Kaido shouted his bold challenge, and Doflamingo immediately felt a wave of relief. The flamboyant pirate wore a smug smile, acting as if he had already won the battle. He looked back at Carl, mocking the fact that the long pursuit had ended in failure. Doflamingo knew how close he had been to death, but he had survived. Now that a Yonko had arrived, he felt invincible. He believed that even if Whitebeard himself appeared, he could not be killed. In his mind, the Straw Hats were about to be crushed by the power of the Beasts Pirates. He thought that even if Luffy's crew had reached the level of emperors, only those who survived the final battle would truly matter.
Carl did not say a word in response to the mockery. His face showed no sign of surprise or fear. Even Law remained perfectly calm. To them, Kaido's arrival changed nothing. Their goal was still the same: if a Yonko stood in their way, they would simply have to beat him.
Kaido glared at Carl, remembering the times he had been frustrated by the man before. Anger boiled within him. He opened his mouth to unleash a devastating breath attack, but he stopped abruptly when he saw what was in Carl's hand. Carl had slowly pulled out a Devil Fruit.
"You bastard, Carl! Do you have no other tricks besides that?" Kaido cursed loudly. He quickly used his massive claws to cover his mouth, terrified that Carl might actually throw the fruit inside.
Carl shrugged, looking completely casual. He explained that since the move worked so well against massive dragons, he saw no reason to stop using it. He told Kaido that if he was truly that afraid, he was welcome to run away.
Kaido choked on his words, feeling insulted. He immediately deactivated his dragon form and returned to his human shape to present a smaller target. Doflamingo watched this in total shock. He could hardly believe that the "Strongest Creature" was being intimidated by a single man. It was clear from their conversation that they had fought before and that Carl's "rogue move" had left a lasting impression on the Yonko.
Doflamingo was well aware of the danger. During the Summit War, Carl had used this same tactic to terrify Blackbeard. The rules of the sea were absolute: no one could survive eating two Devil Fruits. Even an anomaly like Blackbeard had to respect certain limits. For a powerful fruit user, Carl—who fed people Devil Fruits whenever he disagreed with them—was a living nightmare.
Kaido reached out and grabbed his massive mace. He rushed forward with explosive speed, swinging his weapon in a Thunder Bagua. Carl smiled and swung his blade, Obsidian, in a horizontal arc. A black shockwave erupted from the sword and collided with the mace.
In an instant, Kaido's expression changed. He felt a strange, overwhelming force behind the strike. Carl had infused the attack with both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki. The power was so great that it deflected the Thunder Bagua and sliced directly into Kaido's chest.
"Impossible! That move is..." Kaido's eyes widened in realization as the force of the blow sent him flying backward.
Doflamingo felt completely numb as he watched the scene. He began to wonder if this was a fake Kaido, as the real one should not have been knocked away so easily. However, Kaido's legendary durability held true. He stopped himself after flying only a few meters. The wound on his chest was shallow, and his internal organs seemed unharmed.
"You brat!" Kaido growled. "That was Roger's technique, wasn't it?"
Doflamingo was stunned yet again. He had not expected the Pirate King to be mentioned. He realized that Carl's ability to stand against Kaido came from mastering the swordsmanship of Gold Roger himself.
Carl didn't bother to deny it. He admitted that he had sought advice from Rayleigh and learned Roger's famous move, God Avoidance. He asked Kaido if the technique brought back painful memories from his days as an apprentice on the Rocks Pirates.
"I was never bullied! Stop talking nonsense!" Kaido roared. He then narrowed his eyes, wondering how Carl knew so much about the Rocks Pirates and the Battle of God Valley. He was even more enraged when Carl mentioned his daughter, Yamato, who refused to acknowledge him as a father.
"She is my son! My son Yamato!" Kaido screamed.
Carl let out a short laugh and told Kaido that he was blind if he couldn't see the truth. This was the final straw. Kaido lunged forward again, screaming for Carl to shut up. He swung his mace in another Thunder Bagua.
"I can play that game too," Carl said with a grin. "Thunder Bagua!"
Carl met the mace with his blade, mimicking the move perfectly. Since he didn't know the exact source of Kaido's lightning, he used his own Devil Fruit powers to generate electricity for the strike. While it was a copy, the power was immense.
The two attacks collided with a deafening boom that seemed to crack the very air. Bolts of purple and black lightning exploded outward, striking the ocean and killing thousands of fish that soon floated to the surface. The clash of their Conqueror's Haki created a massive storm that shook the sky and the sea. The shockwaves were so powerful that they could be felt all the way in Dressrosa.
Back in the Corrida Colosseum, the Straw Hats looked toward the horizon with grim expressions. Zoro and Sanji asked if the Haki they were feeling belonged to Carl and Doflamingo. Marco, Ace, and Vista were equally curious, though their Observation Haki was not quite strong enough to see the battle clearly.
Luffy stood with a wide grin, his excitement for battle growing. He told them that Doflamingo was not nearly that strong. He recognized the Haki instantly; it belonged to Kaido.
"Kaido?!" the others shouted in disbelief.
Ace looked worried and suggested they go help Carl immediately. But Luffy shook his head. He assured Ace that Carl would be fine because he was the one who had taught Luffy everything. Luffy mentioned that he and Carl had beaten Kaido in a two-on-one fight before, but this time, he wanted to face the dragon one-on-one.
Marco and the others looked at each other in silence, stunned by the revelation that these pirates had already fought and defeated a Yonko.
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