Chapter 40: Defeat and Departure
The battle began. The opening salvo was signaled by the clash of the two captainsâ weapons.
"!!!"
"Whaaaaatâ?!"
"The hotelâs collapsing!!"
"Itâs a clash of Conquerorâs Haki!!"
Whitebeardâs naginata and Kaidoâs kanabo collided, sending shockwaves of crimson-black lightning ripping through the surroundings. The sheer force of their energy shook the earth, toppling people and buildings alike, sending tremors across the entire island. Dark clouds had already begun gathering in the sky.
At a glance, the collision of their kingly ambitions seemed evenly matchedâbut the one at a disadvantage was still⊠Kaido.
"Ghh⊠OOOOOOH!!!"
"Tch⊠Still as tough as everâŠ!"
Kaido was sent flying by Whitebeardâs Haki-infused strike, but he immediately righted himself and charged back in. At least he wasnât the type to go down in one hit. Relieved for the moment, I turned my attention to commanding my crew while diving into the fray.
"Nice and spacious now! Perfect for fighting! Câmon, charge, chargeâ!!"
"Letâs go!! Follow me, you bastardsâŠ!!"
"Kaido, Whitebeard, and Nue are one thing⊠but you really think some random underlings can take me on?! Here I go!! Itâs showtime!!"
"Hyahhaaa!!! Kill âem allâ!!"
The vanguard of our Beast Pirates consisted of me, King, Queen, and other top officers, backed by our numerically superior crew as we pressed the Whitebeard Pirates. Butâunsurprisinglyâthe men Whitebeard had gathered were no pushovers. Their overall strength was formidable.
"Ahaha!! One downâ"
"âNot happening!!"
"Stay put, Nue!!"
"! Ahaha!! Rakuyo and Whitey Bay~! Long time no see~!"
The moment I tried to skewer some nameless Whitebeard grunt with my trident, my weapon was interceptedâfirst by a Haki-laden iron ball hurled by Rakuyo, followed by a sword slash from Whitey Bay. Fighting these two got my blood pumping. After all, they were my old comrades. The Whitebeard Pirates had quite a few of those, but going head-to-head with former allies like this? It brought back memories. Made it all the more fun.
Too bad they didnât seem to share the sentiment. Their brows were furrowed, hostility burning in their eyes. Not a trace of a smile. My cheerful long time no see only made them grit their teeth harder.
"Still a damn freak of a kidâŠ!!"
"We werenât exactly looking forward to this eitherâŠ!!"
"Ehh~? Câmon, donât be like that! Letâs get along like old times! We drank together, fought together⊠even killed together, remember? Back in the day!!"
"Tch⊠Damn itâŠ!!"
"Things are different nowâŠ!!"
I swung my trident at them with even more force, Haki surging through it. Oh-ho? Have the tables turned? It felt good knowing Iâd grown strong enough to hold my own against Whitebeardâs top fighters like this.
âŠThat said, one-on-one was one thing, but two or even three against one was a real possibility. And I was a little worried about our other crewmates. Whitebeardâs men were just built differentâstrong across the board. How the hell did guys like Roger and Whitebeard always manage to recruit such high-caliber fighters despite their small numbers? Whereâd they even find these people? Iâd kill to know their secret.
Still, we had our own standouts. Only a couple, butâ
"Youâre not touching my crewmates!!"
"âOut of the way, trashâŠ!!"
"! âGuh!!?"
"Marco!!"
Just as Marcoâthat blue-flamed phoenix bratâtried to swoop in, King, one of our finest officers, swatted him aside with one hand. The raw power of an Ancient Zoan, combined with Kingâs already formidable Armament Haki, made him a force to reckon with.
Marco was around the same age, and most of Whitebeardâs officers were older or peers, but Kingâs flames and swordsmanship kept them on the back foot.
"The hellâs with this guyâŠ?! Heâs on fireâŠ!!"
"Hot!! Shit! A flame userâŠ!?"
"He transforms into fireâŠ!? Some kinda special Ancient Zoan like Marco!?"
"No reason to explain shit to dead men⊠Burn to ashâ!!!"
"Tch⊠His fireâs a pain⊠But I ainât losing as a swordsman!!"
As King swung his flaming blade down, a young man blocked it with twin swordsâVista, maybe? Impressive, stopping Kingâs strike. He was even younger than King, probably the youngest in Whitebeardâs ranks aside from apprentices. But King still had the edge. Sooner or later, heâd win in a straight fightâbut this wasnât a duel.
