"Giving up?"
Hearing Bullet's words, Shane let out a quiet laugh.
"Never thought someone whose brain is all muscle could actually have a sense of humor."
"I'm not joking!"
Bullet grinned ferociously. The giant swung his arm, his fist wrapped in Haki, smashing down toward Shane with devastating force.
But…
Shane's figure vanished in an instant right before Bullet's eyes, leaving only a fading afterimage behind.
"Huh?!"
Bullet's pupils contracted sharply. Before he could react, a horrifying shockwave erupted from the giant's abdomen!
Boom!
The colossal rock giant, over a thousand meters tall, was blasted off the ground by the sheer force of the impact!
"When… when did—"
Bullet was stunned, but before he could even adjust his stance, Shane appeared atop the giant.
He looked down calmly, lifting his right hand slowly, then clenched it into a fist.
"Crossfang…"
A blinding black-and-white light suddenly erupted from Shane's fist, crackling with black-and-red lightning that roared like a raging dragon.
Leaning back slightly in midair, Shane poured every ounce of his strength into the punch.
"Dragon Slayer Fist!"
BOOM!!!Two streams of fist energy, one black and one white, roared like twin dragons, slamming directly into the giant's head.Where the fist energy passed, the air seemed to tear apart, black rifts spreading through the sky.
The rock-encased head, covered in top-tier Haki, began to crumble at the instant of impact.Countless cracks spread rapidly across the giant's body.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!A deep, deafening collapse followed.Within mere seconds, the colossal body shattered completely, debris raining down like a violent storm.
"No… impossible!"
Bullet roared in disbelief from inside the giant. He frantically activated his Unite Fruit ability, trying to repair his massive body.
But the shockwave of the Crossfang Dragon Slayer Fist exploded at that very moment!
BOOM!!!!
The terrifying shockwave spread like a nuclear explosion, forming a massive mushroom cloud.The gusts it generated swept across the sea, reaching Rabbit Bowl, Hakumai, Kyuri, and even the skies above Flower Capital.
Thick clouds were scattered. Birds and insects fell from the sky, startled.
Many citizens of Wano, already asleep, woke up, gathering at windows in bewilderment.
"What an exaggeration of a commotion."
At the Shogun's Mansion in Flower Capital, Aokiji leaned casually against the gate, hands in pockets.
"Fighting Kaido, of all people, and it's over faster than what happened on my end?"
"Is it… over?"
At Hakumai, Marco sat atop the roof, staring at the strange sight in the sky with a smile.
"I didn't sleep at all that night. If Pops had taken that hit in our sparring… I'd probably be visiting your grave now."
"It's over. There's no mistake."
Outside the cemetery in Ringo, Kuina brushed blood off her sword and whispered with a smile:
"It's Crossfang Dragon Slayer Fist. There's no one alive in this world who can withstand that move from him."
On Onigashima, now a field of white dust.
The smoke and debris gradually cleared.
Douglas Bullet, battered and nearly unrecognizable, lay sprawled on the ground after the devastating attack.
He gasped for breath and stretched out a hand to push himself up, but even with all his strength, he couldn't stand.
"Why…"
Bullet looked up at Shane hovering in the sky, bloodied teeth gnashing.
"Why does a monster like you even exist…"
One punch... just one punch. His proud, ultimate form was crushed like a child's toy.
Why?!
He couldn't accept it. After twenty years of humiliation and hellish training since being thrown into Impel Down, he had finally returned to the seas, ready to cement his name as the strongest…
This should have been his era!
Yet as soon as he stepped forward, it was shattered by this man—Shane—with an insurmountable gap.
Roger… if he were alive, could he have faced this monster and still called himself Pirate King?
"But… damn it—"
Bullet tried one last struggle, raising his arm, but Shane noticed and casually sent a gust of fist energy into his back, knocking him unconscious.
"Rest easy. We're not close. I have no interest in chatting with you."
Shane landed, cast one last glance at Bullet, and turned to leave.
"Ugh… ugh… ugh…"
On the shore, half-kneeling, Kaido suddenly laughed. He had been watching everything with wide eyes.
Bullet, the monster even he feared…His supposedly indestructible defense and ultimate Haki were paper-thin against Shane.
Touch it, and it crumbles.
This kid…He must have spared him before—just sentimentality, then.
If Shane had used this move against him right away, how would his fight have differed from Bullet's?
