"Whoooosh!"
The wind began to howl, sweeping up dust from the ground into little tornadoes that spun at everyone's feet.
The once-lively banquet fell utterly silent. Shattered wine jars lay scattered across the ground.
Wine spilled out, turning the earth muddy. A grim, heavy, suffocating air filled the space.
Kaido had brought fifty or sixty thousand core fighters and elite troops on this expedition. Big Mom had done the same.
Together, their forces numbered a full hundred thousand.
Now, those hundred thousand men crowded Bagran Island, surrounding River at their center. Along the coast, still more men charged off the numerous warships with furious roars.
It was a stunning sight that made one's scalp crawl, like Madara Uchiha facing the Allied Shinobi Forces of the Five Great Nations alone during the war in the Shinobi World.
"Huff, huff, huff!"
Heavy panting escaped the pirates' mouths. Their eyes were bloodshot and their faces twisted as they worked themselves into a prebattle frenzy.
They knew exactly who their enemy was: the terrifying legend who had defeated Whitebeard, Kaido, and Dark King Rayleigh, leaving behind countless tales from the previous era to the present.
River leaned forward, an icy chill filling his eyes.
To defeat Kaido and Big Mom together, he would first have to face these men.
"Whew!"
He slowly exhaled. A surge of white breath struck the air ahead, making it ripple.
The atmosphere abruptly froze. Despite the densely packed crowd, nothing but the wind could be heard on Bagran Island.
"Kill him!!"
At that instant, a furious shout exploded, and the scene erupted.
"Roar!"
The marines in the front row closest to River immediately charged. They darted forward, weapons slashing, drool spilling uncontrollably from their crazed faces.
River moved as well. He stamped hard against the ground, leaving a footprint