Flames that seemed capable of burning the heavens themselves caused the temperature across all of Onigashima to skyrocket.
At this moment, even King known as the Wildfire, a member of the Lunarian race born with the natural ability to manipulate flames could feel the terrifying heat.
After exchanging another clash with Rayleigh, the two simultaneously stopped fighting and looked toward the distant sky.
King's expression was grave.
Even from this distance, the flames were scorching hot.
And he himself was a Lunarian.
That fact alone was enough to imagine how horrifying the flames coating Rowan's blade truly were.
Could Kaido-sama... really withstand them?
The thought had only just appeared when Kaido's spiked kanabo was melted into molten iron in a single strike.
Then immediately afterward, Rowan suddenly appeared through teleportation in Kaido's dragon form and severed the dragon tail apart with one slash.
That scene caused King's fists to tighten.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Rayleigh also watching the sky was equally shocked by the heat radiating from the center battlefield.
Even Sakazuki, hailed as the Marines' strongest new-generation combat force and wielder of the Magma Fruit, with temperatures exceeding fifteen hundred degrees.
could never produce heat on this level.
At this point, Kaido's Haki might not yet rival Roger's or Whitebeard's.
But merely from a few seconds of collision, even his weapon had been melted away.
That kind of temperature was at least several times hotter than magma itself.
Just what kind of existence... was Captain's Mr.?
Were those scorching flames a power?
Or something else entirely?
If a Lunarian weren't standing directly in front of him right now, Rayleigh might even have believed Rowan himself belonged to the Lunarian race.
Elsewhere, Roger burst into loud laughter.
And this power still wasn't Mr.'s limit.
If the Celestial Dragons of Mary Geoise were all imprisoned within that prison...
if all their sin value was converted into those black flames...then at that point what Joy Boy?
What ancient power left behind by the Great Kingdom?
What Poseidon or Pluton?
None of it would matter.
As long as Mr. wished to overturn this world, Mary Geoise would shatter like a paper tiger beneath a single blow.
"Fatty, still want to fight?"
Roger's right arm regenerated once again as he casually held his sword and looked toward Queen.
"Gulp."
Queen swallowed nervously.
A tiny spark landed on his broad forehead.
"Ah!"
Letting out a yelp, he hurriedly slapped the ember away.
Then Queen sighed as he looked toward Roger.
"We're all pirates here."
"As a senior, you wouldn't bully a rookie like me, right?"
"How about I surrender and you let me leave?"
Roger laughed.
"That won't work."
"Unless you can fly like Kaido."
"Otherwise, since Mr. personally named you... you won't be leaving today."
Within the ruins, Oden stared at the azure dragon in the sky.
The dragon he had exhausted himself merely to wound slightly...
was now being mutilated piece by piece.
His expression became complicated.
The severed dragon claw and portion of dragon tail that had fallen to the ground had already reverted to their original forms after losing the Devil Fruit transformation.
That was Kaido's left hand.
And a bloody section of tailbone.
Not only that having already fought Kaido personally, Oden understood very clearly that the dragon form was not Kaido's strongest state.
Kaido's true strongest form was his half-human, half-dragon hybrid state combined with all three forms of Haki.
Yet at this moment, Kaido remained in his azure dragon form and refused to land.
The outcome of this battle had already been decided.
Those flames that seemed capable of burning the heavens themselves were simply too terrifying.
The plans Shimotsuki Yasuie had prepared afterward now appeared utterly pale and powerless before such strength.
The earlier conversation resurfaced in Oden's mind once more.
"Lord Oden, the Kozuki Clan has ruled Wano for hundreds of years."
"This is the glory of the Kozuki Clan, but also its responsibility!"
"We all hope the people of Wano can live better lives, but the masses are ignorant."
"They cannot distinguish who truly is the best decision-maker!"
"Only the Kozuki Clan the Kozuki Clan that has led Wano for eight hundred years can continue guiding this country toward prosperity!"
"Lord Oden... surely you don't want those five years of dancing to remain the Kozuki Clan's stain forever, right?"
"You only need to battle Kaido above Onigashima."
"I will handle everything else for you afterward!"
Oden looked down at Ame no Habakiri and Enma in his hands.
Against flames that scorching how could Wano possibly dare to violate the agreed terms?
And furthermore...the future revealed at Laugh Tale showed that this world was approaching enormous upheaval.
Whether twenty years later or beginning today Wano would face tremendous challenges.
He could not and would not become a fool standing in the way of the tide of history.
Meanwhile, Rowan, still suspended in the air, immediately released Ryujin Jakka's Shikai the moment he realized the mark placed on Kaido had disappeared.
So my earlier theory when obtaining Flying Thunder God wasn't wrong after all...
The technique's rank might only correspond to a Gold Treasure Chest, yet its mobility was practically true teleportation.
