He was a complete masochist!
Kaidou genuinely longed for death, but unfortunately... no matter what he tried, he simply couldn't die!
Even with the combined powers of the Immortal Phoenix Fruit and the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, Ryuma was still unable to fight Kaidou on equal footing; he could barely hold his own to survive.
Nobody's perfect. Kaidou must have a weakness somewhere!
Suddenly, Ryuma thought of Chopper's Rumble Ball!
The Rumble Ball was a drug invented by Chopper that could disrupt the transformation wavelengths of Zoan-type Devil Fruits, expanding the user's transformation forms to seven points, though its effects lasted for only three minutes.
After taking it, Chopper could temporarily access Heavy Point, Jumping Point, Guard Point, Arm Point, Brain Point, Horn Point, and Kung Fu Point.
If I could use Brain Point to analyze his movements, finding a breakthrough wouldn't be a problem at all!
Unfortunately... Chopper probably hadn't even been born yet!
Forget Chopper—even Luffy and Ace hadn't been born in this era!
Gol D. Roger hadn't even been publicly executed yet.
Everything belonged to the previous era.
Ryuma felt a throbbing headache coming on.
In his current state, he was simply no match for Kaidou!
That was his absolute biggest predicament.
Ryuma called out internally, System, can you provide me with a Rumble Ball?
"Ding! Host, the System Mall is currently locked. Host can obtain a Rumble Ball through the Gacha System."
Hearing the system's reply, Ryuma nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood!
Wait... obtain a Rumble Ball through Gacha?!
What good does that do me right now?!
All his gacha chances were completely exhausted, leaving him unable to spin. Plus, there were no new system quests lined up in the short term!
Even stepping back ten thousand paces, even if he did have a gacha spin available right now, who could guarantee he'd land on a Rumble Ball on the first try?
That was another massive hurdle.
Kaidou's expression remained icy as he stared down at Ryuma, advancing toward him step by step.
"Ding! New Quest Triggered! Knock Kaidou down so that his back hits the ground! Reward: 1 Gacha Chance!"
Hearing the system notification, Ryuma felt like a fish returned to water!
Jackpot!
Never mind whether he'd actually draw the Rumble Ball—at the very least, he now had a shot at it!
As long as there was a chance, there was hope!
"Wind Scythe!" Kaidou roared!
A sharp, blade-like blast of breath erupted from Kaidou, surging toward Ryuma like a concentrated flying slash!
Surrounding the main wind blade were countless smaller, razor-sharp air currents!
Wind Scythe—as the name implied—spat out gale-force blades capable of tearing through enemies along with their armor and weaponry!
Ryuma stared intently at the incoming wind blades, his heart dropping.
From what he knew, Kaidou's Wind Scythes could even slice through Meito-grade swords!
Not even his black blade Shusui was guaranteed to withstand it unharmed!
"Bad news!"
With a sharp glint in his eyes, Ryuma twisted his body sideways, narrowly dodging the lethal main attack!
BOOM!
Behind him, an earth-shattering blast echoed out like a summer thunderclap!
Ryuma felt the violent vibration, but there was no time to catch his breath.
As the stone wall collapsed, a swarm of smaller wind blades grazed past his body!
His pupils shrank as his body trembled. Wherever the smaller wind blades touched, strips of flesh were carved away, leaving him bloodied as if he had undergone execution by a thousand cuts.
Trembling uncontrollably, Ryuma planted the tip of Shusui into the ground to barely steady himself.
"How disappointing... Did you really think a performance like this would be enough to defeat me and chase me out of Wano Country?" Kaidou laughed wildly!
Ryuma didn't lose heart; instead, his eyes remained locked onto Kaidou.
Now's the chance!
Arrogance breeds defeat!
That previous exchange had caused Kaidou to look down on him, and it was precisely that moment of complacency that gave Ryuma his opening!
In a flash, Ryuma transformed completely into a Phoenix!
Watching the battle between the dragon and the phoenix from the perimeter, the three All-Stars exchanged glances of utter disbelief!
This is... utterly insane!
This battle had far transcended the boundaries of normal human combat!
Jack took a deep breath and murmured, "Ryuma is far too terrifying... Setting his current strength aside, if he truly has the ability to absorb multiple Devil Fruit powers... he's going to become a monstrous existence in the future!"
Queen's mind was reeling as well.
Once Kaidou transformed into his dragon form, hardly anyone could stand against him; most opponents were overwhelmed by his sheer presence alone.
Yet Ryuma was different.
Having transformed into a Phoenix, Ryuma's aura stood completely equal to Kaidou's!
King remarked quietly, "Don't jump to conclusions... Just wait for the fight to end."
At that moment, Kaidou stared at the Phoenix Ryuma had transformed into, completely stunned on the spot.
Ryuma's Immortal Phoenix Fruit... can transform into a form like this?!
With a piercing cry, Ryuma gripped the black blade Shusui tightly in his talons. Wrapped in brilliant flames, the blade of Shusui was coated in dense Armament Haki and fire. Driven by immense dive-bombing momentum, he plummeted straight toward Kaidou!
Even with Kaidou's formidable Observation Haki, he couldn't react in time to dodge the charge!
Besides, Kaidou's Observation Haki wasn't his strongest suit to begin with.
The tip of Shusui pierced through Kaidou's tough scales first, causing blood to spurt outward, spraying across the ground!
The fiery shockwave burst open the wound on Kaidou's face!
No matter how absurd Kaidou's natural defense was, a wound like this couldn't heal instantly!
Taking advantage of the impact, Ryuma tackled Kaidou violently to the ground!
