One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

"Clang! Crack! Clang! Boom!"

An endless storm of violent black and purple lightning raged furiously over Cake Island.

In the skies above, bolts of black and purple lightning divided into two fierce factions, clashing and tearing at each other in a furious storm!

Conqueror's Haki – the mark of a king's power! To fully master this force is to claim a throne, becoming a true ruler, one of the overlords of the sea.

When two bearers of Conqueror's Haki clash, their powers resonate and surge with a fierce intensity, each trying to obliterate the other. This sea has room for only one king!

Only one throne exists for the king of an era, and only the strongest Conqueror's Haki can claim it. The top of the sea is a battleground, where true overlords clash until only one remains!

This is the power of a king; this is the essence of Conqueror's Haki! When wielders of this power meet, their collision is a force of nature. Only one can ascend to the Heavenly Throne that lies above!

The Entei Pirates fleet sails towards the New World, signaling the final stage of this brutal struggle among the true overlords of the sea!

"Boom!"

Two forces of Conqueror's Haki entwined and clashed, threatening to tear a massive rift in the heavens. Under this overwhelming power, countless currents surged backward, as if the sky itself were being ripped apart.

"Boom!!!"

The whole of Cake Island shook violently under the might of the Conqueror's Haki.

The leaders of the Big Mom Pirates, renowned across the sea, could only stare in shock and fear at this apocalyptic scene.

Even the strongest of the Big Mom Pirates, Charlotte Katakuri, a wielder of Conqueror's Haki himself, was outmatched. He couldn't even withstand the full force of Kaido or Big Mom's Haki-infused assaults.

In this sea, before the absolute rulers, the Four Emperors – even the admirals are slightly bigger ants!

And to Flame Emperor, a man who surpasses the Four Emperors, even a mighty admiral like Black Arm Zephyr in his prime would seem like an insect!

"Brother!"

Charlotte Brûlée, Big Mom's eighth daughter and a user of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, cried out in surprise as she gazed at the imposing figure standing before her siblings.

"Stay behind me!" 

A towering figure with short amaranth hair, a flower-like white scarf, and a black-metallic attire spoke with unwavering resolve. Wearing black gloves, a spiked ring on his left arm, and spurred black leather boots, he stood prepared.

This was Charlotte Katakuri, Big Mom's second son – the de facto second-in-command of the Big Mom Pirates!

Alongside Marco the Phoenix of the Whitebeard Pirates and King the Calamity of the Beasts Pirates, Katakuri ranked as one of the most powerful vice captains in the Four Emperors' ranks, each with a bounty exceeding one billion berries. And then there was Ben Beckman of the Red-Hair Pirates, reputed to be even stronger than an admiral.

As the clash of Conqueror's Haki loomed closer, Katakuri, equipped with a king's qualifications, stood ready to shield his younger siblings.

Though stoic on the outside, Katakuri harbored a fierce, protective heart, vowing to keep his siblings safe.

"Brother!"

The children of Big Mom looked up to Katakuri with admiration. Known as the pride of the Charlotte family, Katakuri had lived his life undefeated, never once touching the ground in defeat.

Behind Katakuri, his siblings felt an unexpected sense of safety.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" 

"Boom!"

Despite Katakuri's determination to shield his younger brothers and sisters, the clash between Kaido and Charlotte Linlin raged on.

Kaido's spiked club and Charlotte Linlin's colossal sword continued to collide fiercely. Linlin's Homies – Prometheus, imbued with fire, and Zeus, with the power of thunder – had transformed into a blazing sun and a thunderous storm cloud, raining fire and lightning upon Kaido.

Yet, Kaido's mastery of the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, allowed him to harness and manipulate natural elements. Against him, this elemental onslaught was nearly ineffective. Kaido could stimulate his cells with lightning, enshroud himself in fire, and even assume the form of a blazing dragon. Without the Soul Fruit's influence, he might have simply absorbed Zeus and Prometheus's elemental attacks for himself.

The battle was a brutal attrition of Conqueror's Haki and Devil Fruit abilities, wearing down the two powerful combatants. Both Kaido and Linlin paid with their dwindling strength.

Though the only female among the Four Emperors, Charlotte Linlin was an unparalleled natural talent. While Kaido earned his title as the "Strongest Creature" through the power of his Azure Dragon form, Charlotte Linlin was born a monster. 

Her body possessed an innate, almost impenetrable defense, earning her the moniker "Steel Balloon."

Kaido, despite his dragon's might, had been scarred by Kozuki Oden, bearing two crossed wounds on his chest. But Linlin had never been wounded. Her innate defenses were unparalleled; none had ever pierced her skin. No one else in the pirate world possessed Linlin's overwhelming raw talent.

However, after leaving the Rocks Pirates following the Valley of the Gods Incident, Charlotte Linlin became increasingly preoccupied with having children and hosting tea parties. This fixation only grew after she attained the title of Emperor, further compounded by her mysterious illness, which worsened with time. Once a towering force, she had become bloated and, over the years, her power waned rather than grew.

