"He's actually trying to stop Kaido-sama's Thunder Bagua with his bare hands? He's courting death!"
"Demon Eye Ryūjin is far too arrogant!"
"Has he completely lost his mind?"
Cold ridicule spread throughout the Beasts Pirates.
Although Ryūjin had just killed King in an overwhelmingly dominant fashion, his current action still left everyone stunned.
After all, that was Kaido's Thunder Bagua.
Even Kaido's expression darkened.
Was Demon Eye Ryūjin truly looking down on him this much?
Boom!
In the next instant, the Six Paths Rasengan in Ryūjin's palm collided head-on with Kaido's kanabo.
A terrifying shockwave erupted outward.
"What?!"
Kaido's eyes widened.
An unimaginable force surged through his weapon and into his body.
His massive frame trembled violently before being blasted backward.
Crack!
His body smashed through the deck, leaving behind a huge crater.
"Kaido-sama was pushed back?!"
"Impossible!"
"He sent Kaido-sama flying with his bare hand!"
The remaining All-Stars, the Flying Six, and countless members of the Beasts Pirates stared in disbelief.
Their minds went blank.
Meanwhile, Nami's eyes widened with admiration.
"Incredible... as expected of Ryūjin."
Ryūjin slowly descended from the air.
Instead of returning to his ship, he stepped directly onto the surface of the sea.
The sight caused countless pupils to contract.
Walking on water?
What kind of ability was that?
Ignoring everyone's reactions, Ryūjin calmly formed a hand seal.
Four Wood Clones instantly separated from his body.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, the clones flashed to the four corners surrounding his ship.
"Ninja Art: Four Red Yang Formation."
A crimson barrier instantly rose into the sky.
The massive red barrier completely enclosed the ship.
Only after securing the battlefield did Ryūjin prepare to fight seriously.
The Beasts Pirates had never seen such a technique before, but even they could tell it was some kind of defensive barrier.
Their expressions became increasingly solemn.
Demon Eye Ryūjin possessed far too many strange abilities.
Kaido no longer dared to underestimate him.
Without hesitation, he activated his Devil Fruit power.
His body rapidly expanded.
Scales covered his skin.
Moments later, a gigantic Azure Dragon over a hundred meters long appeared in the sky.
The immense dragon body coiled among the clouds.
A terrifying pressure swept across the battlefield.
Even the Beasts Pirates felt suffocated beneath that overwhelming presence.
"W-What is that?!"
"What a monster..."
Nami and Robin looked upward instinctively.
Cold sweat appeared on their foreheads.
Even though they already knew Kaido was powerful, seeing his full dragon form with their own eyes was still shocking.
This monster seemed capable of blotting out the sky itself.
"Kaido-sama is serious now!"
"Demon Eye Ryūjin is finished!"
The morale of the Beasts Pirates instantly soared.
"ROAR!"
Kaido's dragon roar shook the heavens.
The sea trembled.
The clouds churned.
Then the colossal Azure Dragon charged toward Ryūjin.
Opening his massive jaws, Kaido unleashed a blazing stream of fire.
"Boro Breath!"
The terrifying beam scorched through the sky.
Its destructive power was enough to erase mountains and devastate entire regions.
Yet Ryūjin remained standing calmly atop the sea.
He neither moved nor dodged.
He simply raised one hand.
"Preta Path."
An invisible barrier appeared before him.
The devastating Boro Breath crashed directly into it.
Then a shocking scene unfolded.
The flames rapidly disappeared.
They were not blocked.
They were being absorbed.
"What?!"
Kaido's dragon eyes widened.
"He absorbed my Boro Breath?!"
Disbelief filled his voice.
"How is that possible?!"
The faces of Queen and the others turned ugly.
They had expected Ryūjin to defend against the attack somehow.
But absorbing it completely?
That was absurd.
Not even a trace of effort appeared on Ryūjin's face.
"If fire doesn't work..."
Kaido's enormous body twisted through the sky.
"Then try this!"
He opened his mouth once more.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless razor-sharp wind blades erupted outward.
The attack shredded the atmosphere itself.
Everything in its path seemed destined to be cut apart.
This was Kaido's Demolition Gust.
However, despite appearing as a hurricane, it was still an energy-based attack.
And energy attacks were meaningless before the Preta Path.
The storm struck the invisible barrier.
Then vanished.
Absorbed completely.
Not a single blade reached Ryūjin.
"Even Demolition Gust was absorbed..."
Kaido's expression became increasingly ugly.
He felt powerless.
His attacks were accomplishing absolutely nothing.
"Then let's see if you can absorb this!"
"ROAR!"
The Azure Dragon lunged forward.
His enormous jaws opened wide as he attempted to devour Ryūjin whole.
