Chapter 318 - 157

Chapter 157 Kaido: I will not lose again!!A scorching wind, carrying the scent of char, whistled across the shattered, blackened earth of Onigashima. The acrid smell of charcoal filled the nostrils, and every breath brought a burning pain.Kaido stood atop the broken walls and ruins, his towering figure like a majestic mountain. His gaze pierced through the smoke and dust, falling far into the distance—the direction where his daughter, Yamato, had been taken away.After a long while, a rare curve suddenly appeared at the corner of his fierce mouth, and his deep voice drifted on the wind: "Yamato... perhaps you really should go and see this world."Immediately after, his gaze turned to King, who was standing there in a daze beside him.In a daze, Kaido seemed to see that kid from years ago, trapped in the laboratory, with nothing but despair in his eyes....In those beastly eyes, usually so cruel and fierce, a trace of imperceptible softness flickered.He raised his large, blood-stained, calloused hand and gently patted King on the head. His tone was so calm it didn't seem like he had just experienced a defeat: "The battle is over, Abel.""I don't believe it!" King snapped his head up, his eyes instantly bloodshot, his eye sockets turning red. He gritted his teeth, staring fixedly at Kaido, his voice trembling with disbelief, "I don't believe it! You are so powerful... how could you possibly lose?!""A loss is a loss." Kaido watched him calmly, with no resentment or dejection in his eyes. For a powerhouse like him, failure was never an unacceptable outcome, "There is nothing to argue about regarding this point."These words struck King like a thunderbolt. His whole body stiffened, his face instantly turning pale as paper, all color draining away.He couldn't believe it.—The hero who pulled him from the abyss of despair, the man who was invincible like a god in his eyes, had actually lost!This collapse of his perception left him in a state of immense confusion and breakdown."What's wrong, Abel? Are you disappointed in me?""—No!!" King's answer was resolute. His eyes were still red, yet they shone with extreme determination, "In my eyes, you will always be the strongest, the only one in my heart... Joy Boy!!""Joy Boy?!" Kaido scoffed, his tone full of mockery.Legend has it that he is the "Sun God" who brought freedom and liberation to the world, the "Warrior of Liberation" who could make everyone smile, great to the point of being a legend."Worororo—!!" His laughter became uncontrollable. Kaido laughed until he was rocking back and forth, shaking the surrounding rubble so that it fell with a rustle, even causing tears of laughter to well up in the corners of his eyes."Abel, I am just a madman who wants to create a war that sweeps the world, to pull all the nobles and Celestial Dragons from their pedestals—I can hardly be called Joy Boy!!"He gradually stopped laughing, turned around, dragged his heavy Spiked Club, and strode toward the smoke in the distance.King watched his broad yet slightly lonely back, once again frozen in place, his mind churning with the words just spoken.Before he could recover, Kaido suddenly stopped, looked back at him, a wanton and unrestrained smile on his face.The brilliant sunlight pierced the sky like a golden sword, spilling onto his rough, blood-stained face, revealing a touch of arrogance that looked down upon the world."But Abel," he began, his voice deep yet highly penetrating, "if you acknowledge me as your Joy Boy, I promise you—"Before he finished speaking, a ribbon of ink-like black flame clouds rose from his neck, slowly encircling his entire body.His riddled body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even the deep, bone-reaching scar left by Oden gradually faded and vanished without a trace.Boom!!! An indescribably terrifying aura erupted, shooting straight into the sky!In an instant, the entire Onigashima was completely enveloped in black and red light. The overwhelming Conqueror's Haki caused the space to freeze, the cracking sounds piercing the eardrums, and countless black and red lightning bolts flickered in the void.Kaido stared fixedly at the stunned King, his voice like thunder: "—I will not lose again!!"...In the vast, boundless sky, a white cloud drifted slowly, soft and fluffy like a cotton candy. Luffy sat on top of it, one hand propping up his chin, his brows slightly furrowed, wondering what he was pondering."Luffy!!" Yamato stood with her hands on her hips, her long silver-white hair flying in the wind. She glared at him, puffed up with anger, her cheeks flushed with indignation."Hmm? What's wrong?" Luffy came back to his senses and looked up at her, thinking to himself: Yamato, angry with her hands on her hips like this, is actually quite cute."Why did you push me away?!" Her star-like eyes, flashing with red light, locked onto him as if he had committed some heinous crime, her tone full of grievance and questioning."Hmm?!" Luffy tilted his head, looking completely bewildered—what