If one were to argue over who possessed the widest array of sword techniques among the Tenth Rank of the pirate world, the answer would undoubtedly be Zoro.
In contrast, Hawkeye—the undisputed number one swordsman of the Tenth Rank in the original story—gave off a feeling of returning to basics. His attacks were always those seemingly fundamental slashes.
The battle currently raging outside the borders of Wano Country was exactly like that. No matter how Kaido attacked, Hawkeye's counterattacks were always simple, unadorned slashes.
For a full hour, Kaido had been unable to break the stalemate. However, as time passed, Kaido's natural advantages began to manifest: his ability to maintain a full-power assault for extended periods. Furthermore, even when wounded by Hawkeye, he could fully recover within a matter of minutes.
In comparison, Hawkeye had begun to pant slightly.
Because Kaido had remained in a state of maximum output, Hawkeye was forced to do the same, which was proving to be grueling. After all, in terms of raw physical constitution, the gap between Hawkeye and Kaido was vast.
A war of attrition was clearly not in his favor.
'Sean, if this continues, Hawkeye will likely lose the upper hand soon. Should I go up and lend a hand?'
"No. If you interfere, it would be an insult to him."
"But..."
"Don't worry. This is a valuable experience for Hawkeye; it allows him to realize exactly where his weaknesses lie. If anything truly goes wrong, I will step in."
"Fine, you're the Fleet Admiral, so your word is law!"
Gion understood that Sean was right. As a former Greatest Swordsman of the world, Hawkeye's pride would never allow him to be fought two-on-one. If she truly intervened, this battle might become a lifelong stain on his record, potentially damaging his state of mind and hindering his future progress.
"Rising Dragon: Flame Bagua!"
BOOM!!!
Just as the two finished their conversation, Kaido seized an opening and unleashed a devastating attack. A powerful surge of Conqueror's Haki Infusion enveloped the head of the Azure Dragon as he charged straight at Hawkeye.
Unable to release a slash in time, Hawkeye was forced to cross his blade to block. However, the massive impact, bolstered by the Conqueror's Haki Infusion, still sent him flying backward with tremendous force.
Kaido had no intention of stopping. He opened his maw wide and unleashed a terrifying blast of heat breath, chasing after the airborne Hawkeye.
At that moment, Hawkeye had just been blasted away and had no time to stabilize his posture, let alone defend himself. He was seconds away from taking a direct hit from the heat breath. Such a blow would leave even Hawkeye severely wounded.
Suddenly, Sean, who had been standing on the deck below, appeared instantaneously between Hawkeye and the incoming blast.
"Hadō #88..."
"Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!!"
BOOM!!
Skipping the incantation, Sean directly unleashed the most powerful attack among the eighties-tier Hadō. A terrifying beam of light erupted from his palm at instantaneous speeds, striking Kaido's heat breath dead-on.
The two attacks clashed, locked in a violent struggle. For a moment, the sky was split into two distinct colors: one half a deep azure, the other a scorching orange-red.
Seconds later, as the energy condensing at the center of the clash surpassed a critical threshold, it evolved into a violent explosion. A massive shockwave erupted from the blast, sweeping across the surroundings and obliterating everything in its path.
"Sean, I..."
"Your fight for today is over. Reflect on the process, identify your weaknesses, and overcome them. Next time you face Kaido, you won't lose."
Hawkeye fell silent for a moment. He then nodded, choosing not to insist on continuing the fight, and stepped back.
"Hmph. You brat, Sean, you've finally decided to come out?"
"So you're Kaido, huh? I've always heard that you're tired of living and spend your time looking for someone capable of killing you. Tell you what—why don't you stop defending and let me give you one good slash? You might actually get your wish," Sean said, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he looked at Kaido.
Kaido froze.
What do you mean "tired of living" and "searching for someone to kill me"?
'That's just me acting cool, okay?! I haven't lost my mind; do I really look like someone who actually wants to die?'
However, if he denied it now, wouldn't all the "cool" image he had carefully built over the years be ruined?
Kaido was conflicted. Should he maintain his prestige and take the hit, or should he just throw away his shame and deny it?
'No, I can't deny it! If I do, the aura I've established for years will vanish in an instant!'
'It's just one slash. What's the big deal?'
After a long moment of internal struggle, Kaido reached a conclusion: Blood can flow, but prestige must remain intact!
