Chapter 524 - Even More Kidnapping
With Cherry and Big Mom parting ways without leveling the entire island, the only thing left to do was to wait.
It didn't take long for everyone to get into position and for the allotted time to come.
Through sheer coincidence, this seemed to align with the timing of Kaido starting up a speech. Large screens around Onigashima lit up showing Kaido's big ugly mug.
"It's been two years since Whitebeard successfully raided Marineford when it was at its strongest!" Kaido began. "He showed the world that the marines can't stand up against pirates, that their forces aren't enough to subdue just one Emperor, let alone four!"
Jeers and insults rang out throughout the castle directed at the marines.
"Even so, the World Government still abolished the Shichibukai!" Kaido continued, silencing the masses. "That's proof that they think they can handle us without their attack dogs now! War is on the horizon and next time it'll be US showing them that pirates rule this world!"
Thunderous cheers and applause shook the island.
"We aren't going to do things in half measures, though!" Kaido's voice thundered over the crowd. "We've joined hands with my old crewmate from back in the day, Big Mom!"
There were still cheers, but there was some confusion now. Even though she'd been in the castle for a while, the Beast pirates had mostly been spread out across the country until tonight and didn't know about her presence.
"And together... we're going after the ONE PIECE!!!" Kaido bellowed.
Pirates screamed and danced and laughed and drank. However reactions were mixed amongst those who weren't part of his crew.
"That's a surprise..." Orochi sipped his cup of sake. "I thought he'd sit around like a big lazy dragon forever."
"I'm the one who'll find One Piece," Luffy spoke to no one in particular.
"We'll team up, for now..." Big Mom whispered ominously, the smile never leaving her face.
"Pfft, sure buddy," Cherry scoffed at his proclaimed goal. "As if he could get it after sitting on his ass for twenty years.
"What'd you say?" a beast pirate near her asked-
*whack*
-and then fell over unconscious.
"As for you guys..." Kaido began again, narrowing his eyes.
Only to be interrupted as the wall behind him exploded. Splinters and torn paper scattered as nine warriors surged forth, straight for Kaido.
Well placed shots combined with the surprise of the attack forced Kaido's three commanders back and out of the way. Nothing stood between the Red Scabbards and their enemy.
Half a moment stretched out like an eternity as Cherry watched them and realized that for that single instant, they were not warriors at all. They became the embodiments of a single strike from their lord against his mightiest foe! No light of intelligence shone behind their eyes; only rage and the will to cut Kaido down!
"""SUNACCHIIIII!!!""" They shouted in unison.
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And then the moment was over. Kaido and the lot of them crashed into the floor after pushing him over the balcony, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Crazy bastards..." Cherry sighed.
Whilst the Beast pirates and Orochi's men watched with smacked gobs, the disguised samurai in the castle threw off their disguises and exploded into a violent wave of death, cutting down any fool who failed to snap out of their shock.
Cherry sent a signal to Cabernet and not half a minute later a ship crashed through several floors of the castle, crushing a dozen or so Beast pirates beneath her keel.
The Beast pirates near her barely had the time to comprehend a ship falling through the ceiling before hoards of mutated animals leapt forth from Cabernet's deck and started tearing them to shreds.
Finally, Merry in her figurehead form jumped out with Yamato astride her back like a knight on horseback.
"Eh?! Yamato-sama?!"
"Don't call me -sama!" Yamato cracked the poor guy on the head with his kanabo.
Cabernet transformed into her lunarian form and started running around, setting fire to anything that looked flammable. Unfortunately for the Beast pirates, this included themselves.
"Things are really kicking off now," Cherry nodded in satisfaction.
"Straw Hat!" Big Mom cried out, having found Luffy.
"Ope, better take care of that," Cherry vanished amidst the growing chaos.
...
"You don't really think you can take on two Emperors all by yourselves, do you?! Surely even you aren't that foolish!" Big Mom mocked.
"I came to kick all your asses!" Luffy declared with every ounce of sincerity in his body.
Big Mom reckoned if she could take this little runt out of the game so early, then morale on their side would plummet. Kaido wouldn't stay down for long and when he got back up, they could kill that little witch together!
*Bump Bump*
Big Mom's breath hitched and sweat beaded on her brow.
*BUMP BUMP*
"GET UP KAIDO! HURRY!" Big Mom screeched. "BEFORE SHE GETS HERE!"
The way she was acting was completely alien to everyone in the room. King, Queen, and Jack could see that she was afraid, but the thought of Big Mom being afraid just didn't compute in their minds.
*BUMPBUMPBUMPBUMPBUMPBUMPBUMP*
The whole room turned towards the odd drum they could hear over the din.
"What is that noise-?" Queen asked.
*CRACK* *BOOM* *WHOOSH*
A great gust of wind battered everyone.
"What? What happened?" Queen looked around.
First he saw the big hole in the wall that hadn't been there a second ago. Then he noticed somebody was missing. "Where did Big Mom go?"
King shrugged his shoulders and Jack said, "Must have run off somewhere."
...
"AAAAAHHHHHHH?!?!?!!" Big Mom flew through the castle's walls as if they were not but thin air.
It was only a second after the blow to her stomach that she was no longer inside. She briefly saw the cloudy night sky before she began to burrow into one of the surrounding mountains.
All that crashing through walls and stone would have killed a lesser woman; but then again, the initial blow would have killed a lesser woman before any of that even happened.
Big Mom clawed her way out of the crumbling tower of rock like a demon out of the abyss. If she had felt fear a moment before, then now she only felt rage. A woman could not become an Emperor of the sea if she were so easily cowed.
"I knew you were too cowardly to face me and Kaido both! You aren't so tough!" Big Mom growled.
"That is certainly true, but I think you did not mean those words for me," said not the voice Big Mom expected to hear.
Big Mom turned to the source and frowned. "What is one of Whitebeard's little boys doing here?"
Ace smirked and tipped his hat, as was only polite to do when you first meet a lady. "Stirring up trouble, of course. Honestly, I like my chances better with you than with Kaido. I'm not so sure fire even works on a dragon."
Big Mom opened her mouth to speak the last words he'd ever here, but she was stopped by another voice. This one was also not Cherry's.
"Let me go, you fucking bitch!" Eustass Kid shouted.
"Calm down," Trafalgar Law said to him. "I'm sure she has a reason to drag us out here. Right?"
"Hehehehe, indeed I do~!" Cherry giggled, walking into sight with the two new men in headlocks beneath her arms.
When the two of them saw Big Mom looking at them and looking a bit worse for wear, they smiled savagely.
"You aren't the only one who can gang up on people, Linlin~!" Cherry cackled.
After all, a pirate didn't have to fight fair.