When Yamato was struck across the abdomen by Lucia, Kaido forced himself to remain still. However, the moment he saw King, already in his speed form, struck down by a laser from Kizaru, his restraint shattered.
Veins bulged along the arm gripping his kanabo. His body lowered slightly, then he launched forward with explosive force. Despite his massive size, his speed was terrifying.
In an instant, he appeared before Kizaru, his club wrapped in black lightning as he swung it down.
"Thunder Bagua!"
Kizaru leaned back slightly, preparing to evade. At that exact moment, another figure stepped in.
A thunderous impact echoed across the sky.
Lloyd raised one hand and caught the descending kanabo with ease. His expression remained indifferent as he spoke calmly.
"Kaido, your opponent is me."
A black blade materialized in his right hand, the Demon Blade Muramasa. A flash of dark sword light cut through the air, and Kaido was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the ground.
The surrounding pirates froze in horror.
"Boss Kaido!"
Shock spread through their ranks. The Kaido they knew, a man who rarely ever bled, now bore a deep, gruesome wound across his chest. Blood poured out relentlessly.
Kaido's face grew grim. Even Whitebeard had never broken his defense so effortlessly.
That single strike proved everything.
Lloyd slowly descended, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield. Around him, the slaughter carried on without pause.
The Headliners had nearly all been wiped out. Among the Tobi Roppo, only Who's Who and Sasaki remained. The others had already fallen, likely reduced to nothing by Akainu.
Among the Three Calamities, Queen had lost his mechanical arm. Without it, his full beast form was unstable, leaving him severely handicapped.
Jack had tried to support King against Kizaru, but the gap in speed rendered him useless. Most of the time, he could only watch helplessly as the two figures clashed in flashes of light across the sky.
Forced to retreat, he joined Who's Who and the others, but that battlefield was even more brutal. His massive size made him an easy target. Earlier, if not for Page One taking a hit for him, he would have already been drained dry by Aramaki.
Yamato, now in her hybrid form, tilted her head back and unleashed a stream of icy breath. The pale blue frost collided with the violet flames raining down from Lucia.
The result was clear.
Her freezing breath was steadily overwhelmed. The flames pressed downward until they engulfed her body.
Yamato screamed, hastily generating thick layers of ice to shield herself. With great effort, she managed to extinguish the flames.
When the fire finally died out, much of the white fur on her body had been burned away, exposing severely scorched skin beneath.
Across the battlefield, the Beasts Pirates were collapsing.
Despite their overwhelming numbers, they were now in full retreat. Even that advantage was rapidly disappearing.
Their defeat was inevitable.
The screams of his crew filled Kaido's ears, igniting a fierce frustration within him. Yet he could do nothing. Lloyd stood before him like an insurmountable abyss.
Even now, Lloyd's strength felt unfathomable.
"Roaring Thunder Bagua!"
With a furious roar, Kaido unleashed a more powerful variation of his attack, the same move that once crushed Monkey D. Luffy in his Gear Fourth form.
A sharp clang rang out.
Lloyd raised his hardened forearm, coated in Armament Haki, and blocked the attack effortlessly.
At the same time, black spikes erupted from the ground around Kaido. His pupils shrank as he immediately reinforced his body with Haki.
The impacts came in rapid succession, sending him flying once more. When he stabilized himself, several new bloody holes had opened across his body.
In just a short exchange, the damage he had taken rivaled what he would normally endure over an entire year.
Kaido steadied his breathing, preparing to strike again.
Suddenly, a long, narrow shadow stretched beneath his feet.
A humanoid figure rose from the ground, its form identical to Lloyd's.
The shadow clone.
A technique reminiscent of Gekko Moriah, yet far more terrifying. Enhanced by the combined power of the Dark Dark Fruit and the Shadow Shadow Fruit, this clone possessed immense strength and could wield Haki.
Under Kaido's gaze, a pitch black sword extended from the clone's hand.
It struck.
Kaido raised his kanabo to block, but the force behind the blow caused his expression to change.
The clash continued, metal ringing against metal as the two exchanged blows.
Realizing the danger, Kaido transformed into his azure dragon form and ascended into the sky.
The shadow clone paused briefly, then dark wings formed on its back, allowing it to follow.
Below, Lloyd stood with his arms crossed, calmly listening to the roars echoing above.
In the sky, Kaido's frustration grew.
He could not accept this.
A mere shadow was pushing him to such a state. Even when he managed to disperse it, the clone reformed within seconds.
It was relentless.
While Kaido struggled against the clone, the battles below reached their conclusions.
A sharp crack resounded.
Aokiji turned away with his hands in his pockets. Behind him, a massive ice sculpture shattered into countless fragments.
Queen the Plague was gone.
A bloodied figure fell from the sky in a flash of golden light, slamming into the ground and forming a deep crater. At its center lay King, his body broken, his remaining wing torn and drenched in blood.
He tried to rise.
A figure of golden light appeared beside him, condensing into Kizaru.
Without hesitation, Kizaru raised his foot and stomped down onto King's abdomen. King coughed up blood before losing consciousness completely.
Elsewhere, a massive paw shaped shockwave erupted across the battlefield, radiating blinding white light.
As the light faded, a gigantic mammoth collapsed, its eyes rolled back.
Not far away, Who's Who staggered backward, his hands raised in panic as he faced Akainu approaching step by step.
"A..Admiral Akainu! Please spare me, I once served the World Government..."
His voice cut off abruptly.
In the next instant, he vanished completely.
Only a pile of ashes remained.
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