Chapter 36

AN: I should start off by apologizing for taking so long to upload through this whole thing. I won't make any excuses, but now that I have a brand-new personal computer, I can finally write whenever I want to! I'm working on getting myself into a steady schedule to write and do all my other stuff, and I already have two other half-written chapters on the backburner with what I've worked on, so we'll see how that goes. Secondly, I've been debating which style of writing would be best for POVs other than Kelly's: first person or third person? I've used both recently, 3rd for Whitebeard and 1st for Thatch and Haruta, but I'm not sure which one you guys would enjoy more. I'd like some thoughts on it, so we can have a better formula for this. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

WARNING: The contents of the end of this chapter can get especially brutal. That is all.

Chapter 36

-(Kelly)-

I stand at the side of the deck, the wind whipping through my hair, struggling to keep my eyes open. My body ached, each bruise and cut at least giving a dull throb. But the pain was slowly fading, so I guess that's a good thing. I'd been trying to look around us, but we were moving way too fast, and my eyes couldn't keep up. A while back I'd seen a blur of brown and white on the ocean, but I didn't get a good look and I didn't want to think about what it might be - my head hurt too much. Must be all those concussions I got… Wait… I think to myself, When would I have gotten a concussion? Against Sheepshead? That thought just made my head hurt more.

"You doing okay back there, kid?" I hear a cheerful voice call out, interrupting my train of thought, and I see Lucky Roo standing on the railing, holding onto a rope attached to the sail. You can probably guess what was in the other.

"Hanging on!" I yell back, adjusting my crutch so it was braced in a better position, "Kinda wish my back didn't hurt so much!" that probably came from being slammed into a tree, now that I think about it.

"Great!" I hear Yasopp yell from the other side, holding the other rope, and I watch him buckle as Mihawk sends another blast at the sails, "Hey, Captain!" the marksman calls to his red-haired leader, "How far we got? I'm not sure how long I can hold-" he braces as another blast lurches the boat forward, "-this rope down."

"I'd say only fifteen minutes!" came the response, "I can't see the island yet, but it should be soon."

"Thank goodness!" Yasopp sighs, "My arms can't take much more."

"You getting tired over there, Yasopp?" Lucky calls over.

"Maybe I am, Lucky!" comes the reply.

"Then you need to lift more!" the smiley pirate, well, smiles, "I'm hardly breaking a sweat!"

"Not everyone is built like an ox on steroids, Lucky!"

"Hey, I got to where I am by building up that muscle mass, Yasopp!" Lucky points his meat rack at his friend, "You could, too, if you tried."

"That isn't muscle, buddy," the sharpshooter retorts, "You're just strong because you have to haul your fat ass around all day!"

"Hey, I'm just big boned!"

"Bullshit! No one has bones in their gut!"

The two crewmen stare at each other, absolutely pissed, then…

"Snrk!" Yasopp snorts.

"Pfft!" Lucky suppresses a laugh.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!/Oh, oh, that was a good one!" the two friends burst into a fit of laughter, Lucky's stomach jiggling and Yasopp nearly letting go of his rope, only hanging on once a strong gust from Mihawk forces him to get back to it.

"Oh, jeez," Yasopp wheezes once he gets back under control, "That was a good one."

"Haha! I do have to haul my fat ass around all day, buddy!" Lucky grins as he tears off a chunk of meat. I'm just sitting there, dumbfounded.

"Kahaha" I chuckle. There was something about their banter that put me at ease, probably just the casualness they went about each other in such a crazy situation. Seriously, though… I got into some crazy shit these past few days… I clutch my head, the pain getting to me.

"EVERYONE BRACE!" Shanks suddenly yells-

CRACK!

A sound not unlike that of a steel stake being driven into dry wood explodes nearby, and I look up to see a winding line imprint itself in the air mere inches away from the side of the ship, the air around it warping and folding. It hurt my eyes just looking at it.

"MORE INCOMING!" Shanks bellows, and I look to the front only to see a spider web of those air rifts snaking towards us, and I see everyone else on the crew hold onto anything around them, and I instantly grab onto the handle of the Captain's Cabin door. I could feel the ship rapidly slowing as Mihawk probably steadied himself, and I watch as Shanks flips around the grip on his blade, lifting it high into the air… "HYA!" he yells, and he stabs down into the deck of the ship, a blast of crimson force pulsing from the blade. The wave of energy rolls outward in every direction, deflecting away the rends in space, and I watch in awe as it pulses towards me.