"Hey… is this your true power?"
Kaido's voice weakened, but his eyes shone brightly. He tried to stand, but fell back, leaning on a broken wall.
"…"
Shane approached slowly, standing before Kaido, eyes calm.
"Satisfied, Kaido?"
He spoke softly.
"Ugh… ugh… ugh!!!"
Kaido grinned through his bloodied mouth."Brilliant… satisfied! To die by your hands with power like this… I have no regrets!"
"But… just a little one. I have a son, Shane. Since last year, he's admired you. Unlike me, he's still got a good heart in this cruel world. If possible… spare him."
"A son, huh."
Shane immediately understood and nodded. "I know. Don't worry."
"I trust you."
Kaido chuckled, voice fading into a satisfied sigh. His massive body slowly fell backward, eyes dimming.
He's finally at peace.
The sea breeze carried away the last traces of blood in the air.
Shane watched the once-mighty creature fall and exhaled softly.
"Rest in peace, Kaido."
Several dozen nautical miles away.
The Red-Haired Pirates' New Red Force floated quietly in the mist, outside Wano's borders, observing the aftermath.
The crew watched the dissipating mushroom cloud in silence.
"Is… it over?"
Sniper Jesus lowered his scope, sweat dripping. "The island is flattened. That noise… Kaido and Bullet wouldn't have survived."
"Correct. It's over."
Vice-Captain Benn Beckman lit a cigarette, frowning. "We can't sense either of them. Only Shane's aura remains… strong as ever. Not good."
His expression changed suddenly.
"He seems to have noticed us! Roux, retreat!"
Roux dropped a half-eaten chicken leg and grabbed the helm.
"No need."
Shanks' calm voice cut in. "Didn't you notice? He just glanced our way. He wasn't interested."
The crew froze.
Yasopp raised his scope, confirming Shane floated in the sky, turning north toward Wano's mainland instead.
"The gap is too big. Even our entire crew wouldn't register as a threat to him."
Shanks shook his head, a complicated expression. "Good. No misunderstandings, no explanations needed. I just wanted to witness it."
Shane—who had recently crushed the Navy Headquarters—had become the sole new-age ruler of the seas.
Is it enough? Probably.
In just a month or two since Raijin Island, he had already leveled up another tier.
A single punch destroying two Emperors. The absolute pinnacle of power.
Perhaps he could ignore the so-called rules and legends of Mary Geoise. Perhaps he could defeat the eight-hundred-year-undying monster.
This sea belongs to pure strength. No need to wait for a "Nika"! Shane wouldn't wait.
"Let's go, everyone!"
Shanks laughed loudly. "No matter the outcome, the new era is coming. Let's enjoy it—one last grand feast before heading to the Holy Land. Drink our fill and make it memorable!"
Dawn finally broke.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In an empty admiral's office, three admirals gathered.
Akainu smoked silently, Green Bull paced anxiously, and Kizaru leisurely filed his nails with a photon-arm.
Tension filled the room—almost palpable.
All were waiting for news from the New World.
Previously, a fight between two Emperors would be immediately reported. Now, the Navy's New World branches were gone. Surveillance ships? Impossible.
Only scraps of scouts brought delayed secondhand reports.
Finally…
As the sun climbed overhead.
"Report!"
A clerk burst in, clutching a freshly received telegram.
"Admiral, three admirals, news from Wano… the war—"
"Cut to the result."
Akainu didn't look up, pen tightening in hand.
"Yes."
The clerk unfolded the paper with shaking hands:
"Kaido is dead. Douglas Bullet has been captured. Kurozumi Orochi was killed. Wano has fully fallen. Only eight individuals took part in the battle, which lasted less than half an hour from start to finish!"
Snap!
The pen broke.
"Less than half an hour?"
Akainu looked up, disbelief written across his face. "Even together, Kaido and Bullet couldn't last an hour?"
"Uh… well…"
The clerk wiped sweat nervously. "The fall of Wano and the war's end happened in less than an hour. As for the fight between the three monsters… it only a few minutes."
"A few minutes??!!!"
Akainu could no longer maintain his composure.
Green Bull sat then stood again, panicked: "After the last war, I thought we'd have time to recover. But at this rate…"
He swallowed hard, turning to Akainu. "Senior… he'll bring the Curtain Call fleet to Marineford in days, won't he?!"