Much like the black hound Baskerville, the familiar Alucard once manifested from a sea of blood upon ascending to a True Ancestor, Hancock now possessed her own apostle. It was a blood-red giant serpent, birthed from the blood pool and her own burgeoning power, though she, as its master, had yet to grace it with a name.
With the aid of her familiar, Hancock held her own against Kaido. From a distance, amidst streets choked by a sea of fire, one could see the monster Kaido locked in a savage struggle with the crimson serpent.
About two hundred meters from the epicenter of their clash, a young boy of about six years old, wearing a peach-colored kimono and sporting a traditional samurai topknot, was running aimlessly in a panic. Tears streamed down his face as he wailed, "Father! Mother!"
"Waaaahhh!"
In the midst of the inferno, the people of Wano were too consumed with their own survival to spare a thought for the son of the Daimyo of the Kozuki Clan. When life and death are on the line, status and power become the most useless of things.
"Momonosuke-sama! Momonosuke-sama!"
A shout rang out as Kin'emon, one of the three primary retainers of the Kozuki Clan, rushed to Momonosuke and swept him into his arms. "Are you alright? Don't cry, please don't cry."
Momonosuke sniffled, though a trail of mucus still escaped his nose. "Kin'emon, what on earth is happening?"
"..."
Before Kin'emon could answer, the sound of disciplined, heavy footsteps approached. Kin'emon looked up instinctively, his pupils shrinking as his gaze locked onto the marks on the strangers' clothes and skin, the insignia of the Immortal Pirates.
"..."
The leader, Fallon, noticed the crest on Momonosuke's kimono and halted as he reached the pair. "Oh? The greatest clan in Wano, the Kozuki Clan?"
"Fallon-senpai, you recognize them?" Bartolomeo asked from the side.
"It's only right to gather a little intel on the enemy before an invasion, isn't it?"
Fallon gave a mocking smirk. "Let me tell you something: your Clan Leader, Kozuki Oden, is a complete fool."
In reality, by the third day of the siege, the faction favoring surrender, led by the Daimyo Imai, had already advised the Shogun of Wano to submit. This pro-surrender group actually made up the vast majority of the officials.
After all, while the country was isolated, they weren't entirely ignorant of the outside world. If they hadn't heard of the massive upheaval Alucard caused during the Summit War, they would have to be literal savages.
However, a tiny minority of retainers led by Kozuki Oden declared for war. They insisted on fighting to the bitter end. Furthermore, Oden proposed the same idea he had when Kaido first attacked: bringing in his retainers from the outside, the combat forces of Zou led by Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, to join the fray within the city.
Oden's interference had caused significant setbacks for the Immortal Pirates' siege, which was why Fallon spoke with such vitriol.
"Let's move. Time to have a word with the Shogun."
Fallon turned and led his group away.
"We aren't going to kill them?" a member of the Black Thorn Pirates asked.
"They're just stray dogs now. What's the point in killing them?" Fallon sneered.
…
The three-way struggle between Hancock, her familiar, and Kaido showed no signs of stopping.
ROAAR!!
With a thunderous hiss, the giant serpent sank its fangs into Kaido's shoulder. Blood sprayed instantly, leaving Koala and the other women watching from the sidelines in a daze.
"So the 'Strongest Creature in the World' bleeds red after all," Koala murmured.
Kaido grabbed the serpent by its midsection, his fingers sinking deep into the blood-formed body as if he intended to rip the beast's head off in one go.
BANG!!!
Suddenly, the shoulder where the serpent was biting erupted with force. Kaido turned to see Hancock charging out from the serpent's mouth. Her Perfume Femur, empowered by the Love-Love Fruit, slammed into his shoulder, instantly petrifying a portion of the flesh.
CRACK—
Seeing the petrified skin on Kaido's left shoulder flake away, the Kuja pirates cheered in excitement. "She did it!"
But their joy was short-lived. The flaked-off flesh began to rapidly reconstruct itself, new muscle knitting back together in an instant.
"I'd heard rumors, but seeing it in person is truly startling..."
Scarlett whispered, "So he possesses self-regeneration even without being a vampire."
Throughout the fight, Hancock had managed to wound Kaido several times, but his injuries healed in extremely short order. While not as instantaneous as a vampire's, it wasn't far off.
Hancock stood atop her familiar's head, retreating a short distance, her brows knit tight. "A troublesome fellow."
Kaido twisted his newly healed left shoulder, a savage grin on his face. "I'll give it to you, woman, you've got skill. I won't hold anything back anymore."
"What?"
Hancock's expression turned grave. Until now, Kaido hasn't been going all out?
"That is..."
Hancock watched as Kaido's body began to rapidly darken. The black hue spread across his entire form, his skin, his horns, even the shimenawa rope tied around his waist. Everything turned a deep, obsidian black.
Full-Body Armament Haki!
Though she had expected Kaido to be capable of this, seeing it manifested in person was chilling.
Kaido's face was grim, the corners of his mouth curling upward. "You little brat!! DIE!!"
With that, Kaido lunged forward. As his feet left the ground, the impact cratered the earth several meters deep.
Hancock's eyes twitched. She flicked a slender finger, and the blood-red giant serpent surged forth, coiling around Kaido like a rope to bind him tight.
In the next instant, Hancock leaped before Kaido, her beautiful leg stained obsidian by her own Haki. "Perfume Femur!"
"RAAAAAAH!!!"
With a roar that shook the air, Kaido flexed his muscles. In a single burst of strength, he shattered Hancock's familiar. He then brought his arm up to block Hancock's kick, before clenching his fist and delivering three heavy swings that sent Hancock flying backward.
"Onee-sama! (Snake Princess!)" the Kuja pirates cried out in alarm.
"What's wrong? Is that all?"
A heavy breath snorted from Kaido's nostrils, his long dragon-whisker mustache fluttering in the fierce wind.
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