Chapter 330: Kaido the Dragon
"Advanced application of Armament Haki?"
Rhodes's eyes flashed as he realized.
Within his Observation Haki's perception, Kaido's Armament Haki was vibrating continuously at a special frequency.
This vibration not only strengthened his defense but also created a passive counterattack effect. An ordinary person who made contact could be directly blown apart by the recoil.
"This is troublesome."
Rhodes sighed inwardly.
Kaido wasn't like Whitebeard in his declining years—he was a world-class powerhouse at his absolute peak, with comprehensive and formidable strength in all aspects, both in raw power and technical mastery.
In comparison, Rhodes's less than two years of training seemed far too short, and his research and application of Armament Haki techniques were very rudimentary.
Thinking about it logically, it made sense. As a fundamental power system in this world, how could Haki simply be about strengthening offense and defense?
When Conqueror's Haki was cultivated to its peak, approaching awakening, it would manifest abilities like Conqueror's infusion.
Observation Haki also possessed special abilities such as seeing the future and sensing emotions. There was no reason why Armament Haki wouldn't have higher-level applications as well.
As Rhodes's enemies gradually rose to peak-tier levels, advanced Armament Haki techniques were being revealed to him.
Whether it was Kurman Luke's Destruction Armament or Kaido's high-frequency vibration technique, both were highly practical and devastatingly powerful abilities.
"Kid, is all you can do is jump around?!"
Kaido was growing annoyed, because Rhodes's speed and agility were too much for him to handle, which infuriated him.
Then Kaido went berserk.
Under his ferocious assault, the surrounding ground looked as if it had been carpet-bombed by missiles, creating massive craters.
Flying debris whistled through the air like bullets, and some audacious pirates who'd tried to get a closer look were instantly riddled with bloody holes, their bodies torn open.
Some veteran powerhouses sneered. How could these rookies casually spectate a battle between titans?
"..."
Meanwhile, facing Kaido's rampage, Rhodes remained calm and composed.
Before arriving, he'd anticipated this decisive battle wouldn't be quick.
He needed to probe Kaido's abilities in every aspect.
Only then could he handle any unforeseen circumstances during the battle with confidence.
After all, his defense wasn't monstrous like Kaido's—a direct hit could be fatal.
Fighting Kaido of the Beasts through reckless head-on clashes wasn't a wise strategy.
"The Thunder God Swordsman is being pushed back."
Moria, thanks to the special ability of his Shadow-Shadow Fruit, was positioned near the front of the spectators.
"That bastard Kaido of the Beasts is as powerful as ever..."
Moria had witnessed Rhodes's strength during the Paramount War. That terrifying sword energy still chilled him to the bone. Rumors afterward told Moria that Rhodes's strength was constantly increasing at a rapid pace.
Even so, he was still being forced on the defensive against Kaido.
While Moria's own strength was mediocre, his judgment was excellent. He could see that Rhodes was currently relying entirely on speed to maneuver. Once Kaido seized an opening and landed a clean hit, Rhodes would be at a severe disadvantage.
Meanwhile, in the battlefield, after a period of probing, Rhodes had roughly gauged Kaido's fundamental capabilities.
"His strength surpasses mine by a significant margin, but it's still manageable—at least not enough to cause a complete collapse..."
Rhodes's physique had also broken through human limitations. Even if he was weaker than Kaido, the gap wasn't insurmountable.
"His Armament Haki is significantly stronger than mine. Because of that unique vibration technique, his defense is far superior."
"My advantage lies in speed and agility..."
Rhodes's eyes flickered slightly.
Kaido's size was ultimately too enormous, nearly ten meters tall.
Though he was far from clumsy or sluggish—his powerful combat instincts allowing him to leverage his size advantage with greater strength and wider attack range—the natural lack of agility from his massive frame still made him far inferior to Rhodes in this aspect.
Rhodes's agile fighting style gave him more time to observe and test Kaido's capabilities.
"Test his recovery ability..."
Rhodes's eyes flashed. Seizing the moment Kaido swung his kanabo, he suddenly launched himself forward like silver lightning, instantly arriving beside Kaido and slashing his sword toward Kaido's knee joint.
It wasn't that he didn't want to target other vital points, but Kaido's size was simply too enormous. Even though Rhodes had grown to over two meters tall after his last transformation, he still fell far short. It was better to damage a joint like the knee than attempt to sever the thigh entirely.
Slash!
Blood splattered.
A direct slash was far more powerful than projected sword energy, not only because of direct force transmission, but also because it carried more concentrated Armament Haki.
Under Rhodes's blade, Kaido's knee was instantly cut open, the skin torn and flesh ripped apart.
"Hmm?"
To Rhodes's surprise, after the blade pierced Kaido's skin, it encountered extremely tenacious resistance, like trying to move through thick mud—still able to advance, but at a drastically reduced pace.
Whoosh!
A violent whistling sound came from the side.
Rhodes didn't need Observation Haki to know it was Kaido's kanabo. He didn't linger to inflict further damage, flashing away to a safe distance.
The kanabo, carrying the force of wind and thunder, slammed into the ground, the shockwave causing rocks to shatter and disintegrate mid-air.
"You actually hurt me."
Kaido looked down at the sword wound on his knee, somewhat stunned, apparently not expecting to be injured by a mere brat.
Kaido was known as immortal. If anyone could hurt him so easily, then his supposed immortality was a joke.
His defense ranked among the absolute best of all the world's supreme warriors.
"Looks like you've got some skill..."
Kaido cracked his neck, grinning maliciously.
Rhodes's expression changed slightly.
Because in his vision, the sword wound on Kaido's knee was visibly healing.
In almost the time it took to exchange two sentences, he'd nearly completely recovered—even the burning effect of Rhodes's lightning had been purged.
"The World's Strongest Creature truly lives up to its name."
Rhodes casually twirled his sword, sincerely acknowledging the title.
Praise carries weight based on who gives it. If an ordinary Supernova spoke to Kaido like that, Kaido would definitely crush them with his kanabo. But Rhodes's words had earned their significance.
Kaido was quite pleased, though he clearly wasn't one for idle conversation—or rather, his way of expressing pleasure was unusual.
"Your speed is impressive, even slightly faster than that brat Kizaru, but some things cannot be avoided no matter how fast you are."
With that, Kaido activated his transformation. In a flash, his humanoid form shifted into a majestic Azure Dragon that seemed to blot out the sky.
He soared into the air, circling through heaven and earth as if stepping out of ancient legend, and everyone on the island felt genuine primordial awe.
This was different from before. This time, Kaido unleashed his full power, incorporating his Yonko-level Conqueror's Haki. The fact that those watching from the island could remain conscious was testament to their considerable strength.
Many of the new generation of powerful pirates had gone pale and were swaying unsteadily.
(End of Chapter)
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