Chapter 70.1 : Ochoku Appears!!

Near the territory of the Beasts Pirates. 

Two fleets stood off against each other across the sea. 

"The Navy?" 

Charlotte Perospero, the eldest son of the Charlotte family, peered through a telescope at the distant fleet. "Admiral Sengoku and Admiral Candidate Akainu! That's some terrifying strength. Why are they here?" 

"Same as us. They're waiting for Kaido and Whitebeard to weaken each other." 

Katakuri responded calmly. 

"That's going to be troublesome." 

Perospero licked his candy-made cane with his long tongue, grinning mischievously. "After all, only one fisherman needs to reel in the rewards, right?" 

He turned his gaze to his mother, who was seated on the throne-like chair atop the deck. 

"Mama," he asked, "what should we do?" 

"Ma—ma—ma—ma! Looks like they won't let us pass." 

Charlotte Linlin, also known as Big Mom, laughed heartily. "Are they scared I'll team up with Kaido? That bastard should be grateful to me!" 

On the opposing side, aboard the Navy's fleet. 

"Sengoku-san, should we attack?" 

The man known as Akainu asked eagerly, impatience brimming in his tone. 

"We don't have time to fight Big Mom now." 

Sengoku replied calmly. "And even if we did fight, we wouldn't get a decisive outcome." 

If Charlotte Linlin were that easy to defeat, the Big Mom Pirates wouldn't have grown this powerful in the first place. If that idiot Garp had come along, a fight might be worth considering. 

But right now, our forces aren't enough. 

"What about Whitebeard and Kaido?" 

Akainu frowned. 

"Ochoku is heading over." 

Sengoku said matter-of-factly. "That battle will probably fizzle out without a conclusion." 

"Will that guy help Whitebeard?" 

"He has no choice. Compared to Kaido, his only option is to side with Whitebeard." 

On the island where the showdown was taking place. 

Ian now stood face-to-face with Whitebeard's fury. 

"Brat!!" 

A violent aura became tangible, with black-red lightning crackling off Whitebeard's body, scattering wildly in all directions. The ground beneath him shattered, and chunks of rock, as if freed from gravity's grip, floated into the air.

"Ugh!"

Ian's body shuddered violently.

The dark lightning struck him, almost forcing him out of the sky and slamming him to the ground, as if an entire mountain had been placed on his shoulders. 

This kind of Conqueror's Haki? 

Ian felt a chill run down his spine. His muscles trembled uncontrollably. 

It wasn't just aura—it had become a physical attack!

Is this the same as the Conqueror's Haki that Green Bull experienced in Wano? 

It was ridiculous, absolutely overwhelming.

Even someone at the level of a commander in the Whitebeard Pirates would struggle to withstand the force of Whitebeard's Haki, let alone escape unscathed.

"Sea Quake!"

Without hesitation, Whitebeard aimed at Ian and swung his naginata down. The massive shockwave Ian had witnessed earlier roared out once more, threatening to crush him completely.

But this time, Ian remained calm.

"Gururururu!" 

Kaido laughed heartily, leaping into the fray. "Newgate! Don't get it twisted—I'm your opponent!"

"Supreme Thunder: Eight Trigrams!"

The devastating attack roared to life. While the iron club couldn't stop the enormous shockwave outright, the immense Conqueror's Haki infused into it could. 

The clash between the shockwave and Kaido's Conqueror's Haki shook the sky and earth alike. The entire island trembled violently under the impact.

At the center of the collision, the ground shattered, massive cracks spreading outward across the island like a spiderweb. In mere moments, the island's surface was riddled with fractures, as if it might break apart at any second.

Even the surrounding seawater was forced back by the sheer force of the clash, expanding the island's visible area to more than double its original size.

"This is insane!" Ian exclaimed sincerely.

Both fighters were! 

Kaido at this point was even stronger than his counterpart in the original storyline.

After all, Kaido had already mastered internal destruction using Armament Haki, achieving near-perfect proficiency in all three forms of Haki.

These two were undoubtedly the top contenders of this era. 

Even if Kaido was slightly weaker than Whitebeard, the difference between them was no more than that between Akainu and Aokiji. 

Charlotte Linlin was likely weaker than both of them.

Perhaps only Shanks, a decade from now, could stand on par with these two monsters. 

Compared to them, Marco—whom Ian had fought in the past—was simply not in the same league.

Without using his Immortal Phoenix form, Ian doubted he could survive more than a few exchanges with them.

"Brat, get lost!"

Kaido barked the order without looking back as he charged forward, colliding with Whitebeard once more. 

In an instant, the world trembled anew, as heaven and earth seemed to teeter on the brink of collapse.

"It's quite lively down here!" 

Before Ian could turn his head, a figure swiftly approached from the sky, stepping on air and hovering mid-air as he gazed down at the two clashing figures below. 

Dressed sharply in a suit and scarf, with a fedora perched atop his head, the man resembled a mafia boss straight out of a movie. 

Ochoku! 

A meddler—he's already here? 

Did this guy head over the moment the battle began? 

Ian flapped his wings and soared high into the sky, scanning the distance. A fleet was fast approaching. 

So, what exactly was Ochoku here for? 

"Ochoku?" 

Kaido looked up, a scowl on his face. "You came here to stir up trouble too?" 

"I'm here to end this war. I hope the two of you will show me some respect." 

Ochoku spoke openly. "You were once comrades—there's no need for a fight to the death." 

Ian couldn't help but crack a smirk. 

Respect? 

Do you even have the strength to demand that? 

**********

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