Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the gladiatorial arena—no, it could no longer be called an arena.
Terrifying Conqueror's Haki wildly erupted. Each clash between Renji and Kaido contained enough power to destroy a tall building.
At this moment, under the aftershocks of Renji and Kaido's battle, this massive gladiatorial arena, built from the island's hardest rock, was already beyond recognition.
The surrounding spectator stands and walls had been blasted full of holes, with only a few scattered, low walls humbly cowering in the corners.
Without the obstruction of the walls, howling winds surged from all directions.
"Governor Kaido! Even Horai Hakke had no effect. Why does Renji still look so relaxed when blocking Governor Kaido's attacks?"
King crouched behind a low wall, flames igniting on his back, boosting his defense to the maximum. Yet, despite this, he still felt a strong sense of threat from the whistling gales around him.
"If they keep fighting like this, the list for the final match will probably already be decided, right?"
Cold sweat broke out on King's forehead. He scanned his surroundings. At this point, the number of guys he could see who still had vital signs was extremely few.
Aside from some famous pirates, like Crocodile and his group, the other lucky ones were either knocked out by Conqueror's Haki, or had long since been crushed into meat paste by the gales and flying rocks.
—
"The Marine guy, was he the only one from beginning to end?"
Crocodile's expression solidified. He had already moved into a crater, watching this world-shaking battle.
"I haven't even seen a shadow of a World government agent. Did he have the confidence from the start to take us all down by himself?"
"Or are the Marine and World government guys outside waiting to reap the benefits?" Crocodile's eyes flickered.
Regardless, from the current situation, even Kaido going all out was no match for Renji.
In mid-air, after another thunderous explosion, Renji flew into the sky, his azure divine pupils shimmering with light.
"Is this all the strength you have? You disappoint me greatly, Kaido."
"Hoo... Hoo..."
Kaido landed back on the ground, holding Hassaikai to support himself, panting heavily.
In contrast, Renji in the sky looked completely at ease, as if under no pressure at all.
Seeing this, Kaido couldn't help but wonder, "You brat, are you just putting on a brave front, or do you really have such strength?"
Boom!
Violent Haki cracked the ground, sending countless massive rock fragments flying.
His scales glowed dark, and Kaido entered his Human-Beast form.
"I refuse to believe that anyone can remain so calm and composed in front of me."
With an angry roar, Kaido's eyes widened. All his strength and Haki condensed into a single point on Hassaikai, then he violently swung out a pillar-shaped Haki blast towards Renji in the sky.
The pillar-shaped Haki blast, imbued with Kaido's powerful Haki, echoed with distant thunder wherever it passed, emanating a terrifying aura of destruction.
Kongō Kabura!
"What I want to see isn't such a boring move."
To others, Kongō Kabura seemed extremely dangerous, but Renji merely shook his head, casually unleashing a slash with a raise of his hand.
Buzz!
With Lv. 9 swordsmanship, even a casual strike from Renji, already surpassed the full power of a top-tier Grand Swordsman.
Clang!
Kongō Kabura collided with Renji's slash.
A sharp explosion erupted in the air, and the entire world was once again enveloped in dazzling light.
Then the fierce winds dissipated, and Renji remained spotless. His figure stood proudly in mid-air, his white cloak of Justice fluttering in the wind.
"..."
Finally, Kaido was speechless. The violent Haki around him began to continuously retract inward, and an unprecedented expression appeared in his tiger-like eyes.
"This is it! Is Governor Kaido about to unleash that move?!"
King's pupils contracted violently. He was arguably the person in the world who understood Kaido's strength the most.
The posture Kaido was adopting now was a clear prelude to him unleashing his full power.
—
"Is he going to surrender? No!"
Crocodile, observing from the side, also keenly sensed that something was wrong. Although the scale of Kaido's Haki had greatly diminished, his Observation Haki allowed him to observe that the dangerous aura emanating from Kaido had not decreased. Instead, it was becoming even more breathtaking.
If the previous Kaido was like an extremely destructive tornado, where anyone who touched him died, then the current Kaido was more like a highly condensed, ticking time bomb, ready to unleash its most terrifying ferocity at any moment.
At a certain moment, the howling winds on the field suddenly stilled, and Kaido abruptly opened his eyes.
As his burly figure swelled and transformed, a gigantic azure dragon slowly appeared before the eyes of the world.
Renji's eyes sparkled with brilliance. Under the observation of his Lv. 8 Heavenly Six Eyes, he could clearly perceive that within the azure dragon Kaido had transformed into, there was an endless scorching heat rising.
An aura of extreme danger gradually permeated the battlefield.
Renji's lips curved into a smile.
Finally, it's here. If he didn't unleash a big move soon, he wouldn't even bother testing his current strength. He'd just give Kaido a World-cutting slash to finish him off.
In an instant, an intense scorching aura erupted from Kaido, who had transformed into a dragon, fierce and violent like a volcanic eruption.
The originally dark-green body of the azure dragon began to change. Streaks of red light emerged from the gaps in its scales, like burning flames.
These red lights rapidly spread across its entire body, enveloping the dragon and forming a layer of scorching membrane.
As time passed, the dragon's body was gradually covered in red light, and its form underwent a tremendous change.
Its originally dark-green scales turned fiery red, shimmering with dazzling light. Its horns, eyes, and other parts also turned fiery red, emitting a scorching aura.
In just a few seconds, this dragon had completely transformed into a terrifying fire dragon radiating crimson flames, its scorching aura seemingly capable of melting everything.
"The Devil Fruit ability has reached the awakened level. Kaido and his devil fruit are in sync, creating an exclusive fighting style."
—
King's eyes were filled with shock. "Capable of melting everything it touches, this is Governor Kaido's strongest form, Great Flame Dragon."