Thick mist rose over the coast, cloaking the entire harbor.
A black shadow burst through the white fog, soaring into the clouds. Kaido cast a glance at King rising into the air, then turned his eyes toward the ground.
Moments later, the haze slowly dispersed, revealing the harbor below. A massive transparent dome of ice shielded the port, protecting the buildings and civilians within. On the distant streets, people had collapsed in terror, their faces lifted toward the sky in horror.
The civilians who had already fallen into despair now saw the ice dome guarding them and wept with joy. Tears streamed down their faces at this feeling of surviving the impossible, one they never wished to endure again.
At the shoreline, Kuzan stood in his white suit with both hands raised. The vast protective ice dome was his creation.
…
"Hahahahaha!"
Suspended in the air, the azure dragon's eyes widened at the scene below. After a moment of silence, thunderous laughter erupted from his throat.
"King! Let me handle this!"
The massive dragon shrank rapidly, becoming a towering man gripping a kanabo. With a roar, Kaido plunged from the sky.
A piercing whistle cut through the air. Lightning crackled densely across his weapon, the sound of thunder rolling for miles. Even within the ice dome, Kuzan heard it clearly.
"Kaido…"
"A Conqueror's Haki user… this will be even harder to deal with."
Kuzan's face remained calm as he lifted his long blade. His eyes fixed on Kaido crashing down upon the dome's curved surface, kanabo swinging.
Raimei Hakke!
The lightning-wreathed club smashed against the ice dome. The barrier that had withstood even the terrible heat of Kaido's flame was like an eggshell against a stone. With a dull boom, the meters-thick shield shattered, Kaido's fall slowing only slightly before he continued downward.
Then, a faint tearing sound whistled at Kaido's ear. He turned his head just in time to see Kuzan suddenly appear at his side, blade slashing for his waist.
"Heh!" Kaido grinned. His body shifted in a strange transformation.
Azure scales spread rapidly across his flesh, a long dragon's tail sprouting behind him, horns jutting from his head.
Kuzan's blade slashed for his side, but Kaido did not dodge. The newly formed tail, infused with overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, swept toward Kuzan.
In his youth, Kaido was no giant, but his height had already reached a monstrous seven meters. His frame was massive and muscular, his physical power overwhelming, his mastery of the three colors of Haki among the strongest.
Kuzan, though a Logia user, lacked Conqueror's Haki. His Armament Haki was formidable, but against Kaido's will, it was clearly weaker.
Kaido had fought Kuzan before. Back then, Kuzan's Devil Fruit let him stall at best, often forced to protect his subordinates. Against Kaido's ferocity, the ICE Branch had been devastated.
Through that battle, Kaido judged Kuzan's strength beneath his own. The Marine's blade might pierce skin, but could not cripple him. His own strikes, however, could crush Kuzan outright. Kaido's confidence in his strength was absolute.
The dragon's tail whistled past. Kuzan's brow furrowed, his body dissolving into mist, blade dropping uselessly toward the ground.
Kaido smirked.
A moment later, the tail lashed through empty air, scattering frost. The mist condensed again, Kuzan reforming, balancing on the falling blade's hilt. He snatched Kogarashi into his hand and thrust straight at Kaido.
The blade struck his side.
Clang!
Instead of flesh, the sound was of steel on steel. Kuzan's eyes narrowed, pulling back quickly as he stepped into the air, fleeing the spot just as Kaido's club swept through.
Kaido landed heavily, turning as Kuzan dropped to the ground five meters away. They faced one another.
"Tch. Not bad for a Marine."
Kaido glanced at his waist. Blood trickled from a shallow cut no deeper than a couple of centimeters. His grin turned savage as he praised, and mocked, Kuzan.
The strike had broken his scales and drawn blood, but it was a scratch, no more than a scrape of grass against skin.
Kuzan's brows knit. The careful strike had yielded almost nothing.
"Marine, are you alone?"
"Your men? Have they already fled?"
Kaido leaned on his club, pretending to look around. His grin widened.