That is soOH FU-! I start to yell as a blast louder than anything I'd ever heard assails my ears, a wave of force slamming me back into the wall, causing the skin on my face to roll back like I was in a supersonic jet. I could feel my eyelids being peeled back, and my eyes themselves were drying alarmingly fast. I tried to move my arms, my legs, anything, but they were stuck, trapped. Out of the corner of my eye I caught glimpses of cracks slamming into each other, each joining causing a crackle like a firework to go off, and the added cacophony nearly purged everything from my thoughts. This much raw power and stimulation was too much, and I could feel my mind slowly shutting down, my vision flickering, and-

It stopped. Mere seconds after, it stopped.

I- wha- ha- ga- aaaaaaaah… I think as I slump to the deck, relinquishing my grip on the door handle. I could feel my hair sticking out every which way, probably looking like Doc from Back To The Future. My ears were ringing, any other sound deadened in that huge aftermath, and I try to glance to the side, my eyes slow and sore, hardly able to focus. I don't make it very far, though, and end up having to force myself to blink almost ten times just to stop the dryness. Once I do glance over, however, I feel every hair on my body stand up.

Thousands of thin, silky strands billowed out from Shanks' position, snaking up and around the ship, encasing it in a cocoon of distortion and awe, a ship in a bottle. I move my head, following an individual strand through the twisting mass, watching as it waved, turned, contorted and bent. The air around it curled inward, distorting the image beyond it, reflecting several colors and sending several beams of multi-colored light shining down, painting a masterpiece of pure color on the canvas that was the sails. It felt like time stood still, every moment of every second feeling like an eternity in a paradise. I felt my mouth open of its own accord, exhaling a breath that I didn't even know I was holding in. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.

With a sound similar to rushing water, the distortions around the rends appeared to flow, sending a kaleidoscopic display washing over me, and I feel myself hypnotized by the dancing colors, a sense of childish awe dominating every thought. The flows each crashed against one another, swirling and whirling like a tidal wave on the beach, and the very sky seemed to realign, fragments between lines twisting to fit together like a puzzle, and I could almost hear them grinding as they fit into place. Then, it stopped, and I was sitting on the deck of the ship, staring at the cloudless sky, heart pounding in my chest.

"Damn, the Old Man doesn't disappoint, does he?" I hear Lucky Roo say, a smile in his voice.

"As expected from the strongest man," I hear Mihawk's voice mutter above me, "Red-Hair, do you see that?" he asks moments later, and I glance around, looking for what he meant, when I catch sight of what looks to be a cluster of ships off the starboard side, one massive one in the center.

"The Moby Dick," I hear Shanks reply, and I perk up, "Turn us towards them, we need to know how bad it's gotten," Mihawk must've nodded, because Shanks turned back around and faced the sea.

Hm… I lean back against the wall, thinking on his serious behavior. Did he really believe that Whitebeard would destroy the world just to kill Kaido? From what little info I knew on the Captain of the Beast Pirates, he was extremely tough and he was able to beat Gecko Moria, but he ended up getting forced away by Shanks when he tried to attack Whitebeard in the War of the Best, and Shanks wasn't any worse off when he showed up, so Kaido couldn't be stronger than him, right? But if he was only able to be beaten then because he lost here… but What if Shanks was just stronger in general…? I glance around for a member of the crew that would know more than the others so I could figure this out, and my eyes end up on Benn Beckman, smoking a cigarette and leaning on the mast as the ship was brought to bear. I wave my hand, trying to get his attention, and in a few seconds he notices, making his way over.

"What's up, kid?" he asks, "Got something on your mind?"

"Yeah…" I glance at him as he blows a puff of smoke into the sea breeze, chewing on the butt, "Why did Shanks say Whitebeard would destroy the world if he doesn't stop him? I doubt he would, but Shanks has a lot more experience than me, and if I'm being honest…" I rub the back of my neck, still feeling a little jet-lagged, "I don't know my own Captain too well…"

Benn stops chewing, likely thinking of an answer. "Hm… that's a good question," he muses, "One I can try and answer. You already know who Shanks is, so I guess it makes this easier," Benn takes the tobacco product from his mouth, "See, I think his worries stem from something that happened a while back, when our crew was just entering the New World," the first mate starts, and I lean forward, some part of me way more intrigued than I should've been, "At that time, Newgate and LinLin had already carved out their territory, and the last third of the line was being fought over by everyone else. Crews with powerful captains tried more and more desperate and destructive methods to wipe out everyone else, but no one was worse than Kaido. He shredded, stabbed, crushed, ripped and tore until it was done, and he had the rest. Then, we showed up. That dragon saw our crew as a threat to his 'reign' or something like that-"

"Woahwoahwoah! Wait," I cut him off, holding my hands up, "Did you just say dragon?"

