While Hancock's group was confronting Hawkins, Ryuuto had already flown to the ruins of Oden Castle. He had originally intended to fly straight to Onigashima, but the commotion at the castle ruins forced him and his crew to stop.
"Young Master Yamato, please come back with me!" Ulti, in her massive Pachycephalosaurus form, said to Yamato with a menacing expression.
"Kaido, I will open the borders of Wano!"
But Yamato paid Ulti no mind. She slammed her kanabo into the earth, unleashing a powerful wave of Haki. Empowered by her will, her voice carried all the way across the sea.
Across the water lay Kaido's headquarters—Onigashima.
"Damn it!!"
Kaido, who had been enjoying a drink on Onigashima, heard the familiar voice. His face darkened, veins popping on his forehead as he crushed the sake gourd in his hand. Furious, he flew out from the dome of the skull castle.
The other Tobiroppo on Onigashima, such as Page One, heard the voice and spoke in unison: "The ungrateful son!!"
This was the common sentiment among the Beasts Pirates.
"What is Queen doing? How has he not managed to capture Yamato yet!" Kaido grumbled in frustration, standing atop the skull castle.
Boom!
Kaido glanced toward Kuri in the distance and then transformed into his massive Azure Dragon form, soaring toward the commotion. Kaido was the user of the Zoan-type Devil Fruit, the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu.
Of course, Queen was completely unaware of all this. He had decided to simply wait, certain that the "ungrateful son" would eventually return. At that point, he would be sure to capture Yamato.
Ryuuto, Jean Bart, and Van Augur found a concealed spot among the ruins and touched down quietly.
Meanwhile, Yamato gazed upon the ruins of what was once Oden's castle, a powerful sense of conviction welling up inside her. She hoisted her kanabo onto her shoulder and slowly turned around.
"I am Oden!" she declared, looking up at Ulti.
Her words seemed to be a direct answer to Ulti's earlier plea.
"Ulti-Mortar!"
"Die, you ungrateful brat!!"
Hearing Yamato's declaration, dark lines formed on Ulti's face. Coating her head in Armament Haki until it shone like obsidian, she launched herself headfirst at Yamato.
In an instant, arcs of black lightning crackled through the air.
"As Oden, I will open the borders of Wano!" Yamato said softly, as if making a promise to the deceased Kozuki Oden. This would be her life's mission.
With that, she made her move.
Bang!
Yamato stomped her foot, and crackling arcs of black and red lightning erupted from her body. She became a blur, dodging Ulti's attack and instantly appearing beside her head.
"Thunder... Bagua!"
With a mighty roar, the kanabo in her hand pulsed with powerful black-red lightning. Infused with Advanced Conqueror's Haki, it grew larger and larger in Ulti's vision before crashing into her with a deafening boom.
Boom!
As the club struck, a powerful shockwave erupted.
Ulti coughed up a mouthful of blood, the whites of her eyes showing as her head was violently thrown back from the sheer force of the impact.
With a single blow, Ulti had been rendered unconscious.
Thud!
Her massive form collapsed uncontrollably to the ground.
Watching from a distance, Ryuuto and his men were stunned by Yamato's strength. The sheer artistry of that strike was off the charts.
"Yamato's power is at least at the level of a Yonko Commander!" Ryuuto thought to himself.
Roar!
But before anyone could react, a massive azure dragon roared down from the sky. It was Kaido, who had arrived in a blind rage.
"This is bad!" Ryuuto muttered under his breath.
He watched as Kaido opened his maw and unleashed a powerful Boro Breath, a torrent of searing flames that blasted toward the Oden Castle ruins. The heatwave carried an aura of absolute terror.
Van Augur's eyes narrowed. He immediately grabbed Ryuuto and Jean Bart and teleported them away.
BOOM!
The sea of flames exploded across Oden Castle like a volley of cannonballs, pulverizing the remaining walls into dust that swirled into the air, creating a truly horrifying scene.
This was Kaido's Boro Breath, capable of annihilating a city with ease.
This was the might of the World's Strongest Creature.
Seeing Kaido destroy the ruins of Oden Castle was like watching him destroy the very symbol of her faith. Yamato was instantly enraged. The veins on her right hand bulged as she gripped her kanabo, and with a furious shout, she swung it with all her might.
"Arrow Nock!"
A blue, club-shaped shockwave shot toward Kaido. It was a ranged version of Thunder Bagua, and its power was staggering. But her opponent was Kaido. He simply extended his claws, which crackled with black and red lightning, and caught the incoming shockwave mid-air.
Bang!
The two attacks collided, unleashing a powerful blast of energy.
"Yamato, come back. Become the Shogun, and we will protect Wano together!" Kaido's voice boomed like thunder as his claws tightened, crushing the shockwave into nothingness.
"Kaido, I am Oden! My duty is to defeat you and open the borders of this country!" Yamato's expression hardened as she pointed her kanabo at him and roared back.
Boom!
As the shockwave dissipated, Kaido descended, transforming into his hybrid form and landing with a thunderous impact in front of Yamato. His towering figure radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure.
"Kaido? You should be calling me 'Father,' Yamato..." Kaido said, resting his own massive kanabo, Hassaikai, on his shoulder. His expression was stern, yet tinged with a hint of sadness.
"I'm here today to sever those bonds!" Yamato declared, thrusting her kanabo toward Kaido's face.
"You can't defeat me, Yamato..." Kaido's voice was laced with a deeper sorrow as he heard her words.
"I know... but until it can be done, I will hold you here!" Yamato replied with unshakable resolve, swinging her kanabo as countless arcs of black-red lightning burst forth from her body.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you..."