"Come then! Let's see if you actually have the power to kill me!" Kaido shouted with an air of indifference, still in his Azure Dragon form.
Sean's smirk widened. Killing Kaido was possible, but it would take a significant amount of time. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue, but Sean had other operations to attend to and couldn't afford to be bogged down here. He needed to repel Kaido quickly.
To do that, he had to play some tricks.
Since Kaido had spent his entire career shaping an image of being an immortal who sought death but could not find it, he had convinced the world that he was an undying creature. Naturally, Kaido wouldn't want that hard-won image to shatter.
Of course, Sean was only guessing, but it had worked surprisingly well. It seemed Kaido was incredibly protective of his "undying" reputation.
Since that was the case, Sean wouldn't hold back.
"Bankai: Kyūten Raika!"
A towering surge of Reiatsu erupted like a torrential storm, sweeping across the entire region with Sean at the center. Suddenly, a sea of lightning formed in the sky, blotting out the sun.
The entire space was plunged into a darkness resembling midnight. Simultaneously, terrifying bolts of lightning, compressed to their absolute limit, appeared around Sean, orbiting him in a perfect circle.
Kaido's eyelid twitched.
'This pressure is... a bit too much.'
Why was he suddenly feeling a tiny bit of regret?
Having activated his Bankai, Sean didn't stop. He gripped the hilt of the blade formed from lightning energy, pointed it toward Kaido, and narrowed his eyes.
Nine bolts of lightning suddenly soared into the sky around him before plunging violently downward.
Their target was not Kaido, nor was it Sean. Instead, they aimed for the energy-form of Hekireki held in Sean's hand.
No—in its Bankai state, Hekireki should be called Kyūten Raika.
One after another, the bolts of lightning crashed down, merging into Kyūten Raika and slowly transforming it from a state of pure energy into a physical blade.
As the final bolt merged, Kyūten Raika became completely tangible. Yet, strangely, it emitted no aura of power; it looked like an entirely ordinary sword.
But it was obvious that this could not be a mere ordinary blade.
If no one else could sense its power, it was simply because Kyūten Raika, after the return of the nine bolts, had ascended to another dimension of strength. Those in a lower dimension were naturally unable to perceive the existence of a higher one.
Looking at the weapon in his hand, Sean felt a surge of satisfaction.
'It really is significantly stronger than it was during the Paramount War.'
After all, when he faced Whitebeard, he had only infused five bolts of lightning into it. Now, he had all nine.
Of course, this didn't mean that five bolts would have been enough to easily defeat Whitebeard. The real reason was that by that point, Whitebeard had already been heavily wounded by four bolts of lightning and Hadō No. 90: Kurohitsugi.
Sean looked up at Kaido, his eyes flickering with electricity.
Then...
He unleashed a massive slash.
Aside from a few people present, most didn't even see Sean swing his sword; it was as if the strike had appeared out of thin air.
Facing the incoming azure slash, Kaido's eyelids twitched violently, his instincts screaming a warning.
'No, I'll die... If I don't defend, I'll definitely die!'
Kaido, who had always been confident in his physical toughness, suddenly felt a flicker of genuine terror. He even felt a hint of regret.
Yes, usually, his style and prestige were more important than shedding a bit of blood.
But... compared to style, his life was obviously more important!
To hell with prestige! He didn't want it anymore!
In the next instant, Kaido—who had previously been standing still to maintain his imposing aura—moved abruptly.
Unfortunately, because of his momentary hesitation, his evasion was slightly sluggish. He failed to clear the path of the attack.
'Squelch...'
The sound of flesh being sliced rent through the air, audible to everyone.
The massive azure dragon in the sky had its tail sliced clean off. A torrent of blood sprayed outward, falling like rain. Amidst that rain of blood, a giant dragon's tail plummeted toward the earth.
While everyone's attention was captivated by the blood rain and the severed tail, Kaido...
Simply bolted!
He erupted with his maximum speed, fleeing frantically toward Wano Country.
Where was that "prestige" he had maintained while constantly seeking a death that never came?
Sean didn't bother to chase him. Instead, he rested his chin on his hand, pondering a question.
Kaido's tail had been cut off in his Azure Dragon form. So, when he returned to his human form, which part of his body would be missing?
'This... is a question worth exploring.'
'Oh well, I'll have the answer the next time I see him.' (T/N: I was so afraid that he would say: i will eat dragon meat...)