...
Outside the light screen, the shock and discussion over Luffy's "Hellfire Fist Gun" that had made Kaido spit blood had not yet subsided. On the screen, the verbal confrontation between the two sides had already escalated.
Facing Hundred Beasts Kaido's gaze filled with surprise and re-evaluation, as well as BIG MOM Charlotte Linlin's question brimming with disdain and mockery, Straw Hat Luffy stood up straight.
He wiped away the blood drawn across his face by the shockwave. There was not the slightest wavering in his eyes, only a pure, almost stubborn determination!
He took a deep breath. His voice was not loud, yet it rang out across the entire battlefield like a declaration: "I am Monkey D. Luffy—"
He paused, his gaze sweeping in turn over the two Emperors of the Sea who stood as tall as mountains, finally locking onto Kaido. Word by word, he declared with firm conviction: "The man who will surpass you and become the Pirate King!"
Surpass the Yonko! Become the Pirate King!
This extremely arrogant declaration — Luffy had once spoken such bold words to Whitebeard during the Summit War as well. After experiencing so many battles and so much hardship...
Luffy's dream remained unchanged, without the slightest trace of wavering!
Countless people outside the light screen drew in a sharp breath, shocked by the boy's courage and ambition. Some also sneered, thinking it was nothing more than the delusional ravings of someone on the brink of death.
After all, while some would admire it, others would mock it. Luffy saying such shamelessly boastful words in front of two Emperors was simply asking for death!
In the light screen picture, Zoro placed one hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, the corner of his mouth curving into an almost wild smile.
He looked at Luffy, then at Kaido, and muttered in a low voice: "So that's... the thing he learned from that old man in Wano Country? How interesting..."
He had clearly noticed the qualitative change in Luffy's Armament Haki and felt excited for his captain's growth.
Hearing this, Luffy turned back and grinned at Zoro, nodding vigorously to confirm Zoro's guess.
That smile was filled with confidence and anticipation for the upcoming battle.
Eustass Kid crossed his arms and snorted, but a trace of gravity also flashed through the depths of his eyes: "Hey, Straw Hat... That punch just now really had some physical destructive power."
He acknowledged the effectiveness of Luffy's attack, though he was also curious how Luffy had managed to injure Kaido with a physical strike...
Beside him, the eyes beneath Killer's mask flickered with sharp light as he let out a low, sharp laugh: "Since the attack worked, that means... we still have a chance of winning!"
Kid did not reply, but the tightly clenched metal giant arm showed his stance.
At the center of the battlefield, Kaido slowly raised his hand and used his thumb to wipe away the glaring blood at the corner of his mouth. He looked at it in front of his eyes.
The metallic sweetness of the liquid cleared his mind. After this sensation came a long-missing astonishment... and excitement?
"What exactly did he experience... after being defeated by me..."
Huge questions surged in Kaido's heart: "In such a short time, he actually managed to make this brat progress to this level?!"
Although it was only one punch — far from enough to make him view Luffy as an equal opponent — Kaido had to admit that the previous "Hellfire Fist Gun,"
whether in power, speed, precision, or that highly penetrating Armament Haki usage, had all reached an extremely high level!
Kaido was never stingy with his praise or appreciation of talent. If not for that, back when he was fighting Luffy, he would have ended the boy's life with a single club long ago...
Thinking this, Kaido raised his eyes and once again stared at that straw hat youth standing not far away, his aura soaring.
In that instant, a strange feeling swept through Kaido's heart.
In a daze, within Luffy's eyes burning with fighting spirit and completely fearless, and within his upright posture, he seemed to see several familiar yet distant shadows...
It was that man who laughed and opened the Great Pirate Era, only to ultimately turn himself in to the Marines — Gol D. Roger!
It was that man who wielded Murakumogiri, treated his crew as family, and stood proudly at the pinnacle of the era — Edward Newgate!
It was that man whose mere presence could divide a battlefield, now already a ruler of one region — Red-Haired Shanks!
It was that fool of a samurai who knew it was a trap yet still kept the appointment, endured an hour of boiling in oil, and still refused to bow his head — Kozuki Oden!
And even... a trace of the shadow of that arrogant and domineering former captain of his, who intended to overturn the world and ultimately fell at God Valley — Rocks D. Xebec!
These figures were either heroic, majestic, carefree, tragic, or tyrannical — yet every single one of them stood at the crest of the era's waves, possessing the boldness to stir up the world's storms!
How could this be possible?!
Kaido violently shook his head, forcefully flinging these absurd associations out of his mind.
How could this snot-nosed brat in front of him possibly be mentioned in the same breath as those legendary monsters?
The number of people in the entire world who could fight him on equal terms was already extremely few!
However, the questions in Kaido's heart continued to linger and eventually turned into a sentence carrying a gravity even he himself had not noticed: "You... exactly... what kind of person are you?!"
This question was less an interrogation and more a reflection of the confusion deep in Kaido's heart toward that indescribable "quality" within Luffy.
"Mam-ma-ma-ma~!"
Big Mom Charlotte Linlin's ear-piercing laughter interrupted Kaido's thoughts and also broke the brief silence...
Her massive body leaned forward slightly. Her sweet voice was filled with undisguised mockery and anger: "Surpass us? Become the Pirate King? You ignorant brat who doesn't know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth!
You have no idea what the three words 'Pirate King' truly mean to this world and to this era!
It is not merely a title. It is the endpoint, the pinnacle that bears all dreams and hatred! With your childish, playing-house attitude, you dare to speak such nonsense?!"
Luffy frowned, seemingly wanting to retort something. But Kaido no longer gave him the chance to speak.
