Observation Haki allowed its user to predict an opponent's actions.
However, when both combatants possessed Observation Haki, the battle became one of mutual prediction.
The stronger Observation Haki would always see one step farther.
Just as Kuzan had predicted Kaito's prediction moments earlier, leaving Kaito unable to avoid that freezing attack.
The thought flashed through Kaito's mind in an instant.
Having already realized that Kuzan's Observation Haki far surpassed his own, Kaito wasted no time.
He swung both golden sabers.
The iceberg imprisoning him split apart from the inside.
"Frozen Time Capsule!"
A shockwave of freezing air surged across the glacier.
Before Kaito could fully emerge from the shattered iceberg, Kuzan had already predicted exactly where he would appear and launched another attack.
Although the gap in Observation Haki prevented Kaito from accurately foreseeing Kuzan's moves, his physical reflexes remained extraordinary while his Constitution Talent was fully concentrated.
The moment the freezing shockwave reached him—
He reacted instinctively.
His right leg exploded forward.
"Dragon-Subduing Leg—First Form: Dragon Battles Across the Wilderness!"
A dragon-shaped shockwave erupted from his kick.
Boom!!!
The glacier shattered violently.
The freezing shockwave was dispersed by the dragon-shaped blast.
Its remaining force continued forward, smashing Kuzan's body into countless flying shards of ice.
Kaito's figure blurred into an afterimage.
Bursting free from the broken iceberg, he immediately used Dragon Appears in the Field, sprinting toward one particular cluster of ice fragments like a bolt of lightning.
Although active elementalization allowed Kuzan to neutralize attacks...
It did not mean he could simply ignore them.
Among the scattered fragments of ice...
The one Kaito pursued contained Kuzan's true body.
Cold mist gathered.
A new body rapidly condensed.
Kaito's speed while using Dragon Appears in the Field was astonishing.
Yet Kuzan, whose Ice-Ice Fruit had been developed almost to its absolute limit, could reform his body just as quickly.
Before Kaito reached him, Kuzan had already completed his reconstruction.
Without the slightest panic, freezing air erupted simultaneously from both his hands and feet.
The freezing energy released from his hands condensed into massive icicles that shot directly toward Kaito.
Meanwhile, the cold bursting from beneath his feet propelled Kuzan backward, widening the distance between them.
Zheng!
A brilliant Slash Wave split the incoming icicles apart.
Without slowing even slightly, Kaito continued charging.
Just as Kuzan deliberately relied on long-range combat to avoid Kaito's overwhelming physical strength...
Kaito also understood that close combat offered him his greatest advantage.
He refused to allow Kuzan to dictate the battle.
Golden Slash Waves tore across the battlefield.
Freezing air surged endlessly in response.
The frozen sea became their arena.
Again and again, devastating golden slashes carved enormous trenches through the glacier...
Only for Kuzan's freezing power to instantly seal those wounds with fresh ice.
Kuzan's superior Observation Haki prevented Kaito from landing any decisive blows.
At the same time...
Kaito's overwhelming Armament Haki and steel-like physique made it nearly impossible for Kuzan to inflict meaningful damage upon him.
One insisted on closing the distance.
The other continually forced the fight back to long range.
The battle gradually evolved into an exhausting war of attrition.
Time passed.
Long enough for the War Pirates' fleet to disappear into the distance.
Long enough for the bright afternoon sky to slowly transform into a blazing sunset.
One moment...
A brilliant Slash Wave would split the glacier open.
The next...
A wave of freezing energy would seal the wound once more.
After countless repetitions, the once-flat frozen sea had become almost unrecognizable.
Jagged ridges stretched in every direction.
Towering icebergs rose from the glacier.
Deep ravines crisscrossed the battlefield.
"Dual Sword Style... Imitation Beast: Demon Eagle!"
A golden Slash Wave transformed into the image of a giant eagle spreading its wings.
It roared toward the towering wall of ice standing before it.
Boom!!!
A deafening explosion echoed across the battlefield.
Violent winds swept outward.
The enormous ice wall displayed astonishing resilience.
Instead of being cut apart completely, only a massive crack extending halfway through its thickness appeared.
The surrounding icebergs fared far worse.
Unable to withstand the aftermath of the slash, several enormous peaks split apart.
The upper halves collapsed onto the glacier below.
The frozen ground trembled violently beneath the impact.
The world's top fighters really are difficult to deal with...
Seeing his attack fail to completely penetrate the ice wall, Kaito did not continue pressing the assault.
Instead, he slowly lowered the golden sabers in his hands.
A long breath escaped his lips.
His clothes had long since been reduced to tatters.
His upper garments were almost completely destroyed, leaving only a few torn strips hanging from his body.
His perfectly sculpted chest and sharply defined abdominal muscles were fully exposed.
Strong.
No...
Ridiculously strong.
Ever since obtaining the Talent System, this was the very first time Kaito had truly fought with everything he possessed.
Yet despite going all out...
He had remained at a disadvantage throughout almost the entire battle.
If not for his nearly indestructible physique...
He would have suffered far more than torn clothing.
He would already be seriously injured.
Only now did Kaito truly understand the weight carried by the title of the world's highest combat power.
Crack...
The towering wall of ice suddenly fractured on its own.
Countless chunks collapsed away, revealing Kuzan standing calmly behind it.
"Kuzan."
Kaito rested one golden saber casually across his shoulder.
A relaxed smile spread across his face.
"I'm very satisfied with this fight."
"Let's do it again next time we have the chance."
Unlike Kaito's casual smile...
Kuzan's expression remained dark.
Although he had held the advantage for most of the battle...
Kaito's words carried only one meaning.
He was leaving.
"What?"
"You've gotten scared?"
Kuzan narrowed his eyes.
"If we keep fighting, you're the one who dies."
"You aren't my opponent."
His voice was cold, deliberately provocative.
Kaito merely smiled.
"So you're trying to provoke me."
"Unfortunately..."
"That kind of trick doesn't work on me."
"Instead of wasting time with cheap taunts, you should start thinking about how you're going to stop me the next time we fight."
Without waiting for Kuzan's response—
Kaito immediately activated Dragon Appears in the Field once more.
His body blurred.
He shot away in the opposite direction like a bolt of lightning.
Within only a few flashes...
He had already disappeared beyond the horizon.
Kuzan's Observation Haki tracked every movement.
He knew exactly where Kaito had gone.
Yet...
He made no attempt to pursue him.
He simply remained standing where he was.
His expression was grim.
It wasn't that he didn't want to stop Kaito.
It was that...
He knew he couldn't.
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