The slashes, carrying the world's most powerful Conqueror's Haki, struck Kaido's massive body simultaneously.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Crack! Pop! Pop!"
Terrifying roars echoed through the sky. For the first time, Kaido felt the power surging into his body, and for the first time, he felt true pain.
"That's right, that's right! This is the feeling!" Kaido roared. "Rocks's power! Roger's power!"
Rocks's slash, imbued with an explosive force reminiscent of Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi, began to devastate Kaido's body from the outside. Meanwhile, Roger's slash focused on internal destruction, tearing at Kaido's organs from within. Time seemed to stand still. Under the relentless onslaught of these two legendary figures, Kaido's dragon form began to spray blood as his scales shattered.
Despite his injuries, Kaido showed no sign of agony. Instead, he shouted with unbridled excitement, "Fantastic! Fantastic!"
It was not that Kaido was a masochist. Much like his previous obsession with seeking death, only pain allowed him to feel truly alive. This sensation—the genuine threat of being killed—reminded him that he could still reach higher peaks of strength. If no one in this world could even make him bleed, existence would be far too boring.
"Pfft!"
After the strike, the summoned shades of Rocks and Roger retreated to Imu's side. Neither legend could have imagined that they would one day act as bodyguards for the World King. Imu looked up at Kaido, whose body was now venting white steam. Visibly, the wounds inflicted by the two legends were already rapidly knitting together.
"Why?!" Imu felt a growing sense of unease.
Throughout the battle, aside from his initial attacks, Kaido had been passively absorbing hits, showing no intention of retaliating. Imu did not believe Kaido lacked the power to fight back; he had chosen to face Kaido alone precisely because he feared that the Yonko possessed a potential that threatened the status quo.
Kaido's expression in the sky was one of pure joy. Yes, that's it! Only through such combat could he feel his strength expanding. Only here could he break through his physical limits and take the final step.
"Awakening!"
At that instant, the World King seemed to grasp Kaido's true objective. For the first time, Imu's gaze turned murderous.
"You also want to become Nika, Kaido!" Imu shouted.
Kaido descended, shifting back into his human form. He gripped the Hassaikai tightly, showing no lingering effects from the wounds he had sustained.
"No..." Kaido's Conqueror's Haki erupted like a crimson sea of blood, illuminating him like a demon god returned from the depths of hell. "I don't care about Nika, the Sun God, freedom, dreams, or destiny. All I want is one thing: power!"
Imu's eyes widened, a flicker of true fear crossing the World King's face.
Kaido no longer cared for the World King's opinion. He raised his club high. "I will use the power in my hands to smash what you call destiny to smithereens!"
"Boom!"
Kaido vanished from his spot. The World King was startled, and Rocks and Roger immediately moved to intercept him. At that moment, the clash between Kaido and the combined strength of Rocks and Roger engulfed the entire palace. Visible cracks spider-webbed across the stone walls, and the raw Conqueror's Haki manifested as lightning, arcing down toward the sea below.
Meanwhile, in Paradise at Marineford, the anticipated slaughter had not yet begun. It was not a lack of desire that kept the Marines from attacking the Beasts Pirates, but the sheer disparity in combat power. While the top tiers might have been evenly matched—Tobi Roppo and Doffy versus Garp, Akainu, and Sengoku—the lower tiers were a different story.
The Oni Squad captains, possessing strength comparable to the Shichibukai, and the thousands of SMILE users stood ready. If the elite Marines who had deployed elsewhere were present, a battle could be fought, but as it stood, the remaining soldiers would be slaughtered.
"Hey, Marines! Are you going to surrender or not?" Fuz Fo, the highest-ranking commander present, shouted from the deck of the Beasts Grand Fleet.
"Hey, kid," Garp stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "If you want this old man to surrender, you'll have to see if your fist is harder than mine."
They had been intercepted by Kaido's forces before reaching Red Port. While fortunate for Marineford, it was a dire situation.
"Hey, don't get it wrong, old man!" Ulti stepped forward, her body wreathed in Conqueror's Haki and crackling lightning. "You are still alive only because of Father's benevolence. No one can stop him from ruling this sea."
"Hahaha! This old man doesn't feel comfortable entrusting this sea to you pirates!" Garp laughed.
"Is that so, Hero Garp?" Fuz Fo retorted with a provocative smirk. "So, you want to entrust the sea to your son or your grandson instead?"
Garp's face stiffened in surprise. Fuz Fo's words were calculated to wound.
"What's the matter? Can't speak now?" Fuz Fo continued, shouting for all the surrounding Marines to hear. "As a Navy Hero, your son is a Revolutionary, and your grandson is a pirate. You ignore your own blood but strike hard at other pirates. Are you trying to use the Marines to eliminate your family's rivals so they can take over as the new Celestial Dragons?"
Many Marines turned to look at Garp, their expressions shifting from respect to hesitation.
Garp's face turned deep red with anger. "Hey, kid, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Hahaha, did I hit the mark?" Fuz Fo pressed on. "Look at the Marines behind you. They worship you as a hero, but have you ever truly stopped your son or grandson? And you adopted the Pirate King's son! Do you even consider yourself a Marine, or do you secretly want to resist the World Government yourself?"
As the accusations hung in the air, the Marines looked toward their idol with profound doubt.
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