Kaido and Ren ignored Kizaru completely. The moment the golden light began to gather above them, both warriors made the same decision without speaking it aloud. They would end this on their own terms.
They poured everything into their clash, no longer conserving Haki, no longer holding anything back. Advanced Conqueror's Haki erupted around them in violent arcs, black lightning ripping through the sky as their weapons pressed against invisible barriers of will.
"You're not looking up anymore," Kaido growled, his kanabo grinding against Ren's staff. "That Marine doesn't scare you?"
Ren's eyes burned fiercely. "If he wants to die, he can wait his turn."
Above them, Kizaru's voice echoed lazily through the storm. "How scary… being ignored by two monsters."
Golden beams of light rained down like divine judgment, piercing through clouds and slicing toward Ren's exposed flank. The attack was precise, calculated to strike while both fighters were locked in their ultimate clash.
Neither Kaido nor Ren moved to defend.
Because they had already sensed her.
A white blur streaked across the sky, wrapped in blood-red lightning and frost-laced wind. The golden beams shattered upon impact, exploding harmlessly against a swirling aura of ice and Conqueror's Haki.
Yamato stood between the light and the storm.
Her kanabo was raised, black lightning coiling around it like a living serpent. She did not flinch despite the shockwaves tearing through the air from Ren and Kaido's clash behind her.
Her gaze locked onto Kizaru.
"Leave," she said coldly. "Or die."
Kizaru adjusted his glasses slowly, studying her. "My, my… Kaido's child has sharp fangs."
Yamato stepped forward midair, frost crystallizing around her feet. "I'm not his shadow. And you are not welcome here."
Another beam of light shot toward her without warning. She swung her kanabo upward, Conqueror's Haki wrapping around it as she smashed the beam apart.
Behind her, Kaido barked a laugh even as he strained against Ren. "Wororororo! That's my daughter!"
Ren smirked faintly despite the pressure threatening to break his bones. "Don't claim credit. She chose her own side."
Before Kizaru could fire again, a massive flaming sword slash tore through the sky toward him. The air ignited along its path, forcing him to flicker into light and reappear several meters away.
King hovered nearby, his wings spread wide and his blade still glowing with residual flames.
"No Marine will interfere in Captain's fight," King said coldly. "Leave."
Kizaru exhaled through his nose. "So troublesome. First the daughter, now the right-hand man."
Yamato's red lightning crackled brighter. "This isn't your battlefield."
King's golden eyes narrowed. "Try again, and you won't leave in one piece."
For a long moment, Kizaru weighed the situation. Below him, Kaido and Ren were still colliding with apocalyptic force. Before him stood Yamato and King, both uninjured enough to be dangerous.
He clicked his tongue softly. "I suppose I've done enough for today."
He lowered his glowing hand. "I'll be asking for a bonus after this mission."
With a final glance at the titanic clash, Kizaru dissolved into light and retreated into the distant horizon.
—
With Kizaru gone, Kaido and Ren roared simultaneously and pushed harder.
The heat waves pouring from their bodies intensified, boiling the sea below. Steam rose in thick clouds, swallowing parts of the coastline as if the ocean itself feared their wrath.
"You ignored him completely," Kaido grinned, flames flickering across his arms. "Confident, aren't you?"
Ren's grip tightened, his muscles screaming in protest. "I trust my people."
Kaido's eyes flashed. "Your people?"
Ren forced his staff forward another inch, black lightning erupting outward. "Yeah… something like that."
The sky trembled violently as their Haki surged one final time. Conqueror's infusion flared to its absolute peak, the air between them fracturing like glass under unbearable pressure.
Yamato stood firm despite the shockwaves crashing against her body. Her kanabo rested on her shoulder now, but her stance was ready.
"It's ending," she murmured.
King's gaze never left Kaido. "This strike will decide everything."
Minutes felt like hours as the clash continued. Their roars became hoarse, their movements slower, but neither yielded.
Kaido's dragon flames flickered.
Ren's Samadhi flames began to dim.
"You're slowing down," Ren rasped.
Kaido grinned savagely. "So are you, brat."
Their final surge exploded outward, a blinding burst of Haki and fire that swallowed the sky in white light.
Then—silence.
The heat gradually lowered. The Samadhi flames vanished. Kaido's blazing dragon form dissolved as he returned to his human shape midair.
"Wororororororo… what an exhilarating fight," he laughed weakly.
His eyes rolled back, and his massive body began to fall, unconscious.
Ren's form shrank as well, his staff returning to normal size. His vision blurred, consciousness slipping through his fingers like sand.
He barely registered the sky tilting.
His body instinctively flew toward the strongest presence he felt—toward Yamato.
Yamato leapt upward and caught him in her arms.
For a moment, she simply held him there, staring at his half-open eyes.
King caught Kaido before he could crash into the sea. He hovered nearby, eyes flicking toward Ren.
Ren's eyes were open, but unfocused. He had won.
King's grip tightened slightly around Kaido. If they attacked now—five against one—Yamato would lose.
But before that thought could settle, two figures landed behind Yamato.
Denjiro and Kawamatsu stood with blades drawn, positioning themselves between Ren and the Beast Pirates.
"So," King sneered, irritation flashing across his face. "The rats hiding in Wano's shadows finally had the courage to come out."
Denjiro's voice was calm but cold. "We don't intend to fight. But we won't allow treachery either."
Kawamatsu nodded firmly. "This battle is finished."
King studied them for a moment, then glanced at Yamato cradling Ren. The balance had shifted.
Even Kizaru, who had paused at a distance considering another attempt, saw the formation and clicked his tongue before vanishing entirely toward Marineford.
The war, for now, was over.
King adjusted Kaido's unconscious body and turned away. "We are leaving."
With a powerful beat of his wings, he flew back toward Onigashima.
Yamato descended slowly toward Wano's coast, Ren resting in her arms. His breathing was shallow, but steady.
Denjiro and Kawamatsu followed at a cautious distance, careful not to approach too closely.
They did not trust her.
She did not trust them.
Yamato's red horns glinted in the fading light, eerily similar to Kaido's. Yet her arms around Ren were gentle.
As she landed beneath the shade of a large tree near the shore, she carefully sat down and laid Ren's head on her lap.
One hand stroked his hair softly. The other rested near her kanabo.
Denjiro and Kawamatsu settled beneath another tree, maintaining distance.
"He's healing," Kawamatsu whispered, eyes widening.
Indeed, faint traces of Azure Dark Green energy began circulating through Ren's body. His wounds visibly closed, torn flesh knitting together slowly but steadily.
Yamato exhaled in relief.
"As long as you're safe…" she murmured quietly.
Her fingers continued to stroke his hair absentmindedly. She remembered the clone who had carried her days ago, answering her endless questions patiently.
He hadn't come to save her for gratitude.
He hadn't demanded loyalty.
He had simply said she deserved freedom.
"He said I could travel," she muttered softly, glancing down at Ren's peaceful face. "That I could choose for myself."
Denjiro observed her quietly. "You care for him."
Yamato didn't look up. "I don't know what I feel."
Kawamatsu spoke gently. "He risked his life for Wano."
Yamato's grip tightened slightly in Ren's hair. "He didn't do it for Wano."
She looked down at him again, her expression softening.
"He did it because he wanted me to be free."
The sea breeze rustled the leaves above them as steam slowly faded from the ocean.
Yamato sighed.
"I don't understand these feelings," she admitted quietly. "But… I like being with him."
Ren shifted slightly in his sleep, breathing evening out as the energy within him continued to circulate.
For the first time in three days, the sky above Wano was calm.
And beneath its quiet blue, a new future had begun to take shape.