"You boastful, money-grubbing miser."
"Shamelessly comparing yourself to Itachi-san?"
"If Itachi-san wanted to, he could teach you your place in mere seconds with just a single glance."
Though Kisame kept these thoughts to himself, he couldn't help but smirk wickedly at Kakuzu.
"Well then,"
"If you can take down this guy in front of us, I'll admit that you're stronger than Itachi-san."
"Take him down?"
Kakuzu turned to size up Kaido once more.
Looking at the sheer presence and overwhelming aura of Kaido, his eyelids twitched involuntarily.
This… whatever this creature was, even an idiot could tell that its power was far from ordinary.
Damn you, Kisame…
He never thought that this big, goofy-looking shark bastard…
Would actually try to outmaneuver him like this!
But come on—he was Kakuzu! There was no way he would fall for such a—
"…This guy seems to have quite a high bounty."
Before Kakuzu could even finish his thought, Kisame's voice, dripping with temptation, slipped into his ears.
"I don't know his exact name, but conservatively speaking… his bounty has to be at least one billion."
"What? ONE BILLION?!"
Kakuzu, whose entire existence revolved around money, immediately froze in shock.
Even with the crushing pressure coming from the monstrous being in front of him…
The sheer weight of one billion was far heavier!
After all, he had been summoned back from the dead. Even if he died again, it wouldn't really matter, would it?
With that in mind, Kakuzu could no longer hold back. He spoke without hesitation:
"Alright! That one billion—I'M TAKING IT!"
With that, he turned to Kaido, his grin twisting into something sinister.
"So, I hear you're worth one billion?"
"Worororororo… One billion?"
"Are you insulting me?"
Kaido's expression darkened with rage.
"That's the same bounty as Jack!"
"When I was young, my bounty was already higher than that!"
"Listen up, brat, my bounty is—"
Suddenly, Kaido paused.
Wait… what was his bounty again?
He frowned, deep in thought.
Hmm… whatever it was, it had to be at least three times what Jack's was, right?
Kaido puffed out his chest.
"Listen well, brat! My bounty is THREE BILLION!
"And you think you can claim my head for a reward?!"
"You'd better just lie back down in your coffin!"
With that, Kaido stomped the ground with overwhelming force, shattering it beneath his foot. Without hesitation, he swung his massive black iron club, aiming straight for Kakuzu's coffin.
Seeing the powerful iron club crashing down toward him, Kakuzu reacted instantly, using the Body Flicker Technique to dodge.
BOOM!
The pitch-black club, crackling with lightning, smashed into the ground. Like a spiderweb, deep cracks spread outward, and the earth caved in with a thunderous roar.
"Nani?!"
Kakuzu's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the shattered coffin and the collapsed ground beneath it.
What kind of monster is this?!
How could he have so much brute strength?!
But the moment he remembered that three billion was at stake, Kakuzu immediately cast aside all fear.
So what if I die? Compared to three billion, it's nothing…
"Three billion… I'm taking it!"
His expression darkened as his glowing green eyes locked onto Kaido.
"Huh?"
"That weird movement technique again?"
Kaido scowled as he noticed that Kakuzu's evasive maneuver was the same as that damn fish-man's earlier. His anger flared instantly.
"Bastards! Do none of you have the guts to fight me head-on?!"
"If you're a real man, you should stand and fight me properly!"
Kakuzu sneered, his voice cold.
"A ninja's way of fighting is assassination—swift, decisive, and lethal. A head-on fight? Only that idiot behind me would do something so stupid."
"Ninja?"
The word made Kaido recall the so-called "ninja" of Wano.
Instinctively, he compared those weaklings to the two warriors standing before him.
And immediately, he realized—
There was no comparison.
It was hard to believe that these two formidable fighters…
Were supposedly ninja just like those pathetic bandits in Wano.
At that moment, Kaido felt deceived.
His eyes bulged in fury as he glared at Kakuzu and roared,
"Do you take me for a fool?!"
"A ninja? You don't look like a ninja at all!"
Feeling like his intelligence had been insulted, Kaido's rage exploded. He swung his iron club wildly, generating fierce winds with each strike.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
FWOOM!
With a deep, ominous chant, Kakuzu spewed a massive fireball from his mouth, engulfing the battlefield in roaring flames.
"Huh? A Devil Fruit user?"
The moment Kaido saw the flames, his brows furrowed. He felt the searing heat wave wash over him, but he remained unfazed. Without hesitation, he swung his black iron club at the incoming fireball.
The pitch-black club, crackling with lightning, smashed into the orange-red fireball with a thunderous crash.
In an instant, the fireball dispersed into embers.
Scattered flames rained down on Kaido's body, but they burned for mere seconds before extinguishing on their own.
"Impossible!"
Kakuzu's eyes widened in shock as he took in the scene.
What kind of monster is this?!
Not only did his Grand Fireball Jutsu fail to injure the man, it didn't even singe his clothes!
What the hell is this thing?!
Where the hell has Kisame brought me?!
Since when did such a monster exist in the Shinobi World?!
As he stared at Kaido, who stood completely unscathed, Kakuzu's mind was in utter turmoil.
"Brat, you dare play with fire in front of me?"
Kaido's eyes gleamed with rage as he watched Kakuzu standing there, stunned. Feeling insulted, he let out a furious roar.
The black iron club in his hands crackled with violent arcs of black lightning, and once again, he swung it down toward Kakuzu.
"Thunder Bagua!"
BOOM! CRACK!
A thunderous explosion echoed through the sky as dark storm clouds suddenly converged above.
Lightning surged through Kaido's iron club, which descended upon Kakuzu like an apocalyptic judgment.
Kakuzu stood there, dumbfounded.
His eyes widened as he watched the terrifying black club crashing down toward him.
His soul nearly fled from his body in terror.
This... this is even scarier than a Tailed Beast!
He didn't dare hesitate. With both hands, he rapidly formed hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wave!"
Kakuzu knew he couldn't afford any mistakes, so he poured the majority of his chakra into this jutsu.
As chakra surged, the ground before him erupted upward.
In the blink of an eye, a massive mountain rose from the earth, standing tall and immovable before Kaido.
"What kind of ability is this?"
Kaido was briefly taken aback by the sight. But without missing a beat, he swung his kanabo down upon the mountain.
BOOM!
The ground shook violently, and the sound of shattering rock roared through the skies.
The sheer force of the impact obliterated the towering mountain, sending massive boulders flying in all directions like meteorites.
BOOM! BOOM!
The enormous rocks crashed into the sea, sending waves surging into the sky.
---
"WOOAAAHHH! Old man, move the ship—NOW!"
From the ship, Revy's terrified voice rang out as she watched the giant boulders hurtling toward them like cannonballs.
Zeff, who had also been watching, was equally shocked.
But at this point, it was too late to steer the ship away.
Seeing a gigantic boulder rapidly approaching, he gritted his teeth and activated his Devil Fruit ability.
"Red-Leg: Devil's Spatula!"
With a powerful battle cry, Zeff leapt into the air.
His severed leg transformed into a massive, fiery spatula.
With a resounding BOOM, he smashed the incoming boulder, shattering it into pieces before it could hit the ship.
The debris rained down into the sea, sparing the fleet from destruction.
As Zeff landed, his transformed leg shifted once more—this time, into a thick, black rolling pin.
---
This was the power of his Devil Fruit ability.
It allowed him to transform any part of his body into kitchen utensils.
The "Chef-Chef Fruit."
It was somewhat similar to a Weapon-Weapon Fruit, but for a chef, there was no fruit more perfect than this.
Because some kitchen tools…
Can be absolutely terrifying.
(End of Chapter)