An intense 'BOOM--!!' echoed throughout Wanokuni, followed by a series of horrible explosions that shook the land one after another.
Inside the Shogun's Palace in the Flower Capital, Kurozumi Orochi trembled with fear, hiding in his room and screaming incessantly. "Damn it, is someone attacking Wanokuni? Why is Kaido not doing anything about it?"
A man with a slender head and an imperial court fan stepped forward to comfort him. "Daimyo, please don't panic. I just received a report from King. Kaido isn't fighting an invader, he's sparring with one of his allies."
Denjiro, one of the Nine Red Scabbards, who had gone undercover after Kozuki Oden's death, looked toward the explosions coming from the direction of Kuri. His face, once belonging to the loyal retainer of the Kozuki Clan, now wore a mask of worry. "Someone who can clash head-on with Kaido?" he murmured, a flicker of horror in his eyes.
He wondered if another monster was about to emerge in Wanokuni. The Kozuki remnants were already overwhelmed by Kaido alone. If another formidable force were to appear, would the great cause of reviving the Kozuki clan be put on hold forever? Thinking of this, his breathing became heavy.
On the coastline of Kuri, the clash of titans continued.
"I didn't expect you to be so talented, but… why is that guy Oden's sword in your hand?!" Kaido, now half-sober from the wine, recognized the two swords in Adrian's hands instantly. His rage surged, and his attacks became increasingly ferocious.
"Are you losing control?" Adrian gave a wild grin. He crossed his two swords, wrapping them in a pure Emission-type Armament Haki. The next second, he lunged at Kaido like a falling meteor. "Oden Two-Sword Style: Paradise Totsuka!!" he roared.
"What?!" Kaido's face showed a flash of fear, but he instantly reacted when he saw that Adrian wasn't using the Oden style at all, and a smirk playing on the man's face. "You bastard! Why are you deliberately trying to annoy me?!" he roared in a fury.
Kaido had never been played like this before. A terrifying aura of intimidation radiated from him, darkening the very sky and earth. Purple arcs of lightning crackled around his huge mace. He took a step forward, and the ground beneath him cracked.
"Thunder... Bagua!!" The mace, crackling with a terrifying force, smashed down. The surrounding space seemed to warp under the powerful blow.
"Look at how scared you were just now," Adrian smirked slyly. He met the sudden attack by enlarging his two swords, Enma and Ame-no-Habakiri, to more than five times their normal size. "Explosive Cross Slash: 10x Slash!!" he shouted, bringing them down with a sudden strike.
Adrian hadn't come here to kill, so he held back. But even so, the power he unleashed was immense. A thunderous clang of metal against metal echoed throughout Wanokuni. The violent air pressure created ripples visible to the naked eye.
Crack! A crisp sound came from the tip of Kaido's mace. The cracks spread rapidly, like a spider's web. Even though the mace's material was as strong as a legendary sword, it couldn't withstand the combined might of Emission Haki and two Devil Fruits.
Puff! As the mace shattered, the two swords left two deep bone wounds on Kaido's left rib. Blood instantly splashed.
"What's the meaning of this?!" Kaido looked down at his new wounds, then at the scar Kozuki Oden had left on his right side. The two wounds were identical. He understood instantly: Adrian was teasing him again.
Roar! Kaido's sturdy figure transformed back into his dragon form. "Wind Blasts!!" Sharp blades of wind instantly swept out.
"This is bad, Boss Kaido is using that move! Everyone, run!" Except for Bullet, who remained in place, the three All-Stars and Katakuri all retreated quickly.
"I have obsessive-compulsive disorder. It bothered me to see things so asymmetrical. This is much better now!" Adrian grinned, sheathing his swords. He pulled his right arm back to charge up power, and a shocking white aura surrounded his fist.
"Impact Wave Shattering Space!!"
Rumbling explosions soared into the sky. The coastline and the surrounding forests were razed to the ground in an instant.
"Is this the captain's true strength? It's not inferior to Big Mom's and Kaido's!" Katakuri said with emotion.
"Hmph, you are new here," Shiryu said, looking at Adrian's retreating figure with admiration. "The captain isn't serious at all right now. The strike he used against Whitebeard was truly world-shaking."
Katakuri didn't reply, but a look of regret appeared in his eyes. He wished he could have seen that epic-level battle in person.
"Damn it, stop! Just stop fighting!" The battle ended as abruptly as it began. Kaido, now fully sober, walked out of the smoke with a displeased look on his face. The wounds on his left rib were the only ones that remained; the others had healed within a few breaths. His terrifying resilience even made Adrian's jaw drop. No wonder Kaido was known as the "strongest creature in the sea, land, and air." He might not have been the strongest of the Four Emperors, but he was certainly the most durable.
"How much power are you holding back, kid?" Kaido growled. "You feel more and more familiar. It feels like I'm fighting those old geezers, Whitebeard and Big Mom. It's so damn boring!"
"Can we talk now?" Adrian raised an eyebrow and asked.
Just then, King hurried over to report. "Captain Kaido, Emperor Adrian has captured Kozuki Oden's son..."
"What? You really got Oden's son?" Kaido's face showed ecstasy as he looked in the direction King was pointing. But he quickly calmed down and asked with a guarded expression, "Don't talk about the artificial Devil Fruits. What are you going to trade that kid for?"
Adrian realized he had underestimated Kaido's shrewdness. He raised a finger and said with a smirk, "I'm trading Kozuki Oden's son, the rightful heir of Wanokuni. It wouldn't be too much to trade for the Flower Capital, would it?"
Kaido's eyes widened. "Huh?!"