Look! Chang Wei Is Beating Lai Fu / The Three Emperors

Boom!

The violent impact exploded all around them. This time, Yermak failed to block it completely. The powerful Explosive Flame, accompanied by the thrust of the head, struck his body without losing any of its momentum.

The shockwave storm spreading in all directions nearly blasted the surrounding clouds into irregular fragments, which slowly floated above the roiling sea.

Yermak stood atop one of the larger fragments. At the same time, the ominous feeling in his heart grew stronger. After a brief exchange, he realized that he actually wasn't a match for this Marine before him... even though he had already been worn down by BIGMOM.

"Cloud-Mist: Domain!"

Once Atlas steadied herself, her vision was instantly blocked by the pervasive cloud-mist. It was somewhat similar to Smoker's Smoke-Smoke Fruit, but the two were almost entirely different substances. Smoker's smoke consisted of solid particles, while Yermak's cloud-mist was made of water vapor and tiny ice crystals. In other words... it had a cooling effect!

Sure enough, while Atlas was pondering this, the temperature around her had already begun to drop. However... it was still far inferior to Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit!

"Hm? Trying to run?"

Yermak wasn't the kind of pirate who would stubbornly fight to the death despite being outmatched. When the situation turned unfavorable, running away was the norm for pirates like him. Cruelty, cunning, and greed—the traits pirates ought to possess were perfectly embodied by Yermak.

Atlas had already locked onto his position with Observation Haki. Her leg muscles tensed, and her figure nearly turned into a blur as she shot toward Yermak.

Yermak naturally noticed Atlas's movements as well. His heart tightened. He activated his Devil Fruit ability, causing a vast amount of cloud-mist to solidify. Armament Haki surged with it, and he hurled it fiercely toward Atlas!

"Cloud Shield: Armament: Spear!"

The sharp spearhead glimmered with black light. Its terrifying edge made Atlas's cheek sting.

Just how much Armament Haki did this guy coat it with?

Atlas clicked her tongue in amazement, but her advance did not slow in the slightest.

"Don't forget! I'm still a swordsman!"

Atlas casually drew Sandai Kitetsu from her waist. Her arm bulged with power as she swung it forward.

"One Sword Style: Armament: Lightning Cutter!"

A blood-red slash wrapped in black-and-red Armament Haki tore forward. In terms of power, it surpassed her previous attacks. Atlas had only recently grasped this technique, and as she delved deeper into her Armament Haki training, her control had grown increasingly smooth. She was already able to try coating her slashes with it.

The powerful cutting force cleared Atlas's path forward almost instantly.

Yermak sensed the movement behind him and panicked, his hands and feet stiffening for an instant.

At almost the same moment, Atlas's pupils trembled. A powerful aura burst from her body. Like a snarling King of the Forest, she pounced straight toward Yermak!

"This is... Conqueror's Haki!"

A flicker of daze crossed Yermak's face. It felt as though a massive iron hammer had smashed into the back of his head. An intense wave of dizziness surged through him, and his body froze for an instant!

Perfect!

Atlas seized the opportunity and swiftly appeared behind Yermak. Before he could turn around, the gleaming blade of Sandai Kitetsu flashed past. Blood sprayed in every direction, and a fine head, still wearing an expression of shock, tumbled into the sea with a splash.

Yermak had been decapitated!

"Tch... All flash and no substance."

Atlas sneered and slowly used the tip of her blade to lift Yermak's head from the water.

Once the surrounding cloud-mist dispersed, a huge warship approached Atlas rapidly from the distance. After all, Yermak's Devil Fruit had not awakened yet. Although Atlas felt he was already on the verge of awakening, he still lacked the ability to permanently alter the environment.

"Commodore Atlas! The mission is complete. Requesting permission to return!"

Soon, the warship led by Kuzan rendezvoused with Atlas. An officer-looking Marine stepped off the ship and reported to her.

"Good. Let's first rendezvous with my warship over there. I had them sail farther away during the battle." Atlas nodded, then swept her gaze around once and frowned.

"Where's Vice Admiral Kuzan? Why hasn't he returned?"

Atlas certainly didn't believe Kuzan had died at BIGMOM's hands or run away. Although Kuzan had yet to reach his peak, he absolutely possessed Admiral-level strength. For some reason, however, the World Government had delayed the promotion ceremony that would have allowed Sengoku to officially take over the Navy.

Sengoku was a Marine of the older generation. As long as he had not been promoted to Fleet Admiral, the three monstrous Vice Admirals could not officially become Admirals. (This is just my speculation, though it basically makes sense. I don't know whether their promotions to Admiral happened simultaneously or at different times, so please forgive me!)

"Vice Admiral Kuzan stayed behind to buy us time to retreat. He should be here soon!"