"It's Kaido's Devil Fruit," Benn shrugs, and I purse my lips.

Just like Momonosuke… I silently berate myself for not catching up on the most recent chapters of One Piece before I got sucked into One Piece. Then again, that info might not have been out…

"Anyways," Benn continues, ignoring my frustration, "Kaido ended up tracking us down to a small island in his territory where we stopped to rest and party, and he challenged Shanks to fight him. That fight went on for over a week, almost ten whole days. Our crew had to keep sailing further and further away from the carnage or risk getting swept into the ocean, and some of the aftershocks started reaching the territory of the other two powerhouses. Those two got absolutely enraged and came to put a stop to it. In the end no one 'won', and since both us and Kaido's crew were 'weakened' the marines took the opportunity and carved out a foothold in the New World."

"So then what is Shanks so worried about?" I ask, "If he and Kaido fought to a standstill, what's the problem here other than the Marines taking some territory?"

"It'd be Kaido's ability to just keep getting back up," Benn shrugs, "I mean, the guy is so resilient that he tries to kill himself on a daily basis because he's bored, and Shanks wasn't able to put him down no matter what he tried. If that dragon can just keep getting back up every time Newgate tries something, eventually that old man's gonna be on his last legs even with his crazy stamina and strength. Even though Whitebeard's smart, he's not above desperate, and he might try some last-ditch effort that could set off a chain reaction," Benn takes a long draw on his smoke after that drawn-out speech, burning it down to the butt, "Will that happen? It's definitely possible, although it depends on just how strong that old man is. I haven't seen him fight seriously myself," the first mate takes it out of his mouth and flicks it casually off the side of the ship. I watch as it flies out, rocketing off like a bullet for ten, twenty, fifty feet before it sinks beneath the waves, and I give my attention back to Benn, "But, one thing is for certain. We need to get there in case things get out of hand, or else there'll be way too many earthquakes and tidal waves for anyone to live comfortably out here for a good long time. I mean, we're pretty far off from where they're fighting, and you saw what just happened," I nod, and the pirate turns away from me, pulling another cigarette from his pocket and pulling out a lighter - must be a spare, I still had his from earlier - and goes back to leaning against the mast.

Sighing, I pick up a nearby piece of wood, and flick it towards the railing. It doesn't even go ten feet.

-()-

"Shanks!" I hear that calm voice that belonged to Marco yell, and I immediately snapped my head up, hitting it against the wall to the captain's cabin. I didn't even realize it, but I'd dozed off as we were sailing towards the Moby Dick.

Gah- I start to reach up, but I stop as I process what I'd heard, and I glance to the side, a wave of relief washing over me as I see the hull of the ship I'd called home for the past five months towering over me.

"Marco, it's good to see you again after so long! I wish it wasn't under the circumstances!" I hear the Yonko yell back, "How bad has it gotten?"

In a flash of blue and yellow light, Marco appears on the deck, flaming wings sputtering out. "Thankfully not as bad as it could be. We had to sail away just due to the sea. Last I saw, Pops was handing Kaido… his.. Sca…" he trails off as his eyes fall on me, and they widen for a split second before narrowing, "What are you doing here?" he asks me, then turns to Shanks, "What is he doing on your ship!?"

"We picked him up on an island on the way here," Shanks says, "We passed another ship of yours after that, I helped them out."

When did we pass- I start to think, then realize that it was that blur that we went by on the way here, Huh…

"That was probably Thatch, is he okay?" Marco asks, concern in his voice.

"He's doing fine," the Yonko replies, "But we need to move before this gets out of control. Kelly," he turns back to me, and I immediately push myself up, gritting my teeth and planting myself when all the blood rushing to my head sets me off-balance, "Go to your ship," he orders, and I make my way over as fast as I can, but then the scarlet swordsman puts a hand on my shoulder and stops me, "You and I will have a talk with your Captain after all this. Think it over and get some rest. It'll be a long night," I nod, and he releases me, looking at something behind me, "Phoenix, you'll get answers about that soon enough."

