Chapter 8 – In the Skies of Onigashima: The Direct Battle Against Kaido!
Before Kaido could even finish his words—
the devastating wave of Conqueror's Haki turned into a physical shockwave that crashed straight toward Akira!
The air inside the grand hall seemed to be sucked out in an instant.
The stone floor beneath them cracked little by little under the immense pressure.
BOOM!
The blast slammed into Akira with full force.
Yet—
Akira stood his ground.
He didn't move an inch.
His black training outfit whipped violently in the storm of power, but his feet remained rooted—
as if fused with the bedrock of Onigashima itself.
Fivefold physical enhancement!
That was the source of his confidence—
the reason he could endure that overwhelming force head-on!
"Hm?"
The drunken haze faded from Kaido's face, replaced by genuine surprise flashing in his enormous dragon eyes.
"He actually took that head-on?"
"But just taking it… isn't enough."
Akira slowly lifted his head.
The calm in his eyes flared into blazing fighting spirit.
"Well then, Father-in-law!!"
"Use your full strength!"
BOOM!
In that instant, a torrent of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Akira's body—
just as fierce, just as unstoppable as Kaido's own!
Waves of dominance burst from his two-meter-tall frame, surging skyward!
It was his Conqueror's Haki, amplified by the body he had tempered and enhanced fivefold.
For the first time, Akira unleashed it completely—
right in front of Kaido himself.
Black and crimson lightning exploded wildly between them!
The two most overwhelming Conqueror's Hakis clashed at the center of the great hall,
forming a vacuum zone that obliterated everything around them!
Crack… crack…
The floor split like spiderwebs.
Tables, chairs, food, and barrels of sake were blown away as the crushing pressure tore through the room.
"Fall back!"
"He's insane! Akira-sama actually dared to clash his Haki with the Boss!"
"Queen-sama! Please save us!!"
Queen rolled and scrambled across the floor, hiding behind a massive stone pillar.
King spread his black wings wide to shield himself from the surging shockwaves.
Both stared toward the storm at the hall's center—
where one man stood, matching Kaido blow for blow!
"What a brat…"
Kaido's expression tensed for a moment, then twisted into a fierce grin.
Excitement burned in his beast-like eyes.
"So you have been hiding your strength!"
"But that alone won't be enough!"
Akira growled under his breath.
"Divine Manifestation Technique!!"
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Before the stunned eyes of everyone present—Kaido, King, Queen, and even Jack—
Akira's body began to grow at an impossible rate!
His bones creaked, his muscles swelled and tightened with explosive force.
Two meters.
Four meters.
Six meters.
And then—
BOOM!
Both of his feet slammed into the ground, shaking the entire hall to its foundations.
A towering figure—eight meters tall, with muscles like forged steel—now stood in the center of the room!
His massive shadow loomed over Kaido, who was more than seven meters himself.
"???"
The entire hall went dead silent.
"He—he's gotten bigger?!"
"He's taller than the Boss?!"
Jack the Drought's jaw dropped wide enough to swallow an entire sake barrel.
"Mua-ha-ha?!"
Queen's chins quivered as his whole body shook in disbelief.
"What the hell is this?! When did he eat a Devil Fruit?!"
"No!"
King's eyes narrowed sharply behind his mask.
"That's not the power of a Devil Fruit!"
"There's no Devil Fruit like that in this world!"
"Then what in the world is that ability?!"
"To grow that big… incredible! I want to learn it too!"
At that moment, not a single soul in the room dared to call Akira "weak" ever again.
— — —
"Wororororo!"
Kaido's shock lasted only an instant—
then it turned into booming laughter filled with wild excitement.
"Boy!!"
"What kind of Devil Fruit did you eat?!"
"Forget it! Who cares what it is!"
Kaido's body expanded as well, shifting closer to his fearsome hybrid form.
Scales shimmered across his arms and neck.
"Take one punch from me first!!"
Kaido's massive fist swung forward—
simple, brutal, and powerful enough to crush an entire city.
"The perfect timing… Come at me!!"
The eight-meter-tall giant that was Akira met the blow head-on without hesitation!