"All right, I understand!"

Chapter 90: Look! Chang Wei Is Beating Lai Fu

New World, an unknown stretch of sea.

The thunder of cannon fire rang without end as two clearly divided fleets faced each other in a standoff.

"Gurararara! Are you here to cause trouble for me again? Are you Marines not satisfied with the number of soldiers who've died already, Garp?" Whitebeard's captain's cloak snapped in the sea wind. Holding Murakumogiri, he towered over the deck, his eyes filled with absolute confidence.

"Hahahaha! Newgate, you'd better worry about yourself first. Your head might be left here today. Then I'll have to apologize to that brat Atlas!"

As Garp spoke, he rubbed his rough, sturdy fists. His face was filled with excitement, and an emotion known as battle lust rose from his body.

"Gurararara! Let's see whether you have what it takes, Garp!"

The moment his voice fell, Whitebeard straightened his body and raised his left hand high, bending it at a ninety-degree angle. A white, spherical mass appeared over his fist!

Air Quake!

The entire space seemed like a mirror and instantly filled with cracks. The tremendous force transmitted to the surface of the sea, and the entire world seemed to shake.

At almost the same moment, Garp leaped high into the air. Armament Haki surged with him, instantly coating his fist!

Fist Bone: Meteorite!

Bang!

The extreme collision instantly generated a massive storm. What shocked the Marines and pirates nearby was that the sky... had actually split open!

"Is this a battle between top-level powerhouses? They're incredible..."

"Hahahaha! As expected of Pops Whitebeard. The World's Strongest Man isn't just a boast!"

"Mr. Garp is truly formidable. No wonder he's the legendary Marine!"

The Marines and pirates erupted into an uproar. The clash that shattered the sky delivered an unparalleled visual impact.

"Gurararara! What a bore! Enough with the probing. War isn't a game of house between pirates and Marines, Garp!"

Whitebeard raised Murakumogiri, its gleaming tip pointed at the Marine side. Terrifying Conqueror's Haki poured out. The war... had officially begun!

Not far from the Totto Land Waters.

One large and one small Marine warship sped across the sea. A tall man with a languid expression lay on the deck of the larger warship. A green eye covering hid his eyes, and without a parasol, he let the sunlight fall on his white suit.

"Vice Admiral Kuzan, are we heading directly to Vice Admiral Garp's position to provide support later?"

On the medium-sized warship beside it, Atlas crouched on the gunwale and asked Kuzan, who looked ready to fall asleep.

"Ahh... Let's see how things go. By the time we get there, the war will probably already be nearing its end!"

Kuzan slowly lifted one corner of his eye covering and glanced at Atlas from the corner of his eye before answering listlessly.

"This operation went pretty smoothly. Our battle results should be good, right? Hehehehe..."

"Ahh... It was all right. At present, the strongest pirate crews in the New World are BIGMOM, the Beasts, and Whitebeard. The Beasts' forces are the most intact, but their territory is limited to Wano Country. The Whitebeard Pirates are still the strongest. As for BIGMOM, her losses were rather severe. Quite a few of her children who hadn't yet matured were killed."

"Hahahaha! How could a top-level war be missing me?"

In the waters where the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates were clashing, a huge Azure Dragon plummeted from the sky amid wild laughter, instantly forcing his way into the battle between Garp and Whitebeard!

Kaido of the Beasts! Azure Dragon Form!

Garp and Whitebeard were forced apart by Kaido's intrusion and pushed to the edges. The two exchanged a glance. One charged forward with his fist, while the other raised his sword and slashed upward!

┗|｀O′|┛ Awooo~~

In an instant, two wounds that had pierced the dragon scales appeared on Kaido's enormous Azure Dragon body. Kaido winced in pain and let out a miserable roar, but the wounds actually healed before their eyes.

Garp and Whitebeard couldn't be bothered with Kaido, that troublemaker, and once more fought together with sword and fist.

"You two... really know how to get me excited!"

Kaido swiftly transformed into his Zoan-Hybrid Form. Although his massive body granted him greater strength and more powerful techniques, his flexibility was ultimately inferior to that of his hybrid form.

"Tch... That Kaido really is a troublemaker. He rushes over wherever there's excitement!"

Marco, who was entangled with Akainu, saw Kaido enter the battle and muttered disdainfully. In Marco's eyes, either Garp or Whitebeard could beat Kaido until he was crawling. Kaido was only able to endure because of his tough body.

Bang!

While Marco was distracted, a massive magma fist slammed into him. A bloody hole instantly appeared in his chest, radiating a scorched heat!

"Daring to get distracted while fighting me? First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates! Marco!"

