A sudden figure appeared—it was none other than Kaguya.
"Kaido of the Beasts," Kaguya smirked. "Let's see what you're really made of."
Raising her arm, a surge of immense chakra gathered in her palm. Her eyes sharpened as she swung her hand forward, unleashing a lightning-fast strike.
Seeing a mere girl daring to challenge him, Kaido's face contorted with rage. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his muscular arm flexed as he clenched his fist tightly. "Where did this wild brat come from?! You dare interrupt me? Die!"
With a furious roar, Kaido's massive arm swelled with power. He swung his gigantic fist with terrifying force, the sheer wind pressure tearing through the air as it clashed against Kaguya's palm in a split-second collision.
At that moment, Kaguya's lips curled upward as she murmured, "Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion."
Boom!
A deafening explosion shattered the sky. The ground beneath Kaido's feet collapsed instantly, rock formations splintering like a spiderweb. A shockwave, roaring like a tsunami, surged outward, obliterating everything in its path.
Boom!
Kaido's massive body was sent flying like he had been struck by a speeding train. He crashed into Marineford's reinforced walls with an earth-shattering impact, blowing open a gaping hole in the steel structure.
Akainu, who had been fuming just moments earlier, was left speechless as his pupils contracted in shock.
Kaido… had been sent flying so easily?
Only those who had faced Kaido firsthand could comprehend his sheer, overwhelming power. His monstrous physique, devastating strength, and fearsome Haki made him an indomitable force. Fighting him was like battling an immovable mountain—it was suffocating.
Even if Akainu was reluctant to admit it, he knew deep down that Kaido was far stronger than himself.
And yet, this so-called "strongest creature" had just been swatted away like an insect.
Sengoku, who had rushed over, was equally stunned—not by the fight itself, but by the fact that Marineford, which was finally nearing full reconstruction, had once again been wrecked.
Kaguya gracefully landed on the ground, glancing at her slightly reddened palm. "Not bad, Kaido. You really are as tough as stone. No wonder you can take so many hits. But honestly… you're not that impressive."
After all, Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion wasn't just for show. Kaguya could feel the significant damage it had inflicted on Kaido's body.
At that moment, Sengoku's eyes widened in alarm, and he roared, "Idiot! The fight isn't over—watch out!"
Before his warning could fully leave his lips, a shadow lunged out from the hole in the wall. Kaido, muscles bulging with raw power, swung his enormous arm at Kaguya with blinding speed.
"DIE!" Kaido bellowed, his mouth twisted into a ferocious snarl.
Just as his fist was about to connect, Kaguya suddenly turned, smirking with mockery. "I once thought Kaido of the Beasts was a warrior capable of standing toe-to-toe with Whitebeard. But now I see—you're nothing more than a pathetic opportunist. With your lack of character, at best, you're just a wild beast."
Kaido's eyes widened in fury, veins bulging across his forehead as his face twisted into a snarl. "You're just a little brat, yet you dare talk big? I'll tear you to pieces!"
His muscles bulged as his arm swelled even larger, veins pulsing with raw power. With the force of a raging thunderstorm, he swung a devastating punch toward Kaguya's back.
"A dishonorable brute like you isn't even worthy of fighting me. Even with immense strength, you're still nothing more than a disgraceful beast," Kaguya said coldly, turning to face him. "And you, Kaido—you're not worthy."
"Heavenly Hand Power."
At the last possible moment, just as Kaido's massive fist was about to crash into her, Kaguya's figure flickered—and suddenly, she was gone.
Kaido hesitated, his reaction a fraction too slow. His enormous fist halted mid-air.
Before he could process what had happened, a melodic voice echoed from behind him.
"Die."
Kaido's pupils shrank as he whipped around—
Somehow, without a sound, Kaguya had reappeared directly behind him.
Before he could react, her delicate white hand pressed against his chest.
"Shinra Tensei."
A colossal force erupted from Kaguya's palm, a tidal wave of energy surging outward with an unstoppable momentum.
Boom!
With a deep, thunderous impact, Kaido's chest caved inward slightly. His enormous body was launched backward like a cannonball, smashing through the air at blinding speed.
Crash!
Kaido slammed into a Marineford structure with explosive force, sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.
Boom!
The reinforced wall shattered instantly, rock fragments bursting in all directions. Cracks spread like a spiderweb, and with a final, echoing crash, the massive building crumbled into rubble.
The Marine officers who had managed to resist Kaido's Conqueror's Haki stood frozen in disbelief. Their eyes widened as they struggled to process what had just happened.
The Inspector had just sent Kaido flying—again.
If the first time could have been considered luck, this second blow left no room for doubt. Luck had nothing to do with it.
Their thoughts drifted back to the legendary battle from years ago. Compared to then… she seemed even stronger now.
What they didn't realize, however, was that Kaguya's strength had hardly increased. She simply had never needed to use her full power before.
Kaguya stepped forward, stopping just before the wreckage. Smirking, she said mockingly, "Quit pretending. I know you're still alive."