Still, it was her unmatched physical defense, even when not succumbing to schizophrenia or emotional instability, that secured her place among the Four Emperors. No one, not even Kaido, had been able to pierce her skin.

Their clash would ultimately prove to be a stalemate, as both could do little more than drain each other's strength.

"Boom!"

For three days and nights, the battle roared on. By the end, Cake Island had been reduced to a barren, unrecognizable wasteland.

Countless deep cracks scarred the island of cakes and pastries, a land once rich with sweets now reduced to ruins in the wake of this devastating battle. 

One could only imagine how many cakes, confections, and delicacies had been destroyed in the process.

"Is this... is this the true power of the Four Emperors of the sea?" 

The children of the Charlotte family swallowed hard at the sight, their eyes wide with horror and disbelief. Even Katakuri, the strongest of the Charlotte siblings, looked on with a solemn expression.

Though they were Charlotte Linlin's children, leaders of the Big Mom Pirates, they had never witnessed their mother's full power. Since Linlin rose to the title of Emperor, she had devoted herself to raising her family and hosting endless tea parties. A tense balance of power had since emerged between the Four Emperors, the Naval Headquarters, and the Seven Warlords, preventing all-out war among the great forces of the sea.

Without true conflict between these three powers, it had been years—before even the incident with the Flame Emperor—since any large-scale clash had shaken the seas. When young pirates foolishly challenged the Four Emperors after entering the New World, they were swiftly dealt with by the Charlotte family's own leaders, rarely drawing Linlin herself to the fray.

In fact, even Linlin's own children had never seen her fight at full strength. Her destructive episodes of "schizophrenia" were devastating, but even in those out-of-control rages, she fought on pure instinct, unable to use her advanced Conqueror's Haki techniques.

What they now witnessed – a clash of true Four Emperors going all out – was on an entirely different scale.

As for the Flame Emperor incident, while the live broadcast had revealed some of the sea's most powerful figures, nothing on a screen could compare to experiencing the terrifying power of the Four Emperors in person. To see this kind of might up close was to know that for these supreme overlords, razing a kingdom was as simple as taking a breath.

"How strong is that Flame Emperor...?"

Watching Kaido and Linlin fight nonstop for three days and nights, neither showing a scratch, Katakuri spoke in a grave tone. While the broadcast of the Flame Emperor incident ended when Ace smashed Saint Saturn's head, Kaido had arrived at Cake Island with one of his horns broken—a detail that had piqued Linlin's curiosity.

Kaido hadn't bothered to hide the fact that the Flame Emperor had inflicted the injury; in fact, his purpose in coming was to propose a pirate alliance with the Big Mom Pirates, to join forces against the looming threat of Entei. The stronger Flame Emperor was, the more vital their alliance became.

For Kaido, being wounded by a man who could rival, or even exceed, the power of the Four Emperors wasn't a disgrace—it was a badge of honor. Katakuri, as Big Mom's de facto second-in-command, knew this as well.

Now, having witnessed a full-blown battle between two Emperors, Katakuri couldn't help but reflect with awe and trepidation.

The Four Emperors had become terrifying in their power. He realized that, at the peak of their battle, he might not even be able to withstand a single blow from either Kaido or his mother.

Yet here he was, contemplating the legendary Flame Emperor, Portgas D. Ace—a man who was said to stand above even this staggering level of power.

Such overwhelming power.

Katakuri now fully understood Kaido's purpose in coming here. Yet knowing only deepened his concern. To truly ally with the Beasts Pirates... could he really protect his younger brothers and sisters against that terrifying man?

Katakuri's gaze grew distant as the thought weighed on him.

"Boom!"

Kaido's spiked club clashed violently with Linlin's enormous sword, then the two titans broke apart, breathing heavily.

"Well, Linlin, what do you say?" Kaido's voice carried over the crackling silence as he looked toward Charlotte Linlin, standing just a short distance away. "Join forces with me—form a pirate alliance. Together, we'll take on the Entei Pirates."

The fierce tension between them had drained much of Kaido's strength and Haki. He had no desire to continue the fight, and neither did Linlin. Both had pushed their limits. 

Unlike Logia Devil Fruit users, Kaido and Linlin didn't possess the ability to transform into and replenish themselves with natural elements. While each wielded the formidable powers of top-tier Mythical Zoan Fruits and had astonishing physical strength, there were limits to their endurance. The Logia ability to convert natural elements into stamina and extend their endurance was a major advantage neither of them possessed.

Furthermore, Conqueror's Haki wasn't limitless. In a battle of Emperors, where Conqueror's Haki clashed constantly, it quickly drained. The only reason Kaido and Linlin had lasted this long was that not every blow had carried the full power of their Conqueror's Haki. If each strike were imbued to its fullest, even the mighty Conqueror's Haki would soon reach its breaking point.

"A pirate alliance?" 

Charlotte Linlin's monstrous grin spread slowly as she turned to Kaido, her voice deep and steady, filling the air with a terrifying sense of anticipation.