Chapter 500 - 339

Chapter 341: The True Might of an emperor of the sea!"This is the end!!!"The moment the final syllable fell—Hum—!!!An unprecedented, terrifying pressure erupted from Kaido's thousand-meter Azure Dragon body!This time, it was no longer the previous wide-range Haoshoku shockwave, but a highly condensed torrent of black-purple Haki!The torrent expanded in a sphere with Kaido as the center. Wherever it passed, space groaned under the strain, and fine black-purple lightning leaped and exploded frantically!Zoro and Sanji, who were the first to bear the brunt, had their expressions change drastically!"Ugh—!!"Zoro let out a muffled groan, his three swords crossed in front of him. His crimson-gold Hakifought desperately to resist, but he was still pushed back rapidly by this brute force,His feet plowed two white air-wave tracks in the sky. He retreated a full hundred meters before barely stabilizing himself, his blood churning in his chest and a sweet taste rising in his throat.Sanji fared even worse; his injuries were already more severe, and his stamina was further depleted.The moment the black-purple Haki torrent hit him, the lightning-fire defense layer on his body flickered violently and then shattered with a bang!He was sent flying like a broken kite, tumbling a dozen times in the air and crashing through a corner of the broken coliseum wall before slamming heavily into a pile of rubble. Dust filled the air, and for a moment, there was no sound from him.The eruption of Haki even affected the coliseum below!Even though they were already far from the center, experts like King, Katakuri, and Sabo felt their breathing hitch and were forced to increase their Haki to resist.Bartolomeo's barrier flickered violently, and Rebecca was only kept from fainting because Sabofirmly protected her with vibration waves.Meanwhile, high in the sky, Kaido began an amazing transformation!That thousand-meter Azure Dragon body began to rapidly shrink and deform within the envelope of black-purple Haki and thunderclouds!It was no longer an elegant dragon form, but a transformation toward a direction more conducive to close-quarters combat, concentrating all his power!Blue-black dragon scales merged into his skin, and his muscles bulged like mountain rocks, filled with explosive power.The dragon claws turned into giant humanoid hands covered with fine scales and distinct fingers. In one hand, he tightly gripped that fearsome giant Spiked Club—"hassaikai"!Jumping black-purple lightning moved across his body like living creatures, emitting a low "crackle" of death.The ring of black flame clouds around his neck burned even more vigorously, their color as deep as ink, rotating slowly and emitting unsettling ripples.Zoan-type, Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan Type, Azure Dragon Form—Hybrid Form!It combined the terrifying physique and elemental control of a dragon with the combat techniques and weapon usage of a human!This was one of the strongest combat forms Kaidoachieved by perfectly fusing his Devil Fruit ability, Haki, and physical strength!Compared to the thousand-meter Azure Dragon, his aura lacked that sky-covering grandeur, but it was several times more condensed, dangerous, and tyrannical!He floated in the air, his height still exceeding ten meters, like a small giant.Black-purple lightning jumped on the spikes of the hassaikai as his dark-gold vertical pupils looked down at Zoro, who was like an ant below, and the rubble where Sanji had fallen."Now... let this old man teach you..."He rested the hassaikai on his shoulder, the black-purple Haki wrapped around the club flowing like a viscous liquid."...what... true 'despair' is!"Before his voice had even faded, his figure suddenly disappeared from the spot!Zoro's Observation Haki gave a frantic warning! His scalp went numb instantly!Almost without thinking, he poured all his remaining strength into his three swords and assumed his strongest defensive stance!"Three Sword Style Secret Technique: Azure Dragon - Flowing Water - Guard!"However, he was still too slow!Kaido's figure appeared like a ghost directly in front of him, less than five meters away!The hassaikai had already swung down from his shoulder at some point, wrapped in black-purple lightning so thick it was opaque, smashing down toward Zoro's head in a simple, direct, and brutal manner!There were no fancy techniques, only extreme power and speed, along with that kingly Haki that seemed capable of suppressing everything!"Thunder Bagua!!!"Clang—!!!Zoro's three swords, crossed in a block, collided violently with the hassaikai wrapped in Advanced Armament Haki!Crimson-gold Haki and black-purple Haki clashed, annihilated each other, and exploded frantically!Zoro only felt an irresistible giant force surge through the blades and into his arms, torso, and every bone in his body!"Crack!"The faint sound of bone cracking came from his arm."Pfft—!!"A large mouthful of blood sprayed out uncontrollably!His blocking stance lasted for less than half a second before completely collapsing!He was hit like a person struck head-on by a sea train at full speed, turning into a crimson-gold meteor that crashed down into the ruins of the coliseum!Boom!!!!!!!The ground shook violently, and dust shot into the sky!A huge crater over thirty meters in diameter appeared in the center of the coliseum!Zoro lay at the deepest part of the crater, with cracks radiating out like a spider web beneath him.The three swords in his hands flew out and scattered near the edge of the pit, their blades humming incessantly.With just one strike! Zoro's combat effectiveness was almost completely dismantled!Kaido floated above the crater, looking down at the dying Zoro at the bottom. The Spiked Club was casually rested on his shoulder, and black-purple lightning skipped around his body."To be able to take a 'Thunder Bagua' from me in my serious state without dying or having your swords break... green-haired brat, your swords, your bones, and your Haki... are all quite