"Shut up, Linlin."
Kaido's voice returned to its usual roughness and coldness. The surprise and doubt in his heart had been replaced by even stronger fighting spirit and destructive desire.
No matter how many "shadows" or how much "potential" this brat possessed, right now he was standing on his territory, challenging his authority. Therefore, he had to be crushed with absolute power!
"Let me show him... just how vast the gap between delusion and reality truly is!"
Before his words finished, Kaido's burly body as large as a mountain suddenly moved!
His feet stomped against the ground. The earth exploded with a boom!
The massive spiked club "Hassaikai" wrapped in pitch-black Haki was swung up with one hand. Its speed was so fast it left an afterimage in the air!
Purple-black lightning-like energy jumped and gathered along the club's body!
"Thunderous Bagua!!!"
There were no flashy techniques — only the purest, most violent crushing of power and speed!
This club strike was like true heavenly thunder punishing the world, carrying the might to tear apart everything and shatter all things as it fiercely smashed down toward Luffy's body!
The air was compressed to the extreme, emitting a shrill screech. Before the club even arrived, its terrifying pressure had already caused the ground beneath Luffy's feet to crack inch by inch!
Luffy's pupils contracted sharply. His top-tier Observation Haki frantically warned him at the critical moment of life and death!
"Swish!"
At the very last instant, Luffy barely managed to avoid the frontal impact of the spiked club's core!
However, the aftershock of "Thunderous Bagua" and that terrifying Haki impact still struck his body like an invisible giant hammer!
"Thud!"
Luffy's entire body was sent flying like a kite with its string cut. He tumbled across the ground for more than a dozen rolls, smashing through several large boulders along the way before barely coming to a stop!
His forehead was cut open by flying rubble and stray Haki, blood flowing freely. He looked quite disheveled.
Most importantly, although his rubber body had dispersed most of the physical impact...
Kaido's Armament Haki, refined to the extreme, still penetrated the rubber properties and caused him substantial internal injuries!
This was the crushing effect brought about by the absolute gap in Haki levels!
Seeing the power and effect of his future self's strike, the young Kaido outside the light screen finally had his tightly tensed expression ease slightly. He even let out a faint sigh of relief.
Although Luffy's punch had caught him off guard and embarrassed him, the crushing force of "Thunderous Bagua" at this moment once again proved that his title as the "strongest creature" was not an empty boast.
This was the rhythm he was familiar with. In the face of absolute power, any technique or tenacity was merely delaying the time until defeat.
However, for some unknown reason, watching Luffy on the light screen still struggle to climb back up even while injured and bleeding, with the flame in his eyes undiminished...
A feeling of unease that even Kaido himself was unwilling to admit appeared deep in his heart.
This straw hat brat... might really be able to create some unexpected "miracles"?
After all, that quality he possessed was far too similar to those monsters he knew...
This thought made the young Kaido unconsciously shift his gaze toward the other side — toward the heavily injured Monkey D. Dragon, Luffy's biological father.
"Hey hey hey..."
A voice filled with playfulness and the desire to stir up trouble sounded in the air. It was the floating Golden Lion Shiki. He had keenly caught that momentary shift in Kaido's gaze.
"Kaido brat, that look in your eyes just now... You're not thinking of making the first move against this straw hat brat's father right here and now, are you?"
"Tsk tsk, that's not really your style! Or are you feeling guilty after seeing yourself get beaten up in the future?"
Shiki's loud voice instantly attracted the attention of almost everyone present!
Countless gazes simultaneously focused on Kaido!
There was surprise, scrutiny, amusement, and cold warning.
Roger stroked his chin, his eyes slightly narrowed as he observed Kaido. Although he did not speak, an invisible pressure had already risen.
Rocks crossed his arms, his face still wearing that calm expression that revealed neither joy nor anger. But those familiar with him knew that his silence at times like this was often more deterrent than words.
These two legends standing at the pinnacle of the pirates, who had not yet fallen — their attitudes were enough to make anyone with ideas weigh their options carefully.
Moreover, both of them had said that no one was allowed to lay a finger on Dragon. He did not want to court disaster with either of them, especially since Rocks was still his current "captain."
The current Kaido, although his potential was enormous and his strength powerful, still needed to maintain sufficient reverence when facing Rocks and Roger.
Being suddenly focused on like this, Kaido was momentarily stunned. A flush of humiliated anger flashed across his face.
He suddenly waved his hand and roared in a rough voice: "Nonsense! Shiki! When did old man ever say he was going to make a move against this brat?!"
"Old man isn't that despicable! And he definitely wouldn't take out his anger on the father just because of something the son might do in the future! Besides..."
Kaido snorted coldly as he spoke, his gaze sweeping over the Marine camp toward that man who was also looking over, his fist already quietly clenched — Garp...
"Even if old man really wanted to make a move, would that guy from the Marines just sit back and do nothing? Old man isn't like those sinister old things among the Five Elders who specialize in underhanded tricks!"
Kaido's words were both a rebuttal to Shiki and a statement of his stance. At the same time, he did not forget to step on the World Government higher-ups whose image had completely collapsed in the light screen. It was killing multiple birds with one stone.
The atmosphere became somewhat delicate for a moment.
"Aiya... I was just joking. I know you're not that kind of person~"
Seeing that Kaido was somewhat "angry from embarrassment," Shiki quickly began to backpedal with an embarrassed expression...
He knew the other party definitely would not make a move against Dragon. The things he had said just now were merely to tease him and make a joke.
Saint Garling had seen the pirates internally quarreling and thought he would get to watch a dog-eat-dog scene that would make him happy. He had not expected the other side to actually be joking...