At that moment, Ryūjin's eyes changed.
The Tenseigan appeared.
Golden light gathered in his hand.
A radiant sword instantly formed.
Without any unnecessary movement, Ryūjin casually swung it forward.
Ssh!
A brilliant beam of light cut across the sky.
The battlefield fell silent.
Then came Kaido's agonized roar.
"AAAAARGH!"
The gigantic Azure Dragon shook violently.
Blood exploded into the air.
A massive wound stretching dozens of meters appeared across his body.
The slash carved from his abdomen all the way toward his back.
Dragon scales shattered.
Blood poured down like rain.
The enormous dragon was blasted backward.
Moments later, he crashed heavily into the ocean.
Boom!
Towering waves erupted into the sky.
Everyone froze.
No one could believe what they had just witnessed.
Kaido had been injured.
Seriously injured.
Not scratched.
Not wounded.
Seriously injured.
For years, the world had regarded Kaido as an invincible monster.
Only Kozuki Oden had ever managed to leave lasting scars on him.
Even then, Oden had struck areas not fully protected by dragon scales.
Yet Ryūjin's attack had torn straight through Kaido's defenses.
It had shattered scales and sliced through flesh from front to back.
What kind of monster could accomplish such a thing?
"Kaido-sama!"
"Kaido-sama!"
Anxious cries erupted across the Beasts Pirates.
Many of them could hardly breathe.
Splash!
The ocean exploded once again.
Kaido emerged from the sea.
Although still in dragon form, shock filled his eyes.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin..."
His voice carried unprecedented seriousness.
"You possess terrifying power."
Ryūjin looked at him calmly.
A hint of approval appeared on his face.
"You survived."
"Beast Kaido truly deserves his reputation as the World's Strongest Creature."
The compliment was genuine.
Ryūjin understood exactly how powerful his previous attack had been.
Even many top-tier pirates would have been cut apart instantly.
Yet Kaido remained alive.
His durability was truly monstrous.
Unfortunately, Kaido did not appreciate the praise.
His face darkened.
"Are you mocking me?"
Being praised by the man who had nearly cut him in half felt like humiliation.
Anger surged within him.
"Dragon Twister Demolition Breath!"
Purple lightning erupted from Kaido's mouth.
At the same time, his gigantic dragon body spun violently through the sky.
Hurricanes and lightning merged together.
The resulting storm possessed enough power to devastate everything in its path.
After releasing the attack, Kaido's breathing became noticeably heavier.
This strike consumed nearly all of his remaining strength.
Against someone like Ryūjin, holding back was pointless.
He had poured everything into a single attack.
"Now that's more like it."
Ryūjin nodded casually.
His tone sounded as though he were evaluating a junior's performance.
Several Tenseigan Truth Seeking Orbs floated around him.
Then they began to rotate.
A dark hurricane erupted.
"Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion."
The moment it appeared, Kaido's storm was completely overshadowed.
The difference between the two was overwhelming.
Like fragile glass colliding with a mountain, Kaido's attack shattered instantly.
The black hurricane continued forward without slowing.
It crushed the Dragon Twister Demolition Breath.
Then it slammed directly into Kaido.
Boom!
The Azure Dragon's body convulsed violently.
His chest visibly caved inward.
Bones shattered.
Organs ruptured.
Blood erupted from his mouth.
"PUAH!"
The enormous dragon was sent flying hundreds of meters away before crashing heavily into the sea.
"Kaido-sama!"
Panic erupted throughout the Beasts Pirates.
Everyone understood how severe that injury was.
Their hearts sank.
Queen immediately rushed forward.
Using his tremendous physical strength, he rapidly crossed the ocean surface.
Moments later, he reached the impact site.
Diving into the water, he grabbed a body and pulled it out.
It was Kaido.
He had already reverted to human form.
His injuries were too severe to maintain his dragon transformation.
Queen quickly carried him back to the ship.
The surrounding crew gathered around.
Then everyone inhaled sharply.
Kaido's chest had practically been crushed.
The sight sent chills down their spines.
His breathing was weak.
His eyes were unfocused.
Consciousness was slipping away.
"So..."
"This is what death feels like..."
Kaido murmured softly.
His voice was barely audible.
Moments later, his head tilted to one side.
His breathing stopped.
His heartbeat ceased.
The sea fell silent.
The legendary Emperor of the Sea, Beast Kaido, had reached the end of his life.
No cheers.
No celebration.
Only silence.
The members of the Beasts Pirates stood frozen.
Their mouths hung open.
Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
They stared blankly at the lifeless figure lying before them.
The man known as the World's Strongest Creature.
The monster who seemed impossible to kill.
The Emperor who had dominated the seas for decades.
Had died.
===
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