The wind in Wano Country had never been gentle, due to its high geographical position, while on the higher Ghost Island, the wind obscured by dark clouds was even more fierce, blowing the stones on the ground into motion.
Bam!
A hand suddenly extended from a hole, gripping the edge to climb up.
Kaido held his head with the other hand, shook it for a moment, and then looked at Sage, his eyes filled with gravity.
Blood was continuously flowing from his forehead, running down his face to his chin.
It was different now. Compared to earlier, this guy's punches were heavier and stronger, each attack directly breaking the Haki coiled around him, and the remaining strikes on his body could penetrate his skin, causing a familiar double internal destruction.
His head still felt a bit numb.
"Oh ro ro ro ro! Sage!"
Kaido bared his teeth, "Good! That's the way, continue, Sage!"
"Stop talking big."
Sage pointed at Kaido, confidently saying, "You don't look as composed as before now!"
Thud!
With that, he shot forward like lightning.
"Roaring Thunder..."
Kaido gripped his wolf fang club, just about to swing it, but halfway through, Sage charged up to Kaido and delivered a fierce punch.
Bam!
The fist embedded itself in Kaido's abdomen, causing him to hunch and spit blood.
"Hakke!!"
Kaido gritted his teeth, swung the half-raised wolf fang club forward, but it was swiftly blocked by a hand.
Sage smirked, glanced up at him, "Now, I can block your attacks!"
The fist embedded in Kaido drove in deeper, bursting out a shockwave.
"North Star Dragon Strike Tiger!"
Boom!!
Kaido could no longer hold his stance, getting knocked heavy and far away, lying on the ground for a while before using the wolf fang club to get up.
The previous move had an impact of the Supreme King that even he couldn't withstand, momentarily scattering his consciousness.
"What is this?" Kaido asked gravely.
"It's my body technique!" Sage grinned fiercely, raising his fist.
The North Star Dragon Strike Tiger originally targeted the Secret Hole, inducing a state similar to 'fake death'.
But the difference between fake death and real death is merely the presence of vital signs.
On the seas, it means making a person's consciousness disappear, causing the same effect as a Supreme King's impact.
With Sage's version, this move concentrates Supreme King Haki into the enemy's Secret Hole, creating an effect even stronger than ordinary coiling Haki.
"It doesn't feel good, right? The feeling you inflicted on me during our first fight, I'll return it to you now!" Sage laughed heartily.
He always remembered the dazed feeling during his initial fight with Kaido, and from Kaido's expression, Sage could confirm...
He returned the favor!
"Hot Breath!"
Kaido directly spewed out a flame beam.
"This thing..."
Sage didn't dodge, charging forward, punching the beam into sparks, and transformed into an afterimage exploding in front of Kaido's head. As he approached, the afterimage suddenly split around, all throwing phantom-like punches hitting Kaido all over.
"Hundred Ghosts Assault Purgatory!!"
This time, Kaido couldn't dodge, his body inexplicably stiff under this attack.
Bam bam bam!
Immediately after, his whole body sounded like an explosion, causing Kaido to tremble uncontrollably, then freeze in place.
Blood seeped out from his body, turning him into a bloodied figure.
Thud!
Kaido leaned back, almost falling, but the wolf fang club swiftly pressed to the ground, supporting his massive figure before his eyes suddenly opened wide.
"Daiitoku Thundering Hakke!!"
The wolf fang club lifted instantly from the ground, accompanied by rumbling sounds, just in time to smash towards Sage, who appeared right in front of him.
"Great Red!!"
Sage not only didn't dodge but smirked fiercely, both hands drawing up black light, fiercely smashing towards the wolf fang club imbued with purple lightning.
Boom!!!
A mushroom cloud erupted once more on Ghost Island, and the enormous bull horn skull built on the island shattered completely, with cracks spreading across the island below, seemingly about to crumble at any moment.
Kaido's body flew out from within the massive dust cloud, plowing a deep trench in the ground, skidding a long distance before coming to a halt.
The wolf fang club spun through the sky, stabbing into the ground next to Kaido.
He struggled to lift his head, gazing at the silhouette standing at the center of the mushroom cloud, his pupils flashing with fear.
Huff!
A wild wind blew through, dissipating the smoke from the mushroom cloud, revealing Sage's steaming body, the injuries from the impact healing rapidly.
"I won..."
Sage clenched his fist, grinning toothily forward, "Kaido!"
The situation was no longer a mutual devastation; this time, he didn't fall!
Kaido just stared at Sage, his gaze caught in subtle bewilderment, seemingly lost in distant memories...
Since childhood, his country had been at endless war because of the Heavenly Tribute…the country was so poor that it had to wage wars to capture enough wealth to afford the tribute, to retain its status as an allied nation, to maintain human rights, and avoid becoming slaves to be exploited at will.
Kaido was one among them. Since he could remember, he lived in the Woka Kingdom, and by his teens, he had fought many battles for the kingdom, winning many wars.
Yet, the more he fought, the more he resisted.