"At this point, there's no use saying anything more. We can only pray that Aurelius D. Virel Is can hold on until we arrive… at least long enough to still be breathing," Sengoku said with a grim expression.
Although he knew Is was different from ordinary Celestial Dragons, he had no idea how strong he actually was.
After the Five Elders issued their orders—and especially after hearing their pessimistic tone—both he and Kong had instinctively assumed the worst.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Is flapped his wings repeatedly, launching relentless assaults toward Kaido.
Kaido, on the other hand, kept swinging his kanabo to defend himself. The sheer force of the impacts pushed him backward again and again. His face was tense, sweat forming across his forehead.
He… had been careless.
He had thought that in a one-on-one fight, he could easily take Is down.
But now—
He was stuck in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.
Originally, he believed that with Charlotte Linlin backing him up, everything would go smoothly.
But ever since the battle began—
He hadn't seen her at all.
At this point, he was starting to suspect—
That Linlin had already run off.
"You're distracted, Kaido!"
Is grinned, seizing the opportunity as he thrust his spear forward.
"Bang!"
Kaido's kanabo was knocked straight out of his hands.
He froze for a moment, instinctively reaching out to grab it.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
At that instant, Is's wings fired out flaming paper shards.
Kaido frowned and immediately pulled back both hands, dodging at high speed.
"Boom! Boom!"
The paper shards struck the ground like artillery shells, triggering a chain of explosions.
Violent shockwaves surged outward, and thick smoke once again filled the area.
"Haah… haah…"
Kaido greedily sucked in air, his eyes scanning the surroundings—
Not for Is—
But for Charlotte Linlin.
"Looking for Charlotte Linlin?"
Floating midair, Is noticed Kaido's behavior and asked with a faint smile.
Kaido glared coldly at him, saying nothing.
But inwardly, he cursed:
Damn it, Linlin! What the hell are you doing?! If you don't show up soon, I might actually die at the hands of a Celestial Dragon!
Seeing his silence, Is spoke again:
"I'd advise you not to count on her coming to save you… because she's struggling herself."
The moment those words fell—
Kaido suddenly dashed forward, leapt into the air, and coated both fists with Armament Haki as he swung toward Is.
"Useless, Kaido."
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Sheets of paper rapidly formed into a massive shield in front of Is.
But a few seconds later—
Something felt off.
The shield hadn't been hit at all.
"Is! That guy ran away!" Tatsumaki shouted from the distance.
"…What?"
By the time Is reacted—
Kaido was already far away, fleeing at incredible speed.
"..."
"So he predicted I'd block my vision with the shield and used those few seconds to escape… Not bad, Kaido. You've got a sharp mind."
A faint smile appeared on Is's lips.
"But… it's useless."
"This time, I'm not letting you get away."
With that, he immediately gave chase.
Last time, he didn't pursue because he was wary of running into other members of the Rocks Pirates.
But this time—
This was his territory.
Seeing Is move, Tatsumaki and Acnologia quickly followed behind him.
"Don't run, Kaido!"
Is pursued while launching continuous paper attacks.
"Boom! Boom!"
Explosions erupted everywhere Kaido passed, leaving him in a miserable state.
After running for a while—
Kaido finally spotted Charlotte Linlin.
At first, he thought he was saved—
But in the next moment—
He was stunned.
Because Linlin's situation… wasn't any better.
Just like him—
She was being chased down relentlessly.
"Linlin! What the hell is going on over there?! Didn't you say you'd finish him quickly?!" Kaido roared.
Riding atop Zeus, Charlotte Linlin glanced at him—then at Is chasing behind—and frowned.
"And what about you? You can't even handle a single Celestial Dragon?"
"That's not my fault! Who the hell knew this bastard was this strong?! I almost got killed just now!"
"..."
At that moment—
Kong and Sengoku arrived from the side.
Seeing the scene before them—
They both froze.
"…What did the Five Elders say earlier again?" Sengoku muttered, blinking as he looked at Kong.
Kong's lips twitched slightly.
"…I'm just as confused. I'm starting to wonder if I misheard something. This situation…"
As he spoke, he quickly pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed the Five Elders.
The call connected almost instantly.
Before Kong could even report—
A voice came from the other side.
"How is it? Is that brat Is alright? Kong, no matter what—if there's even a breath left in him, you must send him for treatment immediately!" the bald elder urged.
"Wait—" Kong quickly interrupted, then asked, "Didn't you say earlier that Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is's situation was extremely dire?"
"That's right. Was I wrong?"
"No… you weren't wrong. The situation here is indeed very dire."
Kong paused briefly.
"…But it's the pirates' situation that's dire."
"…What?!"
On the other end—
The Five Elders were completely stunned.
Kong continued calmly:
"Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is—and his subordinates—are currently chasing down Charlotte Linlin of the Rocks Pirates."
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