BOOM!
Kaidou's massive back crashed hard onto the floor, causing Ryuma to fall back and revert to his human form!
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the quest! You have earned 1 Gacha Chance!"
Hearing the notification, Ryuma was overjoyed!
Spin the gacha right now! Ryuma commanded the system anxiously.
If he didn't get a Rumble Ball, he'd almost certainly lose this battle!
Even though he had secured a temporary advantage, his overall combat power was still a long way off from Kaidou's.
Outside, the three Lead Performers stared in absolute shock!
"He... he actually injured Kaidou directly?!" Jack's jaw nearly hit the floor.
Having followed Kaidou for so long, they had only ever seen him stand invincible and victorious. When had he ever looked this disheveled?
Seeing this, Queen was so terrified that a stream of snot leaked from his nose!
He gave a thumbs-up, stammering, "Brutal... absolutely brutal! Following this guy was definitely the right move!"
Watching Kaidou lying on the ground without immediately getting up, Ryuma prayed desperately in his heart: Please let me draw the Rumble Ball!
I'm willing to trade ten years of my single life for a Rumble Ball! Ryuma complained internally.
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for drawing item: Rumble Ball * 10."
Ryuma was ecstatic!
Turns out you actually have a heart after all, System, Ryuma chuckled internally.
This was pure, unadulterated luck.
If not for this stroke of good fortune, how could he have drawn the Rumble Ball, and how could he hope to turn the tables on Kaidou?
Otherwise, he'd likely be beaten into a meat patty by Kaidou!
Or sliced into paper-thin strips!
"Ding! Host, please note: the Rumble Ball disrupts Zoan Devil Fruit transformation wavelengths to grant various enhanced forms. However, the Rumble Ball is a potent drug. Taking a second ball within six hours will cause the transformation wavelengths to go out of control. Taking a third ball will cause loss of consciousness, sending the Devil Fruit powers within the body into a violent rampage, posing a severe threat to your life."
Hearing this, Ryuma's expression turned serious.
That's right.
While taking a Rumble Ball yielded tremendous destructive power, losing control over that strength meant one's vitality would drain rapidly. If tranquilizers weren't administered immediately or if the user wasn't thrown into the ocean to neutralize the Devil Fruit powers, it would prove fatal.
Ryuma guessed that if he ever overdosed, Jack and the other two certainly wouldn't risk their necks to save him.
Though they were currently working for him, their loyalty hadn't reached the point of risking their own lives for his.
Staggering to his feet from the ground, Kaidou wiped a hand across the glaring scar on his face. The blood had already dried, leaving cracking skin behind, yet he suddenly burst into a wild, hysterical laugh!
"WAHAHAHA! Exhilarating! Absolutely exhilarating!"
Kaidou clapped his hands forcefully, roaring at the top of his lungs!
Though Kaidou's state was wild and erratic, he had also been genuinely enraged by the blow!
"Looks like... I really can't afford to look down on you..." Kaidou snorted coldly, reaching behind his back to draw his massive kanabo!
A blow from that spiked club was enough to send anyone straight to the afterlife!
"Thunder Bagua!"
Having gathered immense force into his kanabo, Kaidou swung it violently toward Ryuma in an instant!
Ryuma froze for a fraction of a second!
This Kaidou... has gone completely mad!
Thunder Bagua was Kaidou's signature technique in his human-dragon hybrid and human forms—a lightning-fast dash swinging a thunder-imbued kanabo past the opponent with terrifying power!
In the original series, a single strike of this move had knocked out Fourth Gear Luffy, and he had even used it to clash against Big Mom's Ikoku Sovereignty!
"Hmph... ridiculous!"
Looking at the incoming Thunder Bagua, Ryuma knew that since dodging was impossible, he had to put everything on the line!
Popping a Rumble Ball into his mouth, Ryuma swallowed it instantly!
"Arm Point!" Ryuma bellowed!
In an instant, his arm—which had partially retained its wing-like structure—swelled massively as thick veins bulged across the skin. Gripping Shusui tightly, he prepared to take the hit head-on!
"DIE!"
The spiked kanabo and the black blade Shusui collided with violent force!
BOOM!
The moment the two weapons met, a violent shockwave rippled outward!
Immediately after, web-like cracks fractured across the floor in every direction!
Dense, spiderweb-like fissures spread as the entire earth trembled beneath them.
The Flower Capital was nearly reduced to rubble from the sheer shockwave!
After the brief clash, both fighters drew back their weapons.
Kaidou roared, "DELIGHTFUL! ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL!"
Delightful my ass! Ryuma cursed internally, glancing down at his trembling arm. Even the black blade Shusui in his grip was vibrating uncontrollably.
Though he had managed to block the Thunder Bagua and keep his life intact, Kaidou stood completely unscathed, whereas Ryuma's arm was already seizing with muscle spasms.
"Now's my chance!"
Switching Shusui to his right hand, Ryuma declared, "Brain Point!"
In that split second, a sudden swelling sensation rushed through Ryuma's mind!
It felt as though a massive torrent of information was flooding into his brain, like a hundred rivers rushing into the sea!
The moment Ryuma opened his eyes, a crystal-clear clarity washed over his consciousness!
Even the specks of dust floating through the air moved at an unnaturally slow pace in his field of vision!
At this speed, even the Marine Six Styles' 'Sorei' wouldn't look like much in front of me!
In Ryuma's eyes, everything had entered slow motion.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN MORE CHAPTERS, I HAVE 80+ STORED IN MY:
[email protected]/xiram21