In his vision, glowing data streams flickered rapidly—visible only to him.
[Divine Manifestation Technique – Attribute Multiplier ×4]
[Double Strike]
[100% Critical]
Activate!
BOOOOOOOM!!!
Their colossal fists collided at the center of the grand hall!
Bang! Bang!
Two deafening impacts echoed—
followed by a twin eruption that shook the heavens themselves!
A shockwave of destruction spread outward from their clash point.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
This time, it wasn't just the floor—
the entire skull-shaped roof of Onigashima's main hall was blown sky-high by the explosion!
For the first time, blinding sunlight streamed through, piercing the dark hall that had always been shrouded in shadow.
Dust and smoke slowly cleared.
Kaido still stood—
the ground beneath his feet shattered to pieces.
Akira took three heavy steps backward.
A result that could only be described as—
Even.
He had fought Kaido's human form to a complete standstill.
Equal footing.
"???"
Kaido stared at him, eyes wide in disbelief.
He slowly raised his fist—his Armament Haki-coated hand tingling and numb.
"You…"
His deep, rumbling voice echoed.
"You actually…"
"…matched my punch?"
Then he suddenly tilted his head back and looked at Akira, sharp realization flashing across his face.
"Worororororo!"
Kaido burst into roaring laughter.
"Excellent, boy!"
"So that's what you meant by your 'enlightenment'!!"
At last, Kaido understood.
Yes—after a man "matures," he does become stronger.
He himself had experienced it once before—the night he "conquered" Big Mom.
That was when he awakened his hybrid dragon form, subduing her completely!
"In just a single night…"
"…you became this strong?!"
Kaido's battle spirit blazed like wildfire.
"Seems I'll have to get a little serious…"
"…or I won't be able to handle you!!"
"Azure Dragon!!"
Kaido leapt high, bursting through the shattered roof above them.
"ROOOOOAAARRR—!!!"
A thunderous roar shook the heavens of Wano.
The earth itself trembled.
Clouds spiraled madly across the sky.
A colossal blue dragon—stretching for thousands of meters—coiled through the clouds, blotting out the sun.
The sheer weight of its draconic aura pressed down like the sky itself.
Akira stood amid the ruins.
Above him loomed the massive dragon, its body spanning an entire mountain range.
At eight meters tall, Akira looked like a speck of dust before the god-like beast.
Ding—!
A clear chime rang inside his mind.
[Armor of Will fully charged!]
[Permanent Physical Power +1%!]
"Another layer added!"
Hearing the artifact's voice, Akira's fighting spirit surged once more.
He glared straight into the dragon's lantern-sized eyes in the sky.
"I can strengthen myself without limit—the longer the fight, the stronger I become!"
"Kaido!"
"You're the perfect training partner!"
"One day, my Divine Manifestation Form will tower even higher than your dragon form!"
Seeing that blazing determination radiate from Akira's body, Kaido's laughter thundered through the heavens.
"Wororororo! Boy, you've got guts!"
His voice rolled across the storm clouds.
"Then feel the power of my true dragon form!"
"Dragon Claw!!"
A claw larger than a mansion tore through the clouds—
black-and-crimson lightning coiling around it as it came crashing down!
"Good!! Come at me!!"
Akira roared back!
All his strength gathered in his right arm as he met the blow head-on with a straight punch!
BOOOOOOM!!!
Fist and claw collided!
Akira's punch struck one of Kaido's massive dragon scales—
and in the next instant, his body shot backward like a cannonball, hurled away by the overwhelming force!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
He smashed through several stone walls of Onigashima before slamming deep into a mountain cliff!
"???"
Queen and King gaped in utter disbelief.
"He—he just took a Conqueror's Haki-infused claw from the Boss?!"
Even King's muffled voice trembled behind his mask.
"And he only got blown back?!"
"That power… something's off!"
Queen's fat wobbled violently as he shook.
"Impossible! He used to rely on technique and speed, not raw power!"
"Right!"
Jack's eyes were wide with awe and envy.
"Back then, his strength couldn't even compare to mine!"
