Linli a sharp, searing pain in her was clear that Cudius's heavy punch had broken the bridge of her nose. Blood flowed bato her mouth, carrying a metallig she couldn't ignore.

  Uo hold it in, Linlin spat out a mouthful of blood.

  As she struggled to pull her head from the ground and rise, a powerful golden ser shot toward her at blinding speed. Polusalino's precision attack was about to strike.

  Just then, Charlotte Br?lée appeared out of nowhere, throwing a mirror into the ser's path.

  "Refle!" Br?lée called out sharply.

  The ser, which should have caused a massive explosion, was reflected back by the mirror. However, the angle wasn't perfect, and the beam shot skyward instead of returning directly to Polusalino.

  Not that it would have mattered much—his Glint-Glint Fruit powers meant he could likely shrug off his own attack.

  The reflected ser streaked into the sky, pierg the thick clouds and vanishing into the distance.

  Meanwhile, far out at sea near Cake Isnd, dark storm clouds gathered ominously. A massive figure twisted through the air, its serpentine body coiliween the clouds.

  Suddenly, the reflected ser struck the enormous figure square on the head, causing a violent explosion that dispersed the surrounding storm.

  The revealed creature's head was unmistakable—an enormous dragon with wicked, fearsome eyes.

  "What the hell was that?" the dragon muttered irritably. Though the attack left him slightly shaken, it hadn't caused any real harm.

  "Boss, I think it was a ser. Probably from Marine's new Admiral, Kizaru—Borsalino," said a stocky, broad man perched on the dragon's back. It was Kaido's subordinate, Pgue Queen.

  Ihis monstrous dragon was her than Kaido of the Beasts, one of the Four Emperors.

  Kaido grunted in annoyance, his deep voice rumbling. "Borsalino? Impossible. Why would a Marine Admiral be near Cake Isnd? You think that old hag Linlin's letting Mariroll into her territory for free?"

  Queen chuckled nervously. "Fair point, boss. Doesn't really add up."

  The two had not e to Cake Isnd for a leisurely visit. Kaido, in his dragon form, had flown to Totto Land with Queen riding on his back. Their mission was simple: sabotage Linlin's infamous tea party.

  Thanks to the surveilnce Den Den Mushi scattered across Totto Land's perimeter, approag by ship would have been impossible. But flying ued was a different story.

  Kaido's motivations for causing chaos at the tea party were personal. When news broke that Linlin po make Tezolo her son-in-w, Kaido had been infuriated.

  Though both Kaido and Linlin were once members of the Rocks Pirates, their curreionship was far from friendly. Rivals in the New World, both sought to t their pce as the top pirate in the world.

  Linlin's Totto Land had groidly, and if she gained trol of Tezolo—a financial juggernaut—her influence would skyrocket.

  Kaido couldn't allow that. He couldn't stand the thought of being outpaced by Linlin, nor the possibility of her ridig him for bei behind.

  Additionally, Kaido's operations in Wano required signifit funding. Tesoro's resources would be just as valuable to him.

  And so, Kaido had decided to disrupt the tea party and snatch Tesoro away for himself.

  However, before they even reached Cake Isnd, they were uedly struck by a ser—ohat had nothing to do with their pns.

  "Damn it," Kaido growled, shaking his massive head. "What kind of omen is this? I didn't sign up to get bsted out of the sky."

  As they drew closer to Cake Isnd, the se that unfolded before them left both Kaido and Queen stunned.

  The isnd was in utter chaos.

  Volic eruptio streams of va s through the sky. Golden sers streaked across the clouds, and part of the eastern sea had frozen into a solid gcier. Lightning bolts rained down incessantly, apanied by whirling gusts of wind.

  From a distahe destru resembled a cataclysmiatural disaster.

  "What the hell's going ohere?" Kaido muttered, narrowing his eyes.

  Queen, equally baffled, scratched his head. "Is this some sort of Logia user party? Looks like five different elemental powers tearing up the pce at once."

  Kaido snorted. "Don't be stupid. What are the ces five Logia users are all fighting on Cake Isnd at the same time? It's probably some trick of Linlin's. Her powers are weird enough to pull off something like this."

  Indeed, given enough time, Linlin's Soul-Soul Fruit could create Homies that mimicked such destructive capabilities.

  "Boss, what about that ssh?" Queen asked, pointing toward a faint green arc cutting through the sky.

  Kaido's eyes followed the trajectory, and just as he registered it, the ssh veered dangerously close to him.

  "Damn it!" Kaido cursed, swiping at the ssh with his massive cw. The strike missed him by inches, but the close call left him fuming.

  "What the hell is that old hag doing?!" Kaido roared, his deep voice shaking the air.

  Queen, meanwhile, began pieg things together. "Boss… frozen seas, va, sers… isn't this the power of Marine's new Admirals? Could Cake Isnd really be utack by the Marines?"

  Kaido paused, his dragon head furrowing into a scowl. "Marine Admirals… here? Damn it, maybe you're right."

  His demeanor shifted as he sidered the implications. Though Kaido had e to Cake Isnd to pick a fight with Linlin, things ged if the Marines were involved.

  Pirate rivalries were ohing. But if the Marines mao take down Linlin and her crew, the bance of power in the New World would colpse.

  Linlin's downfall would leave a gaping power vacuum, ohat the Marines could exploit to tighten their grip on the seas. And after Linlin, Kaido knew he would be their arget.

  Grumbling in frustration, Kaido muttered, "Damn it. If the Marines are here, I 't just sit back. Looks like I'll have to give that old hag a hand, whether I like it or not."

  As Kaido approached Cake Isnd, his massive dragon form emerged from the clouds. Below, he spotted Linlin being overwhelmed by a group of attackers led by Cudius.

  Taking a deep breath, Kaido unleashed a stream of superheated air from his mouth. The Heat Breath attagulfed Linlin and her oppos in a fiery explosion, redug much of the surrounding area to rubble.

  Borsalied instantly, using his light-speed mobility to escape the bst zone. Gion also used her agility to leap away, narrowly avoiding the fmes.

  Cudius, oher hand, made no attempt to dodge. Dragging Linlin with him, he allowed the fmes to engulf them both. The resulting explosion rocked the isnd, leaving a massive crater where they had stood.

  H above the age, Kaido's enormous head emerged from the smoke.

  "You still alive, Linlin?" Kaido called out mogly, his voiing across the battlefield.

  The fighting on Cake Isnd ground to a halt as batants on all sides turo face the imposing figure of the stro creature in the world.

  "Damn it… why is he here?" Kuzan muttered from atop the frozen seas, frowning as he g the t dragon.

  Kuzan had thhly suppressed Katakuri in their fight and was fident in his ability to capture the Sweet ander alive. But Kaido's sudden appearance had thrown a wrento his pns.

  "Of all times, why now?" Kuzan grumbled, his irritation pin.