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Kaido's patience had finally been worn down completely.
The last trace of mockery and amusement in those dragon eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by unrestrained killing intent.
He had already given this Straw Hat brat too many chances and had witnessed too many unexpected events…
Every single time, someone would come out to interfere. Every single time, Luffy would crawl back from the brink of death.
But this time, there would be no more accidents.
"Go to hell… for me!"
Kaido let out a low roar. The muscles of his Azure Dragon human-beast form instantly swelled. Dark red Conqueror's Haki coiled around his entire body like a solid substance.
He no longer pursued flashy techniques. He no longer tested the limits of his enemy. Instead, he lunged toward Luffy in the most violent manner possible!
Hassaikai traced a trajectory of destruction through the air. Wherever the club passed, the air itself seemed to be torn apart, emitting a teeth-grinding shriek.
This strike condensed all the killing intent Kaido had accumulated over decades of dominating the seas.
Faced with this offensive that was enough to make any powerhouse's blood run cold, Luffy… actually did not dodge.
He didn't even turn around.
He simply stood there with his back to Kaido, slightly lowering his head. The shadow of his straw hat covered his expression.
Time, at this moment, was stretched infinitely.
In Luffy's mind, scenes flashed by one after another — the desert of Alabasta, Crocodile's poison hook piercing through his chest, blood blooming across the sand…
That was the first time he had truly been on the verge of death. It was also the first time he understood that in this world, some enemies could not be defeated with nothing but hot blood.
The icy sea of Enies Lobby. Aokiji's one-hit kill. Frost condensed into a path of ice beneath his feet.
In just that instant, his body had been completely frozen. Even his thoughts seemed to have solidified.
That was an overwhelming gap. It was despair where even resistance was impossible.
The prison of Impel Down. Magellan's poison dragon corroding him. Excruciating pain burned through every nerve like fire.
He struggled in the venom, not even having the strength to stand.
Kaido and Big Mom had previously defeated him in a single exchange.
Defeated again and again. Crawling back from the brink of death again and again, yet never able to reach the true height of his enemies.
Was it humiliating?
Was it anger?
Was it unwillingness?
Of course…
But these things had never crushed Luffy.
On the contrary, they were like the fiercest wind and snow in the coldest winter, ravaging his body over and over, yet also tempering his will again and again.
Every time he fell, it made Luffy see his own weakness more clearly. Every time he rose, it made him step forward toward the front with greater determination.
All the pain, setbacks, failures, and despair fused together at this moment, then began to burn and boil!
Then, at a certain critical point, they erupted!
Kaido's Hassaikai was only three inches away from the back of Luffy's head.
The ferocious face of the dragon man already showed a triumphant, evil grin. It was over. Everything was over. This annoying brat was finally going to…
The grin froze.
BOOM!!!
It wasn't the dull sound of metal striking flesh, but the explosion of some invisible force violently colliding!
Hassaikai stopped in mid-air, as if it had crashed into an invisible wall.
Kaido's arm trembled slightly. He widened his eyes and stared in disbelief at his own kanabo…
The Conqueror's Haki wrapped around it had actually been forcefully blocked by a force of equal strength!
No — not just blocked.
Luffy slowly turned around.
His eyes had changed. It was no longer the burning yet somewhat reckless fighting spirit of a young man, but a restrained and profound quality that had settled after experience.
Dark red airflow rose from around his body. It wasn't the violent, outward-releasing Haki like Kaido's, but a more condensed and more "conscious" form of power.
"Conqueror's Haki… Coating?"
Kaido muttered to himself. For the first time, his voice carried a trace of wavering.
Luffy didn't answer.
He lightly leaped up. His body traced an arc through the air that defied gravity. His right leg whipped out like a lash…
This kick made no physical contact.
Yet it left considerable damage on Kaido's chest!
"You…"
Kaido took half a step back. His dragon pupils contracted violently.
"I already told you."
Luffy landed. His voice was terrifyingly calm. "I'm going to defeat you."
At the same time he raised his fist, the Haki throughout Luffy's body began converging toward his right arm.
It wasn't Armament Haki covering it, but Conqueror's Haki Coating…
A more exquisite, more efficient, and more terrifying method of using power.
"Gather all the power… into a single point."
Luffy closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes again, his entire aura had reached an unprecedented peak!
His attacks began to unleash power, but it was no longer the kind of strength that simply relied on his Devil Fruit ability.
Under the effect of Conqueror's Haki Coating, every punch contained destructive energy.
A punch was thrown!
This punch made no sound.
Or rather, the sound was swallowed by the fist itself.
Everyone outside the light screen only saw a dark red beam of light pierce through the battlefield. Wherever it passed, the earth shattered…
Kaido instinctively raised Hassaikai to block.
CLANG!!!
The deafening roar arrived one second late.
Kaido himself was sent flying backward by that punch!
"It's not over yet!"
Luffy chased after him like a shadow.
His attack rhythm had changed. It was no longer a chaotic, reckless assault. Instead, every punch was carefully calculated.
Left hook, right straight, uppercut…
Every strike landed precisely on Kaido's weak defensive points. Every strike carried the terrifying might of Conqueror's Haki Coating.
While Kaido was still stunned, he was actually being forced into a steady retreat!
"Impossible… Impossible!!!"
He let out an angry roar and tried to counterattack, but every swing of his club was easily dodged or blocked by Luffy.