"Right…" I hear the suspicion in his voice, and two hands clamp onto my arms, blue and yellow flames slowly curling up around me, and in the next moment, I'm stumbling on the deck of the Moby, feeling my stomach slowly shift back to where it was supposed to be.

"Woah," I nearly stumble, but catch myself with my crutch, slamming it into the wood.

"Marco, what did-?" I hear a question start to be formed, but it stops, "Ah, young Kelly! What a pleasant surprise!" I hear murmurs from several people, all scattered around the deck, and I look to the side to see Vista towering over me, "I expected you to be with Thatch. However, if you aren't… with…"

"Thatch is fine," Marco says, and I feel his gaze on the back of my head. But, a moment later, the feeling stops, "Vista, he looks like he's been through hell and back, so I'm taking him to the medical wing. We'll talk later-"

BOOM.

An explosion-like noise sounds off, and not a moment later a wave of pressure washes over the deck, billowing out the sails and moving the ship a few feet. "They're getting more and more brutal…" Marco muses, "Vista," he orders, "Move us farther out, we need to stay ahead of this."

"Hm," Vista nods, and I feel Marco push me along towards the stairs down, his hand on my shoulder. We wind through the hallways, passing crew members who had expressions of concern, others with nervous tension. The whole ship was on edge, with more and more shockwaves rocking the gargantuan vessel with each passing minute, causing the wood to creak.

"Look, brat," Marco says after we'd been walking for some time, "I don't trust you," I gulp, feeling his grip tighten, "You pop out, half-crazy, from the New World seas, with a ship made of a pretty rare wood, and a rifle that's strong enough to kill a Devil Fruit user that could crush your head like a grape," he turns me around a corner, "I wouldn't expect you to understand what I'm saying, but on top of that your Haki Aura is quiet. Calmer. Much less hectic than anyone on the crew, anyone else I've met on the Grand Line, but different so that you can tell it's you from a mile away. Then, you insist on going on a mission to Fishman Island where there is a threat, and proceed to 'accidentally' kill something that could take on Jozu, Thatch and Vista combined, which gains you some fame on the crew. Five months later, and the Moby gets a call telling us that you think someone who's worked with our crew for around two years is giving away information to Kaido's crew. Then, we lose contact with Thatch and you show up with Red-Hair a day or two later," I could tell where he was going with this, "Now, I do want to make one thing clear. I'm not going to start anything. I won't attack you or harm you in any way unless you hurt my crew or father,but if you're intentions are to harm us, if you're here to ruin us in any way, I will kill you, understand?" he waits a few seconds, but I'm too shaken to answer, and I feel his hand crush my shoulder, "I said, understand?"

"Yes," I say through grit teeth.

"Good," he opens a door and jabs his thumb to the inside, "General care. We're here," he pushes me in, and I see rows of pristine, white beds, all lined up against the walls, "When you, Red-Hair, and Pops have that talk, there'd better be some good damn answers," the Phoenix says as hue turns away.

"Don't worry," I reply as another BOOM sounds out, muffled by the layers upon layers of walls and barriers, my words feeling hollow as a couple doctors and nurses bring a stretcher over, "You'll get all the answers you could ever want."

-(Unknown Island)-

THOOM!

The ground shook as lava burst forth from a crack in the ground, spraying the air. A few stray droplets showered the Strongest Man in the world as he stood, his glaive long since cast aside in favor of brute strength, facing the foe he'd been fighting for over a day as the blood caking his left shoulder boiled, bubbled and hissed, turning from a liquid to a solid, only to be melted into a liquid again. But not even for a moment did the titan feel fatigued, his never ending strength surging through his body even as his lifeblood left him through dozens of holes punched into his chest and gut, his left arm completely burned, the skin charred by flame. His fabled moustache had been burned away, the bandanna he wore turned to ash along with his hair, and one of his ears was hanging onto his skull by a few pieces of skin, the blood flowing from the hole. His jaw still ached from when Kaido had broken it, and very few of his ribs were actually still fully there, most being broken or fractured.