In Naruto's world, Flying Thunder God marks remained on Obito and Killer B for decades, only disappearing after Obito absorbed the Ten-Tails and evolved into the Six Paths form.
But in the world of pirates, Flying Thunder God functioned similarly to a Devil Fruit ability.
It required stamina to use.
And therefore it would also be restricted by Haki born from stamina and physical strength.
It wouldn't be suppressed by P-Matter, but top-tier Armament Haki could erase the marks.
There had only been two truly powerful opponents marked so far.
But back at Sabaody, the Chameleon had been instantly killed because Rowan struck unexpectedly.
Looks like from now on...
I can only rely on surprise attacks against top tiers.
Still, Ryujin Jakka alone was enough to create absolute intimidation against the strongest beings in this world.
As for Zanpakuto Shikai his own foundation remained the greatest weakness in his overall combat strength.
The stamina drain from the three forms of Haki, combined with the physical consumption from his other abilities, all required a powerful base body.
Techniques like Ryujin Jakka's Flame Barrier, Torch, and Flame-Enclosing Citadel would completely drain him in a single use.
For now, simply relying on the base flame temperature of the Shikai blade was his most sustainable combat method.
Rowan landed on the ground, his gaze meeting the azure dragon high in the sky.
Kaido, now missing one dragon claw and a portion of his tail, bled continuously from above.
Yet he showed absolutely no intention of descending to risk a life-and-death clash.
That terrifying heat capable of making the entire sky seem ablaze was impossible to confront head-on.
Kaido could be reckless at times.
But he was no fool.
The opponent withdrawing the flames after the [Spark] mark disappeared did not necessarily mean he had exhausted himself and could no longer use them.
The more likely possibility was that the moment Rowan realized teleportation could no longer guarantee close-range attacks, he immediately ended that state.
And could activate it again at any moment.
"ROAR!!"
Kaido did not retreat.
Heat energy rapidly gathered within the dragon's enormous maw.
Bolo Breath!
A blazing beam of fire blasted straight toward the ground.
Yet using Observation Haki combined with incredible speed, Rowan avoided the attack entirely.
The breath failed to hit him, merely reheating the already crystallized battlefield into a deeper glowing red.
What followed immediately after were countless wind blades and raging storms.
But these attacks, useful for sweeping away fodder, clearly could not deal effective damage to Rowan.
Kaido in the sky obviously realized this as well.
"You can't maintain that state for long, can you?"
"In that case, there's no way for you to hit me while I remain in the sky."
Kaido swung his half-charred dragon tail and turned toward Onigashima's harbor.
"Clean out the trash!"
"Let the people of Wano understand who truly controls their lives and deaths!"
From the ruins, Oden suddenly charged forward.
His dual blades swung violently, sending two slashes toward the sky.
"Crack!"
A dragon claw clenched tightly and crushed the attacks directly.
"Don't panic."
At that moment, Rowan placed a hand on Oden's shoulder.
But Oden could not calm down.
"Lord Yasuie, Boss Hyogoro, the daimyo from every region they're all over there!"
"And there are also a thousand Revolutionary Army reinforcements in that direction!"
Rowan pressed down harder on his shoulder and sighed.
"And that is exactly habitual thinking."
"You may constantly speak about the people of Wano this and the people of Wano that, but at a moment like this, the first people you think about are still the nobles."
"Those samurai who answered the call weren't they also fighting to protect this country?"
"Do you truly think hereditary noble rule has any meaning for ordinary people?"
The moment those words fell, Rowan threw out a kunai and vanished.
The next instant, Rowan reappeared holding a hexagonal stone engraved with a lifelike rooster.
Rooster Talisman.
It granted levitation through one's own base power, theoretically allowing limitless aerial movement.
"Buzz!"
A humming vibration echoed as Rowan floated into the air.
Then, at incredible speed, he stepped through the atmosphere itself, moving far faster than Geppo.
The sound of exploding air rang out.
Holding his Asauchi, Rowan caught up to the flying Kaido.
Draw Slash!
Armament Haki coated the blade while Conqueror's Haki condensed upon it, the sword flashing through the air at extreme speed.
Kaido twisted his body and swept back around, his claw grabbing the blade directly as blood burst forth from his palm.
"You... can fly too?"
Rowan had no obligation to answer.
The instant he was blown backward from the clash of strength, the release chant echoed once more.
"All the sins of this world... turn to ash."
"Ryujin Jakka!"
Flames exploded forth again.
Scorching heat engulfed the entirety of Onigashima.
"Boom!"
The overheated air shattered beneath Rowan's feet as his flaming blade slashed toward the azure dragon's body.
"Damn you!!"
Kaido roared furiously.
His massive body rapidly shrank, transforming directly into his hybrid dragon form, narrowly avoiding being split in half.