did he do to upset the young lady again?"Then... what do you want?" He asked cautiously, upholding the principle of "Whether I'm wrong or not, apologizing first is never wrong." There was no help for it; he had to coax the person he brought onto the ship, even if she was crying.Sure enough, upon hearing this, the anger on Yamato's face instantly dissipated, replaced by a knowing smile. She nodded gently: "Then hug me!!"Luffy:???...Helplessly, Luffy had to open his arms. Yamatoimmediately threw herself into his embrace, burying her head into his chest. The familiar, reassuring scent lingered in her nostrils. Her eyes curved, and her heart was filled with a solid sense of security.Luffy gently wrapped his arms around her exquisite, slender, firm, and supple waist, his movements carrying a touch of clumsy tenderness. Law, watching from the side, twitched his mouth and silently turned his head away. Rayleigh's expression was inexplicable: there was helplessness, understanding, and a bit of the sentiment: "Young people's world is truly hard to understand!""Ahem!!" Rayleigh cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention away from the embracing pair. His gaze fell on Luffy, carrying a hint of inquiry: "Luffy, how did that fight with Kaido feel?""Well..." Luffy unconsciously stroked Yamato's cool, silky silver hair with his right hand, pondered for a moment, then grinned, "It felt great!""That's for sure!" Yamato suddenly raised her head, her beautiful face full of pride by association, her tone cheerful, "Luffy beat that bastard Kaido up really badly!""Uh?!" Law and Rayleigh both had black lines on their heads, and the air even stagnated for a few seconds.—That's your own father! Helping an outsider roast her own father so bluntly, what kind of "sweetheart" did Kaido raise?Just then, the smile on Luffy's face suddenly vanished. He sighed softly and said in a deep voice: "But if we fight again, the probability of me winning is very low."Once these words were spoken, Law and Rayleighwere instantly astonished, and even Yamatowidened her eyes. "Kaido... he awakened!" Luffyadded, his tone carrying a hint of gravity."What?!" Rayleigh's expression instantly became uglier than eating a terrible Devil Fruit, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.—Mythical Zoan Typeawakening?! "This is trouble..." he muttered, the terrifying image of Kaido after awakening already appearing in his mind.Indestructible body + top-tier three-color Haki + Azure Dragon Fruit awakening... The unawakened Kaido was already a monster firmly seated on the Four Emperors throne; now that his fruit has awakened, his combat power is simply going to break through the sky!An "indestructible" body is already hard to find a match for, coupled with the terrifying vitality and recovery power of "getting up again and again" after a Zoan awakening, plus extraordinary strength amplification... Such a Kaido can simply be called an "immortal monster"! All-around strength, it's no exaggeration to say he rivals Roger and Whitebeard.Luffy sat blankly on the cloud, staring at the sky with lifeless eyes, with only one thought in his mind: He's cheating, Kaido is definitely cheating!"Alright, Kaido being able to awaken isn't just because of you." Rayleigh saw his disappointment and quickly comforted him, afraid that his perfect disciple would become self-deprecating from the blow. "Devil Fruit awakening is never something that happens overnight. To outsiders, it might look like the final step, but in reality, it requires the user's accumulated tempering and foundation."Luffy looked at Rayleigh in astonishment, his eyes full of confusion. "All those years he spent traveling the world attempting suicide, crazily seeking out Marines and powerhouses to fight, wasn't just messing around, but actively challenging his limits and seeking the opportunity for awakening." Rayleigh explained, "Actually, he had already touched the critical point of awakening long ago; you just happened to become the catalyst."Luffy nodded slightly upon hearing this.—So that's it! No wonder Kaido hadn't awakened two years later in the original story; the difficulty of awakening a top-tier Mythical Zoan Type is indeed ridiculously high. Moreover, the "awakening" of different fruits has a world of difference.The awakening difficulty of the Azure Dragon Fruitshould only be below nika!! Even if I can enter the nika form, Kaido has infinite stamina-like recovery power after awakening. If I can't completely disable him within half an hour... This battle is simply impossible to fight!"So, does that mean I'm considered the'Strongest Creature' now? Kaido-sensei!!" Luffy complained helplessly.PS: There are many aspects to write about in the training arc, Marines, pirates... The protagonist might not appear for as long as four or five chapters!! It will be written a bit longer, about 30 to 50 chapters!! Also, the author is currently trying to slow down the pace and write out some details. Finally, thank you for your support!!!