Kaido, who had just been violently kicked away, barely had time to regain his balance. Still spinning through the air, he raised his head—and what he saw made his eyes widen for a brief moment.
Luffy had already caught up to him.
He was far too fast.
Before Kaido could even react, the shining silhouette was already right in front of him.
Boom!
The impact was brutal.
Luffy shot forward like a projectile, slamming his fist directly into Kaido's stomach with explosive force. The blow was so powerful that the enormous body of the Emperor of the Sea seemed to soften for a moment, as if it had been turned into something viscous, almost like glue. The pressure of the impact caused a portion of Kaido's back to bulge outward, as if the strike had passed straight through his body.
"Straw Hat!"
Kaido roared in pain.
When he received that devastating blow, his kanabo had already been knocked out of his hands. Without his weapon, he reacted instinctively. Clasping his hands together with crushing strength, he unleashed a powerful strike directly against Luffy's body.
Boom!
The sound of the collision echoed like thunder in the sky.
Both of them landed blows at the same time.
Kaido's colossal body was hurled backward by the force of Luffy's attack. He tore through the air like a meteor, being thrown far beyond the Flower Capital. His body traveled several thousand meters before crashing violently into the outskirts of the region.
But Luffy didn't come out unscathed either.
Kaido's counterattack sent him flying upward like a bullet. The pirate then plummeted heavily toward the streets of the Flower Capital.
However, something strange happened.
As his body fell toward the ground, the street itself began to change.
The ground softened.
The rigid stone pavement transformed into something elastic, as if it had become entirely made of rubber.
Luffy hit the ground…
And simply bounced.
The elastic surface completely absorbed the impact, preventing any injury.
Luffy's body bounced several times across the ground like a rubber ball before he regained his balance.
Then, without wasting even a single second, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a grin and launched himself upward again.
His body transformed into a streak of white light that shot through the sky, chasing after Kaido once more.
Witnessing that monstrous battle unfolding before their eyes, the people nearby were completely stunned.
Their hearts raced.
It was impossible not to feel fear when witnessing something like that.
"A battle between two Yonko…" Kyoshiro swallowed hard, his throat dry. His eyes were filled with shock.
"He… he's actually gaining the upper hand against Kaido!"
Beside him, Hiyori was also completely stunned.
Her eyes were fixed on the sky.
"Who the hell is this Luffy?"
Wano, being an isolated country cut off from the rest of the world, did not receive news from the outside easily.
For most people there, that name meant nothing.
But the power he displayed… was absolutely terrifying.
On the outskirts of the capital, Kaido began to move again.
His body had already returned to its colossal blue dragon form.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a silver light flashing across the sky.
The next moment—
Luffy appeared right in front of him.
As if he had teleported.
"Hohohoho…"
Kaido let out a low laugh filled with contempt.
"You really are kind… but that kindness is useless."
His dragon eyes narrowed.
"You moved the battlefield to a place like this… just to protect those foolish people?"
Kaido openly mocked him.
The corner of Luffy's mouth lifted slightly.
"Foolish people?"
"Yes! Foolish people," Kaido replied without hesitation.
His voice echoed across the sky.
"Kozuki Oden did almost exactly the same thing back then. To protect those fools, he didn't hesitate to dance naked in front of the shogun's gate for years."
The dragon laughed again.
"And do you know what those people called him? Lord Fool!" His words were filled with absolute contempt.
"Don't compare me to Kozuki Oden, Kaido."
Luffy replied, a trace of irritation appearing in his voice.
He truly didn't want to hurt innocent people.
But unlike what Kaido thought, this wasn't some kind of self-sacrifice.
It was simply confidence.
Right now, he had the advantage.
He could face Kaido head-on.
But why should he allow innocent people to be caught in the crossfire?
What Kozuki Oden did… was not something he needed—or intended—to repeat.
"I admit that you are far better than Kozuki Oden." The blue dragon showed a fierce grin.
Flames began gathering inside his massive mouth.
"Do you know why I chose Wano as my stronghold?"
Boom!
Before Luffy could respond, Kaido unleashed an attack.
A gigantic dragon breath exploded from his mouth.
But the target wasn't Luffy.
It was the Flower Capital behind him.
However…
Luffy had already seen that several seconds earlier thanks to his Observation Haki.
He sneered slightly.
"Dirty tricks like that are really boring."
He raised his index finger.
The next instant, a massive stone wall erupted from the ground.