As soon as she spoke, the ruins suddenly exploded outward. A towering figure shot from the debris, landing heavily on the ground—it was Kaido.
His wounds had completely vanished. Even the traces of blood had been wiped clean, as if he had never been injured in the first place.
Kaguya's eyes narrowed slightly. What terrifying regeneration.
Even after taking a Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion and a Shinra Tensei, Kaido remained completely unscathed. His inhuman endurance and monstrous recovery abilities were beyond belief.
However, brute resilience alone wouldn't be enough to defeat her.
"Is that all?"
Kaido's veins bulged as he stepped out of the rubble, rolling his shoulders with a twisted grin. "That power? Barely enough to scratch an itch."
The fact that he had taken such devastating blows yet remained completely unscathed was nothing short of monstrous. His recovery ability was beyond comprehension.
The sheer strength he displayed left the watching Marines dumbfounded. Though many of them had fought Kaido before, witnessing it firsthand again still left them in shock.
"Scratch an itch? Don't get ahead of yourself," Kaguya scoffed. "But fine. If you had gone down that easily, it would've been far too boring."
"Arrogant brat! If you can defeat me, then you can talk big," Kaido sneered. "But without the strength to back it up, your words are meaningless."
Kaguya cast him a cold glance. "Let's find out, then."
Without another word, she kicked off the ground. The earth shattered beneath her as she shot forward like an arrow, closing the distance in an instant.
"Foolish girl," Kaido mocked. "That won't be enough to bring me down."
With a massive step, he launched himself forward as well. The ground beneath him caved in from the sheer force of his movement.
With a deep roar, Kaido's body swelled with power. His already massive muscles expanded further, resembling sculpted granite. A deep black aura spread across his entire body as he fully coated himself in Armament Haki, giving his skin a dark, metallic sheen. An overwhelming pressure radiated from him.
Few warriors could coat their entire bodies in Armament Haki. Vergo, for example, had mastered full-body Haki, making him strong enough to easily overpower Smoker.
But compared to Kaido, Vergo's mastery was insignificant—like the difference between a candle and the sun.
Vergo's Haki, though covering his whole body, was merely a thin layer. Its quality and density were nowhere near the level of an Admiral, let alone a monster like Kaido.
Kaido clenched his massive fist, muscles tightening like steel cables. With a sudden motion, he swung his Haki-infused fist, unleashing a devastating punch.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion ripped through the air as his punch tore through the atmosphere, generating a shockwave that obliterated everything in its path. Even before the fist connected, the sheer force of the wind pressure was enough to make the ground tremble.
Kaguya's hair fluttered in the raging wind, but she simply smirked. "This is where it ends, Kaido."
She raised her hand.
"Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack."
Countless chakra-formed fists burst forth from her palm, flooding the air with a storm of punches, striking at Kaido's incoming attack with relentless speed.
Boom!Boom!Boom!
The sky thundered with the deafening echoes of their blows, shockwaves colliding like crashing tides.
At first, Kaido matched her blow for blow, his monstrous strength holding its own. But as the relentless barrage continued, his movements slowed. Each strike from Kaguya found precise openings, targeting weak points he hadn't even known he had.
Before long, he was overwhelmed. Unable to counter, his body became a punching bag for the relentless assault.
And finally—
Boom!
Kaido was sent flying once more, crashing into a massive warship and shattering it into splinters.
The Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack was Kaguya's most powerful Taijutsu technique. Few in the world could endure it.
And Kaido was clearly not one of them.
Through the course of their battle, Kaguya gradually deciphered Kaido's true combat style.
Kaido wasn't as overwhelmingly powerful as people believed—at least not in terms of sheer attack strength. His title as the "strongest creature" wasn't just because of his fists; rather, it stemmed from his near-indestructible body and terrifying regeneration. That was the true reason he would later ascend to the ranks of the Four Emperors.
The fact that Shanks had once intercepted Kaido's ambush on Whitebeard without a scratch spoke volumes.
Judging from their fight, Kaguya could tell that in terms of technique and battle experience, Kaido wasn't superior to Whitebeard. His true advantage lay in his body—one that far surpassed Whitebeard's in endurance and durability.
That didn't mean Kaido was weak—far from it. His power was undeniable. However, if one stripped away his monstrous physique and healing factor, his actual combat ability would be somewhat diminished.
This made sense. After all, each of the Four Emperors had their own distinct strengths. Kaido's specialty was his insane resilience—his ability to take a beating and keep going.
But now, Kaguya had figured out a way to defeat him.
Yet, after waiting for a while, Kaido still hadn't surfaced from the water.
The wrecked warship he had crashed into was still floating in the sea, but there was no sign of movement.
Kaguya descended from the air, cautiously approaching the shore. Her eyes narrowed as she peered into the water's depths—but she couldn't spot Kaido anywhere.
What's going on?
The sea was eerily calm, its surface glistening under the sunlight. A soft breeze drifted by, adding to the unsettling silence.
Could it be…
A ridiculous thought crossed Kaguya's mind, and a dark line formed on her forehead.
Did that bastard use this as a chance to escape?
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