Chapter 346: The Conquest Campaign Ends

As Sanguinius’s words fell, a thunderous Boom!! echoed across the island.

The atmosphere on Hachinosu Island grew oppressively heavy, punctuated by the earth-shaking roar of thunder from the sky above.

The Conqueror’s Haki of the three Pirate Emperors—Big Mom Charlotte Linlin, Kaido of the Beasts, and Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach—erupted in unison.

Crack!!!

The air seemed to shatter under the pressure. The giant trees requiring ten people to encircle, the buildings painstakingly erected by pirates, and even the massive pirate ships moored around Hachinosu fell into a momentary stasis.

Then, Boom Boom Boom!

The collision of the three Pirate Emperors’ Conqueror’s Haki sent violent tremors across the entire island, unable to bear the power of these monsters.

The immense force warped reality itself—skies split, seas churned, and the island quaked violently. Birds and beasts throughout Hachinosu, awakened by the terrifying aura, fled wildly in the opposite direction of the oppressive energies.

Buildings crumbled like fragile sandcastles. The massive skull-shaped structure serving as Teach’s base disintegrated into rubble, sending clouds of dust skyward.

“Mamamama… Kid, if you want to kill us, then bring it on!”

“Wororororo… A battle of the highest level—come at me!”

“Zehahaha… End the pirate era? Oh, noble angel, let’s see you try!”

If Red-Haired Shanks was the sole Pirate Emperor whose morality was a topic of debate, there was no ambiguity about the other three.

The old guard—Big Mom and Kaido—and the newly risen Emperor, Blackbeard, were undeniably vicious pirates of the highest order.

Their laughter echoed uncontrollably as their Conqueror’s Haki ravaged the island. Wherever their presence clashed, the ground cracked and shattered, launching countless rocks into the air.

Amid the laughter was their pride as Pirate Emperors, paired with an unyielding determination. Victory meant continued rule as tyrants of the New World. Defeat meant death and the obliteration of all they had worked for. The pirate era would truly end.

“Futile struggle,” Sanguinius muttered indifferently.

Facing the combined pressure of three Pirate Emperors, he remained unfazed. His golden eyes, gleaming with divine brilliance, radiated a holy angelic glow. A golden aura interwoven with faint traces of purple emanated from his form.

No communication was needed. In an instant, Kaido’s right hand swelled with bulging veins like coiled dragons, and his muscular physique grew even more imposing.

Boom!

A single step from Kaido sent dirt flying as the ground crumbled beneath him.

In mere moments, his immense frame crossed the hundred-pace distance, his movements defying his massive build. The enormous spiked kanabo in his hand swept down toward Sanguinius with terrifying force, carrying a gale that seemed to rip the air apart.

“Thunder Bagua!”

The kanabo, wrapped in an ominous black-red lightning, crackled with power. Dual layers of Conqueror’s and Armament Haki coursed through it, making its aura and strength overwhelming.

Crack!

BOOM—!

The ear-splitting impact shattered eardrums, and the immense shockwave rippled outward. The collision of the jet-black kanabo and the radiant crimson-gold sword created a force so titanic it swept across the land like an unstoppable tide.

Even though the clash occurred mid-air, the ground beneath couldn’t escape the aftermath. Hills buckled and crumbled under the crushing force, the island quaking violently.

Kaido’s eyes burned with clarity. The usually unruly Emperor focused completely on the duel.

Standing just shy of four meters tall, with a face as radiant as a god’s sculpture, Sanguinius blocked Kaido’s signature attack with a single hand. What was more, he steadily pushed the kanabo back.

“This strength…” Kaido gritted his teeth as his fingers clenched tighter around the kanabo’s handle. The massive muscles of his arms trembled, veins bulging grotesquely. He stared at his weapon, being pushed back with alarming ease, and his eyes filled with shock.

“Your physical strength exceeds that of old Newgate…”

Kaido’s roar split the air. He tightened his grip on the kanabo, and with all his might, he managed to steady the weapon momentarily.

Since Whitebeard’s decline due to age, Kaido had considered himself unmatched in raw physical power. Yet, here and now, he found himself outmatched.

“Linlin!!!” Kaido roared.

Big Mom didn’t need Kaido’s reminder. She was already on the move. This was the survival of pirates. What was the point of honor in a life-or-death battle?

“Ikoku Sovereignty!”