His foe was not much better off, the blue scales that once glinted so sinister in the putrid orange light now being suffocated by a sheet of crimson, several small streams flowing down to the broken earth below. Kaido's left eye socket had long since been empty, after Newgate's glaive had stabbed out the tender orb that once inhabited it, several ridges on his back shattered under the Quake-Quake's grip and almost every scale on his body fractured, chunks of flesh missing from his body. Even those ivory teeth that filled his mouth had been smashed in, an imprint of Whitebeard's powerful fist forever broken into his scowl as he hovered.

"Hm…" Newgate frowned as that calm yet powerful presence closed in on the hellscape. That brat would be here to stop them soon, no doubt, "Your time is running out, snake," the titan commented to the gargantuan serpent before him, "If you give up, I might let you live yet."

"I won't stop until your broken body burns in the fires, old man," comes the response.

"Still as much of a child as ever," Whitebeard clenches his fist, feeling his muscles bulge, and the ground beneath Kaido shatters, geysers of magma and stone shooting up, enveloping the Yonko as he roars in pain.

"GYAAAAAAAAAUGH!" the titanic beast twists and writhes, mangling its neverending form. Then, with a bellow of rage, it bursts through the wall of liquid fire, charging at its enemy, mouth stretched wide, "GREAT FLAME!" Kaido bellows, and a stream of hellflame blasts towards Whitebeard, washing over the old pirate.

"Rrrgh," Newgate growls, but the flames soon stop, sputtering out even as the dragon attempts to breathe more flames. Upon realizing his fire had been exhausted, the monster instead spreads out its arms, intending to grapple. In response, the Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates pulls up his own arms, the smell of burnt flesh assailing his senses.

BOOM!

The two clash, locking hands as a shockwave blasts out, sending ash and stones billowing outwards. Newgate could see Kaido's head rearing back, attempting to bite him when he couldn't prevent it, and the neck lunges forward. The legendary captain attempt to pull away, but the Dragon's powerful arms hold him in place. "You brat," he growls, and his hands glow, fractures spreading along his enemy's limbs, and he feels the bones of the beast crack and break in his grasp, until Kaido couldn't even move his own fingers, and Whitebeard lets go, surging forward moments before the jaws strike where he was standing. Using his momentum, the strongest man barrels into Kaido's serpentine form, wrapping both arms as far around as was possible, and pushed him, each step cracking the ground until he slams the dragon into the side of a mountain, pinning him with such force that the shockwaves could be felt in paradise. Then, with the power of earthquakes in his fists, he struck, blow after blow tenderizing Kaido like a good cook would tenderize beef, the stone behind him cracking with each blow. Then, with one final surge of power, he reared back and struck as hard as he could, punching Kaido through the massive stone monument, causing an avalanche of dust and boulders to rain down onto the body of his enemy. Then, silence.

Edward Newgate breathed heavily, his hands shaking as he watched the pile of stone for any movement. He hoped that this would be over, that he wouldn't have to keep using more and more just to put this animal down, but a small part of him hoped that it wouldn't. It reminded him of when he and that old king would have a few drinks, find an abandoned island, and just fight, letting loose in all the ways that old rivals could. Back in those days, their clashes shook all four Blues, and this was the first time Newgate had felt that rush in a long time. But this wasn't a friendly match. And this beast was no Roger.

THOOM!

"Gyaaaagh!" the rubble and stone explodes out, showering the old man as Kaido rose from the ruins of the mountain, his remaining eye bloodshot and raging. His massive tail swept in from the side, striking Newgate and sending him crashing across the earth, digging a trough of earth as he tumbled, coming to a stop halfway across the island.

"Grah…" Newgate grunts as he stands, a tower of dirt and stone risen behind him, when he has an idea… "Let's see you get up after this," He pulls back, every muscle bulging to the bursting point, vibrant white light wavering the air around his fist, "Gyaaaaah!" he punches, a single, massive crack snaking towards his gargantuan enemy, splintering as it went in a straight line.

"Easy," Kaido scoffs, his voice still so full of pride, and he curls around it effortlessly, leaving it to continue going for miles. Perfect, "Was that a last desperate ploy, old man?" the dragon's voice rumbles, and the ghost of a smile tugs at Whitebeard's mouth.

"Not even close," he replies, "You're such a pathetic child, Kaido," he states, and the dragon's remaining eye twitches, "You've barely scratched me with that dragon form of yours and expect me to just sit down and die. How like you. Hiding away behind a single thing that makes you feel strong."

