Whitebeard was not the kind of man to hesitate. He stood up, grabbed his bisento, pointed it at the sky, and said:
"Gurararara! Alright, my sons. For your better growth from here on out, let's set out on an adventure once again.
Brats, move out!"
"Oooooh!!" the crew of the Whitebeard Pirates roared in unison.
The former territory of the Flying Pirates, now the base of the World Pirates: World Island.
At the harbor, aboard the Grossedi, Bondi World was just about to set sail to wreck the next World Government member nation on his list when he suddenly saw the short, frail Binjack rush out of the control room and shout:
"World, bad news! We probably can't go to the Xishilan Kingdom this time. Garp is wandering around the sea near Xishilan.
If we head there now, we'll likely run straight into Garp. That could affect our plan."
"Hahahaha, Binjack, relax!
It's just the Marines. Garp, huh? Even better if we run into him. I'll just take care of Garp along with the rest of them!"
World waved his hand dismissively, utterly unconcerned. At this moment he was overflowing with confidence. He was about to claim his fifth victorious campaign against a member nation; nothing made him happier than "starting the fifth world all over again."
"Oh right, Binjack, I heard that bastard Wang Zhi got beaten. Find some time to figure out who took him down. Then we'll go pay that guy a visit!"
Knowing World's personality all too well, Binjack naturally had no objections. A good subordinate didn't need extra words; he just had to follow orders.
So he turned his attention to investigating Xishilan Kingdom and the new Beehive Island, gathering all related intel.
Near Wano Country, on an uninhabited island, Doflamingo followed the log pose Kaido had given him and arrived to find Kaido already waiting there.
In front of Kaido, a table had been set up with two massive barrels of booze on top. Clearly, Kaido intended to have a good drink with Doflamingo before they fought.
Doflamingo popped open one of the barrels in front of him. Without saying a word, he "clinked" it with Kaido's at a distance, then raised his head and chugged it down.
This straightforward way of drinking suited Kaido's tastes perfectly. He grabbed the slightly larger barrel on his side and started pouring it into his mouth as well.
"Hic!"
Belching contentedly, Doflamingo tossed aside his empty barrel and looked at the still-unsatisfied Kaido.
"Kaido, I've gotten stronger since last time. I'm just a hair's breadth away from fully awakening Haoshoku no Haki (Conqueror's Haki) coating.
If I finish awakening it, all you'll be able to do is curl up and take the beating!"
"Keheheheheh, Doffy, you're not the only one getting stronger. Show me everything you've got. Real men don't need to hold back!"
Kaido hefted his kanabo and bellowed:
"Raimei Hakke (Thunder Bagua)!"
"The hell, Kaido, seriously?!"
Doflamingo was speechless. Kaido opened with a finisher. So much for warming up properly.
Still, even if he complained, Doflamingo's reactions were hardly slow. He unleashed Raijin no Ikari (Wrath of the Thunder God) and clashed head-on with Kaido.
Kaido's kanabo collided with Doflamingo's lightning. Black lightning crackled all around them. The direct clash left them evenly matched, both sliding back several steps.
But after that impact, Doflamingo could clearly feel that he was close to grasping something.
So he ignored the cost and kept firing off Raijin no Ikari, forcing Kaido to respond again and again with Raimei Hakke.
After the two had traded more than ten consecutive devastating blows, they both felt a deep fatigue in their bodies.
However, their formidable recovery allowed that feeling of weariness to vanish in an instant after a short rest.
Despite the heavy expenditure, it was extremely rewarding for Doflamingo. In one particularly powerful exchange, he finally mastered Raijin no Ikari completely, and as he continued to use it, it became more and more refined.
As Doflamingo fully grasped Haoshoku no Haki coating, Kaido also made progress. In his battle with Doflamingo, studying the way Doflamingo used his techniques, Kaido developed an attack even stronger than Raimei Hakke: Houkou Hakke (Roaring Bagua)!
When Kaido unleashed Houkou Hakke, Doflamingo couldn't help but praise Kaido's frightening talent. Not only could he grow stronger through battle, he could even improve and evolve his own techniques.
Doflamingo wasn't intimidated in the slightest, though. Even if he had only one move, Raijin no Ikari, from start to finish, unlike Kaido, he could stack his lightning voltage infinitely.
So even as Kaido's techniques grew stronger, Doflamingo still did not fall behind.
That said, techniques using Haoshoku no Haki coating burned through stamina at a terrifying rate. After half a day of going all-out without restraint, both Kaido and Doflamingo began to run out of steam.
Doflamingo had no interest in letting the fight end so quickly after all that effort.
Being able to cross fists with Kaido and draw on his combat experience was immensely valuable to him.
So, ignoring whether Kaido agreed or not, he changed his style, closing the distance for close-quarters combat and coating his whole body with Busoshoku no Haki (Armament Haki) to slug it out with Kaido.
Seeing Doflamingo switch strategies and knowing the cost of continuing to use Haoshoku coating, Kaido followed suit, tossing his kanabo aside and trading pure Armament blows with Doflamingo.
But after a short while, Kaido realized something was off. Every punch Doflamingo landed on him felt like being rammed by some ancient colossal elephant.
After half a day of trading blows, Kaido could see swelling all over his body.
Kaido knew better than anyone how tough his flesh was. For his body to show visible damage on the surface, the internal injuries had to be far worse. He was forced to admit how powerful Doflamingo's Haki truly was.
The battle raged for another whole day and night. Both men were injured, but from their condition, Kaido was clearly hurt more severely.
Even so, they were "real men," and real men only charged forward. If you wanted to be the strongest, you bulldozed your way there.
Kaido didn't care at all. These were just minor injuries. Drink a ton of booze and they'd be gone.
However, as the fight grew more intense, Kaido gradually fell into a disadvantage and had no choice but to change tactics.
In a certain instant, Kaido suddenly transformed into his azure dragon form without warning. He soared into the sky and unleashed a Kai Fū (Destructive Wind) straight at Doflamingo on the ground.
Massive wind blades spewed from Kaido's jaws, like countless slicing scythes, engulfing Doflamingo from every direction.
"Heh, using your, huh? Then you're in for a bad time."
Seeing Kaido turn into a dragon, Doflamingo thought Kaido wanted to test Devil Fruit head-on against him.
But of all things, duels were what Doflamingo feared the least.
Letting the wind blades pass straight through his body, Doflamingo didn't indulge Kaido at all. His body turned to lightning as he rose into the sky, fingers curling into a loose grip.
In an instant, black clouds blanketed the heavens. Lightning coiled through them and thunder boomed.
"What the…?"
Kaido frowned. What was Doflamingo doing? Using lightning against him?
Did he not understand that, to some extent, Kaido himself was resistant to lightning?
(End of Chapter)
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