Roldy 's fist rose from below.
Standing over six meters tall, he drove an uppercut straight into Kaido's jaw.
The force was overwhelming. Combined with Roldy 's top-tier Armament Haki, Kaido clearly heard the sound of his own jaw cracking.
A muffled groan escaped him from the searing pain—
But Roldy didn't stop.
He leapt into the air and smashed another punch into Kaido's face.
Kaido spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with two broken teeth.
Shock surged through him.
This level of Armament Haki had unquestionably reached the realm of Advanced Armament Haki.
No… something was off.
He had been beaten by Charlotte Linlin's Advanced Armament Haki before. It had been brutal—but never like this.
This brat's Armament Haki—
Was above Linlin's.
For the first time, Kaido felt regret.
Yes, he had wanted to challenge Roldy out of sheer battle lust.
But there was another reason.
As someone infatuated with Big Mom, he hadn't liked the way she looked at Roldy . He remembered being viewed that way once himself.
Besides, he hadn't thought Roldy was that strong. The 940 million Berry bounty likely came mostly from killing a Celestial Dragon.
His own 560 million bounty had been earned fist by fist.
But now?
He had already cursed the Marines hundreds of times in his heart.
This strength—
And they only gave him 940 million?
What a joke.
Kaido had fought pirates with bounties close to a billion before. He had lost—but he could at least hold out for a while.
Now?
He was being hammered like a child.
"Don't get cocky, brat!"
Enraged, Kaido roared—though the broken jaw and missing teeth slurred his words.
He gripped his kanabo with both hands, leapt high into the air, and spun the weapon in a blur.
Then—
With overwhelming force—
He brought it crashing down.
"Descending Third World: Ragnaraku!"
This was Kaido's strongest technique at present.
He relied on his monstrous body and raw power in direct clashes. With both arms fully wound up and striking from above, the attack carried terrifying momentum.
"Gahahahaha! Now this is interesting!"
Roldy 's excitement flared.
Watching the descending kanabo, his right arm suddenly swelled with power.
"Iron Fist — Shatter!"
The sheer force concentrated in that punch sent a fatal warning through Kaido's instincts.
His hairs stood on end.
But midair, he had nowhere to evade.
With a roar, he smashed downward.
BOOM!
Fist and kanabo collided with a thunderous shockwave.
A premonition of disaster flashed through Kaido's mind.
The next instant—
His weapon emitted a strained, cracking sound.
Two seconds later—
The kanabo that had accompanied him for years shattered explosively.
Kaido's pupils contracted.
No one understood better than he did how durable that weapon was.
Swordsmen temper their blades with Armament Haki to forge Black Blades.
Kaido had done the same with his kanabo.
It was, without exaggeration, half a step into becoming a "Black Kanabo."
And yet—
It had been destroyed with a single punch.
Before he could process it—
The punch had already struck his chest.
The immense force carried with it something unfamiliar—
It pierced through his skin and invaded his body directly.
His chest caved inward almost without resistance.
"Gwah!"
Blood burst from his mouth as his massive body flew backward, crashing into a house and crushing an unfortunate pirate beneath it.
When Observation Haki awakens, it can grant abilities like limited future sight or even the Voice of All Things.
When Armament Haki reaches its advanced stage, it can project outward or destroy from within.
But those born with innate Haki are different.
The Red Count, for example, was born with Observation Haki and could hear the voices in others' hearts.
Roldy —
Had been born with Armament Haki.
And now—
It had fully awakened.
The special property of his awakened Armament Haki was:
Absolute Hardening.
Perhaps it sounded less impressive than reading minds.
But in practice—
It was monstrous.
Even before fully awakening, Roldy had matched Zephyr—an elite Armament Haki master—blow for blow.
Now?
His power had surged to another level entirely.
His ultimate hardening could shatter any weapon.
Even a Supreme Grade Blade coated in Advanced Armament Haki would struggle to compete with the density of his own.
Zephyr's "Black Arm" followed a similar path—
But truly awakening such a trait was nearly impossible.
Kaido had the dubious honor of being the first to face it.
His monstrous body, once thought invincible, had been as fragile as paper before that power.
Now the challenger lay defeated—
While Roldy merely had a bit of dust on his shoes.
"Gahahahaha! Not bad strength—but you're still lacking!"
Roldy strode forward.
A flash of killing intent gleamed in his eyes.
He raised his fist again, aiming straight for Kaido's skull.
There was no doubt—
If that punch landed, Kaido would be crippled at best.
At that moment—
A bolt of purple lightning split the sky.
It struck Roldy instantly.
His body stiffened.
Only for less than half a second—
But it was enough.
A massive figure descended.
In her hand was a giant blade with a grinning human face.
Flames engulfed its edge.
The newcomer was none other than the Third Division Commander—
Charlotte Linlin.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma! Youngsters these days are all monsters! Roldy , you've already won. How about giving me some face and ending this here?"
Big Mom had stepped in.
Her meaning was clear.
She intended to save Kaido's life.
Roldy hadn't even noticed when she arrived.
Compared to his Armament Haki, his Observation Haki was still severely lacking.
Feeling the overwhelming aura radiating from her—
Roldy paused for a brief moment.
Then he lowered his fist, turned, and walked away without a word.
Until he held absolute certainty of victory—
He rarely made enemies unnecessarily.
But this time—
Kaido had struck first.
And as everyone knew—
Roldy never held grudges.
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