A Clash Between True Men
Ryōsuke smiled faintly.
"Take a guess."
Hearing his words, Kaido's face darkened. This guy was truly detestable.
He had thought he was recruiting an exceptional talent, but he never expected him to be such a terrifying monster.
He guessed that this had to be a Devil Fruit capable of controlling time.
It might even be at a highly advanced stage of Awakening.
After all, even covering his entire body in Armament Haki couldn't block this demonic power.
*'Just where did Yamato find this guy?'*
A time-controlling fruit—such a thing had never been heard of on the seas.
Could it be an undiscovered Devil Fruit?
The current situation was truly disastrous.
If he lost, he would really have to become this guy's Vice Governor-General.
If word of that spread across the seas, wouldn't he, Kaido, die of humiliation?
He absolutely could not accept this in his heart.
However, against the opponent's ability, he didn't even have the chance to strike back, let alone win.
There was only one way out of this now.
Looking at the other man, he spoke.
"Brat, do you dare to fight me in a clash between true men, without using that weird ability of yours?"
The Tobi Roppo and the two Lead Performers felt their hearts grow heavy.
*'Even Lord Kaido has no way to counter this ability?'*
*'Then Kaido isn't a match for this guy with his special power.'*
*'We are the highest fighting force of the Beast Pirates. No matter how many of the grunts outside gather, they would be useless against Lord Kaido.'*
*'Let alone facing this man.'*
Hearing Kaido's words, Yamato's face filled with anger.
"Kaido, how can you be so shameless? You've already lost! Fulfill your promise!"
Kaido burst into loud laughter.
"Yamato, how are you still so naive? Sometimes I really doubt if you're even my flesh and blood."
"In the adult world, you can't just take a simple sentence so seriously."
"Brat, do you dare to fight me in a fair and square duel?"
Yamato was furious. How could Kaido be so despicable and shameless?
Ryōsuke, however, just smiled. As expected, a guy like Kaido wouldn't submit so easily.
"If you fight me fair and square, you might die, you know?"
Of course, he wasn't going to fight Kaido using only pure physical strength; he needed to properly intimidate him.
That meant he would inevitably have to use the Sixth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates.
It would multiply his current strength by more than twenty times.
Normally, the Sixth Gate would only increase combat power by ten times, but with his other various buffs, it surged to a twenty-fold increase.
That was more than enough to easily crush Kaido.
As for the Seventh or Eighth Gate, there was no need. A single punch from those would probably send Kaido straight to the afterlife.
Kaido frowned upon hearing this. This brat was truly arrogant.
However, his blood began to boil, and his fighting spirit soared.
"Good! Come and kill me if you have the guts!"
He activated the power of the Fish-Fish Fruit.
Blue scales and a dragon tail sprouted across his body, exuding a terrifying aura that was several levels stronger than before.
The Tobi Roppo and the two Lead Performers knew Kaido was getting serious. This was the strongest form of Kaido, the strongest creature on land, sea, and air.
It was precisely this form that secured his position as one of the Four Emperors.
Even when fighting the other Emperors, he would not be at a disadvantage.
*'Facing such a form, how can this guy defeat Lord Kaido without using his Devil Fruit ability?'*
*'Let alone kill him.'*
Seeing Kaido like this, Ryōsuke knew that relying solely on his physical strength would, at best, result in a draw.
That wouldn't achieve his goal.
He instantly opened the Sixth Gate, unleashing an incredibly terrifying presence as blue chakra steam rose from his body.
Kaido's face was filled with astonishment.
*'Is this a joke?'*
It gave him goosebumps all over his body.
It was a spine-chilling sensation.
If he himself was called a monster, then this man was an even greater monster.
He could feel the opponent's physical energy instantly skyrocket by many times.
*'If a punch like that lands on me...'*
*'I don't even know if I can withstand it.'*
Ryōsuke felt the long-absent state of the Eight Inner Gates. This sensation of overwhelming power left him slightly intoxicated.
He smiled and looked at Kaido.
"Kaido, are you ready?"
"Bring it on."
Although Kaido felt a chill in his heart, he focused all his attention on the impending clash.
He was one of the Four Emperors; how could he cower like this?
Ryōsuke stomped hard on the ground, causing a massive section of the top floor to collapse instantly.
His body shot toward Kaido like a bolt of lightning.
Kaido was completely stunned.
*'This guy is truly something else.'*
But there was no time to be shocked.
The man appeared right in front of him in an instant, leaving him only enough time to throw a single punch.
At the same time, he coated his fist in Conqueror's Haki.
He was going to meet the opponent's fist head-on.
The small fist and the massive fist collided, but there was no stalemate.
Kaido was instantly blasted away by the punch, launching into the sky like a cannonball.
He let out an agonized howl, as his arm had actually fractured into multiple pieces.
"Aaaargh!"
But Ryōsuke didn't stop there. He stepped on the air itself and soared into the sky.
He chased after Kaido.
Kaido felt an excruciating pain in his arm, unsure of how many bones had been broken.
This guy had actually crippled his right arm.
One must know that his physical body was virtually indestructible. Aside from that freak Big Mom, who else could be stronger than him?
Of course, Captain Rocks was a true monster, but compared to this man, even he was nothing.
And what made his face pale with fear now was that this guy was actually catching up.
He was almost scared out of his wits.
His body expanded and thickened once more, transforming directly into a massive Azure Dragon.
He soared through the air.
His defense was even stronger in this form.
Yet, he still had no confidence in blocking the opponent's terrifying fists.
He opened his massive maw wide.
Orange light gathered within his mouth.
He unleashed a searingly hot Blast Breath, firing it straight at Ryōsuke.
Seeing the Blast Breath, Ryōsuke clenched his right fist and threw a fierce punch.
"Air Cannon."
An invisible shockwave instantly struck Kaido's Blast Breath.
It completely scattered the fiery blast.
Flames filled the sky, raining down all around.
And the Air Cannon continued on, striking Kaido squarely in the head.
Kaido immediately felt an immense surge of pain and let out a wail.
His head then slumped down.
Ryōsuke still didn't stop. He continued stepping on the air to position himself above Kaido, drew back his clenched right fist, and fiercely slammed it into Kaido's dragon body.
"Take another punch!"
This punch warped Kaido's body, sending him plummeting toward the ground like a cannonball.
He smashed into the earth, creating a massive crater as clouds of dust billowed out in all directions.
This strike caused the entirety of Onigashima to shudder, with Onigashima Castle shaking violently.