Taking a deep breath, Jack sighed as he stared at the hall entrance. Although he couldn't witness the duel inside firsthand, the sheer scale of destruction echoed through the walls made it clear how brutal the battle was.
"I wouldn't call it special insight, just common sense..." King took a long, heavy breath and said, "Honestly, the fact that Ryuma has managed to clash with Kaidou for this long without being completely wiped out is already impressive in itself."
Jack nodded slowly in agreement. He's right. Anyone else would have succumbed to Kaidou's strength long ago.
Yet Ryuma was still holding his ground.
His body was proving far tougher than anyone expected.
"No, no, no, I completely disagree..." Queen piped up with a forced smile. "I think escaping Wano Country right now is our absolute best option! After all, there are thousands of Kaidou's men waiting just outside!"
"You're not wrong—running away might be the most logical choice right now," Jack replied coldly. "But let me ask you this: if we run, what comes next? Where do we go?"
Queen went completely silent, unable to offer a counterargument.
Seeing Queen at a loss for words, Jack sighed and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Look... things have already come to this, so don't panic just yet. I believe Ryuma can kill Kaidou. Even if he can't finish him off, forcing him out of Wano is more than enough!"
Closing his eyes, Jack fell silent, though his mind churned with a single lingering question: If Ryuma fails... where do we go from here?
Inside the hall, Ryuma looked up at Kaidou and spoke in a steady voice, "Your Dragon-Dragon Fruit is undoubtedly formidable, but compared to my Immortal Phoenix Fruit, it falls a bit short."
"Oh? Is that so? WAHAHAHA!" Kaidou barked with laughter. "All I know is that my Dragon-Dragon Fruit made me one of the Four Emperors! Meanwhile, your Immortal Phoenix Fruit looks like nothing more than a useless trinket. The only reason I ever wanted that fruit was to fill a gap in the Beast Pirates' Devil Fruit collection—not to rely on it like you do!"
"I don't need a lecture from you about how I fight..."
Without another word, Ryuma activated the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, instantly splitting his presence into multiple shadow clones!
Seeing this, Kaidou's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Jack had mentioned that Ryuma possessed the ability to replicate or use multiple Devil Fruit powers, but Kaidou hadn't fully believed it until witnessing it with his own eyes!
A glint of dark greed flickered in Kaidou's bloodshot eyes.
I have to get my hands on that power!
He was convinced Ryuma must have acquired some ancient secret treasure to wield multiple Devil Fruit abilities—there was no other logical explanation.
Taking a deep breath, Ryuma declared, "Rest assured, today is the day you die."
"WAHAHAHA! To think a brat like you possesses a Devil Fruit power like this..." Kaidou roared with laughter. "Tell me how you replicate those Devil Fruit abilities, and I'll grant you endless wealth and glory! Aren't you a man of Wano? I can even make you the Shogun of Wano Country—how about that?"
"Even if I were to become Shogun, I would never rule under your shadow," Ryuma shot back cold. "Under your reign, the people of Wano are nothing more than slaves to a fallen nation!"
With a sharp motion, his shadows divided into numerous dark manifestations, each wielding a replica of the black blade Shusui!
"It's time for you to die!"
The blades of Shusui gleamed in unison as the shadows surged forward in a synchronized, devastating assault, charging directly at Kaidou!
Watching the swarm of shadows approach, Kaidou swallowed hard before letting out a wild chuckle. "Interesting! Very interesting!"
Opening his massive jaws, Kaidou unleashed a roaring Blast Breath!
The blistering wave of heat swept across the room in an instant, utterly disintegrating every single shadow clone and leaving only Ryuma standing!
Ryuma took a quick step back, taking a deep breath in surprise. He hadn't expected Kaidou's raw dragon breath to completely vaporize his shadow clones in a single move!
"Ridiculous!" Kaidou mocked, stepping forward with a malicious sneer. "Before the absolute power of my Dragon-Dragon Fruit, your little trick is nothing but a useless gimmick. Do you get it now?"
Ryuma merely offered a subtle smile and shook his head lightly.
"Is that so? What you can't see is yet to come."
Before Kaidou could react, the wounds on his body suddenly ignited with intense blue flames! The fire detonated internally from within his scales, inflicting a burst of searing damage!
Feeling the burning heat deep beneath his dragon armor, Kaidou grimaced in discomfort. Staring intently at Ryuma, he growled through gritted teeth, "You bastard... what did you just do?!"
"Nothing much," Ryuma chuckled calmly. "Didn't you just call my Immortal Phoenix Fruit a useless gimmick?"
Kaidou took a step back, his expression darkening. Reverting into his massive dragon form, he lunged forward with a furious roar, attempting to tear Ryuma apart with his massive jaws!
Reacting swiftly, Ryuma grabbed hold of Kaidou's massive dragon head. But Kaidou's overwhelming strength carried Ryuma along like a gale force wind, dragging him violently across the hall!
Ryuma gasped, a grim expression crossing his face as he noticed a solid stone wall fast approaching behind him. If I get slammed into that wall at this speed, it's over!
Fixing his gaze on the beast, Ryuma shouted, "You've ruined Wano Country... You are its greatest sinner, and I will slay you here today!"
Kaidou burst out laughing at the threat. "Aren't you supposed to be the legendary Sword God, the Dragon Slayer? What's the matter? Does the Great Dragon Slayer only fight with his mouth? Words are cheap—show me what you've really got!"
As he taunted, Kaidou gestured mockingly with his claw, his eyes filled with a bizarre sense of anticipation—as if he were genuinely eager to see if Ryuma truly had the power to kill him.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN MORE CHAPTERS, I HAVE 80+ STORED IN MY:
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