ONE PIECE: KAIDO'S SON

A thunderous roar cracked through the heavens.

A blinding white bolt of lightning tore apart the thick clouds that clung stubbornly to the skies above Onigashima, splitting them like paper. But the brilliance lasted only a moment. Darkness surged back, even heavier than before.

Rain fell in torrents—lashing the battered island—but it couldn't wash away the murderous aura that saturated the air.

The wind howled like a beast, tearing through the rubble and debris. But it couldn't dispel the suffocating pressure rising between Ragnar and Yamato.

"Yamato," Ragnar's voice was calm—too calm, like a blade before the draw. "Don't force me."

"I'm not the old man. My patience with you is thin."

"Because of him, I'll give you this one chance—reconsider your words."

Each syllable struck like a drumbeat of Haoshoku Haki—Conqueror's Haki—oppressive, royal, absolute.

As his words ended, the sky itself seemed to respond. The clouds lowered. The atmosphere pressed down on Onigashima, as though unable to bear the rising tension.

"My patience," Yamato replied coldly, "ran out long ago."

Her glare was razor sharp. Kaidou's daughter, yes—but her soul burned with another man's will.

The spirit of Kozuki Oden surged from her.

Her Conqueror's Haki responded, roaring to life. It slammed into the atmosphere like a tidal wave, the air vibrating with fear and awe. Sparks of black lightning danced in the air—the mark of a true king.

"So you're determined to go celebrate the New Year in Udon with Ace," Ragnar said grimly, eyes narrowing.

He didn't raise his hand.

He didn't need to.

His Haki exploded like a hurricane, sweeping out in all directions, tearing through the air like a vortex of pure willpower. Thunder rolled again in the distance as the very fabric of the sky buckled.

Yamato roared. "I am Kozuki Oden! I will live freely—as he did!"

Her aura surged again, no longer held back.

Boom!

The two forces collided.

Two wills—two rulers.

One sea-colored and fierce with rebellious righteousness. The other golden and absolute, heavy like judgment.

Haoshoku no Haki ripped through the island. Invisible yet visible—blades of black lightning lanced the sky. The clash cracked the skies and ruptured the clouds.

Natural disasters responded to the duel of kings.

Torrential winds, jagged bolts of lightning, the rain now horizontal as the heavens themselves warred with the earth.

The ground trembled—the first to yield under such pressure.

Cracks spiderwebbed beneath them, as Onigashima groaned from the force. Entire boulders were thrown into the air by the pressure alone.

Throughout the island, chaos spread.

The Tobi Roppo, the All-Stars, and even the Numbers paused mid-battle. Their instincts screamed—predators were fighting for territory.

They all turned toward the storm. Toward Ragnar and Yamato.

And they moved.

From different corners of the island, the Beast Pirates' elite converged, rushing toward the origin of the chaos.

"That's all?" Ragnar mocked, eyes still locked on Yamato.

"You fought against the old man for years. Is that really all your will amounts to?"

Yamato didn't respond.

She didn't need to.

Her face had gone cold—icier than any tundra.

And then her aura erupted again. From her chest, a ball of condensed spiritual pressure began to swell and expand—a visible sphere of pure Conqueror's Haki, burning blue.

"This… is real Haoshoku," she growled.

Ragnar's smirk dropped.

His eyes darkened.

His will spiked—and space itself seemed to bend.

Boom!

The sheer density of his Conqueror's Haki twisted gravity itself. Reality bent as his spirit touched matter. Onigashima lurched, as if a titan had stomped upon it.

CRACK!

Almost the instant Ragnar's Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) surged forth, the azure aura around Yamato—her own Conqueror's Haki manifestation—was violently crushed, as if snuffed out by sheer force of will.

"Nngh…!"

Yamato let out a pained grunt as the invisible torrent slammed into her like a tsunami. The overwhelming pressure forced her back, her feet carving deep grooves into the stone of Onigashima's battlefield as she skidded more than ten paces away.

"That was Conqueror's Haki... clashing?"

"Yamato?! So it's true—the offspring of Kaido is also blessed with the King's power!"

"A clash between royal spirits… how rare!"

"But it looks like the True Lord came out on top this time!"

King, Queen, Jack, and the Tobiroppo arrived in a flurry, drawn by the sky-splitting aura of the Haoshoku Haki collision. They looked on with awe at the aftermath of the spiritual clash between Kaido's heir and the mysterious challenger, Ragnar.

"I haven't even started fighting yet!" Yamato shouted, irritation flaring in her voice as she pushed off the ground. "Don't declare a victor just yet!"

With a burst of energy, she gripped her kanabo Takeru and lunged forward.

"Raimei Hakke!"

(Thunder Bagua!)

Crackling arcs of black lightning—evidence of her mastery over advanced Conqueror's Haki coating—surged around the weapon. Her movement blurred as she channeled her rage and pride into the strike.

But Ragnar didn't even blink.

"Raimei Hakke? I'll return it with open palms!"

With a single step, he intercepted the attack. His palm—coated in an oppressive, jet-black glow of Busoshoku Haki and infused with the subtle shimmer of Haoshoku—met the tip of the mace.

Boom.

The moment the two forces collided, Yamato's black lightning sputtered and dispersed. Her Raimei Hakke was nullified outright.

"Wha—?"

The blow reverberated through her arms, nearly wrenching her weapon from her grasp.

"Don't underestimate me!" she snarled. The strain in her voice made it clear—she refused to be dismissed.

Her aura exploded outward as a freezing wind swirled around her.

In the blink of an eye, her body began to morph.

Glacial mist erupted from her skin.

Her frame expanded to over six meters in height.

Twin horns curled from her forehead.

Her once-beautiful visage gave way to a fearsome lupine form, fangs gleaming and eyes wild with divine fury.

The Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Ōkuchi no Makami—

Mythical Zoan: Great-Mouth Deity Form—awakened!

Yamato's hybrid form stood tall, primal power radiating from her now-immense form.

"Ragnar... you want a true clash of kings? I'll show you what Kaido's daughter is capable of!"