"Backupâs here, Vista!!"
"Tch⊠You bastardâŠ!!"
"! Fossa!! Appreciate it!!"
A cigar-chomping old manâFossaâtried to slash King from the side. King glared in annoyance, but there was no room for complaints. This was a pirate battle. Cheap shots and ganging up were fair game. This wasnât a sport. It was a fight to the death.
âAnd that meant we could play dirty too. No such thing as fouls in the world of pirates.
"âEXCITE~~~~!!"
"Guhhaa!!? W-What theâmy body hurts!!"
"! Watch out!! Thereâs something off about his weapons!!"
Queen, ever reliable, sent Whitebeardâs men flying with sheer brute force and his Devil Fruit powers, while his tricked-out weapons inflicted agony. Hell yeah! Keep it coming!
"Muhaha!! No matter how strong you are, you ainât lasting against my EXCITE specials!! Disease beats any thug!! Gonna watch you die slow, writhing in pain!!"
"Tch⊠Get the wounded outta here!! To the shipâs doctor!!"
"Smart move!! Too baaaaad~âȘ I ainât lettinâ that happen, and even if you do, itâll be too lateâȘ How âbout I overload your infirmary!?"
"StopâŠ!!"
"Whoa!!? The hellâre youâ!?"
Just as Queen prepared to unleash another wave of pathogens, his weapons were blocked by a gleaming, diamond-like bodyâJozu. Still young, still an apprentice.
His diamond form managed to stop Queenâs mechanized attacks, butâ
"Cheeky littleâ!! Donât get in the way of my EXCITE, brat!! Iâll crush you flat!!"
"Tch...!!"
"Donât you DARE bully our rookies!!"
"Like hell weâll let you!!"
"! Ughhhâ!!? Every damn one of you ganging up and getting in my way!! Youâre pissing me off!!"
Queenâs sheer brute force, combined with his sheer mass, shouldâve sent Jozu flyingâbut before he could, other Whitebeard Pirates intervened. That was probably Atmos and⊠who was the other one? Blonde, bob-cut, gauntlet user. They blocked Queenâs attack and countered. Queen swung his weapons wildly in frustration, but fighting multiple opponents at once was clearly wearing him down. Or ratherâ
"T-theyâre strongâŠ! The Whitebeard Pirates are this toughâŠ?!"
"Donât falter!! Weâve got the numbersâŠ!!"
"Guhhaaah!!?"
...Our crew was weak. Noâmaybe it was more accurate to say the Whitebeard Pirates were just that strong. The gap in average strength between our forces was an undeniable, brutal reality. Me, King, and Queen were holding our own, but we werenât so overwhelmingly powerful that we could plow through multiple commanders. King had his flames, Queen had his plaguesâboth annoying to deal withâbut their Devil Fruits were Zoan types, not exactly suited for wide-range suppression or instant takedowns. In a prolonged fight between commanders, our stamina might give us the edge, but by then, our underlings wouldâve been wiped out. The situation wasnât improving.
If there was any hope of turning the tide, itâd have to come from my abilities. So I leapt into the airâ
"! Sheâs fleeing to the sky!!"
"Watch out!! Sheâs up to something!!"
"Of course I am!! Here we goâŠ!! ăMysterious PhenomenonăâăMelancholic Blue UFO Assaultă!!"
"!!!"
"What the hell is that?! Blue UFOsâhot!!?"
"Eyes on the skies!!"
I summoned a swarm of blue UFOs that rained down lasers. Numbers advantage? Gone. This was a battlefield control tacticâforcing them to scatter, divide their attention, and whittle them down. My abilities were made for large-scale fights. So nextâ
"And nowâŠ!! ăUndefined Darknessă!!!"
"Tch, black mistâŠ!!"
"Guh!! Somethingâs flying at us!!"
"Canât see a damn thingâŠ!!"
"Shit, we canât attack recklessly like thisâŠ!!"
Hehehe, working like a charm. The obscuring mist forced them to hesitate, even risk friendly fire, while I picked them off from above with UFOs and bullet hell. You canât swing wildly, can you~? Canât attack carelessly, right~? But we canâ
"DieâŠ!!"
"Guhhaa!!?"
"Waaaghâ!!? K-King-sama⊠weâre on your sideâŠ!!"
"Muhaha!! Perfect!! As expected of Lady Yamato!! Nowâs our chanceâăPlague EXCITE Bulletsă, FIRE!!"
