Violet gazed up through the dissipating clouds of smoke and debris, her keen observation haki allowing her to see what others could not. She soon discovered Luffy's figure suspended high above. He was floating effortlessly in the air, a transparent magnetic field surrounding him like a protective bubble, completely unaffected by the smoke and dust that obscured the battlefield below.
His posture was unusual—head bowed, arms extended as though grasping something invisible. His lips moved slightly, muttering words she couldn't hear from this distance. There was something different about him now, an aura of controlled power unlike anything she'd witnessed before.
Following his line of sight, Violet looked down and immediately discovered what had captured his attention.
Below, on what remained of the island after the massive explosion, stood Kaido in his human form. The Emperor was perched atop a cloud of flames, struggling desperately against an invisible force that controlled his own weapon. His legendary kanabo, the Eight Trigrams Mace, swung wildly through the air as though wielded by an unseen hand.
Truly worthy of the title "World's Strongest Creature," Violet thought. Even after weathering such a devastating explosion, Kaido remained standing, his massive frame still radiating terrifying power. Yet despite his legendary endurance, even Kaido showed signs of serious injury.
One of the two massive dragon horns that crowned his head had been completely shattered, leaving only a jagged stump. His ornate clothes hung in tatters, revealing skin covered in burns and cracks from the explosion's intense heat. With each movement, fresh blood trickled from his mouth and nostrils, staining his wild blue beard.
Luffy's newfound mastery of his Devil Fruit allowed him to manipulate the battlefield in ways that defied imagination. Within the range of his magnetic field, he could control objects with the same precision as his own limbs—including Kaido's treasured weapon.
"Heh, what's wrong, Kaido?" Luffy called down, his voice carrying a confidence that would have been unthinkable when he first challenged the Emperor. "Did the explosion I caused destroy your brain? It's really embarrassing that your proud arrogance has no effect anymore."
As he spoke, Luffy continued manipulating his hands in subtle, precise movements. Each gesture corresponded with the motion of the kanabo below, as though the massive iron club were an extension of his own body. Though separated by hundreds of meters, Luffy somehow imbued the weapon with the black sheen of advanced Armament Haki.
This was something unprecedented—the ability to project Haki at such distance, attaching it not just to the kanabo, but to stones, sand, seawater, and even the air itself.
With the combined might of Armament and Conqueror's Haki infused into the mace, Luffy directed it in a relentless pursuit of its owner. Each swing carried devastating force, giving Kaido no opportunity to counterattack.
The Beast Emperor could only desperately parry the blows while commanding his flame clouds to lift him higher, attempting to create distance between himself and his tormentor.
"Hmm? You don't want to run away, do you?" Luffy's voice carried a playful, almost sing-song quality that belied the deadly serious nature of their battle.
Seeing his intentions exposed, Kaido abandoned all pretense. He spun around and leapt away, bounding rapidly in the direction he had come from. With each powerful step, flame clouds materialized beneath his feet, providing platforms to push off from.
Relying on his immense physical strength, after dozens of consecutive leaps, he managed to create considerable distance between himself and Luffy.
But against an opponent who had mastered lightning itself, what good was mere distance?
In a blinding flash of blue-white electricity, Luffy transformed into pure lightning and reappeared directly in Kaido's path, his arms crossed and a knowing smirk on his face.
Seeing this, Kaido decisively changed direction, attempting to retreat in another direction.
But no matter which way he turned, Luffy would materialize before him, blocking every possible escape route. The Yonko's frustration grew with each thwarted attempt.
"Save your energy," Luffy said after intercepting Kaido yet again. "There are only a few Devil Fruits in this world that can outpace me—Uncle Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit, maybe some rare space-type Paramecia... but it's impossible for anyone else to escape from me."
The words sent a chill through Kaido's battle-hardened heart. Throughout his long, violent life, he had learned to be pragmatic. When victory was impossible, he wouldn't stubbornly fight to the death but would instead make a tactical retreat. And when escape proved impossible, he would strike back with everything he had to create that one slim chance of survival.
In a flash of blue light, Kaido completed his transformation into his hybrid Dragon-Human form. He'd realized that his full Azure Dragon form, while impressive, was simply too large and unwieldy against an opponent of Luffy's speed and precision—nothing more than an oversized target.
Even this counterattack was ultimately aimed at creating an opportunity to escape. Facing Luffy, he opened his massive jaws and unleashed hundreds of wind blades in a technique reminiscent of his "Boro Breath" but refined into countless cutting projectiles.
Then, without waiting to see if his attack connected, he pivoted and bounded away again, occasionally turning to fire more wind blades to keep Luffy at bay.
But against absolute speed, such tactics were meaningless.
"Magnetically Enhanced!" Luffy shouted, activating another aspect of his awakened powers.
In that moment, the world around Luffy seemed to slow dramatically. Under the enhancement of his magnetic field, his strength, endurance, and reaction speed were instantly multiplied several times over.
Facing the oncoming barrage of wind blades, he became like a character from a story a silver-quick hero who could move between moments of time. Everything around him slowed to a crawl, and among the countless deadly wind blades, he could clearly perceive a safe path forward.
In less than a heartbeat, Luffy transformed into a lightning bolt and weaved effortlessly between the wind blades. His movements were so precise, so perfectly calculated, that not a single blade touched him as he slipped through their midst.
Breaking through the deadly barrage, he shot directly toward Kaido, who was still in the middle of turning his head—the movement appearing glacially slow from Luffy's perspective.
"Speed is power, Kaido," Luffy's voice came as a teasing whisper next to the Emperor's ear. "Have you ever been kicked by lightning?"
Kaido's pupils contracted in shock and fear. He hadn't even registered Luffy's disappearance from his field of vision before the young captain had closed the distance between them.
Before he could turn to face this new threat, an enormous force slammed into the right side of his waist and abdomen. The impact was unlike anything he had experienced before—even his legendary durability couldn't withstand it. A spray of blood erupted from his mouth as his massive body was sent hurtling backward like a meteor.
The Emperor who had survived a fall from a Sky Island, who had endured execution attempts by blade, fire, and cannon, who had challenged the Marines and his fellow Emperors countless times without fear, now found himself helpless against the raw speed and power of the man who would become the Pirate King.
As Kaido's body disappeared into the distance, Luffy remained hovering in place, lightning still crackling around his form. His face showed no celebration, only grim determination. This fight was far from over—Kaido had survived worse.
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