Bang!
The bullet tore clean through Kaido's mouth and erupted from the back of his neck.
His colossal frame finally reeled backward and slumped downward. In the next instant, everyone watching noticed that Kaido's mountain-like body seemed to shrink slightly.
Koala, who was watching from the Kuja Pirates' side, rubbed her eyes and asked in bewilderment, "Did... did my eyes play tricks on me? Why does it feel like his body got a little smaller just now?"
"No, you didn't see wrong," Sandersonia nodded blankly beside her. "I saw it too. He definitely shrank a bit."
"Fighting you for over twenty years has been quite entertaining, but this is where it ends."
As Alucard spoke, Baskerville gradually slithered over, opening his colossal, blood-red jaws to swallow Kaido whole.
Kaido rose in a fury, bracing both hands desperately against Baskerville's jagged upper and lower teeth. The razor-sharp fangs pierced deep into his palms, causing blood to spill out uncontrollably.
Earlier, even Hancock hadn't been able to draw blood from Kaido. It was only now that the members of the Immortal Pirates realized this monster bled red just like anyone else.
Holding back Baskerville's fangs, Kaido unleashed a savage roar, attempting a shoulder throw to hurl the massive black hound, which was thousands of times larger than him, into the air.
For the first time in this battle, Alucard erupted into an ecstatic grin. He materialized directly in front of Kaido, his hand flattening into a blade. "Not bad at all, King of the Beasts Kaido!"
The corner of Kaido's mouth quirked upward. Though his body was already a size smaller, the momentum behind his swinging fist didn't diminish in the slightest. "I don't need garbage like you running your mouth!!"
One punch, one strike, to settle it all.
Ivalis's expression stiffened as he barked, "Get behind cover!"
Sensing the immense danger from his warning, everyone quickly channeled Armament Haki across their bodies for protection, crossing their arms before them or deploying their respective abilities to erect defensive barriers.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A rolling shockwave billowed outward in all directions like a massive tsunami. Those with weaker strength were swept off their feet and blown straight into the air.
Alucard's blade-hand clashed with Kaido's fist, holding the stalemate for about five seconds before he gradually gained the upper hand. His hand sliced right through the center of the fist, severing the bone, and drove straight toward Kaido's heart!
Splat!!!
The moment Alucard's hand pierced Kaido's heart, a torrent of spraying blood threatened to dye Alucard's entire body crimson. Strangely, however, this horrific image lasted only a fraction of a second; in the next instant, Alucard's form was pristine once more.
"An incredibly small heart for a body of your size."
Alucard could feel the organ gripped within his hand inside Kaido's chest. It was a heart that was completely disproportionate to Kaido's mountainously rugged, colossal physique.
Crunch... Crackle, crackle!
A second after Alucard crushed the heart, Kaido's body reacted like a vehicle losing its engine, beginning to fracture and break apart while unleashing a series of sonic booms.
Boom!
The body collapsed, shrinking by another whole margin. Kaido, whose height had originally rivaled a Navy battleship, was now only about the size of Whitebeard.
Yet, his skin remained just as loose and voluminous as before, sagging over completely mismatched muscle mass. The grotesque sight gave the onlookers goosebumps.
"Kaido's body... why did it turn into..." Jinbe and the others walked forward, unable to suppress their curiosity.
"I told you, Captain Kaido's ability is a composite product of absorbing countless animals and Zoan-type ability users. His true body was sealed at the very core, blocked by countless layers of 'outer hides.' What you see now is his original size... Well, it also signifies that his life force has completely drained away," Queen said listlessly. However, a shadow of worry and even pity flickered deep within his eyes; after all, he was among the very first to follow Kaido.
"Is this the reason why Kaido could move freely in the sea despite being an ability user?" Jinbe murmured. Because his actual body was shielded by his Devil Fruit power, he remained unaffected by the sea's curse.
"L-Looking at it this way, he... he isn't actually that giant after all," Koala chimed in as she approached, completely oblivious to the fact that even in this state, Kaido was still vastly larger than her.
"Damn you, Alucard! What the hell are you waiting for?!"
A brutally familiar roar startled quite a few people, causing even Alucard to narrow his eyes slightly.
Kaido lifted his head, his bloodshot eyes glaring intensely at Alucard. "Hurry up and finish me off! How long do you intend to stare at me in this pathetic, disgraced state?"
"Not going to beg for mercy?" Alucard tilted his head back with a sinister smirk. "If you beg, I might just..."
"Stop talking your absolute bullshit!" Kaido snapped, completely losing his temper as his eyes turned entirely crimson from ruptured veins. "Don't make me look down on you. Do it!"
Alucard raised a single finger. Baskerville lunged forward from behind, tearing Kaido's body into pieces with a few massive bites and swallowing him whole.
Right after pulling Baskerville back, Alucard acted on a sudden whim, manifesting Kaido's form once more through the River of Death. Everyone watched in awe as Kaido reappeared in his perfect state, restored to his massive battleship-sized physique.
"He's becoming more terrifying by the second... Does this mean he has successfully assimilated Kaido's strength?" Jinbe remarked with lingering dread. Yet, a sense of relief washed over him; with Alucard possessing such overwhelming power, the safety of Fish-Man Island was practically ironclad.
"The only one left with any real competence is Big Mom," Ivalis said, crossing his arms. "I wonder if Law and those brats can handle her smoothly."
"No," Alucard suddenly looked up and laughed. "That sow Charlotte Linlin no longer possesses the will or the capability to oppose me. As of this moment, there is only one person left alive who dares to come take my life."
Ivalis remained silent for a long moment before uttering two words: "Luffy."
Indeed. Straw Hat Luffy.
His benefactor, Red Hair Shanks, had been killed by Alucard.
His father, Monkey D. Dragon, had been killed by Alucard.
His grandfather, Monkey D. Garp, even though Garp had chosen to offer his life to make a statement, had ultimately fallen by Alucard's hand. He could effectively be counted as one of Alucard's kills.
Furthermore, Garp was now a member of the River of Death, and Alucard had no intention of shirking that reality.
"He will only find death," Fallon sneered with a sadistic grin. "He's nothing more than a brat who doesn't know his own limits."
"Um, excuse me~" Queen suddenly called out. "Even though Captain Kaido is dead, I still quite like being alive. If it's alright with you, could you let me join the Immortal Pirates? Ah, along with my subordinates, of course."