Even when faced with someone overwhelmingly powerful, she still refused to back down.
Yamato displayed the true spirit of a stubborn iron-headed child.
Even when the person in front of her was her real father, one of the sea emperors ruling the New World—Kaido of the Beasts, the so-called Strongest Creature.
"He's not a bad guy at all! Black Emperor-sama is the great man I want to become in the future—he's also my father!!!"
Yamato gripped her little spiked club, her adorable face filled with determination.
Kaido's expression darkened. Veins bulged violently across his forehead, and he was nearly grinding his teeth to pieces. Yet, he still forced out a grin.
"Olololololo... Yamato, you brat, have you gone senile? I'm your father, damn it!"
"That's true... but Orin-sama is too..."
"Shut up!!!"
Kaido roared, unable to accept it. A massive hand reached out directly toward Yamato's figure.
But in the very next moment—
With a slight flick of his finger, Yamato's figure appeared in Orin's embrace. He gently patted the little girl's head.
"That's no way to treat your daughter, Kaido."
Orin wore a gentle expression. Those who hadn't fought him might truly believe he was a refined and tender gentleman.
His handsome appearance was quite misleading.
Meanwhile, the mother and her two children looked on in bewilderment at the scene unfolding before them.
Yamato—Kaido's daughter—was sitting on Orin's shoulder?
What in the world was going on...
"I don't need you to butt in when I'm disciplining my kid, Orin!!!"
Hearing Orin's teasing tone, and seeing Yamato smile happily as if she'd been captured, enjoying the headpats—Kaido's grip on his spiked club tightened with a loud crack.
He glared murderously at the "blondie" in front of him, the features of his dragon form beginning to manifest as his furious aura surged higher and higher.
"You bastard!!!"
Kaido lashed out in fury, swinging his club in a fierce strike infused with intense Haki. The air around it cracked with a terrifying sonic boom.
"Boom—!!!"
Orin met the strike with a reverse-handed slash—just like how Shanks casually defended against a cowardly escapee. Kaido, in partial dragon form, swung his mighty Thunder Bagua with immense force, but it was firmly blocked.
Even so, the sheer shockwave from their clash was enough to shatter the surroundings. With just one exchange, the entire building trembled like it had been hit by a blast wave and began to collapse.
Wooden debris flew in all directions. Kozuki Toki shielded her two children and was knocked flying by the impact, despite being protected by surrounding samurai.
"Kaido-sama!!!"
Watching the sudden explosion of violence, King stood below, staring at the shattered building and the two clashing figures.
Behind his black mask, his pupils shrank in disbelief.
How...?
How could this guy be here?!
"Full alert!!!"
His eyes bloodshot, he roared to his subordinates,
"A monstrous big shot has shown up!!!"
Kaido wasn't holding back—especially not in this rage-filled state. Orin, holding Yamato in one arm and wielding Ace in the other, blocked Kaido's attack with brute strength alone.
Crack, crack, crack...
Their Haki clashed violently, creating a field no ordinary soldier could approach. But Yamato...
Perhaps because it was her first time directly facing a Conqueror's Haki clash, or maybe due to being inspired by their overwhelming presence, a faint trace of her own Conqueror's Haki stirred and joined the fray as a third force.
It was weak—very weak—but it was there.
Still, this battle was far too intense for someone like Yamato.
"All reunions are brief..."
"Forgive me, Yamato. We'll play together again some other time."
While holding off Kaido's attacks, Orin turned to Yamato with a seemingly helpless smile.
For some reason—
Seeing that smile made the little girl panic. She grabbed Orin's coat.
"Huh? Why? Father, what are you going to do?"
But Orin didn't answer.
With a mere thought, Yamato vanished from his arms and reappeared in King's.
"Yamato?"
King froze. He had just been about to join the fight, but the sudden appearance of the little one in his arms halted his movements.
"Father!!! No!!!"
Yamato struggled desperately. Tears poured from her eyes like a broken dam, her adorable face breaking hearts.
So Orin chose not to look.
Once he confirmed that King was holding Yamato tightly, preventing her from running off, Orin was finally free to go all out.
Kaido, too. He didn't want his full-powered Conqueror's Haki to accidentally kill his precious son-daughter on the spot.
"Olololololo... Orin, you ready to die, huh?!"
Orin unleashed his full aura. His blade radiated a world-shaking Conqueror's Haki as he smiled slightly.
"Don't die too easily, Kaido—that'd be boring."
Then, the two figures—one massive dragon-man, the other a slender yet dominating warrior—faced off.
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
"Divine Departure!!!"
Black and red lightning burst into the sky. No one could get close to this battlefield.
With just one clash, Kaido already sensed something was wrong.
Over the past two years—
This damn Orin had grown even stronger in his Conqueror's Haki... and by a significant margin, too.
The pressure was immense. This was more taxing than his life-or-death fight with Kozuki Oden.
Of course—
Kaido, who had withstood the tag-team attacks of Luffy and others, wasn't about to be taken down in just a few moves.
At least on the surface, the battlefield looked like a total mess, but Kaido didn't seem in danger of being defeated just yet.
Except... he was constantly being pushed back.
"Warp Kick~"
After dodging Kaido's blow with a swift slash, Orin's form vanished in an instant. During the brief moment while Kaido was stabilizing himself, Orin reappeared directly in front of him.
This was just a preliminary development of his Devil Fruit's awakened power.
With one hand in his pocket, his leg wrapped in red flames and lightning, he struck Kaido's muscular torso.
The moment it connected—
Boom!
Kaido, caught completely off guard, was sent flying by the tremendous force of the kick.
His enormous frame crashed into the forest. Only by slamming his spiked club into the ground could he slow the momentum.
"What an annoying ability..."
Kaido wiped the blood from his mouth. He still looked vigorous—clearly, that attack hadn't seriously injured him.
A few years ago, he could brawl with Orin for a long time. Now, he still could.
There was a gap between them, but not an insurmountable one—not a one-sided crush.
Back when he and Big Mom teamed up, they'd been able to push Orin back. Now, even alone, he wouldn't go down easily.
They could fight for days and nights.
Roaring, Kaido blasted away the trees in front of him into dust. The minor wounds on his body visibly began to heal at an incredible pace.
Orin wasn't surprised by the sight.
His attention was now elsewhere—on the group of samurai and the mother with her children surrounded by soldiers.
No time to mess with you, Kaido.
If this fight keeps going—
Momonosuke will escape.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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