ONE PIECE: THE GREAT VOYAGE

As the war raged into the next day, an earth-shaking roar of excitement tore through the battlefield, accompanied by an overwhelming surge of Haoshoku Haki.

"How can a war of this level not include Lao Tzu?"

One against two? A crushing suppression—Caesar at full strength!

The sheer volume of the voice, as if amplified by a massive loudspeaker, immediately drew the attention of everyone on the battlefield.

Following the source of the sound, all eyes turned skyward. A massive azure dragon coiled through the darkened sky, its immense form blotting out the light.

Kaido had arrived. And for a brief moment, everything fell silent.

The shock rippled far beyond the battlefield—those watching the war unfold via live broadcast were stunned. Only a few, like Caesar, who had known Kaido for decades, remained unfazed.

Even so, Caesar raised an eyebrow at the sudden arrival.

Figures.

Kaido was a battle-hungry madman, a warrior who sought death yet never found it. A war of this scale was exactly the kind of battlefield he couldn't resist. If anything, it would have been strange for him to stay away.

After all, back during the Summit War of Marineford, he had wanted to join the fray but was intercepted before he could arrive.

Now, nothing was stopping him.

Hovering in the sky, his massive dragon form radiated sheer power, his golden eyes gleaming with wild excitement. It had been too long since he felt this alive.

Then, he spotted Caesar.

A red glint flashed in his eyes.

This was the man who, despite being younger, had risen to infamy even faster than he had.

A fellow survivor of the Rocks era—yet one who had always been treated differently. While Kaido had started as a low-ranking trainee under Rocks, Caesar had entered the crew as an officer from the very beginning.

That fact alone had always gnawed at him.

Now, as old grudges surged alongside his battle lust, Kaido didn't hesitate.

With a roar, he lunged.

The battlefield trembled as the Beasts Pirates' captain shot toward Caesar without a word of warning.

Expressions around the battlefield shifted slightly, but Caesar's crew—men like Gnali—remained unfazed.

They knew.

Even though Caesar rarely showcased his full power anymore, having focused on ruling his domain, those who had trained under him understood all too well—he was monstrous.

Legends fade if they are not reaffirmed.

But Caesar was no paper tiger.

A predator remains a predator, whether it hunts or not.

"Caesar! You bastard, fight me! This time, I'll crush you!"

Kaido's enraged bellow shook the sky as he dove, utterly ignoring his surroundings—including the towering figure of Steel Bone Kong, who had been locked in combat with Caesar moments before.

For Kaido, this war was secondary. His true goal was personal. He had come all this way not just to join the battle but to fight Caesar again.

Steel Bone Kong, however, was no fool.

Though he appeared to be a brute, he had a keen strategic mind honed by decades at the Navy's highest levels.

Silently, imperceptibly, he shifted his stance, lowering his immediate hostility toward Kaido. He did not need to fight both of them at once.

If the beasts wanted to tear at each other's throats, the Navy would simply wait.

Kaido was a menace in his own right, but against Caesar, he was a potential ally—even if temporarily.

For now, the best course of action was to let them fight.

Still, he did not drop his guard completely. Because deep down, he suspected the truth.

Kaido would not win this battle.

A two-on-one situation had now formed on the battlefield, with Caesar facing both Kaido and Steel Bone Kong.

Yet, despite the overwhelming odds, he stood firm, unshaken.

The blood in his veins burned with the fire of battle, and with a cold, dangerous grin, he unleashed his full power.

His Supreme Grade sword flashed. The air itself howled under the weight of his swings.

Each strike was precise, devastating—unstoppable.

Even when Kaido and Kong dodged, the force of his attacks sent massive shockwaves across the battlefield, splitting the earth and carving deep trenches into the ocean.

In moments, their clash had become the focal point of the war.

Even those watching through their transponder snails—marines, pirates, and world leaders alike—could not look away.

This was a battle beyond human limits.

The weak saw gods.

The strong saw monsters.

On the battlefield, Caesar remained dominant. Even when encircled, even when attacked from both sides, he maintained the advantage.

Kaido's absurd durability and regeneration could not keep pace with Caesar's sheer destructive force.

Instantly—

Dragon scales, blood, and flesh rained down.

Kaido, one of the world's strongest, was being torn apart.

As one of the greatest swordsmen alive, Caesar was virtually unstoppable when wielding his full Haki.

Not even Kaido's monstrous endurance could withstand a swordsman of his caliber.

And his sword—his Supreme Grade Black Blade, honed to perfection with Armament Haki—made the difference clear.

Even in Wano, the Beasts Pirates, watching through a broadcast, were in utter disbelief.

"H-How…?"

"Boss Kaido is getting overwhelmed!?"

They had never imagined such a sight.

Even Jhin, Kaido's right-hand man, normally unshaken, felt his fingers twitch as flames flickered in his eyes.

Steel Bone Kong, too, found himself struggling.

He lacked Kaido's regenerative abilities, but as a former Fleet Admiral, his Haki was among the strongest in the world. He had been one of the few capable of battling Rocks D. Xebec himself.

And yet—

Despite his legendary experience, despite the sheer force of his attacks—

Even he was on the defensive.

Back at Marine Headquarters, the atmosphere in the war room was suffocating.

The highest-ranking admirals and officers, men who had seen countless battles, sat in stunned silence.

They had believed Kaido's arrival would shift the tide of battle.

They had assumed Caesar would be overwhelmed.

But reality was cruel.

Instead of struggling, Caesar had become a walking calamity—one that even Kaido and Kong together could not suppress.

It was like watching a god descend.

Back on the battlefield, Caesar's abilities shattered conventional limits.

His telekinetic control over his force field, combined with his mastery of gravitational and electromagnetic manipulation, made him a nightmare to fight.

His invisible attacks struck from all angles. Kaido and Kong could barely react.

At this moment, Caesar's eyes gleamed crimson, his Haoshoku Haki exploding outward.

Even Steel Bone Kong—who had faced countless titans—felt an involuntary chill.

For the first time in years, Caesar was fighting at full power.

The world watched, breathless.

And in that moment, as they stared at the man who stood unchallenged at the pinnacle of the pirate world—

Memories of Rocks D. Xebec resurfaced.

Caesar had surpassed him.

Unlike other Devil Fruit users, Caesar had removed his weakness to seawater through sheer mastery of his mind powers.

A man with the power of a Devil Fruit—without its fatal flaw.

An absolute force of nature.

As the battle raged on, warships crumbled, the seas trembled, and the world's strongest forces clashed in a cataclysmic struggle.

The war had long since gone beyond mortals.

This was the battlefield of gods.

And at its center—

Caesar stood, unshaken.

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