Whitebeard and his crew set off with great momentum. Along the way to Onigashima island, Kaido had set many traps to ambush them.
The traps were widespread across the region, covering a wide area.
Despite Whitebeard's cautious leadership and the strong force under his command, they lost some time navigating through them but managed to avoid any casualties.
"Kaido-sama, Whitebeard and his crew have arrived,"
A subordinate reported from the center of Onigashima island, where Kaido's forces were fully assembled.
"How many of them are there? Did the traps work?" Kaido asked.
"They're just a thousand people, and Whitebeard used his Tremor-Tremor Fruit to protect them all. Our traps didn't work,"
The subordinate replied, sounding frustrated.
"Well, it looks like we won't be able to weaken Whitebeard's forces just yet. Stand down and wait for Whitebeard's arrival"
Kaido said with a hint of resignation.
"But it doesn't matter if we can't weaken them. Whitebeard only brought a thousand people. We have thousands of fighters here alone, not to mention the tens of thousands still left," Big Mom said calmly.
"Don't rush. Whitebeard is confident, yet he brought so few people. It's suspicious, don't you think he's planning something?" Kaido questioned.
"Don't worry. From what I know about Whitebeard, he probably just has great confidence in himself. That's why he didn't bring everyone. It works out well for us, doesn't it?" Big Mom reassured.
"It's too early to say it's a good thing. These cannon fodder won't decide the outcome of this war. Whitebeard is the key. If we don't defeat him, nothing else matters," Kaido said firmly.
"With our numbers, we'll surely defeat Whitebeard. Promise me that after we beat him, you'll hand him over to me," Big Mom said, gritting her teeth.
Kaido couldn't help but glance at Big Mom, wondering why she was already thinking about how to deal with Whitebeard when the war had just begun.
"If it can be done, I'd be happy to leave him to you," Kaido agreed, knowing that even if Whitebeard were defeated, his own forces remained strong with a large number assembled.
If Big Mom handles Whitebeard, she can draw most of the enemy's power and vengeance towards herself, which Kaido finds very advantageous.
Whitebeard and his crew soon reached the edge of Onigashima island, where they could see the Beast Pirates waiting for them.
Seeing Kaido for the first time, Whitebeard noticed the large force surrounding him.
The sight of their gathering was impressive and fueled Whitebeard's desire to fight.
"Don't shame me later." Whitebeard said to Marco and his other sons.
"Don't worry, Oyaji. We've been waiting for this day. We've trained hard for two years. We won't let you down," Marco assured Whitebeard confidently, with everyone else also showing firm eyes
"Good," Whitebeard nodded in satisfaction.
"Oyaji, look over there!" Benjamin suddenly spotted a familiar figure among Kaido's crew.
Whitebeard followed Benjamin's gaze and saw Big Mom's furious eyes fixed on him.
"Big Mom isn't dead!" Benjamin exclaimed in surprise, and the others looked shocked too. They all knew Whitebeard had sent Big Mom to the bottom of the sea, so it was hard to believe she had survived.
"It's really fateful. She managed to live for two more years, but I think it ends here." Whitebeard said lightly.
"Big Mom came to help Kaido. Could she have been with him these past two years?" Marco speculated in surprise.
"Oyaji, Big Mom is still alive. What about Katakuri and the others? Do they know?" Benjamin asked Whitebeard immediately.
Whitebeard didn't care much, he just said, "Just do what you should do. Katakuri still continues their mission. We don't need to worry about them. I trust Katakuri to give me a satisfactory answer."
Seeing how much Whitebeard trusted Katakuri and his crew, Benjamin remained silent. As chief-of-staff, he felt he had grown more distrustful of people.
"Whitebeard! You didn't expect it, I'm still alive!" Big Mom's voice, filled with Conqueror's Haki, echoed powerfully.
The presence of the Four Emperors exerted pressure on everyone behind Whitebeard, especially the samurai. Even Nine Red Scabbard felt the weight of it.
"Linlin, Kaido, it's okay for you to team up against me, it makes our battle less boring. But don't celebrate too soon—today, everything ends here," Whitebeard declared.
Whitebeard responded with a voice filled with Conqueror's Haki. His Haki now surpassed even Big Mom's by two levels.
This pressured not only ordinary subordinates and elite fighters, but even Big Mom and Kaido themselves felt pressure in Whitebeard's voice.
Under the force of Whitebeard's Haki-infused voice, many people even fainted from the overwhelming pressure. If they had been closer, many might have been seriously injured or killed.
Additionally, among the forces gathered with Kaido, there are many zoan users. Kaido is renowned as the leader of the Beast Pirates.
Most of the main members in his pirate group have ancient Zoan Devil Fruits. Additionally, the artificial Devil Fruits created by Caesar Clown also grant Zoan powers, although their numbers are still limited.
Apart from his Zoan Devil Fruit users, Kaido also commands a host of real beasts—large creatures like lions, tigers, elephants, and even some deformed giants known as Numbers.
This is part of Kaido's strategy to unleash these beasts against Whitebeard's Pirates
However, under the overwhelming force of Whitebeard's voice, these animals suddenly panicked and began to flee uncontrollably. Many people were trampled on the spot in the chaos caused by the sudden stampede of wild animals.
"These animals can't handle Whitebeard's Haki. They're all going berserk," Kaido said with dark face
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TO BE CONTINUED
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