Holding Napoleon, her giant blade, which had transformed into a monstrous greatsword, Big Mom appeared on Sanguinius’s flank. With a tremendous swing, she unleashed a sword beam hundreds of meters long.

Shing!

The massive, pitch-black sword beam tore through the earth, leaving devastation in its wake. Everything in its path was obliterated to dust.

Sanguinius didn’t even glance in her direction. With his left hand free, he spread his palm open. Radiant golden light erupted as a divine energy wave met the incoming sword beam.

Boom!

The deafening collision sent ripples of destruction across the battlefield. The ground undulated like waves, concentric shockwaves spreading outward. The violent winds generated even launched pirate ships moored near the port a hundred meters out to sea.

Slash!

“Urgh!”

Kaido’s immense form was suddenly flung backward. Blood sprayed from his shoulder as the impact sent him rolling across the ground, carving out a trench hundreds of meters long. He staggered upright, clutching his right shoulder.

A ghastly gash tore through his flesh, cutting so deep it exposed the white of his bones. His purple-furred cape hung in tatters.

“That sword… it’s abnormal!” Kaido growled.

The blade had no Haki coating, nor was it a “black blade” forged by a master swordsman, yet its sharpness exceeded anything Kaido had encountered before.

Against the molecular energy field generated by Red-Stained Blade, even Kaido’s body—hailed as the world’s strongest—was like that of a defenseless mortal.

“Black Hole!”

Amid the chaos, Teach crept behind Sanguinius. A hand cloaked in black smoke reached out, its ominous darkness spreading rapidly.

“Zehahaha… My Yami Yami no Mi cancels out any Devil Fruit abilities, regardless of their type.”

Angel transformation, huh? A Mythical Zoan like Sengoku’s Buddha form.

As Teach’s hand neared the radiant golden armor adorning Sanguinius, a triumphant grin spread across his face. The prospect of subduing this angelic figure brought him unparalleled delight.

Then—”Huh?!”

Teach’s eyes widened in disbelief. An invisible field seemed to surround Sanguinius, rendering his hand useless. No matter how he moved, he couldn’t breach the mysterious barrier.

“You rely too heavily on your Devil Fruit,” Sanguinius remarked, his voice calm and measured. “And now, fear has taken root in your heart.”

As he spoke, Sanguinius’s free hand moved. Golden light gathered and coalesced into a spear of unparalleled craftsmanship.

The spear, resplendent as if forged from divine crystal, radiated blinding brilliance. Its blade resembled an elongated, hollowed teardrop, while its shaft bore intricate carvings of Selene, the Arbiter, wielding axe and hammer.

Its name was Penance Spear.

Feeling the deadly threat from the tear-shaped spearhead, Teach reacted instinctively—losing his base of operations was the least of his worries!

Twisting his waist, he brought his right arm across his chest, his fist clenching tightly. Buzz!

A white spherical aura suddenly materialized. “Quake Punch!”

In the next instant, Teach swung his right arm violently to the side, smashing it into the surrounding air.

Crack!!!

The white spherical glow trembled and shattered explosively.

The air itself fractured like fragile glass, splintering inch by inch with cracks resembling a spider’s web.

The next moment, as Teach anticipated, the elongated, hollow tear-shaped spearhead thrust toward him. Its razor-sharp edge, surrounded by a deadly purple-gold glow, pierced the vibrating air shield with devastating force, sending pain coursing through Teach’s body.

The Penance Spear collided with the spherical quake aura, unleashing a terrifying shockwave that rippled out madly.

Thunder roared, rumbling ceaselessly as clouds high in the sky were forcibly torn apart. Even the seas around the island erupted into monstrous tsunamis.

“Emperor Sword: Sovereign Slash!”

As her strike met the void field, Big Mom showed no sign of frustration. Shifting Napoleon from a sweeping slash to a thrust, she aimed for Sanguinius’s neck, the one part of him uncovered by power armor.

Although his void field would likely deflect the attack, Sanguinius wasn’t one to simply endure blows without countering. After sending Teach flying, he turned the Penance Spear and redirected its deadly edge.

The blade collided with Napoleon, the flaming Homie sword extending from the pirate hat atop Big Mom’s head.

Clang!

Brilliant sparks erupted from the impact, and the sentient blade’s face contorted in visible pain. Cracks began to spread visibly along its surface.

“Mama, it hurts!” Napoleon cried out.

