The ever-lowering flames extinguished under the clash of Supreme King Haki. At that very instant, Kaido moved first, transforming directly into a dragon, soaring into the high sky, and from the twisting dragon body descended several purple bolts of thunder.
"Thunder Fall!"
"Powerful Drum!"
Before Sage could even lift his eyes, several black-red bolts of lightning descended from the sky as well, entangling with the opponent's thunder, merging and dispersing in the air.
Kaido's dragon body twisted again, wind gathering in his mouth, drawing out a tornado around his spinning body like a top. The dragon's mouth exhaled, mixing wind blades with the tornado, swiftly sweeping forward.
"Tornado Evil Wind!"
"I can do that too!"
Sage laughed loudly, throwing a straight punch that erupted a massive pressure wave, carrying disorderly wind blades that tangled with the encroaching Tornado Evil Wind.
The two forces clashed, rapidly ascending into the sky, almost shattering it into pieces.
Boom!
In the fragmented sky, inexplicably descended a bolt of thunder even faster than before.
"Thundering Hakke!"
The Wolf Fang Club, coiling with purple-black thunder, was brought down by Kaido in his Human-Beast Form.
At this moment, a saber with a serrated back mixed with flames and thunder also glowed, clashing with the descending iron club.
"Lightning Sword!"
Bang!!
Energy waves and thunder chaotically surged around, creating a circular impact that made Ghost Island tremble for a moment.
Sage held the saber's hilt with both hands, looking up to meet Kaido's fierce smile with a savage grin of his own, "My blade isn't too shabby either."
Clang!
In just a moment of deadlock, Kaido lifted the Wolf Fang Club, his massive body rising in the air. As Sage couldn't withdraw his blocking power in time, Kaido side kicked, his knee hitting Sage's hand holding the saber, and his shin hitting his body, sending Sage flying with a bang.
Sage skimmed low in the air, not flying far before his body halted, quickly spinning and swinging his saber.
"Lightning Slash!"
Buzz!
A strike, like a laser, quickly emitted from the blade coiled with thunder and fire, but Kaido sidestepped easily, letting it flash past his side.
Sizzle!
The ground beside him split open into a smooth and enormous crack, with no end in sight.
Kaido glanced at the crack, laughing upwards, "Oro-oro-oro-oro! You're using that old lady's power quite well, haven't dragged down her prestige, but your swordsmanship isn't great, looks clumsy!"
"With you saying that, I really can't refute it."
Sage shook his head with a smile, loosening his grip, the Pirate Saber retracting into a Golden Bracelet on his wrist.
Compared to those who have used weapons for years and can wield them like an extension of their own arm, Sage's swordsmanship indeed falls short.
He doesn't really know any swordsmanship, just uses Haki and abilities to swing it. On the sea, he can only be considered 'proficient,' far from top-notch and specialized ones.
Otherwise, that kick just now wouldn't have hit him at all.
"Phew..."
Sage exhaled a breath of impure air, standing upright, baring his teeth at Kaido, "Well then..."
Whoosh!
In just an instant, a black-red lightning shot in front of Kaido, Sage leaping into the air before Kaido's head, spreading his arms wide, pulling his fist from the back to the front, and smashing downward.
Kaido's eyes narrowed, his Wolf Fang Club about to swing forward, but as it neared Sage's body, that mid-air body suddenly floated upward. The foot, crackling with black-red lightning, firmly stomped on the Wolf Fang Club, making Kaido's swing feel like hitting cotton or something slippery. Under that footing, it couldn't lift for a moment!
"Dissipating Power!"
Sage grinned, the descending fist carrying a whistling wind, smashing toward Kaido's head.
"That's not enough! Thundering Hakke!"
Kaido abruptly retreated, seizing the moment to retract his Wolf Fang Club, unleashing an attack like instant teleportation, swinging towards Sage's head.
Just as the iron club moved, Sage's body advanced abruptly, not retracting the descending hand, but pushing through with his body, shoulder colliding with Kaido's face. The descending hand instantly bent upward, executing a Rising Tiger Mountain Smash on Kaido's throat.
Bang!!
The shockwave emanated from his elbow and Kaido's throat, sending Kaido flying backward, crashing into a boulder behind, shattering it, and continuing to rush forward until he landed heavily, raising a cloud of dust.
"Elbow Strike, Jail-Kai!"
Sage landed on the ground, straightening his body, grinning savagely, "Compared to swords, my fists, aren't they more powerful?"
Boom!
Amidst the scattering dust, a purple-black thunder abruptly shot out. Kaido rapidly dived, swinging the Wolf Fang Club, launching a pillar-like impact.
"Gold Arrow!"
Sage neither dodged nor avoided, his fist turning into a palm, right hand backed by left palm, thrusting forward violently, blasting out a black light similar to that pillar-like impact.
"Heaven Fury!"
Boom!!
The clash of Haki against Haki unleashed another shockwave and massive smoke, within which a figure quickly dashed out. On a cloud, Kaido stood, the Wolf Fang Club spinning above like a propeller, striking down.
"Descent of Three Worlds·Hiki Naraku!"
As he leaped, Sage also moved, not evading, and unable to evade, just as Kaido couldn't evade his attack; between the two, it was just the purest of hard collisions!
"Hundred Ghosts Assault Break!"
Sage charged straight up, delivering the simplest and fastest straight punch to the descending Kaido, first hitting his jaw.
The Wolf Fang Club crashed heavily on Sage's face.
Bang!!
Kaido's body arched back, flying upward under the massive force, while Sage fell like a cannonball, blasting a deep crater into the ground.
But quickly, Sage leaped out of the crater, while Kaido landed heavily.
The wind above Ghost Island howled like ghosts, blowing horizontally at their robes and hair tips.
The two looked at each other, both showing ferocious smiles, with blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.
"You've grown a lot, kid!"
Kaido laughed, "As expected, only this kind of fight is exciting! The other Four Emperors didn't get my blood boiling at all. Whitebeard's an old man, and the old lady never fights with me, the only one who could was Red Hair, but he's no fun at all."
"Looking around, you're the most interesting one, Sage!"
"What a coincidence, I also think Red Hair is boring, always hiding and clutching onto destiny like a pseudo-preacher more than a pirate."
Sage twisted his neck, cracking his knuckles, "Only battling you makes my blood truly surge!"