On the ground, Krillin couldn't help but burst out laughing the moment he heard Kaido speak.
"Pfft!" Krillin covered his mouth, snickering. "You really shouldn't use that title, 'The Deceiver,' in front of our captain. He absolutely loathes that name!"
Think back to last year—if Luffy hadn't suddenly dropped from the sky and changed Ren's plans, Ren would have already marched up to Mary Geoise to "discuss" his title with the Five Elders personally.
So, hearing Kaido use that name, Krillin couldn't help but visualize the scene where an enraged Ren beats Kaido's dragon head into a pig's head.
From Dragon Head to Pig Head...
"Pfft! Hahaha!"
Looking down at Krillin, who was lost in his own world of amusement, Kaido's face turned pitch black! He, a dignified Emperor of the Sea, was being mocked by a nameless brat? If word of this reached Linlin's ears, that old woman would call him just to laugh at him!
At that thought, Kaido mentally signed Krillin's death warrant. The Blue Dragon's jaws unhinged, and searing heat began to swirl in his maw.
"He can breathe fire too? Is he a Charizard?"
As the Blast Breath surged toward him, Krillin showed no panic. With a single swing of his sword, a brilliant arc of light collided with the breath, tearing the flames in two and sending them screaming past his sides.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Two massive explosions followed—one into the forest and the other toward the Flower Capital. The once-prosperous streets were swallowed by fire, and the screams of terrified citizens echoed through the air. However, neither combatant spared the victims a single glance.
Kaido's eyes narrowed as he saw his breath sliced apart. "Brat, you're not bad. How about it? Join forces with me and we'll take over the world together."
"Huh?" Krillin blinked. He hadn't expected a recruitment pitch in the middle of a life-and-death struggle. Are all the Emperors' brains wired this weirdly?
Still, Krillin replied, "No thanks. I have zero interest in taking over the world."
Infuriated by the rejection, Kaido let out a world-shaking roar. "Thunder Bagua!"
With a massive whip of his tail, the dragon's body shattered the sound barrier, carrying crackling black lightning straight for Krillin! Facing the Emperor's fury, Krillin maintained a look of disdain on his face, but his heart was deadly serious. He gripped his hilt with a single hand, coiled his Conqueror's Haki around the blade, and leaped!
"Heavenly Horizon Slash!"
Krillin's body blurred into a streak of light, colliding head-on with the dragon's tail! The moment they met, the resulting shockwave formed a localized hurricane that shredded the earth and sky. Feeling the raw power and the domineering pressure from the dragon, Krillin's arms trembled slightly, but a grin broke across his face.
"Hahaha! So strong! You aren't as monstrous as my Captain, but for the current me, you're the perfect opponent!" Krillin muttered to himself.
To Kaido's ears, those words were pure mockery. This brat had not only insulted an Emperor but also used him as a yardstick to praise Ren and himself. Kaido had never met anyone so shameless!
"Stop talking big, brat! That little bit of strength isn't enough to satisfy me!"
The dragon's body twisted, exerting even more crushing force.
Pfft!
Krillin coughed up a spray of blood, but he didn't retreat. Instead, his aura grew even more violent!
"I never talk big! You're strong, but you're just a sparring partner to me now!" Krillin roared. His Haki surged out in a desperate flood, and the sharp sword-light expanded into a gargantuan blade of light that hammered Kaido's tail away!
Because of the extreme exertion, Krillin suffered a momentary lapse in strength and plummeted toward the ground.
CRASH!
Krillin's freefall kicked up a massive cloud of dust. Meanwhile, the King of Beasts simply adjusted his form in the air, neutralizing the impact of the blow. However, the admiration in Kaido's eyes was now impossible to hide.
To have this kind of power at such a young age... it's a waste not to have him under me, Kaido thought. I'll capture him first and 're-educate' him later!
Kaido was generous toward the strong.
Krillin crawled out of the rubble. Though he looked mostly intact, the throbbing pain in his internal organs reminded him that he was in rough shape. He looked back up at the dragon and spoke in that same nonchalant tone: "An Emperor? Is that all?"
"Fine, I take back what I thought before." Kaido suddenly became calm. He felt he had been a fool to try and recruit such an arrogant bastard. It would only cause him headaches.
The dragon's body began to shrink rapidly, shifting into his Human-Beast Form. Covered in blue scales, horns protruding, and claws sharpened, he held his pitch-black mace, looking down at Krillin.
"Brat, even if you crawl and beg now, I'm going to smash you into a meat paste!"
"Really? I don't believe you."
BOOM!!
Kaido didn't want to waste another second on Krillin's lip. His arm blurred, and the massive mace swung! The sudden strike was too fast for Krillin to react to; when the blow landed, a wave of dizziness slammed into the depths of his brain.
"Descent into the Yellow Springs!" Kaido bellowed.
Krillin was sent hurtling backward, smashing through countless trees before being stopped by a solid mountainside.
"Argh...!"
Krillin let out a pained groan, his body trembling as he tried to stand. His eyelids felt heavy, his mind was a mess, and the world seemed to move in slow motion.
"Top-tier... combatant... that's it?"
One had to admit, Krillin's mouth was his hardest attribute. Just like when Ren first met him and Krillin insisted he was a wealthy young master on a journey rather than a fallen noble. Now, even after being hammered into the dirt, he firmly raised his middle finger at Kaido.
Kaido's face was as dark as ink. "You brat..."
With a low snarl, Kaido shifted back into his full Dragon form. He opened his mouth wide, heat condensing once more. "Die!!"
Rumble!
The Blast Breath roared out, turning trees to ash and the earth to magma. Sensing the approach of death, Krillin desperately pushed his Haki to move his broken body.
I just got the Pure Gold... a future of eternal life is waiting for me. I refuse to die here!
Krillin's eyes were bloodshot. He gritted his teeth, poured every ounce of his remaining Haki into his sword, and swung with everything he had. It was a strike fueled by his very life force; the sword-light didn't just shine—it sparkled with crystalline starlight.
The blade-light met the Blast Breath, instantly shattering Kaido's flames, and continued its path straight toward the dragon's massive chest!
"Go! Star-Shattering Slash!"