The hair color isn't right!

Meanwhile, Kid and the remaining members of the Kid Pirates were planning to find a ship to leave.

Suddenly, Kid's expression shifted, and he stopped in his tracks several dozen meters away, sharply turning his head toward a nearby forest.

Almost at the same moment, a towering figure emerged from the forest.

"That's... the Demon Heir, Douglas Bullet?!"

The members of the Kid Pirates were stunned at the sight of Bullet suddenly appearing before them.

Kid's eyes narrowed, heart pounding, clearly shaken. The previous battle with Weevil had shown him the strength of these veteran powerhouses in the New World.

Bullet's cold eyes swept over them, as if he was looking at insignificant insects.

At that moment, Bullet's hand became wrapped in Armament Haki.

"Before I fight Whitebeard, warming up with this guy might be nice. Besides, I can't go all out with Kaido around."

Boom!

Without warning, Bullet charged toward Kid's crew.

His Haki-infused fist struck the ground where Kid had been standing, creating a deep crater. Mud and shattered stones flew in all directions.

Kid narrowly dodged the attack, his eyes widening in shock, pupils shrinking to pinpoints.

This guy is strong.

"Magnetism: Repel!"

Veins bulged on Kid's forehead as he unleashed his power in rage. Debris and wreckage around him were magnetized, hurtling toward Bullet.

Bullet immediately sensed the incoming projectiles.

A cold red glint flickered in his eyes.

He could easily dodge, but there was no need. The difference in their strength wasn't something that could be bridged by tricks.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With a few swipes, Bullet knocked away the swords and sharp metal pieces hidden among the debris.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Kid was in disbelief that his attack had no effect.

"You can't survive in the New World relying on little tricks."

Once everything settled down, Bullet coldly stared at Kid.

"Feel despair."

The moment he finished speaking, Bullet's figure blurred as he moved past Kid.

Slash!

In the dappled sunlight of the forest, severed limbs and a spray of blood flew through the air.

Bullet was slaughtering the Kid Pirates.

Ding!

Wire looked in shock at Bullet, who was completely unharmed despite being stabbed by his trident. Then his vision flipped upside down. As he saw the headless corpse holding the trident, his world went dark.

This… is an insurmountable gap.

Amid the bloodshed, Killer, wearing his mask, was being held by his head. His limbs hung limply as Bullet crushed his skull with his fingers, shattering both mask and head, before tossing the lifeless body aside.

"Killer!"

In an instant, overwhelming fury overtook Kid's reason.

Red light flashed in his eyes as weapons flew toward him, joined by machine parts from distant shipwrecks, all converging on him from every direction.

Bullet glanced at the metal objects hurtling toward Kid but made no move to stop them.

After all, this was just a warm-up, and it seemed like the opponent could now bring him some entertainment. Bullet was more than happy to give Kid a chance.

"Letting rage consume your reason, huh?"

Kid said nothing, his face twisted with fury as he pushed his powers to the limit.

With his ability fully activated, Kid forcibly manipulated the structure of the weapons, turning them into precise components that assembled into a massive, towering magnetic golem, which he then wore like armor.

"Magnetism: String!"

Roaring in rage, Kid's giant golem raised its hands high, mechanical joints whirring as it brought its palms crashing down on Bullet.

Boom!

The impact sent waves of mud flying into the air.

The mechanical palms, coated in Armament Haki, closed in on Bullet's head in an instant.

"Nice momentum, but…"

Bullet grinned as the giant hand neared him, then punched upward with his Haki-infused fist.

Boom!

The tremendous force of his punch collided with the mechanical palm.

The resulting shockwave tore through the area, uprooting trees and sending them flying.

"Not enough!"

As Bullet's voice rang out, cracks began to appear in the mechanical hand.

In the next moment, the hand shattered into countless pieces, scattering everywhere.

"Die!"

Enraged beyond reason, Kid ignored Bullet's taunts. His only thought was to eliminate the enemy before him.

"Magnetism: Crusher!"

The scattered metal parts regrouped under Kid's magnetic force, merging once more into the mechanical arms and clamping down on Bullet. The magnetic force created a crushing pressure like a hydraulic press, attempting to crush Bullet from both sides.

"Now this is more interesting."

Feeling the terrifying pressure from all directions, Bullet's interest was piqued.

But just then, a sense of imminent danger sent Bullet's instincts into overdrive.

The head of Kid's magnetic golem had transformed into a strange firing mechanism, crackling with electricity.

Sensing the threat, Bullet grabbed the metal arms restraining him and activated his Devil Fruit power.

In an instant, his Disintegrating Fruit clashed with Kid's Magnetic Fruit, with both powers fighting for control.

Boom!

Under the pressure of both abilities, the magnetic golem disintegrated, scattering fragments everywhere.

Kid was thrown from the explosion, landing in the mud some distance away.

"D-Damn it…"

Struggling to his feet, he propped himself up with one hand and looked at Bullet slowly approaching him.

"I acknowledge your potential. Given time, you might even reach the top of this ocean one day. But too bad—you don't have that chance…"

Bullet raised his Haki-coated fist.

…

In the skies above.

Kaido, in his dragon form, looked down at Whitebeard's fleet below.

"Ugh, Worororo! Are you here to die, Whitebeard?"

Kaido taunted mercilessly. If it were the Whitebeard from ten years ago, he wouldn't be so brazen. But now, the man before him was old and weak, reliant on IV drips to survive.

"Kaido…"

Whitebeard calmly looked up at the dragon in the sky, his eyes as deep as a still lake.

Kaido's face twisted with killing intent as he sneered, "Worororo… You know what's coming next, don't you, Newgate?"

In response, Whitebeard's fist began to glow with brilliant white light.

Quake Punch.

The air shattered like glass as Kaido's body broke apart, blood gushing out.

The power of the Quake Punch left Kaido's eyes rolling back in his head.

"I never realized how annoying you were back when we were in the Rocks Pirates."

Whitebeard slowly retracted his fist.

Seeing Kaido lose his senses from a single punch left everyone watching the live broadcast stunned.

They had expected a fierce battle between Emperors, but this was not what they imagined.

"Hmm? Is it just me, or is Whitebeard's hair color off?"

As someone pointed it out, everyone noticed that Whitebeard's black headscarf was missing.

In its place was a full head of blonde hair.

"?"

Watching the broadcast, Sengoku spat out his tea. He had wondered how Whitebeard, with his failing health, dared to confront Kaido.

But Whitebeard's current appearance looked just like his peak form from the past!

Realizing this, Sengoku quickly grabbed a Den Den Mushi and made a call.