Chapter 338: The Great Showdown
Outside, a commotion erupted.
A thick, long, black object had pierced through Kaido's body, then exploded.
The shockwave was clearly visible even hundreds or thousands of meters away, sweeping across the area.
People could easily imagine the terrifying power it contained—probably equivalent to the simultaneous detonation of massive amounts of high explosives.
"Rhodes's move is truly amazing! He can remotely control it, causing an explosion inside the body. The human body is very fragile internally—Kaido might actually be killed!"
Koala exclaimed excitedly.
She was an expert in Fish-Man Karate and understood the difference in durability between the inside and outside of the body.
For a powerful being like Kaido, an explosion outside the body would likely cause no harm, at most blowing him away. But an explosion inside the body was entirely different.
"It's not that simple."
Sabo wasn't so optimistic. If Kaido died so easily, it would be an insult to the title of World's Strongest Creature.
On the nearby warship, the Marines stared in disbelief at the scene.
"Grand Inspector Sengoku, Kaido isn't dead, is he? Such a massive explosion inside his body would blast even a Pacifista to pieces."
"Yeah, is the Thunder God going to surpass Blackbeard and become one of the Yonko of the New World?"
Sengoku stood with his hands clasped behind his back at the bow of the ship, his face expressionless.
"Kaido of the Beasts isn't that fragile. If he were that easy to kill, we would have eliminated him long ago."
"Watch closely. The final showdown is about to begin."
At this moment, the smoke and dust finally dissipated, revealing Kaido of the Beasts.
As everyone expected, Kaido wasn't dead, but he was in a sorry state—even miserable.
A gaping hole had been blasted into his chest, the wound large and bleeding profusely.
Soon, the ground beneath Kaido's feet was stained crimson, testament to the massive blood loss.
"Interesting, it can actually explode. That stung a bit."
"Too bad it still can't kill me."
As Kaido of the Beasts spoke, the terrifying hole in his chest began to writhe.
The bleeding stopped quickly and began healing.
Outwardly, there was soon little difference.
However, Rhodes noticed that Kaido's aura had weakened slightly, likely due to the significant life force consumed in healing.
Judging from Kaido's changing expression, Rhodes couldn't accurately gauge the extent of his remaining vitality.
But a preliminary estimate suggested it was probably comparable to those colossal Sea Kings exceeding five thousand meters in length!
"Kaido's Dragon-Dragon Fruit has likely reached awakening."
Rhodes sighed inwardly.
The power of awakened Devil Fruits was immense.
Paramecia-type awakenings allowed users to influence their surroundings, significantly enhancing the strength and range of their abilities.
Zoan-type awakenings amplified already formidable regeneration and vitality to the extreme, while also enhancing combat power based on the specific Zoan type.
WHOOSH!
Without hesitation, Rhodes charged forward, his sword and Thunder Spears working in tandem, unleashing a multi-pronged assault that caught Kaido off guard. He was quickly wounded in multiple places, expending large amounts of life force.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The two clashed relentlessly, the terrifying force radiating outward, causing the island to tremble as if struck by a catastrophic earthquake.
Visible cracks spread from the island's depths, connecting to the sea.
Seawater surged back, creating towering waves.
CRACK... CRACK...
The island groaned, as if about to sink!
But the two combatants on the island were oblivious to this. Their eyes were fixed only on each other, on their burning fighting spirit.
Both were already wounded and greatly exhausted, but their injuries were insignificant compared to their will to fight.
Their battle grew increasingly fierce, earth trembling and sky shaking.
Massive waves crashed against the sea, pushing ships backward.
Kaido of the Beasts possessed vast combat experience, relying on his unbelievable regenerative abilities to trade minor injuries for major ones with Rhodes.
Often, Rhodes would strike him with a sword, and Kaido would immediately retaliate.
Of course, he couldn't directly punch Rhodes—Rhodes was too fast.
However, during clashes, Kaido would use high-frequency vibrations of Armament Haki to constantly affect Rhodes's condition.
"You're strong. It seems I have to go all out."
After saying this, Kaido canceled his previous, unstable Supreme Beast Armament state and re-covered his body with conventional Armament Haki.
While that previous state greatly enhanced Kaido's power, it also significantly depleted his stamina—he'd forcibly fused Armament Haki with his body, placing tremendous burden on him.
By canceling this state, he was, in a sense, acknowledging that if he continued recklessly, Rhodes might actually defeat him.
"ROAR!"
After canceling the fusion state, Kaido of the Beasts didn't stop there. Instead, he let out a low roar, activating his hybrid form.
Zoan-type Devil Fruit users generally had three states: human form, hybrid form, and full beast form.
Kaido was now in hybrid mode, with dark crimson dragon scales appearing on his body, shimmering with a cold luster.
He clashed his fists together, producing a metallic clang, and coldly regarded Rhodes:
"This is my battle state. Come on, kill me."
"If you kill me, all my subordinates are yours to command."
Hearing this, the spectators couldn't help but show surprise and envy.
The Beasts Pirates were an incredibly powerful force. The Three All-Stars and the Flying Six were all formidable, and they controlled strategically important territory like Wano Country.
If the Thunder God Swordsman could take over the Beasts Pirates, he would likely become the strongest force in the New World, surpassing the Big Mom Pirates, the Red Hair Pirates, and even the Blackbeard Pirates.
"..."
Hearing Kaido's words, Rhodes remained silent, instead assessing his physical condition.
He realized that if he hadn't evolved his physique to thirty percent completion before the battle, generating special regenerative energy, he would likely have already collapsed.
Kaido of the Beasts truly lived up to his reputation as one of the world's strongest beings.
BOOM!
The two clashed again, the island echoing with deafening roars and explosions, terrifying the onlookers. When would these two monsters finally stop fighting?
As their battle raged, darkness slowly descended.
But the crowd remained oblivious, still watching the two on the island with bated breath.
With the extensive destruction caused by the combatants, nothing on the island remained intact. Broken wood and rubble were everywhere.
Cracks were rampant, each at least a meter wide, some even three or four meters, crisscrossing and filled with seawater.
From the air, the island resembled a shattered mirror—a truly horrific sight.
One could only imagine the astonishing destructive power of their clash.
(End of Chapter)
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