Because Napoleon had been forged using a fragment of Big Mom’s own soul, the damage inflicted on the weapon caused her physical discomfort as well.

The realization that her personally crafted sword—on par with the Supreme Grade Blades—had been damaged in an instant caused Big Mom’s eyes to narrow. Her expression turned vicious as she unleashed a near-feral roar, her Conqueror’s Haki surging out in a burst of destructive force.

“Kaido!”

Boom!

Charging back into the fray, Kaido had shifted into his hybrid dragon form. Despite the gaping wound on his right shoulder, which failed to heal due to the invasive energy from the Penance Spear, his body grew even larger and more intimidating.

Now towering like a living juggernaut, his entire body was covered in heavy, cyan scales resembling armor. A massive tail swayed menacingly behind him, and the horns on his head had become thicker and more prominent. With his brutish visage and overwhelming aura, Kaido was the embodiment of a demon.

“Three Worlds: Dragging to Hell!”

Leaping high into the air, Kaido spun his spiked kanabo, dark lightning crackling fiercely along its length, before slamming it down toward Sanguinius with unstoppable momentum.

“Come on!” Tossing Big Mom aside, Sanguinius raised his Red-Stained Blade and Penance Spear, surging forward to meet Kaido head-on.

Boom!

A towering column of smoke and debris shot skyward as the two titanic forces collided, the ground beneath them shattering instantly. The resulting quakes caused the island’s surface to sink, followed by a chain of relentless impacts.

“Adamantine Drill!”

“Flaming Blade: Mother of All Blades!”

“Quake Punch!”

In just a few short exchanges, the battlefield transformed. Cracks spread across the ground like a spider’s web, and within moments, their reach extended beyond the horizon.

The four combatants were like primordial beasts, leaving utter devastation in their wake. Gigantic craters appeared, only to be obliterated by subsequent shockwaves, leaving the island itself a patchwork of ruined land.

The once-mighty Hachinosu, spanning tens of kilometers, was being torn apart by their battle. Chasms crisscrossed the landscape, splitting the island into fragments as seawater and underground reservoirs flooded the gaps.

Far away, all onlookers—be they members of the pirate crews serving the Four Emperors or journalists from the World Economy News—watched in stunned silence. Their faces reflected unmitigated shock, their eyes wide with disbelief.

“Admiral Teach can’t hold on anymore…”

“Am I dreaming? Mama is…”

“Boss Kaido and the Three Emperors together can’t defeat even one of the Empire’s generals?!”

Though none of them could see the figures battling amid the chaos—only the deafening thunderclaps and shockwaves that engulfed the sky and earth—the sight of Kaido and Big Mom being hurled through the air was enough to make things clear.

One against three, and still dominating. This… This was power beyond imagination.

“Big news! Big news! The New World is about to welcome a new pirate empero—no, a new ruler!”

“Quick, get a message to President Morgans! The Great Pirate Era… is truly coming to an end!”

“AAAAAH—!”

The ornate Red-Stained Blade grazed Teach, eliciting a blood-curdling scream as he collapsed to the ground, writhing and convulsing. The agony was so intense that all pretense of dignity as a Pirate Emperor vanished.

Teach’s exaggerated reaction wasn’t a matter of weak resolve—it was the nature of the Yami Yami no Mi.

Though classified as a Logia, its unique black-hole properties made its user incapable of nullifying damage through elemental dispersion. Instead, attacks were magnified, inflicting significantly heightened pain on its bearer.

“Huff… huff…” Kneeling, Teach gasped for air. For the first time, he felt an undeniable truth he loathed to admit—among the three Pirate Emperors, he was the weakest link.

The very Devil Fruit that had secured his rise now proved to be his greatest liability.

Triumph and ruin—both delivered by the Yami Yami no Mi.

Compared to Kaido and Big Mom, Teach’s physical body was far weaker! Without the use of Armament Haki or his Devil Fruit powers, even an ordinary flintlock could injure him.

Think about it—when had Kaido or Big Mom ever flinched at the concentrated fire of flintlocks or cannons?

Moreover, the Yami Yami no Mi’s main ability, nullifying other Devil Fruits, had no effect on Sanguinius. The Gura Gura no Mi, while capable of causing massive destruction, seemed incapable of landing any decisive blows.

After all, Teach wasn’t Whitebeard.

