Such a Father Must Be Hard on You

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The long sword swept across the room with domineering strokes, while the spiked club, imbued with a dark and domineering aura, sparked countless snowflakes and sparks.

"Die, Kaido!"

Gecko Moriah laughed maniacally, wielding a massive sword befitting his size, and charged straight toward Kaido, who was not far away.

The Thriller Bark Pirates behind him were laughing wildly. Despite the fact that the person in front of them was considered the most likely candidate to become one of the Four Emperors, they remained fearless under the leadership of their captain.

"Bring it on!"

On the snowy plains, amidst the clash of powerful forces amidst the raging winds and blizzards, the young Moriah remained fearless, but the surrounding battlefield presented a different picture.

The ancient pterosaur, its black body ablaze with Huo Guang, darted through the wind and snow, each arc it traced claiming the lives of a Thriller Bark Pirates members.

In the blink of an eye, the ancient pterosaur transformed into human form, wielding its serrated longsword with ease, and lives vanished one after another beneath its blade.

"The Thriller Bark Pirates are only this good. The fact that they've become famous in the New World is all thanks to your captain."

In the wind and snow, Jin was dressed in black, wearing a mask, with Kuma burning behind him, and his eyes were full of disdain.

"Black Flame!"

A dazzling golden laser beam swept across the battlefield, causing an explosion across the entire snowfield. Queen cackled and transformed into an orange Brachiosaurus, walking through the snowfield.

"Although I hate to admit it, Vegapunk's technology is really impressive. I should have taken the research results from Judge when we were escaping the World Government's pursuit."

Before he finished speaking, streaks of purple Lightning Serpent coiled around the center of the battlefield, Kaido retreated dozens of steps, a rare fervor appearing in his bull-like eyes.

"It's been a long time, a long time since I've had such a satisfying fight. Kid, state your name!"

At this moment, Moriah did not respond to Kaido's question. Instead, he looked around, because the sounds of fighting that had been echoing in his ears had long since disappeared.

"Zabu, Lin, Morgans... you guys better pull yourselves together! Hey, didn't we agree to conquer this ocean together? Answer me!"

Just then, Kaido on the other side let out a low, hoarse laugh.

"Hehehe, this is the weakness of ordinary pirate crews. An overly powerful captain leading a group of useless subordinates will eventually lead to the death of most of them."

"In the end, they are only qualified to embark on the journey to the New World because of your protection. Their own strength is far from enough, yet they still insist on being strong."

Bang! Rumble...

Countless purple lightning bolts swirled around the Hassaikai rod in his hand. Not only did it possess the hardness of Armament Haki, but it was also enveloped and entangled with Conqueror's Haki.

"It's been a long time since I've fought so freely. Let me show you the strongest move I've created in my wandering life: Great Vajra Thunder Bagua!"

Countless deep purple lightning bolts coiled around the staff. Jin's expression changed drastically, and he transformed into an ancient pterosaur, flying away into the distance.

When Queen saw this, he scrambled and crawled towards the outside of Ringo, fearing he would be caught in the thunderstorm.

"Kaido! You bastard..."

The thunderstorm, which descended from the sky, gathered to its extreme, tearing apart countless dark clouds and snowstorms. Like a nuclear explosion, the rod-like energy drew a graceful and mesmerizing bolt of lightning.

Boom boom boom...

Clusters of sparks flew up, and countless mushroom clouds exploded. Moriah, who had barely managed to parry with his long sword, was covered in bruises and flew into the sky, his fate unknown.

"Not enough, not enough! How could an attack of this level possibly defeat that bastard, Uchiha Huayue? Not enough, not enough, ahhhhh!"

Kaido's shout echoed through the Ringo, causing Raizo, who was lurking in the shadows, to widen his eyes and hurriedly head towards the distance.

The Wano Country, Kuri.

"Oden, as long as... as long as we can find Uchiha Huayue, we will definitely be able to rescue those people!"

Kuri Castle, Kozuki Oden, who was drowning his sorrows in alcohol, waved his hands repeatedly and spoke righteously.

"No, a real man makes a promise to Kurozumi Orochi, and we must keep our word. I'll hold out for a few more years, and I'll make him release the hostages!"

At that moment, Kozuki Oden spoke with absolute certainty, as if he was absolutely convinced that Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido would keep their promise and release all the innocent people they had imprisoned.

"Oden!"

The retainer of the Ichichō family was moved to tears, feeling that this was the epitome of a true man.

However, after witnessing this scene, the figure in the shadows twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth, utterly speechless at the sight before him.

"These guys, their thought processes are more complex than normal, or maybe they're missing a crucial part of their brains, to actually believe a pirate's promise, ha..."

The plum rice ball in his hand was swallowed, while the little girl next to him had a head of long, flowing hair and big, bright eyes that blinked with curiosity.

"Brother, who are you?"

"Me? I'm a ninja, a pirate, or Shinigami. What about you?"

With a smile playing on his lips, he looked at the Kozuki Hiyori, his eyes shining, and exclaimed in surprise.

"Wow, that's amazing! Not only is he a ninja like Uncle Raizo, but he's also a pirate like Father. And his final name is so impressive too!"

"That's right, that's right! What an adorable child, having a father like that must be tough..."

"Hiyori! Who are you talking to?"

Not far away, a gentle female voice rang out, and Kozuki Toki looked over, prompting Kozuki Hiyori to wave repeatedly.

"Mother, I'm here! There's an amazing older brother here! He's not only a ninja, but also a pirate and Shinigami! He's so awesome!"

In an instant, Kozuki Toki rushed over with his sword, only to find the azure spirit particles scattering in all directions.

"Huh? Where's big brother?"

"It's alright, it's alright, I'm so glad you're okay, Hiyori..."

Gently embracing the child in her arms, Kozuki Toki sighed softly, her brows furrowed with worry.

"A pirate, a Logia Ability User? What's his purpose in infiltrating the city...?"

On the other hand, at the edge of the Ringo, Moonlight Moriah, half-buried in the wind and snow, looked ashen-faced and utterly dejected.

"Damn it, why, why did you all die like this? What will become of your dreams, our dreams of dominating this sea!"

After venting his emotions, Moriah stared blankly into the distance at the tomb buried among swords, and gave a nervous laugh.

"Yes, that's right. Since the living will eventually die, why not make the dead my companions? There must be a way in this world to make the dead move!"

Moriah laughed loudly, then staggered into the surrounding temples. He immediately noticed the black sword enshrined in one of the temples, its blade gleaming coldly.

The following day, the legendary sword of Wano Country, the supreme Shusui of the Sword God Ryuma, disappeared without a trace, shocking the entire Wano Country.

With the demise of the Thriller Bark Pirates, they vanished without a trace.