"Ugh, aaghhâ!! It hurtsâŠ!!"
"D-dammit, Queen-samaaaâ!! You hit us tooâŠ!!"
"Dumbasses!! Then stay the hell outta my firing range!! If you canât dodge, donât step up!!"
"Tch⊠Theyâre attacking even their ownâŠ!!"
Aww, look at the Whitebeard Pirates, all shaken up. Not that weâre aiming for our ownâwe just donât care if they get caught in the crossfire. If you canât dodge, thatâs your fault. This ainât a game. Iâve got multiple techniques at my disposal, and if I feel like it, I can dive right into close combat. This is how we flip the script.
"Ahhh, this takes me back. We fought like this back in the day tooâ"
"âYeah, just like old times⊠YOU CHEAP-SHOTTING SON OF A BITCH!!!"
"! Kyah!!?"
Whoaâclose one!! I barely dodged the shockwaveâno, the tremorâthat came flying at me.
That was, unsurprisingly, the power of Whitebeardâs Gura Gura no Mi. Mustâve punched the air to send a shockwave my way. And because of thatâ
"The bullet hellâs thinning out!!"
"The mist is clearing too!!"
"The old man blew away the UFOs and fog!!"
"Nowâs our chance!! Take âem downâ!!"
The quake-powered attack shattered most of my carefully summoned UFO fleet and scattered the mist. The Whitebeard Pirates rallied instantly. I couldnât help but pout.
"Ugh, seriously?! I finally had the upper hand, and you justâ!? Youâre still a monster, old manâŠ!! Kaido, you good!?"
"Guh... Newgate...!! I ain't done yet...!!"
"Youâve gotten even more savage than before...!! I told you, Kaido!! Yamato!! I wonât ever forgive those who hurt my crewâyou hear me?!!"
"!!"
"!! Oh shiâ"
Whitebeard swung his naginata, infused with quake power and Haki, aiming to cleave Kaido in half. I braced for collateral damage, but there was nothing I could doâKaido mustâve sensed the danger too, dodging mid-air before shifting into his full beast form.
But the groundâno, the islandâwasnât so lucky.
"W-what the hellâ?!?"
"Tch... Canât even stand...!!"
"Waaaaghhâ!!?"
"The old manâs quake!! Steady yourselves!!"
The force of Whitebeardâs strike sent shockwaves rippling through Kise Island and the surrounding sea, toppling our Beast Pirates like dominos. The Whitebeard Pirates, seasoned to his tremors, clung to whatever they could.
Numbers advantage? Meaningless. Unless you could fly like me, Kaido, or King, you were at the mercy of the quakes. And even if we escaped, we couldnât save the fodder or stop the devastation.
This man... is a monster.
The thought of taking that hit head-on sent chills down my spine. His power had only grown since the old daysâ
"âBolo Breath: Blazing Roar!!!"
Kaido retaliated from the sky, a searing heat beam lancing toward Whitebeard. A basic attack, easily dodgedâneither of us expected it to land.
But Whitebeard didnât dodge.
"âOoh!!"
"Old man!!?"
His crewâs panic was palpable as Whitebeard blocked the blast with his Haki-clad naginata.
A defensive move well within his capabilities, but... Wait. He had time to evade.
Then it hit me.
"...You dumb bastardâwhat if that hit civilians?!!"
"!"
âOf course. His glare and words confirmed it.
If heâd dodged, the blast wouldâve razed the town behind him, slaughtering those still fleeing. So he took it head-on.
Typical Whitebeard. The pirate who refused to harm the weak. Even now, holding back to protect this island and its people.
And thatâs exactly why my partner hated him.
"You mocking me...?! You got time to worry about ants mid-fight?!!"
"I can handle a runt like you and spare some decency, you snot-nosed brat!!"
"Tch...!! Same as ever... soft-hearted and infuriating, Newgate...!!! Youâre strong as hell, yet you coddle the weak... Just like back then...!!"
Lightning crackled as Kaido roared, summoning storm clouds.
Whitebeard had always been like thisâeven among the Rocks Pirates, he stood apart. He protected allies, spared civilians, and only drew blood when ordered. And even then, reluctantly.
Worst of all? Heâd never fought us seriously. Not even when we tried to kill him. Just brushed us off like pests.
To Kaido, that was unforgivable.
He respected Whitebeardâs strengthâthatâs why he obsessed over beating him. This wasnât mere hatred. It was the bitter clash of irreconcilable ideals.