"Yamato!"
"Thunder Bagua!"
Kaido roared, his muscular tail slamming against the ground and kicking up a cloud of debris. He gripped Hassaikai with both hands, unleashing an even more immense wave of Conqueror's Haki as he swung the weapon at Yamato.
"Thunder Bagua!"
Yamato shouted back, her own Conqueror's Haki surging as she met his attack with her own.
Bang!
The two kanabo, one large and one small, smashed into each other.
Countless strands of black-red lightning collided violently, the clash of Advanced Conqueror's Haki turning the sky a dark, ominous gray. A powerful shockwave swept out across the landscape.
"So strong! Is this the power of a Yonko?"
Burgess and Van Augur watched from a treetop, their hearts pounding with shock.
Ryuuto silently observed the scene.
"It seems things are once again developing in an unpredictable way," he thought, analyzing their conversation. "For Yamato to challenge Kaido so recklessly, there must be something she is willing to die for."
Bang!
On the battlefield, Kaido swung another Thunder Bagua. A few more arcs of black-red lightning flashed, and Yamato's figure was sent flying.
Cough!
She spat out a mouthful of blood as she crashed to the ground.
Kaido watched with a feigned coldness, not taking another step forward. He simply waited for her to get back up.
"You are not Oden," he said in a low voice.
"I am Oden! The man who will open the borders of Wano once again!" Yamato roared back, getting to her feet. Her voice was filled with an unyielding determination.
"Aaaah!"
With a great cry, Yamato was enveloped in a flash of white light. In an instant, she transformed into her Mythical Zoan form, the user of the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi-no-Makami. A fluffy wolf's tail appeared behind her, sharp claws grew from her feet, and two wolf ears stood erect on her head. Most striking of all was the ribbon of ice-aspected energy flowing around her torso.
Seeing Yamato transform, Kaido immediately moved to act. He wanted to test her true strength. His figure blurred as he brought Hassaikai down on her with frenzied strikes.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Both Kaido and Yamato unleashed powerful waves of Advanced Conqueror's Haki, their blows clashing relentlessly. For a moment, they seemed evenly matched. This was partly due to the boost from Yamato's Mythical Zoan form, but mostly because Kaido was intentionally holding back to gauge her power.
"Yamato, I acknowledge your strength!"
"Come back... we can protect Wano together!"
"Listen to me... what child doesn't obey their parent!"
Kaido continued to swing Hassaikai while earnestly trying to persuade Yamato to return to his side. Even now, he was still trying to bring her back. This was Kaido's love for his child. He may have been a flawed father in many ways, but he absolutely loved his daughter.
"Enough nonsense! I am Oden!"
"Himorogiri!"
Yamato was having none of it. With a defiant roar, she leaped into the air and slammed her kanabo into the ground. A massive white slash erupted from the earth, rushing toward Kaido like an earthquake.
"Adamantine Arrow!"
Kaido countered with his own ranged attack, a crescent-shaped slash of energy that flew to meet Yamato's Himorogiri.
Boom!
The two attacks collided in a terrifying explosion, the resulting shockwave tearing through the air before they both dissipated into nothing.
"Divine Swiftness: White Serpent Rush!"
With a soft cry, Yamato wrapped herself in a shroud of chilling mist and shot toward Kaido like a white serpent, moving at incredible speed.
A flicker of pride appeared in Kaido's eyes.
"Yamato has certainly grown strong," he thought. But it was time to teach her that defying her father had consequences.
This was Kaido's guiding principle of education: a good beating breeds obedience.
"Gundari: Dragon Swarm!"
Kaido roared and began to move, his speed so great that he left behind a trail of afterimages. As he advanced, he unleashed a torrential storm of blows, as if he had eight arms.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With each thunderous impact, the figures of Kaido and Yamato flickered in and out of existence, their clashes shaking the very earth. Black and red lightning flashed wildly, filling the air with its raw power.
Boom!
With a final, devastating blow, Yamato was finally overpowered. She was sent flying like a kite with its string cut. A spray of blood followed in her wake.
"Just come back with me, Yamato! You are no match for me..." Kaido said, his voice softening with a hint of pity. He walked slowly toward her across the rubble.
"Never!"
"If I, Oden, die here today, it will be a life sacrificed for the sake of opening Wano's borders!"
Blood dripped from the corner of Yamato's mouth, her face pale. She stabbed her kanabo into the ground, using it to slowly prop up her injured body.
Her words struck Kaido's heart like a sharp sword, and his expression turned grim.
"Roaring Thunder Bagua!"
With a powerful step, Kaido rushed toward Yamato, his face a mask of fury as he brought Hassaikai down with tremendous force. An ocean of Conqueror's Haki, carrying an unbelievably powerful pressure, surged toward the injured Yamato.
"I have to save her!" Ryuuto thought, his body already in motion.
Zip!
A flash of lightning appeared, and Ryuuto's figure vanished from his spot.
Dong!
A faint drumbeat echoed through the air.
"Mirror Mountain!"
Facing Kaido's Roaring Thunder Bagua, an attack even stronger than Thunder Bagua, Yamato exhaled a breath of cold air, forming a transparent, rock-hard mirror of ice around her body.
BOOM!
A torrent of black and red lightning erupted, and Kaido's figure shot straight through it.
Crack!
With the sound of shattering ice, Yamato did not collapse as Kaido had expected. Kaido stood a short distance behind her, his expression unreadable. "She blocked it..." he muttered softly.
But Yamato was far from unscathed. Though her Mirror Mountain had absorbed most of the damage, Kaido's Roaring Thunder Bagua had still injured her further.