The battle's rhythm slowed for a moment, but only because of the overwhelming intensity in the air. Sparks still crackled on Kaido's charred body. Though the fight had only just begun, the overwhelming lightning already made it look like Kaido had been cooked alive.
But this battle was far from over.
Since ancient times, it was said that kings clash with kings, generals clash with generals, and soldiers clash with soldiers. The Beast Pirates understood this deeply. Kaido was their king. His strength, his brutality, and his terrifying resilience were unmatched.
Their fate in this battle didn't depend on them, but on the outcome between Kaido and Kaito, the enemy who had returned to challenge him once more.
Victory or defeat depended solely on their king.
Which was why, when they saw a blinding burst of lightning not far away accompanied by the unmistakable smell of scorched flesh, their hearts tightened. Many subconsciously believed the battle had already ended.
The lightning slowly faded.
Kaido's charred body was revealed, smoke rising from him. His Thunder Bagua had been reduced to black dust that scattered across the ground.
Hum!
White mist suddenly erupted from Kaido's body. Before their eyes, his burned flesh rapidly regenerated, muscles twisting back into place. Within seconds, Kaido returned to his normal form.
"Thunder… So you're a lightning-type Devil Fruit user!" Kaido roared.
His enormous frame shifted. His head elongated and twisted, and in a blast of scales and heat, a massive blue dragon burst upward, smashing through the ceiling of the hall before spiraling into the sky.
Kaito stomped lightly on the ground, channeling his electromagnetic force, and shot upward after Kaido, vanishing from sight in an instant.
Down below, the battle among the others intensified.
Redfield faced King and Queen, standing calmly with his red umbrella in hand.
"You should both know," Redfield said, voice light but firm, "even at full strength, Kaido is not the captain's equal. And right now? He's even weaker. Our captain intends to accept you under him. I don't want to hurt you any more than necessary."
"I will never betray Kaido-sama," King replied coldly.
His blade flashed instantly. Sword aura shot toward Redfield.
Queen was not far behind. His massive fists, hardened with Armament Haki, brought a gale of pressure as he swung them down toward Redfield's head.
Redfield simply sighed. "Why make it difficult for yourselves?"
He swept his umbrella horizontally. Sword aura burst from it, sharper and denser than King's strike. Meanwhile, his fist surged with orange-black Armament Haki as he clashed with Queen.
BOOM!
The ground caved inward. A violent shockwave tore through the hall, throwing dust and fragments of stone into a swirling storm.
At the center of it, Queen's expression twisted in pain.
Pffft!
Blood spurted from his mouth, and his large frame was sent flying backward.
"Queen!" King shouted.
Flames erupted from King's body as he transformed. A massive, flame-wreathed pteranodon burst forth, wings whipping the air. He broke the sound barrier, slashing toward Redfield with blazing claws.
Redfield turned effortlessly. His umbrella glowed orange-black, releasing a spinning wave of Emission Haki that pulsed outward.
BOOM!
The shock was volcanic. King's pteranodon body was slammed downward, crashing violently into the ground and carving a crater into the hall floor.
Meanwhile, Kaido and Kaito had vanished into the sky, heightening the tension further. Everyone's attention locked onto the clash between Redfield and the two Calamities.
To the Flying Six, the sight was unfathomable. Redfield was famous, yes, but two Calamities fighting one man should have been a guaranteed victory.
Instead, both Queen and King were being overwhelmed.
Suddenly, King burst upward again, his wings spread wide. Despite his earlier injury, his body showed no obvious wounds. Flames danced across his feathers. Queen staggered beside him, clutching his stomach.
"King, be careful," Queen warned. "This guy… he's using Emission."
"I know," King muttered, expression tight. "He struck me earlier. That wasn't normal Armament Haki."
Emission, one of the advanced forms of Armament Haki. Even King, a master of fire and steel, had only reached the middle stage. Redfield was far beyond that.
ROAR!
A massive brachiosaurus burst into view. Queen had transformed fully, revealing the immense prehistoric beast of his Ancient Zoan.
"So you're using your Devil Fruit?" Redfield said softly.
"Don't think I'm easy to deal with!" Queen bellowed.
He charged, his metallic-coated head slamming forward. Simultaneously, King descended from above, sword aura tearing through the air.
Redfield stood between both attacks, calm and unhurried. Emission Haki swirled around his body. He blocked King's sword aura above with a shimmering barrier, while with a simple motion of his umbrella, he smacked Queen on the top of his skull.
Hum!
A ripple spread through the room. Blood splattered from Queen's head.
"Impossible!" one of the Flying Six gasped.
The umbrella's tip had sunk slightly into Queen's skull.
BOOM!
Redfield pulled the umbrella free with a sound like popping a cork. White mist surged from Queen's head, and like Kaido, his skull regenerated instantly.
Meanwhile, the sword aura from the sky was effortlessly blocked by Redfield's Emission barrier.
King and Queen exchanged a troubled look.
This man was no simple warrior.
He might truly be on the same level as Kaido.
Redfield dusted off his umbrella.
"Stop wasting your energy. You're not my opponents. I haven't even used my full strength. If not for the captain ordering me to keep you alive for recruitment… the two of you would already be dead."
"We'll never betray Kaido-sama!" King roared.
Flames exploded from his wings. His body soared forward like a fiery meteor, crashing toward Redfield.
Queen charged too, his massive claws tearing the air and leaving deep gouges in space itself.
"Still refusing to understand," Redfield muttered, frowning. "You underestimate the gap between us."
He swung his umbrella toward the incoming King. Emission surged around him, forming into a giant invisible fist. It hammered down toward Queen's skull.
WHOOSH!
Sword aura sliced downward. Flames streaked across the sky. The air itself seemed to split apart.
The next instant—
The flames vanished.
King's black form plummeted from the air like a meteor, slamming into the ground with a deafening explosion. A massive slash, running from the top of his head to the bottom of his torso, split him open. White mist erupted, regenerating him slowly.
His eyes trembled with fear and disbelief.
If that slash had been just a bit sharper, he would have been cut in half.
He did not have Kaido's unnatural recovery.
BOOM!
A second figure crashed into the hall, rubble flying everywhere. A long trench carved itself into the ground.
Queen eventually staggered up from the crater, shaking dust from his body. He and King looked at each other in silence, neither able to hide their dread.
They finally understood:
This was the level of the man serving under Kaito.