--
Wano Country, Onigashima.
Crackle!
A long bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, suddenly illuminating the gloom.
The atmosphere across the entire island was tense and frozen.
Clang!
A pirate wearing a bull mask quietly swallowed, sweat dripping from his chin onto the ground.
Everyone stared at the enormous fleet slowly approaching through the bay ahead.
"They're here!!!"
"Go tell the boss! They're here!"
"Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, has arrived at Onigashima!!"
Suddenly, shouts rang through the sky, making countless people shudder.
In the bay ahead, several hundred meters out from the two watchtowers, enormous pirate ships advanced over the rolling currents.
The skull emblems on their fluttering pirate flags identified them as the world-renowned Big Mom Pirates, the crew of one of the Four Emperors.
A full month had passed between the news that two Emperor crews would meet in Wano Country and the Big Mom Pirates' arrival at Onigashima today.
That might sound like a long time, but for two such colossal pirate crews, it was actually quite fast.
The moment the fleet arrived, the Kaido Pirates on Onigashima grew tense.
Even though rumors had circulated in private that this would be a sake-sharing ceremony to seal an alliance between the two crews, with no danger involved, no one could truly predict the temperaments of the two Emperors.
The moment they met, things could very well take a terrifying turn.
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
The pirate responsible for delivering the news sprinted almost the entire way to Kaido's room on the highest floor.
"Captain Kaido!!!"
"Big Mom—the Big Mom Pirates are here!"
His panicked, nervous words echoed through the air.
"Worororororo!"
Laughter followed, and Kaido slowly turned from where he stood with his back to the pirate.
The pirate in the bull helmet froze