"You can't escape!"
High above the sky, Rowan descended at terrifying speed, flaming blade raised as he cleaved downward toward Kaido.
Having lost his kanabo, Kaido instantly concentrated all of his Armament Haki into his right arm.
Black lightning exploded across the heavens.
This was the fury of a king and the eruption of unwillingness to yield.
Thunder Bagua!
The pitch-black fist wrapped in lightning collided directly against the descending flaming blade.
"BOOM!!!"
A tremendous explosion erupted.
The rocks surrounding the battlefield shattered apart, while the blazing heat turned the surrounding land into crystallized glass.
"Psshhh..."
The smell of cooked flesh spread through the air.
Smoke rose from Kaido's right arm, the horrifying wound completely bloodless. The instant it had been cut open, the flesh had already been carbonized, cauterized, and sealed shut.
"You had a perfect chance to retreat earlier."
"But now... it's already too late for you to escape."
As Rowan spoke, he kicked off the ground once more and charged toward Kaido again.
At this point, Kaido no longer dared to clash head-on.
He could only rely on Observation Haki to evade desperately.
Yet even if he avoided the blade itself, the flames sweeping outward still scorched him.
The terrifying heat turned the surrounding battlefield unbearably hot.
Even breathing felt like inhaling fire into the lungs.
More frighteningly, Kaido realized that even his willpower was beginning to waver.
"BOOM!"
Flames swept across the battlefield.
In his hybrid dragon form, Kaido slammed his severed tail against the ground to forcefully dodge.
Just a moment ago, the flaming blade had nearly cut through his neck.
"Huff... huff..."
"You were just a little too slow."
"That lapse in focus... was disrespectful to the battle."
The flames surged forward once more.
And this time, Kaido saw it clearly.
Within the crimson flames were strands of black fire.
They moved as if alive, drilling directly into his body.
The black flames did not burn him physically but they caused an indescribable disturbance to his spirit.
No...
Not his spirit.
Kaido rapidly retreated again, glancing toward Roger in the distance.
What those black flames were shaking...was his soul.
The next instant, that dazed sensation struck him again.
And at the same time, the suffocating heat arrived head-on.
"BOOM!"
The flaming blade descended.
It sliced from Kaido's shoulder all the way down to his waist.
"AAAAARGH!!"
Kaido roared in fury as every instinct in his body screamed for him to retreat.
The black flames shook his soul itself.
At that moment, his body and will seemed unable to synchronize, weakening even his three forms of Haki.
"Cough!!"
A mouthful of blood burst from Kaido's lips.
Lowering his head, he looked at the massive wound stretching from shoulder to waist.
The entire slash had been burned into charred black carbon.
The terrifying heat had reached his internal organs as well half of them were practically cooked through.
With injuries like these continuing the fight was impossible.
Kaido turned his head toward King.
I failed your trust, King.
Back then, I promised we would overturn this world.
But in the end... I'm dying here.
"WHOOSH!"
A black figure shot across the battlefield.
King grabbed Kaido instantly and fled toward the sky.
The flames swept after them, but King completely ignored the damage, refusing even to reinforce his defenses if it meant sacrificing speed.
The Lunarian exploded with every ounce of strength he possessed.
Even with severe injuries on his back, he still carried Kaido away at maximum speed.
At that moment, Ryujin Jakka in Rowan's hand automatically returned from its Shikai state.
Rowan dropped heavily onto the ground, sitting down as he gasped for breath.
His Haki and stamina were no longer enough to maintain Ryujin Jakka's released state.
That final slash aimed at King had already been his last effort.
Still...why had Kaido lost focus earlier?
And not just once, but twice.
Against the six-thousand-degree flames of Ryujin Jakka's Shikai, there was no way Kaido would grow careless like he had against Luffy.
At such temperatures, even Haki itself melted away.
After catching his breath, Rowan slowly stood up and sheathed his Asauchi.
This battle against Kaido had made one thing clear:
once Flying Thunder God was exposed, top-tier fighters could eventually find ways to counter it.
Though it remained an unmatched survival technique, using it the way Minato Namikaze did as overwhelming combat speed would be difficult.
Additionally, his physical condition and spiritual strength were still major weaknesses.
He could not maintain a Zanpakuto's Shikai for long, and currently could only use its basic flames.
If he unleashed one of its explosive high-level techniques, there was a real chance he would collapse immediately afterward just like Luffy after using Gear Fourth.
Once Saint Rodenaz's sin value was fully extracted, Rowan planned to see whether he could obtain physique-enhancing or bloodline-type cards.
If not, then it would mean treasure chests simply did not contain those types of rewards.
After all, whether it was Flying Thunder God, which required chakra, or Zanpakuto techniques, which required spiritual pressure both had effectively been converted into stamina and mental energy within this world.
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