"You came running here to die yourself—then I'll grant your wish."
As Kaido spoke, his kanabo had already swung out.
At the same time—
Is gripped his spear, diving down from above.
Clang!
The spear and the kanabo collided—
Sparks exploded outward.
A massive shockwave erupted, sweeping everything around them.
Crack!
The ground beneath Kaido shattered instantly.
His entire body sank under the force.
Kaido blinked, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
From everything he knew—
Celestial Dragons relied on the World Government, not their own strength.
Yet Is…
Was displaying this level of raw power.
"What the hell is this guy…?"
"Having monsters as bodyguards is one thing—but he himself is this strong? That's ridiculous!"
Kaido resisted the pressure, gritting his teeth as thoughts raced through his mind.
The more he thought about it—
The more abnormal Is seemed.
Normally, within Mary Geoise, bodyguards wouldn't constantly follow Celestial Dragons.
They had already seen several cases like that earlier.
One could be coincidence.
Two, maybe.
But three? Four?
That was no coincidence.
And yet Is—
Not only had guards—
He had three.
And every single one of them was terrifyingly strong.
At this point, Kaido would've believed it even if someone said Is was the "Celestial Dragon among Celestial Dragons."
"Haa!"
Is increased his strength.
Kaido sank even deeper.
But Kaido wasn't one to be overwhelmed so easily.
As Is pushed harder—
He pushed back.
His expression twisted, veins bulging along his arms—
Slowly, his bent arm began to rise again.
The surrounding shockwaves grew even more violent.
"Is… if I'm not mistaken, you're not an ordinary Celestial Dragon, are you?"
"Or rather… you're one of their core figures."
Kaido suddenly spoke while clashing with him.
Is paused slightly—
Then smiled faintly.
"You're overestimating me, Kaido."
"I'm just an ordinary Celestial Dragon… just like the one you brought earlier."
"Heh…"
Kaido grinned, immediately refuting him.
"You think I'm an idiot? You think I can't see it?"
"The privileges you enjoy are clearly far beyond those of normal Celestial Dragons."
"You mean them?" Is asked calmly.
"Obviously!"
"Oh. They follow me around simply because I'm afraid of dying," Is replied seriously.
"…!"
For some reason—
Even though Is's words weren't particularly offensive—
Kaido exploded.
He forcibly disengaged from the clash—
Then launched a fierce counterattack.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Meanwhile—
On another battlefield—
Madara and Acnologia were complete opposites in approach.
To avoid destroying the castle further—
Madara had deliberately lured Charlotte Linlin away to another area.
The battle intensified—
And Madara grew more excited with each exchange.
As for Linlin—
She was stunned.
She had originally thought she could deal with Madara easily.
Reality, however—
Had slapped her hard.
Several times, her carelessness nearly cost her a few clean hits.
And beyond that—
Madara's techniques were completely unfamiliar, catching her off guard repeatedly.
BOOM!
A Fire Release technique detonated ahead, triggering a massive explosion.
The already dark night grew even darker under the thick smoke.
"Hahahaha!"
"I get it now!"
"No wonder Kaido lost to someone like you—it makes perfect sense!"
"You've truly opened my eyes!"
Linlin laughed loudly.
Madara didn't respond.
He simply continued attacking.
At this point—
Linlin had already realized—
She couldn't kill him.
So now—
She was waiting.
Waiting for Kaido to finish his side—
So they could retreat from Mary Geoise.
At the same time—
What Kaido, Linlin, Golden Lion, and the others didn't know—
Was that Sengoku and Kong, along with a large Marine force—
Had already arrived at Mary Geoise.
"Buru Buru… Buru Buru…"
While rushing forward—
The Den Den Mushi at Kong's side rang.
"This is Kong. Speak."
He answered while continuing to move.
"Vice Admiral Kong, the Fleet Admiral orders you to proceed immediately to Mary Geoise to provide support and protect the Celestial Dragons."
"I've already arrived and am heading to the scene now."
"Inform the Fleet Admiral—he can rest assured. I'll give him a proper result."
Without waiting for a reply—
Kong hung up and focused entirely on advancing.
Moments later—
At a distant vantage point—
Five elders stood by a window, watching the faint glow of fire in the distance.
"Admiral Kong has arrived," the sword-bearing elder spoke first.
"This farce should be coming to an end."
"How's the situation at Marine Headquarters?" the long white-haired elder asked.
The bald elder, standing near the Den Den Mushi, replied:
"The battle is still ongoing. Both sides have suffered heavy losses."
"It'll take time before a winner emerges."
"Let it play out," another elder said calmly.
"Let's hope the Marines can give us a satisfactory answer this time."
"…There's one more thing."
The bald elder spoke again.
The other four turned to look at him.
"Is… has returned."
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/c/GojoSP