"HA!" the creature laughs, "At least I'm better than you, Newgate! You and your 'family'. You've gone soft, just like that pathetic Roger did."

"Gurarara! Of course you'd think he was weak," the patriarch laughs, "He was a man! He was only a mortal man, just like I am now. And yet…" he smiles, "The only people who could best us in any battle were men! And you're simply a beast."

"Be…" Kaido rumbles, anger in his tone, "QUIET!" he opens his mouth, charging forward.

"Please," the strongest man scoffs, "We know where this goes," he takes a step to the right as Kaido passes by, just narrowly missing, and plants his fist into the dragon's jaw, feeling the bone crack and splinter under his force. The massive snake is sent careening to the side, digging into the earth as Newgate had not long before, and as his bloody tail passed, Whitebeard caught a ridge, wrapping his other arm as far as it could go, grinding the monster to a halt, "Hyaaaaagh!" he bellows, and pulls, carrying the massive body up and over, slamming it down with a CRACK. Then, when the dust settles, he turns and pulls the other way, flinging Kaido back to where he was. Then again. And again.

"Gah!" the dragon bellowed with each strike, the earth underneath being pounded into dust. Then, with a final bellow, Whitebeard spun, slamming the younger Yonko into yet another mountain, shattering this one as well. The snake lay belly-up, unmoving.

"Like always, your anger gets the better of you," the strongest man says as he walks up onto Kaido's scarred and fractured stomach, once-steely scales crushed underfoot like burnt logs, "You came overconfident in your abilities, and look where it got you," he was on the beast's chest now, and yet it didn't move, "I know you aren't dead, brat-" in a second, two massive, bleeding, scaled hands wrapped around his body, pinning his arms to his side. But there was no worry in his eyes, only cold conviction.

The massive head of the beast rose up, it's single, bloodshot eye spiteful. "I finally have you, old man," came the rumble, "GREAT FLAME!" the head rears back, lips curled and flames flickering through the hole in its teeth as it lunges, stopping at point-blank range and unleashing an inferno that enveloped the Captain of the strongest crew, vaporizing the blood that clung to his shoulder, the cape that was still raggedly hanging onto his back, and his eyebrows, which had miraculously survived this whole ordeal. But then, with a surge of willpower, the flames stopped burning.

"GYAAAAAAAAH!" Newgate bellowed, and in both of his hands, still pinned to his side, the power of quakes was unleashed, breaking the air around him, spreading fractures through the dragon's arms, and with a single motion, he bursts from Kaido's grip, grabbing his snout and jaw, slamming them together.

"Hn?" the muffled sound of confusion comes from his foe, but the one eye quickly widens as the flames coming out of his gullet are blocked, and wash back, bulging out his throat.

Whitebeard then releases one hand, holding the two lips together, and rears back, fist glowing white-

CRUNCH.

-and punches forward, ripping a hole into the neck of his foe, liquid flame bursting out from the wound, bathing Newgate in a mix of bright orange and crimson.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" the dragon bellows in pain, tearing away from its enemy and losing part of its mouth in the process. The gargantuan serpent writhed, thrashing about, throwing Whitebeard off its gut and rocketing into the sky, a trail of flaming blood leaking from its windpipe. As he twisted, Kaido began to distort, parts of his body shrinking and growing, and legs burst from his bottom half, malformed and misshapen, as he reached the apex of his flight, soon crashing down to the ground, sending lava bursting from the earth. Then, as he was bathed in the orange light, he struggled and shrank, reverting into the skewed half-form, clawing at his neck, leaving gashes with his claws. For a few seconds, he writhed, but went limp as he turned into his 'human' form, gargling on his own blood as he lay on the broken ground, body utterly shattered like glass. Then, the island went silent, not even the boiling stone making a sound. And like a disappointed father, Edward Newgate walked over and stared down at his once-imposing foe.

"Hmph," was the only thing he said as he began to turn. He knew Kaido wasn't dead, sensing his Haki, but that didn't mean he couldn't give up.

"Rrrgh…" he stops, sighing in frustration, as the clattering of stone behind him signals the persistence of that always-pathetic brat. The third of the Yonko struggled up, his arms mangled, legs barely supporting him, and throat pouring blood like a fountain. But that look in his eye was one that said he wouldn't stop until one of the two was dead, "I… told… you…" the broken beast warbled, blood spurting from his mouth with each word, "I'm… unkillable…" he staggers forward, pulling back his right arm to punch, and he lunges.

