powerful slash cleaved the sky in two, revealing Kaido's figure in its entirety.

"Snort!"

Facing the approaching white light, Kaido snorted coldly. His slender yet powerful dragon claws, swirling with wind and lightning, slammed down, easily shattering Oden's attack.

This is just the beginning; for Kaido, it's not even a warm-up. The real battle has only just begun.

To some extent, the Beasts Pirates not only had an advantage in this war, but Kaido also had an advantage in the battle between Kaido and Oden, as Kaido could fly while Oden lacked a place to land.

This isn't a one-on-one duel; it's a war. Kaido won't treat Oden fairly. Defeating Kozuki Oden Wano Country the only real goal. He doesn't want the Beasts Pirates, who have worked so hard to get to where they are now, to suffer losses and be back to where they were a few years ago.

Even if it's despicable, it's despicable in a blatant way, Kaido never denies it, and everything he does is for his own benefit.

Although Kaido's Bolo Breath was split in two by Oden, it was impossible to completely stop it. The sea was affected by the Dragon Breath, causing it to churn and making it even more difficult for the samurai of Wano Country to move.

It was so difficult to even control the boat that it nearly capsized.

Meanwhile, the Beasts Pirates continued firing, their firepower more than sufficient, and their main base's arsenal was already in full swing.

King has already begun his attack, using his aerial advantage to proactively head towards Wano Country.

"Hahaha! You want to get close? No way!" Queen swung his braid, twisting his fat but agile body, standing on the Steel Fortress, holding a huge heavy machine gun in both hands, bullets exploding instantly with flashes of fire.

The power and quantity of bullets far exceed those of ordinary firearms, even without the application of Armament Haki. After all, the rate at which a heavy machine gun consumes bullets also means that the amount of Haki it consumes is unimaginably fast.

Moreover, the issue of bullet accuracy makes it entirely counterproductive.

However, the Beasts Pirates, led by Queen, were all armed with powerful guns and firearms, and countless bullets were continuously fired at the approaching Wano Country fleet.

This fully demonstrates the Beasts Pirates' formidable military strength, with various powerful weapons and equipment that are even comparable to the Navy. Although the Navy has the capability, it doesn't have the budget to develop such powerful weapons.

In terms of weaponry technology, the Beasts Pirates are almost on par with the Night Pirates, while other pirate crews in the New World are far inferior.

This is the result of having a powerful nation as a foundation, enabling them to more freely gather talent and even conduct research and development, with more abundant human and material resources.

The Beasts Pirates have unknowingly developed to this level, completely bridging the gap with the Navy in firepower, and even surpassing it.

With such powerful firepower alone, they could gain an advantage in war.

Queen's intelligence can also be fully demonstrated. A top scientist with ample funding for research is completely different from a scientist with insufficient funding, and the energy they exert is completely different.

The overwhelming firepower even prevented the Wano Country members from getting close, resulting in continuous ship damage and casualties.

Furthermore, taking advantage of Wano Country's disadvantages, they specifically targeted Wano Country's ships; once the ships were sunk, the crew members who fell into the water became their targets.

In Wano Country, Kaido also demonstrated his power during his battle with Kozuki Oden.

Among them, the most powerful members, led by Oden, leaped high and easily deflected the bullets and cannonballs with their swords, reaching the island first and arriving in front of the Beasts Pirates' war fortress.

The steel fortress, as solid as the Great Wall, had a sizable open space in front of it, a battle area left by the Beasts Pirates. They knew that powerful firepower was no match for a strong opponent.

However, all we need to do is keep them in front of the fortress.

"Break through here and pave the way for the samurai behind!" The samurai named Kin'emon shouted as he looked at the imposing Steel Fortress before him, his longsword burning with flames.

Such a fortress, with walls as high as eight meters, was built by the Beasts Pirates in just one month, which gives an idea of Beasts Pirates' mobilization capabilities.

It has to be said that the Beasts Pirates owe a great deal to Teach for reaching their current level. The favor he did for them is comparable to Charlotte Linlin giving Kaido the Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit in its Azure Dragon Form.

However, the next moment, a dark shadow flashed by, and sharp claws tore through the air.

Kin'emon hurriedly defended himself, but was knocked back five or six meters. In front of him was a humanoid Tyrant Dragon, the All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates, "Disaster" Laimer.

"Clear the way? Forget about it, mind your own business." Laimer sneered, his figure flashing as he swiftly charged towards Kin'emon.

The others, including Asura Doji, were all held off by powerful members of the Beasts Pirates, such as Omon, Queen, and Krell.

On a wrecked ship in the vast ocean, a dark figure stands facing two Mink Tribe.

Jhin immediately set his sights on the two powerful Mink Tribe and took them on alone.

"Beasts, we will not forget the wounds you inflicted on Uso. Now is the time to pay for them." The Nekomamushi glared at Jin, its fur bristling with rage, like an enraged lion.

Inuarashi was equally enraged and had already drawn his weapon.

"Oh! How frustrating. I was there that day too, with those dazzling flames and mournful cries. If the Mink Tribe hadn't been so clueless, things wouldn't have turned out like this. They should have just handed it over obediently, wouldn't they? In the end, nothing changed." Jin's cold voice only fueled the fury of the Nekomamushi and his companion.

"Damn it, go to hell!"

The clash between the two top powers has truly begun; king against king, general against general.