The deaths of Momonosuke and Kin'emon caused the emotions of Luffy, Kozuki Hiyori, and the others to fluctuate violently.
Luffy's entire aura seethed, his eyes shot through with thick red blood vessels as he glared at Kaido in the distance.
The gazes of Zoro, Sanji, and the others turned bone-chillingly cold.
Kozuki Hiyori, meanwhile, was kneeling on the ground, her tears falling uncontrollably.
To her, she had been separated from her brother, Momonosuke, for twenty years.
Meeting him today for the first time, she had witnessed him being murdered—blown into a mist of blood, leaving not even a bone behind.
This blow caused Kozuki Hiyori to feel a heart-wrenching pain and sorrow.
There were tears in Chopper's eyes as well, but he forced himself to endure it and rushed to Kozuki Hiyori's side.
He lowered his head and gave a toss, hoisting Kozuki Hiyori and Toko onto his back before galloping toward the distance.
Only if non-combatants like them escaped quickly could Luffy and the others find a way to break free.
"Don't even think about running!" In the sky, the giant ship—under the control of Golden Lion Shiki—broke through the plant defense line and arrived above Chopper's head.
One by one, members of the Beasts Pirates leapt down from the deck.
In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of people had landed on the ground.
On the ship, there were still over a hundred thousand people who had not yet moved, instead crowding the deck to watch.
There were too many of them; the execution ground below simply wasn't large enough to accommodate them all.
Chopper stopped his hooves, scanning the surroundings in despair.
There was nowhere to run; they were already surrounded.
Luffy was being suppressed by the Four Emperors member, Big Mom.
Zoro, Sanji, Brook, and the others were also pinned down by the Three Calamities and the Sweet Commanders.
Now, who could save them?
Kaido stepped out from the parting ranks of his subordinates, his hulking, tall figure radiating an intense sense of intimidation.
Shouldering his club, he looked down at Chopper, Carina, Kozuki Hiyori, and Toko.
"Come to think of it, you really do look like Toki Kozuki."
Kaido's gaze fell upon Kozuki Hiyori.
Previously, he hadn't suspected this number one Oiran of the Flower Capital.
But today, seeing Komurasaki rescue Toko and her current state of intense grief made him sense something suspicious.
With eyes full of tears and hatred, Kozuki Hiyori stared at Kaido.
She climbed down from Chopper's back and looked directly at the enemy who had killed her father and brother, saying in a cold voice:
"You guessed right. I am the daughter of Kozuki Oden, Kozuki Hiyori!"
Now that things had come to this, Kozuki Hiyori no longer hid.
Since there was nowhere to run, it was better to be honorable and not fail the glory of the Kozuki family by facing Kaido head-on.
In the distance, Kurozumi Orochi's eyes trembled, unable to believe that his favorite Oiran was actually the daughter of his sworn enemy.
Beside him, Kyoshiro's face was etched with pain.
Lady Hiyori had been exposed after all.
He was currently unable to go to her aid, being suppressed and beaten by the Mochi-man pirate before him.
Kaido's pupils constricted slightly as he stared at Kozuki Hiyori, a mocking smile slowly spreading across his lips.
"You have Oden's spirit, but none of his strength."
He swung his club, intending to smash it down.
Luffy suddenly roared the name "Kaido" and charged from the distance.
Seeing this, Kaido looked over with cold eyes, shifted the direction of his club, and swung it out.
It was a situation nearly identical to the one from two years ago.
Luffy landed a punch on Kaido's face.
Kaido slammed his club into Luffy's face.
Neither of them defended, both choosing to attack.
This time, a visible expression of pain appeared on Kaido's face, but he forced himself not to cry out.
The Conqueror's Haki on the club in his hand grew even more violent as he swung it with a great roar.
Luffy let out a scream, blood spraying from his nose and mouth. His Bounceman form was sent flying, bouncing off the ground multiple times in the distance.
Finally, he crashed into a residential house, disappearing into the ruins and dust.