But Newgate simply steps to the left, letting the punch pass him, and he grabs the wrist with his own right hand, placing his left on Kaido's shoulder, and slams him face first into the ground with an earth-shattering BOOM. "You should have stayed down," were the only words that were said as the patriarch plants his left foot onto Kaido's back, and pulls.

With the sound of snapping sinews, the cracking of bone, and a sick, wet pop, Kaido's arm was torn from its socket, tearing the beast's shoulder in half, leaving his blood to pour to the ground, where it bubbles and boils. "AAAAAAARGH!" the captain of the Beast Pirates bellows, his tones bubbling as blood catches in his throat, and he surges up, swinging wildly with his only remaining arm, but Newgate simply takes the weak attempts, and Kaido's fist bounces off his jaw.

"Hrgh!" Whitebeard grips the wrist of the removed arm, swinging it at its owner, where it impacts the side of his head, caving in the skull and sending him staggering. Then, he rears back, swinging it from below, and he strikes it on the bottom of the beast's jaw, tossing him twenty meters into the air before he crashes down, shaking the ground with his impact. This time, the beast didn't even twitch. A quick check with his observation told Newgate that the brat was barely holding onto life. With a shaky breath, the older man tosses the arm to the ground, where it flops, lifeless. Then, knowing this was the end, he turned and walked away, leaving the shattered island behind. With Kaido still alive, the Marines would think twice before starting anything, and that was good enough for him.

"...Why?"

The single question stops the titan, and he turns to his former crewmate.

"I'll keep trying to kill you, old man."

"..."

"Say something!" it sounded like an order.

"Because," Newgate simply reached into his pocket, pulling out a singed piece of cloth, and as he unfurled it, the insignia of a skull with a white cross and moustache billows out, flapping in the light breeze. Then, as the old man glanced up, he saw the clouds that covered the sun break, a single beam of light shining down onto that flag, his flag. Soon, the clouds began to split, light pouring onto the island as blue replaced grey, and soon he was gazing at a beautiful cloudy sky, the white wisps curling around each other, twisting the light and sending gleaming rays all over the world. As as the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates looked down, he saw a studded club lying at his feet. Kneeling down, he picked it up, tying the flag around its handle, and he turns to face his broken foe, "As long as you live, you will look back at this moment with envy. You will look back at this moment with fear. You will look back at this moment every day and remember this: that no matter how many times you try, no matter who you recruit, no matter what form you take," he grabs the handle, placing the studded end to the ground, and buries it, "You will never kill me."

And with that parting message, Whitebeard watches as Kaido's only remaining eye rolls back into his head, bloodshot and angry, and the former pirate apprentice collapses, unconscious, into the stone. Content, the Yonko leaves the club buried in the earth, wheeling and beginning his stroll back to the shoreline. Spotting his glaive lying in a crater, he moves over and picks it up, grabbing the massive, yellow eye that was stuck to it and sliding it off the weapon. Satisfied, he continues his walk, a grin on his face as he spots the shoreline, where a ship was approaching, an image of a skull with a red stripe and sabers crossed behind it emblazoned on the sails. That brat would be irritated, but that didn't bother him. It was a beautiful day, and he would soon see his sons.

As he stood on the deck of that young brat's ship, he and the swordsman dressed in black exchanged words about some of those on his crew more skilled in the art of the blade. He'd never met this brat, but he was surprisingly well-thought, if not a little blunt. Naturally, he offered him a place amongst his sons, and when he refused, Newgate simply laughed heartily, and the swordsman simply stared, confused. Then, Shanks had said something interesting about one of his sons, the one that Thatch had taken into his, but he waved the younger man off. He trusted that his son would tell him when he wanted to, he'd known since he met him that he had a larger story.

When he arrived on the deck of his lady, he was assailed with hundreds of faces, all familiar as he'd memorized them all, down to their favorite colors. He waved off his concerned sons and daughters, even as blood still leaked from his near-disconnected ear, and made his way to his seat, near the back of the deck, then, as he sat, he bellowed. "TO FAMILY!" before he grabbed a cup and downed the sake inside in a single gulp, grinning his infamous grin all the while. Then, surrounded by all those he cared for, all those who had cared for him, some newer and some older, but all family, he laughed in joy.

"GURARARARARA!"

And they partied until sundown.