tough."His tone was flat, yet it carried an absolute sense of condescension."But... it's still not enough."After saying that, he didn't even have the interest to follow up with another strike, as if he had decided Zoro was no longer a concern.His dark-gold vertical pupils, still bloodshot, slowly turned toward the rubble where Sanji had fallen."Next... it's your turn, fire-playing, electricity-discharging brat."In the ruins, the rubble moved.A hand pushed away the heavy stones pressing on his body.Sanji stood up shakily."Cough... cough cough..."He spat out a mouthful of bloody sand, his voice raspy but clear."Hey... big earthworm..."He took a deep breath, and on his left leg, azure lightning and dark red flames began to burn tenaciously once more."Your opponent... isn't just a Mosshead... you bastard!!"Kaido looked at the still-defiant Sanji, and a nearly "appreciative" but even more cruel smile appeared on his dragon-man face."Oh? You can still stand? That physique and will... are not inferior to that green-haired brat."He took the hassaikai off his shoulder, and black-purple Haki began to wrap around the club again, the lightning crackling."Then... I will be merciful..."He leaned forward slightly, assuming a charging posture."With the next strike, I'll send you both... on your way together!!!"The moment the words fell, his figure disappeared again!Sanji's pupils shrank, and his remaining Observation Haki gave a frantic warning, but his heavily injured body could no longer keep up!He could only barely lift his left leg, which was burning with faint lightning and fire, to make a final block!Kaido's figure appeared directly in front of him, the hassaikai sweeping toward him with an ear-splitting shriek!"Kundali Dragon Swarm!!!"The moment it was swung, the Spiked Club split into dozens of club shadows that were hard to distinguish between real and fake, all wrapped in terrifying Haki! Like a death flower blooming in an instant, it completely sealed off all of Sanji's space for dodging and blocking!"Diable Jambe: Concassé - Barrage!"Sanji gritted his teeth, his left leg turning into an afterimage!Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!... The brief and dense sounds of collision rang out like popping beans!Sanji barely blocked the first few club shadows, but his power and speed had severely declined in his heavily injured state.Thump!A solid club shadow smashed through his leg-shadow defense and slammed squarely onto his crossed arms!"Crack!"A clear sound of bone cracking!"Argh—!!"Sanji let out a groan of pain, a crushing agony coming from his arms, and he was sent flying off the ground again!Kaido slowly retracted the hassaikai, the tip of the club pointing to the ground, with black-purple lightning still wrapped around it.He looked like a tyrant reigning over the battlefield, surveying the challengers he had easily defeated.The coliseum was dead silent.There was only the whimpering of the night wind through the ruins and the crackling of burning buildings in the distance.King had already knelt on one knee in excitement, his head lowered as a sign of absolute submission to the Governor's invincible power.Katakuri stood silently on the spot, his face under the scarf extremely solemn.He had expected Kaido to be strong, but he didn't expect the serious Hybrid Form Kaido to be this powerful!That combination of power, speed, and Haki was almost flawless!If it were him, could he have taken that 'Thunder Bagua'? The answer was probably not optimistic.Sabo protected Rebecca behind him, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms.The combat power shown by Zoro and Sanji had already far exceeded his expectations, but in front of a serious Kaido, they were actually crushed so easily?Is this the gap between an emperor of the sea and the 'Yonko Commander' level, which seems like a step away but is actually like a natural chasm?Bartolomeo knelt on the ground, his hands clutching his hair tightly, his eyes widened to the limit, and tears flowed silently.He looked at Senior Zoro in the deep pit, at the buried Senior Sanji, and at Kaido in the sky, who was as invincible as a demon god... his faith was collapsing, and despair submerged him like a cold tide."Even the strong Senior Zoro and Senior Sanji..."Kaido slowly descended a bit, hovering over the coliseum like the Sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's heads."Worororo..."The low laughter rang out again, filled with the satisfaction after destroying everything and endless arrogance."See that? This is the power of me, 'Beasts' Kaido! This is the consequence of challenging an 'emperor of the sea'!""Now... it's time to put an end to this boring farce."He raised the hassaikai, and black-purple Haki and lightning began to gather frantically again. this time, the condensation speed was faster, and the momentum was even more terrifying!Clearly, he intended to use one last strike to completely wipe these two 'bugs' that made him bleed, along with this coliseum, off the map!However, just as his Haki reached its peak and he was about to swing down the destructive blow—From the distant horizon, in the direction of the Dressrosa port, a crimson-gold lightning bolt tore through the night sky at a speed exceeding everyone's limit of understanding, shooting toward the coliseum like an angry divine punishment!Before the lightning arrived, an indisputable, terrifying aura had already swept in like a tsunami!In that aura, there was exploding lightning, burning flames, and a kind of... kingly wrath that reigned over the world!Kaido's club-swinging motion paused slightly.His dark-gold vertical pupils slowly turned toward the direction where that crimson-gold lightning was coming from.The corners of his mouth curled into an even more excited and brutal arc."Oh? Finally... you're here?""You made me wait so long...""'straw hat'... Luffy!!!"The crimson-gold lightning pierced through the sky, bringing a roar that shattered everything as it descended with a bang!The true storm was only just beginning!