"Hey, Vista, couldn't you keep an eye on him for me?"

Marco looked at the bloody hole in his chest and complained somewhat gloomily. At the same time, Flames of Rebirth surged forth. Granulation rapidly grew from the flesh around the wound, and in only a moment, all that remained was a faint mark!

"I'm not as tough as you. Taking a hit like that would hurt me badly!"

Vista answered seriously while swinging the blade in his hand.

Although the place where Garp, Whitebeard, and Kaido were fighting was some distance above the sea, the shockwaves produced by their occasional clashes still whipped up waves of violent wind and tsunamis. The terrifying sonic booms nearly deafened the Marines and pirates who ventured too close.

When Atlas and Kuzan arrived to provide support, they saw Chang Wei beating Lai Fu—or rather, Whitebeard and Garp hammering Kaido.

By then, Whitebeard had gradually figured things out as well. Although the Marines had deployed most of their forces here, their true target clearly wasn't the Whitebeard Pirates. Moreover, with Kaido causing trouble, the Whitebeard Pirates, which had originally been at a slight disadvantage, had managed to catch their breath.

There was nothing they could do about it. Kaido kept spewing Bolo Breath everywhere, making the pirates and Marines who were already fighting keep one eye open in fear. None of them dared to use their full strength and had to stay alert for sudden sparks of flame.

"Ice Time Capsule!"

The moment Kuzan arrived, he joined the battlefield directly. Intense cold spread rapidly, and the pirates who had been able to fight back and forth were immediately routed under Kuzan's pressure.

"Gurararara! All members of the Whitebeard Pirates, begin the retreat!"

Seeing this, Whitebeard shouted loudly. At the same time, he formed his left hand into a claw and tore at the air. Thick cracks spread from the sky to the sea. With the retreat of the Whitebeard Pirates as the dividing line, the sea... was split in two!

"Hahahaha, what a sorry sight, Whitebeard!"

Garp stopped as well. He knew that if Whitebeard wanted to leave, there was no way to stop him. Besides, the Marines' purpose this time wasn't to completely annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Hey, hey, hey! You're not fighting anymore? I haven't had enough yet!"

Kaido was displeased, but Kuzan, who had arrived, and Akainu, who had freed himself, joined forces with Garp to beat him brutally. Only then did he leave "satisfied," swaying as he stepped on a flame cloud, his head covered in lumps.

Chapter 91: The Three Emperors

A few days after the chaotic battle ended, flocks of News Coo flew busily toward every corner of the world. A piece of news shocking enough to stun the world spread across the sea.

The Marines had cleansed the New World, the Pirate Alliance had been completely dismantled, and a new group of overlords had emerged on the sea after the death of the Pirate King. The World Economy News Paper called them the Three Emperors of the Sea!

Totto Land, Whole Cake Island.

"Mamamama! Three Emperors of the Sea? I'm going to become the Pirate King!"

BIGMOM was unusually not eating. Instead, she held a newspaper in her hand, her expression somewhat strange. It was impossible to tell whether she was happy or furious.

"Mother, aside from Saint Marc, Tablet, Hefate, and Moscato, several of your sons and daughters have died. Mont-d'Or and Smoothie are seriously injured, and we've also lost a large number of battle Homies."

Perospero stood to the side and nervously recited the figures they had calculated.

"Useless! They're all useless!"

BIGMOM was furious. She had spent years giving birth to these children, litter after litter. Many of them possessed considerable potential, yet she had never expected them to die before they could mature.

Katakuri's expression was even uglier. He had already been in a foul mood after hearing of his younger siblings' deaths, and BIGMOM's assessment made him even more displeased. He had clearly seen Saint Marc die in the aftershock of BIGMOM's battle!

"Mamamama! What a grand move! The Marines—!"

"How badly were Whitebeard's and the Beasts Pirates' forces damaged?"

"According to our intelligence, the Beasts' forces remain the most intact. Only Kaido himself participated in this chaotic battle. The Whitebeard Pirates, meanwhile, suffered heavier losses. Several pirate crews under his command were wiped out, but their overall forces weren't damaged much."

"There's more." Perospero cautiously glanced at BIGMOM's changing expression before continuing. "Of the Pirate Alliance that invaded the Totto Land Waters, Klaus and Lakeham were captured by us, Yermak was killed on the spot by the Marines, and only Francis escaped alone..."

BIGMOM erupted in fury. An aura like that of an Evil Ghost burst from her body. "Mamamama! I'm definitely going to have that man's head!"

"Mother, Francis has already joined Kaido of the Beasts. He's now one of the Beasts Pirates' All-Stars—the Drought!" Perospero slowly reminded her.

"Kaido? Has that bastard forgotten the favor I showed him back then?"