Kaido wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and snorted coldly. "Stinking brat, your fists have indeed grown a bit harder than they were two years ago."
He remembered the Straw Hat kid.
Two years ago, a punch to his face hadn't even broken the skin.
Two years later, taking another punch from the opponent had actually split the corner of his mouth.
Amidst the distant ruins, Luffy shoved aside the rubble on his body, panting heavily with a face full of blood.
He hadn't expected that even after mastering Armament Haki with internal destruction, he still couldn't cause serious damage to Kaido.
"Just how can Conqueror's Haki be infused into attacks?"
"And how can I transform into that white form?"
Luffy muttered to himself, his heart full of frustration.
There was still a huge gap between him and Kaido.
If he wanted to defeat Kaido and Big Mom, he had to master the technique of Conqueror's Haki infusion.
This was something he had consistently failed to learn during his two years of cultivation.
He had only learned how to utilize the internal destruction of Armament Haki.
Then there was the white form Zoro and the others had mentioned.
Luffy himself didn't even know how he had transformed.
If he could transform, his strength would increase significantly, and only then would he have a chance to defeat Kaido.
In the distance, seeing that Luffy could still stand up after taking a hit from the club, Kaido had to admit that this brat's strength had improved a lot compared to two years ago.
He shouted, "Linlin, stop the Straw Hat kid. Once I've finished off Oden's daughter, I'll come and slaughter him."
Kaido had decided to kill Straw Hat Luffy.
However, before that, he had to take out Kozuki Oden's daughter.
Carrying his club, he walked toward Kozuki Hiyori.
Luffy looked at the flying Charlotte Linlin, his expression turning extremely ugly.
He couldn't get away now.
Chopper, Carina, and Momonosuke's sister were all in danger.
He tried to rush over again, but he was immediately blocked by Charlotte Linlin.
"Get out of my way!" Luffy was frantic.
Charlotte Linlin ignored him, striking with her blade again and again, sending Luffy flying back repeatedly.
Within the encirclement of tens of thousands of Beasts Pirates members, Kozuki Hiyori, Carina, and the others fell into despair.
Kaido glanced at the two women and grinned. "A bunch of fools. Your luck is truly terrible."
"Since Luo Chen hasn't been caught, I might as well wipe you out while I'm at it."
Carina and Chopper were confused as to why Luo Chen was being mentioned.
Kozuki Hiyori's beautiful eyes, however, flickered with emotion, and she subconsciously looked toward the direction of the brothel.
Then, her face turned bitter.
Luo Chen surely didn't know what was happening here.
Even if he did, so what?
Facing so many enemies, no one could possibly rescue them.
Kaido stopped wasting words and swung his club down.
Zoro, Sanji, Brook, and the others were besides themselves with rage, roaring repeatedly.
But they were all pinned down by their enemies and could not go to the rescue.
As the club was about to crush Carina, Chopper, and the others—turning them into blood mist just like Kin'emon and Momonosuke—
Suddenly, the club in Kaido's hand stopped.
It stopped exactly one millimeter above Kozuki Hiyori's head, even brushing against a single strand of her emerald hair.
This perilous sight caused Luffy, Zoro, and the others' hearts to leap, and they held their breath.
Why had Kaido stopped?
Facing Kaido directly, Kozuki Hiyori's eyelashes trembled as she looked up at his ferocious face.
Kaido's face was full of shock as he stared at his arm gripping the club.
He suddenly let out a great roar, the veins on his forehead bulging and the muscles in his arm swelling to the point where the creaking sound of compressing bones could be heard.
Kozuki Hiyori looked at Kaido in confusion.
It seemed as though the opponent was using his full strength.
But was there something preventing Kaido's club from smashing down?
The eerie situation caused the combatants to stop their fighting instinctively.
Some were perplexed, while others scanned the surroundings, trying to determine what had happened.
Kaido suddenly let out a furious roar that echoed in all directions:
"Who is it?! Get the hell out here!"
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