"Could it be…"
"Could it be…"
He uttered what might've been the "smartest" line of his life:
"Just sleeping with Young Master Yamato for one night… made him this strong?!"
"If I'd known, I would've—"
"Hmm?!"
High in the sky, the giant dragon's head suddenly snapped toward Jack!
Kaido's freezing glare cut through the air.
"You bastard!!"
WHOOOOOSH—!!
The dragon's mountain-sized tail swept through the air faster than sight.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Jack didn't even have time to blink—
he was smashed clean off Onigashima!
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
His scream echoed as his body flew like a meteor, vanishing beyond the horizon.
"Jack!!"
Kaido's furious roar shook the clouds.
"Useless fool!!"
"You dare have filthy thoughts about my daughter?!"
"If I ever hear you say that again, I'll break your tusks myself!!"
— — —
12:10 p.m.
BOOM!!!
In the skies over Onigashima, Kaido's massive claws struck downward again!
BOOM!!!
A towering eight-meter figure burst from the rubble—Akira, his body blazing with Haki, charging straight back into the fray!
The two had been fighting nonstop for nearly ten minutes.
In that short time, Akira's Will Core had gained sixty new layers—
his physical strength rising by another 60 percent!
Kaido's dragon form and Akira's gigantic Divine Manifestation body clashed with such force that all of Onigashima shook as if the island itself might crumble!
"Something's wrong…"
The longer Kaido fought, the more alarmed he became.
"This kid!"
"Why is his power still increasing?!"
"Why is his body getting tougher by the minute?!"
He didn't know—
that inside Akira's head, the sound Ding! Ding! Ding! from the Armor of Will continued ringing every ten seconds without pause.
"Yes! That's it!"
"Harder, Father-in-law!!"
"Don't tell me you haven't eaten yet?!"
"This fight is amazing!"
— — —
12:20 p.m.
At Onigashima's harbor—
"Haaah…"
Yamato gritted her teeth, fighting through the pain that racked her body.
"That damn Akira… I can barely even walk!"
Stumbling, she made her way toward a cargo ship prepared for departure.
On the deck, piles of Seastone blocks gleamed under the sun.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
With her iron club in hand, Yamato knocked out every crew member on board—except the helmsman.
"Follow the pointer—this way!!"
She tossed the Eternal Pose Akira had given her that morning into the trembling helmsman's hands.
"Steer in the direction the compass points! That's your destination!"
— — —
12:25 p.m.
High above Onigashima—
Akira looked down and spotted the harbor.
The Seastone ship was slowly sailing away, breaking free into open sea.
"The time has come!"
He poured every ounce of strength into his fist and drove it hard into Kaido's scales!
BOOM!!
"Well then, Father-in-law!!"
Akira roared, his voice booming across the sky.
"Is that all you've got?!"
"So this is the power of the 'Strongest Creature in the World'?!"
"Come on—show me your true strength!!"
"You insolent brat!!"
Kaido was truly enraged now.
He drew in a massive breath, his chest expanding like a storm about to burst—
"Dragon Breath!!!"
A torrent of superheated fire erupted from the dragon's jaws, sweeping across the sky!
Akira's body was swallowed by the blazing inferno, blasted far away from the harbor in a blinding explosion, as if defeated completely.
— — —
12:30 p.m.
Beyond the seas of Wano—
The Seastone cargo ship finally cleared Wano's territorial waters, disappearing from Akira's sight.
"Fiuuuh~"
Yamato stood at the bow, feeling the cool sea wind brush against her face.
For the first time in her life, the breeze smelled of freedom.
"Hahahahahahahaha!!"
She laughed loudly, joy bursting from her chest.
"I'm free!"
"I finally escaped!"
"The deal I made with Akira…"
"…was totally worth it!!"
She turned back, gazing at Onigashima—now only a tiny black speck on the distant horizon.
A faint pang of guilt stirred in her heart.
"Akira…"
"Don't you dare die to my father, okay?"
"Wait for me!"
"Wait until I've trained and grown stronger out here!"
"When that day comes—"
"I'll come back…"
"…and together, we'll beat my old man to a pulp—to repay every blow you took today!"
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