Clang!
Yamato's black club slipped from her grasp and crashed onto the ground. She lowered her gaze to the blade lodged deep within her body, purple flames burning along its edge. Her hand trembled as she tried to lift it, attempting to resist.
Lucia's expression remained cold. With a swift motion, she pulled out her longsword. Yamato's strength drained instantly, and she collapsed to her knees with a heavy thud.
Kneeling before Lucia, Yamato murmured weakly,
"I, I am Kozuki Oden, the strongest man in history… how could I…"
Lucia bent down, gripping Yamato's chin. With a sharp twist, she dislocated her jaw completely.
Silenced, Yamato could no longer speak. Lucia lifted her effortlessly and carried her before Lloyd.
Lloyd stood with his arms crossed, watching the battle in the sky with quiet interest. Lucia stepped behind him and spoke softly,
"Young Master, this one is a Mythical Zoan user. The Devil Fruit is of high quality. It should suit you."
At her words, Lloyd turned his gaze toward Yamato.
Even in such a broken state, Yamato's eyes remained wide, filled with hatred as she glared at him.
Lloyd slowly raised his hand. A dark vortex formed within his palm, pulling Yamato upward instantly. Her head pressed against his hand with a dull sound.
Looking at her bloodied face, Lloyd spoke in a calm tone,
"A life shaped by delusion… how unfortunate."
The moment he finished speaking, Yamato's eyes turned blood-red, and her presence vanished completely.
Her mind was crushed in an instant. The power of her Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit was absorbed by Lloyd into the dark bible.
By this point, the core forces of the Beasts Pirates had been completely eradicated. Akainu and the others swiftly eliminated the remaining enemies and gathered beside Lloyd.
Lloyd surveyed Onigashima, now littered with corpses, and said indifferently,
"It is time to finish this."
He snapped his fingers.
High above the clouds, the shadow clone confronting Kaido suddenly dispersed into countless black bats, scattering in all directions.
Kaido's massive dragon body, stretching nearly a thousand meters, bore multiple gruesome wounds, all inflicted by Lloyd's shadow clone.
As the clone vanished, Kaido froze briefly before descending rapidly through the clouds.
The moment his eyes fell upon the devastated Onigashima, his enormous pupils filled with bloodshot fury. His roar shook the heavens.
"Navy!!!"
Akainu let out a cold snort and prepared to launch himself skyward in magma form, but Kizaru stopped him.
With a faint smile, Kizaru said,
"Leave Kaido to Lloyd."
Akainu paused immediately. His earlier reaction had been instinctive.
Lloyd looked up at Kaido's enraged dragon face and allowed a slight smile to form. Dark wings spread from his back as he shot into the sky.
Kaido opened his massive jaws and unleashed countless massive blue wind blades toward Lloyd.
"Bad Wind!"
Lloyd did not bother to evade. The wind blades passed through his body without resistance, as if slicing through nothing.
In the next moment, Lloyd appeared before Kaido.
Compared to Kaido's colossal form, Lloyd looked insignificant. Yet the fury in Kaido's eyes only intensified as he hurled his entire body forward in a violent charge.
Lloyd remained expressionless. Darkness spiraled around his arm, forming a massive black hand that expanded outward, blotting out the sky as it pressed down.
Kaido's charge stopped instantly.
His head was seized firmly within Lloyd's grasp, unable to move forward even an inch.
A faint smile appeared on Lloyd's lips.
The shadow hand tightened, gripping one of Kaido's dragon horns. With terrifying force, Lloyd swung him through the air.
Kaido's immense body spun violently, resembling a blue ribbon whipping through the sky. The sheer force scattered the clouds above Onigashima.
The sight was overwhelming. Even the people of Wano witnessed it clearly.
Inside the shogun's residence, Kurozumi Orochi stared blankly at the sky, his voice trembling,
"That is Kaido… who is he fighting?"
Being treated like a mere object, Kaido roared in humiliation. His entire body turned crimson as unbearable heat radiated outward, distorting the air itself.
"Great Flame Dragon Torch!"
His blazing form was meant to force Lloyd to release him.
Lloyd did exactly that.
He flung Kaido high into the sky.
Then, without hesitation, Lloyd followed.
The intense heat meant nothing to him. He had already lost interest in prolonging the fight.
Black lightning surged across the sky, thick bolts of Haoshoku Haki tearing through the heavens.
Thunder roared above Onigashima as violent clashes echoed repeatedly. Below, Akainu and the others stood silently, watching a battle that resembled the end of the world.
Bang!
A massive pale-yellow dragon horn fell from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground. Its fractured surface was unnaturally smooth.
In the sky, Kaido remained with only one horn left. His eyes burned with bloodlust as he stared at Lloyd.
Steam poured continuously from his nostrils. Large portions of his tough blue scales had been torn away, leaving his body drenched in blood.
Lloyd, however, remained composed, his Marine coat fluttering in the high-altitude winds.
At this point, Kaido understood clearly.
Lloyd's strength surpassed his own.
The gap was wide enough to end the life of the so-called strongest creature.
Even so, Kaido would never admit defeat.
Their enmity had already reached the point of no return. Even if he died, he would make Lloyd pay a price.
Under Lloyd's indifferent gaze, Kaido inhaled deeply. His massive body began to descend before coiling tightly.
Flames erupted from his mouth, engulfing his entire form.
Dark red lightning of Haoshoku Haki crackled violently around him.
Once again, he transformed into a colossal flame dragon, but this time, the power far exceeded anything before.
His gaze locked onto Lloyd as his thunderous voice shook the sky,
"Rising Dragon: Flame Eight Trigrams!"
The blazing dragon spiraled upward, carrying overwhelming flames and Haoshoku Haki as it surged toward Lloyd at terrifying speed.
Lloyd looked down calmly.
The Demon Blade Muramasa in his hand emitted a strange black glow.
In the next instant, surrounded by pitch-black lightning, Muramasa extended into a hundred-meter-long blade of darkness.
"Shadow Blade: Town Suppression."