With his aura fully unleashed, Kaido resembled a humanoid beast, radiating boundless ferocity. Gripping Hassaikai, he charged toward Shanks' location with powerful strides.
"Brat from Roger's crew, try this move! Raimei Hakke!!"
Hassaikai was enveloped in both Armament and Conqueror's Haki, with faint black-red lightning crackling around the spiked club.
Kaido had made up his mind.
If Shanks couldn't withstand this attack, Kaido would use his brute strength to teach this rising star a lesson.
A fierce excitement burned in Shanks' eyes. Despite their vast difference in size, neither chose to retreat.
Just like Kaido, Gryphon was shrouded in Conqueror's and Armament Haki.
With a slash capable of cutting through anything, Shanks brought his sword down upon Hassaikai.
"Come on, Kaido!!"
Clang!!
An invisible barrier seemed to exist between Hassaikai and Gryphon, preventing the two weapons from making direct contact.
Yet, the metallic clash that rang out between them felt strangely tangible.
Simultaneously, Kaido and Shanks intensified their output of Conqueror's Haki. The already turbulent Haki began to take on a semi-physical form.
The air between their weapons was compressed to an extreme, and waves of black-red lightning spread around them, forming a semi-enclosed sphere.
Kaido grinned viciously. "Brat, if you can't hold on, surrender quickly. For Roger's sake, I'll just break one of your legs and let you leave this island."
Contrary to Kaido's expectations, Shanks showed no anger.
Instead, he laughed heartily at Kaido.
"Kaido, the Captain was right. You, who seem fearless of death, are actually the most afraid of dying. No wonder you ran so fast during the God Valley War."
Kaido's expression turned grim. Shanks' words struck a nerve.
If Charlotte Linlin hadn't taken Kaido with her when she left during the God Valley battle and given him the Fish-Fish Fruit, Kaido might very well have died at God Valley or become an unknown pirate.
Kaido's aura grew increasingly dangerous as he glared at Shanks with bloodshot eyes. "Brat, your mouth is quite sharp, but let's see if your strength matches it!"
The momentum of the two surged once again, with violent air currents tearing through the atmosphere around them.
Streaks of black and red lightning pierced the surroundings.
Boom!
An apocalyptic aura spread across the island, causing the entire landmass to tremble.
Deep, bottomless cracks split the ground beneath Kaido and Shanks' feet, as if something underground was about to burst forth.
At the center of their clash, a dazzling white light began to radiate outward. Due to the clash of Conqueror's Haki, the ground beneath their feet started to warp and deform.
Boom!
The power was immense.
The point where their weapons met erupted in a violent explosion, and an overwhelmingly powerful force sent both of them flying backward.
Like a typhoon-force gale, the violent airflow swept across everything on the island. Even the watching members of the Red-Haired Pirates couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
"As expected of our captain. His strength is actually on par with the famous Kaido."
"Hard to say. Kaido isn't famous for his combat power but for his monstrous defense and stamina."
"Right. The Navy has captured Kaido multiple times to execute him, but no matter what they tried, they couldn't kill this monster."
Benn Beckman exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes turning serious as he watched the two figures obscured by light and shadow.
He hadn't expected Kaido's strength to be this formidable.
For Beckman, this was the first time he had felt such overwhelming pressure from an opponent.
Whoosh—whoosh—
The violent airflow soon passed. Once the light faded, everyone's gaze returned to the battlefield.
At the center of the clash now lay a massive crater twenty meters in diameter.
Shanks and Kaido stood on opposite sides of the crater, staring at each other.
Kaido had tapped into the power of the Fish-Fish Fruit, transforming into a half-beast form with his two horns becoming even more prominent.
Shanks, on the other hand, looked relaxed as he faced Kaido. This carefree expression only fueled Kaido's already burning rage.
He hadn't expected a young pirate over a decade his junior to have unknowingly reached such heights.
Perhaps during their earlier clash of Conqueror's Haki, Kaido hadn't been at a disadvantage, but a draw essentially meant Kaido had lost.
Shanks was still so young, clearly with immense room for growth, while Kaido had already entered his peak. Improving his strength further would be difficult.
The current situation was this: Shanks couldn't kill Kaido, and Kaido couldn't do anything to Shanks.
"Brat, let's see if you can handle this next move."
Kaido's already exaggerated muscles swelled even further. His towering frame doubled in size under the influence of his Devil Fruit ability.
He raised the Hassaikai high with both hands and vanished from his spot in an instant.
Shanks' pupils contracted sharply as a massive dark shadow materialized behind him.
"Raimei Hakke!!"
Kaido, standing behind Shanks with the Hassaikai held aloft, brought the club crashing down toward Shanks' head like a divine thunderbolt of destruction.
Shanks felt no panic. Instead, he took a deep breath. His body transformed into several afterimages as he dashed forward.
Boom!
The Hassaikai slammed heavily into the ground, its unimaginable force spreading rapidly toward the depths of the earth upon impact.
Crack, crack…
Even solid rock shattered like soft tofu under this assault.
A wide fissure extended into the distance, demolishing every building in its path.
Shanks narrowly avoided the devastating blow, then abruptly pivoted, swinging Gryphon backward.
Planting his left foot forward and anchoring his right firmly on the ground, Gryphon shot toward Kaido's face with a sharp whistle, propelled by the momentum of Shanks' turn.
An incredibly sharp red Sword Beam, like a scythe of death, aimed to sever Kaido's head.
Shanks' eyes held only battle focus.
Though he didn't believe this strike would kill Kaido, he was confident it would leave a lasting impression.
Clang!
The metallic clash rang out once more as Gryphon and Hassaikai collided again.
Just as Gryphon was about to strike Kaido, Kaido flipped the Hassaikai in his grip and used its shaft as a shield in front of him.
A hasty block was no match for Shanks' long-prepared technique. Kaido was forced back step by step under Shanks' power, each retreat leaving a deep crater in the ground.
After staggering back eighteen steps, Kaido stomped his right leg down hard, using the counterforce to halt his retreat.
Staring at the blood oozing from his split palms, Kaido fell into a daze.
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