Charlotte Linlin took a single step, and the ground beneath her fractured instantly. The nearby seawater, scorched by her radiating energy, boiled into a massive cloud of white steam.
"Hey, Straw Hat! Who do you think I am? I am Big Mom!" she roared.
With another step, she dispersed the surrounding mist with her overwhelming aura, her presence swelling to terrifying heights. "Father, Mother, Sister—everyone in Elbaf! Do you think I have lost any less than you? Do you have any idea how much I have sacrificed to gain this level of power?"
Big Mom clenched her fist, and Conqueror's Haki swirled around Napoleon, crackling with intense, dark lightning. "Now, you—a brat who has only been at sea for two years—want to take everything from me? Tell me, Straw Hat, do you know what it truly feels like for a comrade to die?"
Luffy's expression froze, the carefree smile of his Gear Five state vanishing in a heartbeat. Big Mom's mouth twisted into a sinister, jagged grin. "You don't know? Mamamama! Then I will let you taste it first, and then you can come back and boast to me!"
Whoosh!
In an instant, Charlotte Linlin vanished from sight. A surge of frantic unease gripped Luffy's heart. He pushed his Observation Haki to its absolute limit, desperate to track her, but he was already too late.
"Let's start with you, swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Ikoku!"
A massive, spectral figure materialized behind Zoro, engulfing him completely. An alarm blared in Zoro's mind, but it was impossible to dodge. A blinding pillar of purple death consumed him.
"Zoro!" The panicked scream echoed across the shores of Cake Island. The purple light of destruction was reflected in the pale, horrified faces of every Straw Hat crew member. Luffy stood frozen in shock. When the light faded, Zoro remained standing, drenched in blood, his eyes rolled back before he finally collapsed to the ground.
In that moment, the entire Straw Hat crew felt as if they had been transported back two years to their desperate encounter with Kizaru at the Sabaody Archipelago. But this time, the reality was far worse. Luffy could clearly sense that Zoro's life force had simply vanished. It was not like being sent flying by Tyrant Kuma; it was the total dissipation of his presence. It was death.
"Zo... Zoro..."
Luffy's eyes, still in his Gear Five form, trembled violently. A wave of uncontrollable rage and despair erupted from him—an emotion far deeper than what he had felt upon learning of Sabo's death or the disappearance of his crew at Sabaody. It was the crushing powerlessness of watching a friend die before his eyes.
Thump-thump... thump-thump...
His heart hammered against his ribs as an extreme fury took hold. Big Mom's ghostly voice cut through the silence. "Straw Hat, weren't you just boasting? Mamamama! The first one is dealt with. Now, who should be the second? I think I will choose you, little girl."
Luffy's pupils contracted, and an immense surge of power flooded his body. He vanished from his spot, a roar of endless, untamed fury tearing from his throat. "Stop it, Big Mom!"
Crack!
Inside the palace atop the Sun Tree Eve, the golden egg shattered. Brilliant starlight exploded outward, and from the radiance, a figure stepped out.
Click.
A young man emerged from the light. "Worororo, is this the power of a complete awakening?" The voice was unmistakably Kaido's, yet it was filled with the vibrant energy of youth.
Kaido's face showed a mix of immense joy and focused concern. He had succeeded; he had finally merged every ounce of his power into one through the mastery of Qi. His body had reverted to how it was forty years ago, shortly after he left the Vodka Kingdom. A wave of youthful vitality emanated from him, so potent that the flowers and plants beneath his feet began to bloom and grow wildly.
His power had not diminished—it had evolved. In his strongest Hybrid form, his blue dragon scales had turned a brilliant, armored gold. Unlike his previous form, where the golden plating was restricted to his arms and shoulders, he was now covered head-to-toe in golden, scale-like armor.
Two clouds of flame hovered around his wrists: one red, representing the Mother Flame, and one blue, representing Sacred Lightning. These were the marks of his awakening—not ordinary fire and lightning, but forces that integrated Haki, his Devil Fruit, and Qi into a single, seamless energy.
Internally, he felt an unprecedented sense of comfort and omnipotence. He had achieved the perfection he had long desired. Yet, it was not total. He sensed that he had not taken that final, crucial step. His power remained locked within his physical shell, lacking that absolute, unrestrained freedom he sought. Something—not a power, but a lingering obsession—still bound him.
"Destiny," Kaido murmured with a slight smile. "If that is the case, then let me be the one to break it."
He looked up at the sky. He no longer needed Observation Haki; he could perceive everything in the world, his senses extending far beyond any known limits. His Devil Fruit abilities and Haki were perfectly fused; he didn't need to consciously activate them anymore. They were now instinctual, a fundamental part of his being.
"This feeling is truly amazing," he whispered.
He needed to adapt to this new power through combat. His gaze fixed on the World King, who was frantically attempting to flee.
Boom!
He took a step, and the ground around him erupted into an ocean of golden flames. He reached out with his left hand, and the red flame cloud flared, transforming into a massive, burning golden claw that clamped down on the tail of the World King's giant, lava-serpent body.
"Hey, hey, where are you going?" Kaido shouted. "Our battle has only just begun!"