The barrier rose between Kaido's attack and the city.
"You really think that can stop my attack?" Kaido began to speak—but before he could finish…
He saw something that left him completely stunned.
The stone wall…
Suddenly turned into rubber.
When his dragon breath struck the elastic surface—
It bounced back.
Boom!
The attack returned at full speed.
Kaido was struck directly in the face by his own dragon breath.
Immediately afterward, the stone wall shattered into fragments.
The pieces split apart and reshaped themselves.
Transforming into two massive earth dragons.
Luffy remained floating in the air.
"Kaido… you can't defeat me. Why not just surrender already?"
Kaido slowly shook his head.
His dragon eyes stared intensely at Luffy.
The Fuwa Fuwa no Mi.
The Gomu Gomu no Mi.
How could two completely different abilities cooperate in such an absurd way?
And on top of that…
This brat also possessed the power of the Gura Gura no Mi.
Even Kaido had to admit that perhaps…
He wouldn't be able to win.
"Surrender?"
"Hehehehehe…"
The dragon let out a deep laugh.
"Do you really think I would do something so pathetic?"
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"It's rare to find an opponent as suitable as you!"
"LET'S KEEP FIGHTING!"
Kaido opened his mouth again and unleashed a storm of wind blades.
This time, the target was Luffy.
Not the Flower Capital.
Playing with those people was truly boring.
To him, they were nothing but ants.
They didn't even deserve his attention.
Luffy moved his finger slightly.
The two earth dragons surrounding him immediately surged forward.
The wind blades sliced through the bodies of earth with ease.
But in the very next moment, the torn dragons reformed themselves.
The two forces became locked in a stalemate in the air.
Meanwhile, Luffy remained calm.
He could defeat Kaido.
There was no doubt about that.
But defeating him quickly was another matter.
To truly win…
He first needed to completely exhaust Kaido's monstrous physical strength.
Only when that monster reached his critical limit would it be possible to defeat him for real.
Otherwise…
No matter how many times he was knocked down,
Kaido would always stand up again.
"If I were you…" Luffy suddenly said.
"I wouldn't waste time fighting me right now."
Kaido's eyes narrowed.
"Among your subordinates… there are undercover agents from the Navy."
The dragon's eyes turned cold.
Undercover?
"Among your men… there's someone named X-Drake."
Upon hearing that name, an image immediately appeared in Kaido's mind.
X-Drake.
Known as the "Red Flag."
One of the Supernovas of the Worst Generation.
His bounty was 222 million berries.
He had joined Kaido's forces recently and quickly became one of the Tobi Roppo.
That man… was an infiltrator?
Suddenly, Kaido thought of something even more important.
Pluton.
The Ancient Weapon.
That could not be revealed to the Navy.
That information had to remain hidden.
"That goes for you as well," Kaido said slowly.
His eyes were sharp.
"Since you're after Pluton, you certainly didn't come unprepared. Until it finds a sufficient energy source… the weapon Pluton is nothing more than a piece of scrap metal."
Luffy sighed inwardly.
This guy thinks way too fast.
He only wanted to plant a little anxiety in Kaido's mind to create an opening.
But apparently, it wasn't that easy.
"No choice…"
Luffy snapped his fingers.
"I'll just have to shut you up by force."
The Haki surrounding his body exploded.
It surged violently to a terrifying level.
The next instant—
A man and a dragon began a prolonged battle in the skies above the outskirts of the Flower Capital.
---
At the same time…
Prisoners' Quarry.
A floating platform slowly moved above the quarry.
High in the sky, a figure observed everything.
It was Gecko Moria.
His eyes were fixed on the scene below.
Inside the quarry, countless prisoners were working.
All of them wore shackles.
They carried heavy blocks of carved stone while slowly advancing under the scorching sun.
Their faces were weary.
Their bodies were exhausted.
It was already noon.
Time for the meal break.
The prisoners who had worked for half the day exchanged their tickets for bowls of anko rice dumpling soup at the entrance of the cafeteria.
Not far from there…
On the central stage…
A massive figure was dancing and singing.
It was Queen, one of the Three Calamities of the Beast Pirates.
His gigantic body moved in a ridiculous way as he sang enthusiastically.
"Hehehehehe!"
But at that moment—
Moria's shadow began to move.
It split apart.
Transforming into countless shadowy bats.
And then…
They silently flew toward the quarry below.
---
(End of Chapter)