The dragon's roar rolled across the archipelago.
Windows shattered in the western groves. Bubbles burst by the thousands, and every mast in the harbor groaned beneath the pressure.
The last civilians still moving through Grove 1 stumbled, but Marine squads dragged them behind the eastern barricades before panic could reverse the evacuation.
Kaido twisted through the clouds above his flagship.
His blue scales caught the dim light breaking through the storm, while his molten-gold eyes searched the secured harbor below.
He had crossed the Red Line, followed the Government's route into Paradise, reached Little Garden too late, and pursued Zaraki's public trail all the way to Sabaody.
Now the man he wanted stood in the open.
"ZARAKI!"
The name struck the grove like thunder.
Zaraki stepped to the edge of the reinforced assessment platform with Nozarashi at his waist.
"You took long enough."
Kaido's laughter shook the clouds.
"Worororororo! You survived the storm, killed another pirate, and let the whole world hear that Hawkeye wants your head! Did you think I would allow someone else to take the fight that belongs to me?"
"Mihawk wants a rematch."
"And I want your corpse."
Zaraki's grin widened.
"Then come down and try again."
Garp struck the back of his head.
The blow was far lighter than the one he had delivered earlier, but it still made Zaraki turn.
"What was that for?"
"For inviting him into the grove after we spent an hour evacuating it."
"I was going to move west."
"Then say that before provoking the dragon."
Dorry's laughter rolled from the longship.
"Gegyagyagyagya! The old Marine speaks wisely!"
Brogy lifted his axe.
"Gababababa! But the invitation was excellent!"
Law's voice came through the relay snail at Zaraki's collar.
"The outer shelf is clear. I can move wounded personnel and small groups, but do not expect me to exchange Kaido or either giant. Their mass is beyond what ROOM can safely handle at this range."
"No one asked you to move the fun part."
"I am clarifying before you invent a plan that depends on it."
Kaido descended through the clouds.
Behind him, King flew above the leading ships while the Beasts Pirates spread toward the western channels.
They had not yet opened fire.
The Marine defensive line, the two legendary giants, and Garp's presence had forced even Kaido's officers to reassess the cost of entering the inner grove.
A beam of golden light crossed the eastern sky.
It struck the top of an empty mangrove platform and gathered into Borsalino's tall figure.
His striped suit was untouched by the journey, and his hands rested inside his pockets as he looked from Kaido to Zaraki, then toward the damaged assessment ground.
"My, my. I was told there was one troublesome monster at Sabaody."
His gaze rose toward the dragon.
"It appears someone invited a second."
Kaido's mouth opened in a savage grin.
"Kizaru."
Borsalino adjusted his glasses.
"I came to keep the civilians and mangroves intact. Please take your reunion somewhere less expensive."
Zaraki laughed.
"That's what Garp said."
"Then today must be especially serious."
Marine ships began withdrawing from the direct line between Kaido and the open western sea.
The Oni Slayer reversed from Dock Three, while the giant longship moved beside it under Dorry and Brogy's rowing strength.
Garp remained on the assessment platform with Zaraki and Borsalino, prepared to force the confrontation away from the inhabited groves.
Nozarashi shifted faintly inside its sheath.
'Cut him deeper.'
Zaraki's golden eyes remained fixed on Kaido.
He did not answer aloud.
...
At the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, the Five Elders watched the same confrontation through a secured visual feed.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro stood nearest the screen, one hand resting beside his sword.
Saint Topman Warcury, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, and Saint Marcus Mars occupied the remaining positions around the long table.
None commented on the World Noble vessel retreating east.
The report concerning Saint Charlos lay open beside the assessment transcript:
- Charlos had obstructed an Emperor-level evacuation.
- He had fired inside a civilian route after repeated warnings.
- Zaraki had struck him unconscious.
- Garp, Gion, Yamakaji, Marines, civilians, and government guards had witnessed the event.
- The freed slave and the abducted mermaid had survived.
The facts did not make Zaraki's action legal.
They made the punishment difficult to separate from the Government's own failures.
Nusjuro's fingers tightened near the sword.
"He has now defied CP0, protected a pirate surgeon, imposed conditions upon the Warlord selection, and struck a World Noble."
Warcury looked toward Kaido's image.
"And the Emperor we directed toward him has reached the battlefield."
"Do not speak as though the outcome is decided," Saturn said. "Garp and Borsalino are present. The giant captains remain cooperative with Zaraki, and Law has positioned his submarine as medical support."
Ju Peter's expression darkened.
"The operation has drawn more Marine strength around him rather than isolating him."
Marcus Mars looked toward a man waiting in the shadowed end of the room.
"Director Dapus."
The man stepped forward.
Dapus wore a black tailcoat marked only by a small silver shield at the collar. He was not one of the Five Elders.
He served as the field director responsible for CP0's Aegis Execution Unit, a compartmentalized group used when ordinary agents could not be connected to an operation.
Three powerfully built silhouettes stood behind him.
They were senior Aegis operatives, not unknown monsters or supernatural weapons.
Each had been selected for a different purpose: seastone restraint, long-range assassination, and close combat against high-value targets.
Dapus bowed.
"The Kalles Island contingency remains prepared."
Sengoku's sealed candidate list had named Kalles Island as the probable location of the next pirate under consideration for the vacant Warlord charter.
Zaraki had not yet been ordered there, and no departure date existed.
But if he survived Sabaody and continued the evaluation, the route would eventually take him close enough for the Government to arrange another controlled encounter.
Nusjuro's gaze remained on the screen.
"Clarify the plan."
"The old fortress on Kalles has been emptied of civilians. Seastone launchers have been installed along the inner harbor, and the three Aegis operatives will enter under separate identities. The Warlord candidate already residing there has been told that Zaraki intends to arrest him rather than evaluate him."
Saturn tapped his cane once.
"Another attempt made too soon will reveal a pattern."
"It will activate only if the Kaido operation fails," Dapus replied. "And only after Zaraki voluntarily continues to Kalles."
Warcury looked toward Nusjuro.
"First, we learn whether he leaves Sabaody alive."
The visual feed shook as Kaido descended lower over Grove 1.
Nusjuro's face remained cold.
"If he survives, Kalles will be ready."
...
Above Sabaody's western channel, Kaido's enormous body coiled through the storm.
Garp stepped to Zaraki's left.
Borsalino stood to his right, light gathering faintly around one raised hand.
Behind them, Dorry and Brogy moved their longship into open water, while Marine vessels completed the evacuation of the inner harbor.
Law's Polar Tang remained beneath the eastern shelf, ready to receive the wounded.
Kaido lowered his head until his shadow covered the platform.
"Round two," Zaraki said.
The Emperor's molten-gold eyes burned brighter.
"Worororororo!"
The battle the storm had interrupted was about to begin again.