"Ah… perhaps so. After so many Marines died to the Beasts Pirates, anyone lucky enough to escape wouldn't dare fight again."
"Your subordinates have left. Why haven't you? Are you waiting here to die?"
His smile was dazzling. Kaido did not want Kuzan fighting with nothing but death in mind. Enemies with no will to win were dull. He craved those who fought with all their strength for victory.
"Waiting to die?"
"What a joke, Kaido."
"My men have not run. They are not here because they trust I will win. That is all."
Hearing this, Kaido laughed louder, hefting his club.
"Then come prove it! Hahahaha!"
Conqueror's Haki surged across the weapon. Kaido bent his knees and launched forward, swinging with earth-shattering force.
Boom!
The club smashed down. The ground split, the island itself cracking apart. Seawater surged into the fissures as the stench of salt filled the air.
Civilians fleeing inland felt the ground tremble. Looking back, they saw the harbor torn from the island, a chasm two meters wide yawning between them.
The frozen sea cracked, fractures spreading outward. Ships trapped in ice began to shift, their crews shouting with joy.
At the battlefield, smoke cleared. There was no corpse beneath Kaido's blow. He turned and saw Kuzan at his side.
"Fast little Marine," Kaido sneered. "Why won't you take my strike? Didn't you say you'd defeat me? How can you if you keep running?"
He swung his club again, but Kuzan's figure flickered, appearing before him. His hand pressed against Kaido's stomach. Frost spread across Kaido's muscles.
Yet his attack did not falter. The kanabo, infused with Conqueror's Haki, slammed down against Kogarashi.
The blade bent, smashing into Kuzan's chest. The iron club followed through, hurling Kuzan away.
The fusion of strength, Haki, and Devil Fruit overwhelmed him. By sheer physicality, Kaido outmatched the younger Kuzan.
Kuzan crashed through buildings, vanishing in dust. Kaido held his finishing stance, grinning with satisfaction.
"Ahh, that feels good."
He slung the club onto his shoulder, uncorked his gourd, and drank deep. Wiping his mouth, he strode to the shore and smashed the ice with a single strike. The frozen sea shattered, pirate ships drifting free.
Tucking the empty gourd at his waist, Kaido turned back toward town.
But from the rubble came a faint sound.
Slowly, Kuzan emerged, blade in one hand, the other pressed to his bleeding side.
"Not dead?"
"Wouldn't it be easier to stay down? Why stand again?"
Kaido tilted his head, club resting on his shoulder.
Kuzan's condition was dire. Without years of training his Haki, Kaido's last blow might have killed him outright. Even so, his ribs were likely shattered. Breathing was agony. To ease it, half his body had turned to ice, the rest still flesh. Blood trailed from his lips.
"I am a Rear Admiral of Headquarters!"
"How could I ignore the cries of civilians?"
"I can feel their fear, their prayers. I must answer them."
Kuzan raised his sword slowly, eyes calm despite his wounds.
"Boring," Kaido muttered.
He saw the look of death in Kuzan's eyes. A man fighting only with resolve, not will, was no opponent worth facing. Such men deserved only release.
Kaido lowered his club, Conqueror's Haki surging once more. Just as he prepared to strike, the sea suddenly heaved. Waves rose, tossing the pirate ships, ice breaking apart as water surged.
"What's happening?"
"Clear skies, yet such waves?"
"Something's coming!"
Pirates clung to rails, staring at the sea in shock.
Then, without warning, an invisible pressure slammed into their hearts. Many collapsed unconscious on the decks.
"C… Conqueror's Haki?"
Clutching the rail, Queen gasped at the crushing force.
The overwhelming will swept across the sea, bypassing the weak and striking directly at the shore. It landed squarely upon Kaido and King above.
Both felt the pressure and turned, gazes fixed on the distant horizon.
The sea stretched empty. Only ships floated near.
Yet they knew. This terrifying Conqueror's Haki was coming from far across the waves.
"An enemy!"
"A powerful enemy!"
Kaido gripped his club tight, his expression grave.
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