That Straw Hat brat whom he had once mocked for "only knowing how to fight recklessly" now possessed combat skills that had reached the level of a true powerhouse!
What terrified Kaido even more was the light in Luffy's eyes.
He recalled every previous battle.
Every time Luffy declared "I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King," the flame in those eyes had made Kaido feel a trace of unease.
He had thought it was nothing more than youthful arrogance. But now he understood…
It wasn't arrogance. It was a "prophecy."
BOOM!!!
Luffy's attacks came like a raging storm. Every punch was heavier than the last. Every strike was faster than the last.
It was as if he wanted to pour all the humiliation of his previous defeats, all the pain of being crushed, and all the anger of watching his friends fall into this continuous barrage of attacks.
Finally, at the instant the last punch was thrown…
Kaido fell.
This Yonko known as the "Strongest Creature in the World," this Kaido of the Beasts who had ruled Wano Country for decades and made countless powerhouses tremble in fear!
For the first time in a frontal battle while already in his human-beast form, he was knocked to the ground by pure violence.
The entire area fell into dead silence.
Only Kaido's heavy breathing echoed through the ruins.
Luffy slowly withdrew his fist. He looked at his hand. The Conqueror's Haki Coating was slowly fading, but the afterglow of that power was still flowing through his blood.
He turned around and looked into the distance. Zoro had collapsed unconscious. Law, however, had not fainted. At this moment, he was staring at Luffy in shock…
"Trafalgar."
Law raised his head and met Luffy's gaze.
"Tell the others below…"
Luffy spoke one word at a time. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly spread across the battlefield. "No matter what happens from now on!"
He turned his head and looked at Kaido, who was struggling to stand up.
"I'm going to beat this guy."
Law was silent for a full three seconds. Then he nodded. "Understood."
He didn't ask any more questions. He didn't doubt. He didn't even express shock.
He simply used ROOM to transfer Zoro to his side. After giving Luffy one last glance, his figure flashed and disappeared from the battlefield.
Now, only two people remained.
The old-era evil dragon kneeling on the ground and the new-era sun standing tall.
Outside the light screen, the silence of God Valley was broken by a bold, hearty laugh.
"Hahahahahaha!!!"
Garp clutched his stomach, laughing so hard that tears came out.
This future Marine hero completely disregarded his image at this moment. The pride and satisfaction on his face were almost overflowing.
"Did you see that?! Did you see that?! That's my grandson!"
He pointed at Luffy's figure on the light screen. His voice echoed throughout the valley. "Conqueror's Haki Coating! How old is he?!"
The surrounding Marine officers looked at each other with complicated expressions.
Logically speaking, a pirate mastering such a powerful ability should have made them feel worried or even fearful.
But looking at Garp's smug appearance, they really couldn't bring themselves to say anything discouraging.
Moreover…
"The Straw Hat kid and his crew… are truly fighting for the people of an entire nation."
Zephyr spoke in a low voice. This Marine Admiral who never killed now also carried a trace of complexity in his tone. "Although their position is wrong, their goal… is just!"
"At least back then, the Marines wouldn't have cared about this Wano Country, even if the civilians there were living a hellish life!"
Sengoku pushed up his glasses but did not refute.
Kong wanted to say something, but in the end, it only turned into a silent sigh. The facts were the facts. They were already laid out before them…
"Mam-ma-ma-ma~ Kaido, why aren't you laughing anymore?"
Big Mom's teasing broke the silence on the other side.
She looked at the young Kaido beside her, whose face had turned iron-blue, and grinned with a playful smile. "Weren't you laughing quite happily just now? Saying things like 'the weak have no right to choose their own fate'? What about now?"
Kaido glared at her fiercely and let out a cold snort from between his teeth.
"Don't celebrate too early."
Kaido maintained his composure, but his tightly clenched fists betrayed the turmoil in his heart. "Who wins and who loses isn't decided yet."
"Oh?" Big Mom raised an eyebrow.
"Even if I lose…"
Kaido paused. His gaze returned to the "himself" lying on the ground in the light screen. His voice lowered. "Then there's nothing more to say."
These words left the surrounding pirates stunned.
That Kaido who had always believed that "power is everything" and trampled fate beneath his feet was actually saying something like this?
But thinking about it carefully, it seemed understandable.
If his future self was truly defeated by Straw Hat Luffy in a frontal battle, then it could only mean one thing…
That straw-hat-wearing boy possessed potential that transcended the era and held the power to break the old order.
If he won, he, Kaido, would still be the undefeated Emperor of the Sea.
If he lost, then it would be proof that the new era had truly arrived.
Kaido looked at the light screen, at the "himself" slowly standing up. Complex emotions flashed through his eyes.
"However…"
Kaido suddenly grinned, revealing a ferocious smile.
"It's still too early to say these things. Although that Straw Hat brat has mastered Conqueror's Haki Coating, he's still far from truly defeating the future me."
"The battle…"
On the light screen, Kaido trembled as he stood up. Ferocious fighting spirit reignited in his dragon eyes.
"Is only just beginning!"
Dark red Conqueror's Haki erupted once again. This time, it was even more violent and even more terrifying than before!
Luffy clenched his fists. There was not the slightest trace of retreat in his eyes.
The final confrontation between the new and the old had finally entered its true white-hot phase.
And inside and outside the light screen, everyone held their breath.
Because they knew…
Every second from now on could determine the direction of the future era.
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