All of us former Rocks Pirates felt it. Big Mom, Shikiânone of us called him weak. To do so would be an insult to ourselves.
Hell, Kaido once crushed a fool who dared say Whitebeard was "washed up." I nearly joined in.
Because only those whoâve faced him understandâ
Who the hell could call this monster weak?
"Damn you... Newgate...!! Who the hell do you think I am?!!"
"Shut your mouth, whelp!! You think Iâd flinch at your name?! âIâm Whitebeard!!!"
"GrghâOOH...!!"
"Hah... Ridiculous power...!"
His Devil Fruit, his Haki, his raw mightâevery facet of him demanded acknowledgment.
Thatâs why Shiki tried recruiting him. Why Big Mom and Kaido seethed, desperate to topple him.
A soft man wouldnât provoke such obsession.
Itâs because heâs strong and unyielding in his ways that heâs the ultimate rival.
And thatâs why we challenge him.
To beasts like us, heâs the ultimate wallâthe enemy we must crush.
Just like Roger.
No true pirate scoffs at legends.
"âKaido! Yamato! Weâre in trouble!! At this rateâ"
"Tch...!! Goddamn pests, swarming us...!!"
"Their numbers are thinning!! Push through!!"
"Only those four are strong!! Surround and take them down!!"
ââEven if most of our crew lay dead.
"Hah... Ugh... Not... done yet...!! I'll kill you...!!"
"Ahaha... Oof... Man, it's been a while since I felt this close to dying...!! But I'm still standing...!!"
"Tch... Just drop dead already!!!"
Even as bones shattered under quake-infused Haki strikes, even as we teetered on the brink of death... we couldn't stop fighting.
"ăPeaceful Dark Cloudă...!!"
"You think that cheap trick will work now!?"
I summoned a shroud of darkness to obscure Whitebeard's visionânot that I expected it to fool him.
Our stamina was nearing its limit. Barely two or three hours into the battle, and our forces were annihilated. Only King and Queen remained standingâthe rest of us were barely clinging to life. Even with our endurance, no one could last days against Whitebeard. Every hit threatened to knock me unconscious.
So it was time to end this.
I triggered my Mysterious Phenomenon ability, altering my appearance in the split second his vision was obscuredâ
"Die...!! Newgate...!!"
"You're the one dyin' today, Kaido!!!"
"Gh...!!! Hah...!!!"
I swung my trident, only for Whitebeard to counter with a devastating punch. The impact drove the air from my lungs, my ribs and organs screaming in protest.
Butâ
He'd called me Kaido.
I'd mimicked Kaido's voice, his mannerismsâand he'd fallen for it. A grin split my bloodied lips. Good. He sees Kaido in me.
"Heh... heh..."
"!!? YouâYamato...!!"
And in that instantâ
The real Kaido, now in his full hybrid form, brought his kanabo down from behind with a roar.
"RAAAAHHH...!!!!"
"Tch!!!"
"Look out!! Old man!!?"
A point-blank strike, amplified by Conqueror's Haki.
A blow we could never land aloneâonly possible with my support.
Spitting blood, collapsing to the ground, I still saw itâ
Whitebeard, gritting his teeth but refusing to kneel, swinging back with a fist that carried the weight of the sea itself.
"...This ends here...!!!"
"Gh...!!!"
Kaido was sent flying.
Eyes rolled back, blood spraying, forcibly reverted to human form as he hurtled toward the ocean.
...That sealed our defeat.
Butâ
"Gotta... save him..."
I crawled forward, desperate. Even Kaido couldn't survive hours submerged.
Yetâ
...Damn... I'm... spentâ
My body gave out, face-up on the sand, consciousness slipping away.
"........"
The last thing I sawâ
Whitebeard, standing over me, fist raised for the final blow.
Whitebeard had crushed the Beast Pirates. The battle was over.
Most of the enemy crew lay defeatedâlikely dead. Kaido had been blasted into the sea.
And Yamato, after struggling to her last breath, now lay motionless on the sand.
All that remained⊠was the finishing blow.
So Whitebeard raised his fist. Over the fallen girl, sprawled on her back.
âŠYetâ
"âŠâŠâŠâŠ"
âHe couldnât bring himself to strike.
He knew the logical choice. Kill her now.
Even if theyâd once been comrades, even if she wasnât yet his equalâgiven time, she could be. Kaido too. Both had already honed their Haki to terrifying levels. In ten years? Unpredictable. A threat to his sons, his family.
He should end it here. His mind understood that.