He fought ferociously, but when the results came in, it was all for naught—his damage amounted to no more than -1 HP.

That… was reality. The injuries Sanguinius inflicted healed faster than the damage Teach managed to inflict. Frustration crept into Teach’s mind.

Each time he was struck, the Yami Yami no Mi’s peculiar nature forced Teach to endure the full brunt of the pain, often rendering him momentarily incapacitated. Kaido and Big Mom were visibly furious.

“Why the hell isn’t my Dark Vortex working?”

Earlier, through combined attacks, Kaido and Big Mom had used their devastating joint technique, Hassaikai, briefly piercing a point in Sanguinius’s void field to give Teach an opening.

Teach had seized the moment with a mix of Quake Fist and Dark Vortex, his face twisted into a triumphant grin. His Black Hand had even made contact with Sanguinius’s body, yet…

Why were Sanguinius’s wings still there? Why hadn’t his Devil Fruit powers been nullified?

Before he could comprehend the failure, the void field rapidly repaired itself. Teach’s “greedy hands” were forcibly repelled, and with a look of undisguised disdain, Sanguinius launched him into the ground like a human missile.

Teach could feel the accusatory glares of Kaido and Big Mom boring into him as if to say, “This is a life-or-death battle! Are you screwing with us?!”

“It’s over.”

Sanguinius gazed dispassionately at the trembling pirate leader, whose body convulsed uncontrollably from the pain. With a simple flick of his wrist, the Penance Spear was spun, aimed, and thrown with precision.

Teach barely registered the movement before a devastating force struck his chest. His body was driven deep into the ground, carving a trench nearly a kilometer long, leaving behind a grotesque smear of blood and mangled flesh.

“Ugh—ARGH!”

The friction against the rough ground tore away Teach’s clothing, leaving his back a bloody mess. His body screamed in agony as he coughed up shattered organs and blood. His vision dimmed—death loomed near.

“Damn it! That armor, those weapons, and even the man himself—they’re all unnatural!”

Kaido, leaning heavily on his battered spiked kanabo, surveyed his surroundings grimly. His body was riddled with gaping wounds that refused to heal, corrupted by the residual energy of Sanguinius’s blade.

“Looks like this time… we’re really done for.”

A single misstep had rendered Teach incapacitated. While Kaido had never thought highly of Teach, he couldn’t deny the man’s strength. Without him, the pressure on Kaido and Big Mom became unbearable.

Kaido wasn’t afraid of imprisonment—he’d been locked up before, and to him, jail was practically home. But from the way Sanguinius carried himself, this wasn’t a fight where prisoners would be taken alive.

“Kaido, do we flee… or fight to the death?”

Panting heavily, her voice rasping with strain, Big Mom glared at Sanguinius with hatred blazing in her eyes.

Kaido tilted his head toward the sky, his voice low. “If we surrender…”

Before he could finish, Sanguinius cut him off decisively. “No. By the honor of the Blood Angels! Subordinates may be spared for labor, but pirate leaders must serve as an example—through death.”

With that, Sanguinius spread his radiant white wings. Streams of white-gold energy feathers rained down like celestial meteors, piercing Kaido instantly.

Boom!

The remnants of the island quaked and crumbled, the fractured landmass giving way to a massive whirlpool that swallowed everything in its wake.

“One left.”

Sanguinius turned slightly, his golden gaze falling on Big Mom as she frantically fled across the rolling, jelly-like waves her powers had created. His face betrayed no emotion as he whispered.

Reaching out, the Penance Spear returned to his grasp from the depths of the swirling ocean. He took aim.

“Wait…!”

Sensing imminent death, Big Mom tried to shout something, but before the words could leave her mouth, all she saw was the gleaming blue edge of the spear.

Squelch.

Blood sprayed into the air as her massive, headless body collapsed. The jelly-like sea waves she had conjured vanished in an instant.

The Homies—Napoleon, Prometheus, and Zeus—formed from her Soul-Soul Fruit abilities reverted to lifeless objects and fell into the sea. Her corpse, along with the fragments of Hachinosu, was swallowed by the swirling abyss of the newly formed whirlpool.

Thus, the Four Emperors were no more.

Sanguinius exhaled lightly. The Penance Spear dissolved into motes of light, and the Red-Stained Blade was sheathed once more. With a subtle tilt of his head, he looked skyward.

“The conquest campaign is over. Time to inform Lady Alyssa.”

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