Bege was panting heavily. He landed on a piece of broken ground, his face extremely pale. His mental energy was severely depleted. A gentle, white light appeared on his body as Mansherry began to heal his internal injuries.
A piercing sound tore through the air. A black pteranodon shot from off the coast, diving down. It was carrying two people in each of its talons. It landed next to the massive chasm where Kaido had fallen, transformed back into its human form, and gripped the hilt of its sword, staring warily at Bege.
"Get down there and save the old man!" King the Wildfire ordered sharply.
Four members of the Beasts Pirates, with thick ropes tied around them, skillfully and quickly hammered iron stakes into the ground and secured the ropes. They put on breathing apparatuses and then dove into the sea.
They were not Devil Fruit users and were extremely proficient swimmers, specializing in rescuing Devil Fruit users who had fallen into the sea.
Then, two bolts of lightning flashed in the sky and landed next to Bege. Enel and Wiper stood on either side of him, also staring warily at King.
A fierce wind howled, and Modi arrived, landing next to Bege.
Then, Jack the Drought came running and leaping from the distance, covering a hundred meters with each jump. He was also carrying two people. He quickly jumped to King's side and put the two men down.
They also quickly took the ropes from their bodies, tied them to the iron stakes, and dove into the sea.
"Big Brother, Capone Bege is definitely seriously injured right now and doesn't have much fighting strength left. How about we take this opportunity to finish him off?" Jack whispered to King, a strong killing intent in his eyes.
"No," King said in a low voice. "The most important thing right now is to get the old man back. Besides, do you think the people with him are just for show?"
Next to Bege, Modi also whispered, "Bege, this is the perfect opportunity to get rid of Kaido once and for all. We can hold off King the Wildfire and Jack the Drought. If Kaido can't be saved, he'll definitely drown."
Bege's face was impassive. Knocking Kaido to the seafloor was indeed the perfect opportunity to finish him off. But he wasn't sure if he could really kill him.
He thought back to the original story, to the scene where Jack the Drought was defeated by Zunesha with a single swing of its trunk and fell to the bottom of the sea. If Jack could survive at the bottom of the sea, then Kaido definitely could.
If Kaido survived, he and the Beasts Pirates would become mortal enemies. Being targeted by a crew of madmen... Bege's future would be anything but peaceful.
Unless he could dive into the sea himself and finish Kaido off.
Going into the sea was not impossible. As long as he hardened the space around himself, he could block out the water.
However, the effect of the healing dandelion was fading. He probably only had about ten seconds left. Once the time was up, his injuries would return, and he would have no fighting strength left.
He couldn't ask Mansherry to sacrifice more of her lifespan to use the ultimate healing dandelion on him again.
After weighing the pros and cons, Bege shook his head.
"No. Right now, I'm not one hundred percent sure I can finish Kaido off."
As soon as he said that, the effect of the healing dandelion dissipated. His old and new injuries all flared up at once, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, nearly collapsing. Modi quickly supported him.
Bege sat on the ground, and the gentle light around his body grew brighter as he healed.
The crews of both sides stared at each other, their eyes filled with vigilance. But they all exercised restraint, simply watching each other.
About half an hour later, the members of the Beasts Pirates who had gone into the sea climbed back up the ropes. They gave King and Jack a thumbs-up. "The ropes are tied to the captain. We can pull him up now."
King and Jack immediately grabbed the ropes and began to pull. A short while later, Kaido was pulled up from the bottom of the sea. His eyes were still open; he wasn't dead. They were filled with a blazing fury, and the moment he was out of the water, he let out an enraged roar.
"Brat! You dare to cheat!"
King and Jack quickly pulled the Sea-Prism Stone spears from his back. Kaido slowly began to regain his strength. He climbed to his feet and glared at Bege.
"Brat, you're looking to die."
Bege also stood up, gripping his swords. "Kaido," he said with a cold smile, "our fight was a life-and-death battle. I didn't have anyone else attack you. Those Sea-Prism Stone spears and rockets were all stored in my body-castle and fired using my ability. You could say they're a part of my ability."
Bege was twisting the truth. He couldn't possibly tell Kaido that he had had Mansherry and Brook secretly healing his body and soul.
Kaido's face grew even uglier.
"Let's fight again! I don't believe you can knock me into the sea a second time!" Kaido was extremely indignant and unwilling to accept defeat.
"I knocked you to the seafloor once, and I can do it again next time. I might even be able to kill you," Bege said, a sharp glint in his eyes.
Kaido's eyes widened, and a violent killing intent shot from him. Bege simultaneously unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, but in his injured state, he was no match for Kaido in terms of either strength or presence and was immediately suppressed.
Modi instantly unleashed his powerful sword aura, while lightning crackled around Enel and Wiper, filling the air and joining together to block Kaido's killing intent.
"Kaido, you've already lost. Are you going to go back on your word?" Bege's face was filled with a murderous aura, his eyes radiating a savage ferocity. "We followed the rules of our duel and didn't bring the rest of the Fire Tank Pirates. You've already been defeated. You've lost. If you don't want to admit your defeat, then I guess I was wrong about you. If you want to fight, then let's fight. But you definitely won't be able to keep us here. The Fire Tank Pirates are not afraid of the Beasts Pirates."
Kaido's expression shifted, his face twisting with rage. The demonic killing intent around him erupted again and again. The broken ground around him trembled and collapsed, and the seawater was pressed down by his aura.
He stared at Bege with a vicious look. "I admit that you won this time by a fluke," he said in a low voice. "I promise I won't go to the sky island. But you'd better not get into any conflicts with the Beasts Pirates. Otherwise, I will definitely kill my way through your entire territory."
Bege glared back at Kaido without backing down. "You'd better restrain your crew as well and not get into any conflicts with us. If I can beat you once, I can beat you a second time. In a real life-and-death battle, I'll use an even more powerful secret weapon. I guarantee you'll lose even more miserably."
Bege's arrogant words made Kaido's face twitch with rage. He clenched his fists so tightly that if he weren't holding back with the last shred of his reason, he might have really lost control and attacked.
"Kaido, remember your promise. We're leaving," Bege said in a low voice. He then turned and left the shattered island with Modi and the others, boarding the Sky God and quickly departing.
Standing at the stern, Bege heard a terrifying roar from the broken island. Chunks of the shattered earth were being pulverized by one punch after another, causing the island to sink even faster.
"What a terrifying guy," Bege said, his expression extremely grave. He had noticed the gash he had torn in Kaido's back earlier; it had already healed significantly. And he had been submerged for a full half an hour, but after being pulled up, his presence was still overwhelming and terrifying.
It was safe to say that Kaido still possessed a great deal of fighting strength. If he had really lost control just now, Bege broke out in a cold sweat just thinking about it. Fortunately, Kaido still had some reason left.
In any case, the duel had achieved the result Bege had wanted.
Whether Kaido would keep his promise or not, the strength and tactics Bege had displayed in this battle would make him somewhat wary. At least for a short time, Kaido wouldn't be going to the sky island to cause trouble for him.
And in the future, the Fire Tank Pirates would inevitably have friction with the Beasts Pirates, and a battle with Kaido would be unavoidable. This fight had provided valuable experience for dealing with him in the future.