"...Damn bratâŠ"
Butâ
Memories flickered unbidden.
Of a reckless apprentice whoâd ambushed him for training, whoâd been nothing but trouble.
A girl who hadnât changed at allânot in appearance, not in spirit. For better or worse.
His teeth ground together.
And in the end⊠he lowered his fist. Turned away.
"...There wonât be a next time."
A debt repaid. To one of the few whoâd made that blood-soaked ship feel like home, if only briefly.
"âOld man."
"âYeah. Tend to the wounded. We set sail."
"Huh? Already?"
"What about the log poseâ"
"Use the Eternal Pose we took from that enemy ship."
"Ah, got it. âŠBut, old manâ"
"What?"
As he moved toward the ship, one of his newer sonsâa recruit from recent yearsâglanced at the girl on the shore.
"...What is she, really?"
"...Hell if I know."
Whitebeardâs answer was quiet.
A girl he knew too wellâand yet, not at all.
Then, with his family, he left.
Even when consciousness flickers back to life, itâs never in a moment of safety.
"Nn⊠AhâŠ"
So I force myself up, assessing the damage.
But these situations always follow the same script. Thrown in a cell. Shackled for transport. Strapped to a torture table. The common denominator?
"...Tch. We lost, huhâŠ"
"...Youâre awake, Nue."
"Mm. Barely."
Yeah. We lost. Obviously.
Defeat is why I blacked out. Survival is why I woke up. (Though the crew around me? Usually half-dead. This time, thoughâI was being carried.)
King had woken firstâhauling me in his arms like some damned princess. Bloodied but unbroken, his Lunarian durability keeping him on his feet where Iâd crumpled. (And considerate, tooâcradling me against his chest instead of his burning back. How sweet.)
"Heheh. âPrincess carryâ? Bold move~."
"...Get down if you can walk."
"Ehh⊠Too tired. Just float me to the ship. And hurryâwe need to fish Kaido out before he drowns."
"Queenâs handling the idiots who survived. Alsoâ" He adjusts his grip. "âlocals tried jumping us while we were down."
"Ah. Came for revenge, huh? Canât blame them~."
"...Took care of them."
"Atta boy."
King, ever reliable. Queen too, apparentlyâalready barking orders at the dozen or so crewmates still breathing. Our stash? Probably intact. Hidden well enough. Only question leftâ
Is Kaido alive?
ââ
Tracing his Vivre Card, we salvaged him from the sea. And, of courseâ
"GuhâcoughâUghâŠ"
"Holy hell. Youâre alive?"
"Lord Kaido, your injuriesâ"
"Hah⊠You maggots made it tooâŠ"
Six hours underwater. Six. And heâs griping.
Monster.
"Welp. We lost. Crewâs decimated. Soâwhat now? Queenâs comedy hour to lighten the mood?"
"Leave it to me, Yamato!! FUNK FUâwait, this ainât the time forâ!!"
"Perfect comedic timing. 10/10. âNow seriously. Whatâs the plan?"
I toss the gag to Queen, eyes locked on Kaido. Do we regroup here? Orâ
"âEnough cowering in this shitholeâŠ!!"
"Oh? So thenâ?"
I already know. But I let him roar it anyway.
"We sail⊠for the New WorldâŠ!!"
"Whoa."
"!"
"Just like thatâ?!"
Three reactions. Mine theatrically exaggerated.
FinallyâKaidoâs decision. The real sea. The second half of the Grand Line, where only true pirates survive.
A choice born of defeat, of Whitebeardâs fist hammering the lesson homeâbut not a single soul here hesitates. Obedience is baked into their bones.
And so, atop a ship of groaning wounded, Kaido barks his orders:
"Our base shifts to the New World. Firstâstrip this island of every coin, every scrap of foodâŠ!!"
"Crewâs thin now. Gotta stock up before we sail~."
"Payback for the rats who attacked usâŠ!!"
"No strength needed to crush ants."
"Take it all⊠Kill whoever resistsâŠ!! Noâhave fun with itâŠ!! Smash what you hate!!"
"Weakness deserves punishment, after all~."
"Rip them apartâŠ!!"
"Pity to wreck such a nice island⊠But if weâre leaving it behindââȘ"
"This ainât the end⊠The New Worldâs where the real rampage beginsâŠ!!!"
And soâwith ruin in our wake, fueled by defeat and departureâthe Beast Pirates set sail.
To carve our names into that savage sea.
To burn it all down.
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