Chapter 102: Clash Against the Strongest Creature
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"Woooh! This feeling… It's been a while!" Kaido grinned savagely, a predatory gleam in his eyes as he looked at Ian, a thrill coursing through him.
Whoosh!
He charged again, a force of nature, a rampaging beast, his power threatening to overwhelm everything in its path. Ian's expression remained calm, almost serene, as their fists collided once more. Kaido was pushed back, but in the next instant, he was charging again.
Like a relentless tiger, he attacked again and again, his savage intensity unwavering, as if trying to tear Ian apart. Yet, each time, Ian repelled him.
Against Ian's power, Kaido relied solely on his monstrous durability, a testament to his resilience. Ian was stronger, but not by much.
Perhaps, given ten days or half a month, he could achieve victory. In the world of One Piece, overwhelming strength resulted in swift victories, but evenly matched opponents could clash for days.
Finally, as Kaido charged once more, a glint of determination flashed in Ian's eyes. He clenched his right fist and muttered a single word.
"Busoshoku: Koka."
Hum! In an instant, Busoshoku Haki enveloped his fist, coating it in a deep, lustrous purple.
Ian's figure flickered, appearing mid-air. His Haki-infused fist, angled downwards, connected with Kaido's incoming attack.
BOOM!!!
The air exploded, a thunderous roar that reverberated through the prison, making their ears ring.
A shockwave rippled outwards, carrying dust and debris in all directions, shaking the very foundations of Impel Down's Level Six, the Eternal Hell. The tremors reached the surface, stirring the already turbulent waves of the surrounding sea.
In that instant, a flicker of surprise crossed Kaido's bloodshot eyes, a brief moment of clarity.
Crack! As their Haki-clad fists collided, a sickening crack echoed through the air, the sound of bone fracturing. Lightning crackled around their fists, the manifestation of their respective abilities.
Ian's fist also crackled with explosive force and the power to manipulate weight, the Kilo Kilo no Mi.
Having absorbed the Float Float no Mi, Ian could potentially develop it even further, reaching 100,000-ton threshold. While insignificant compared to Kaido's monstrous strength, it was a valuable asset nonetheless.
Kaido was sent flying, crashing into the ground with such force that he became embedded in the earth. He continued to slide backwards, plowing a deep furrow in the ground like a raging bull.
BOOM!
A thunderous roar echoed as Kaido's body, buried beneath a pile of rubble, finally came to a stop. A furious voice emerged from the debris.
"You bastard…"
BAM! Rocks exploded outwards as Kaido emerged, clutching his twisted arm. With a powerful twist, he snapped it back into place.
Crack! His arm was healed, as good as new. But his focus wasn't on his injury. It was on Ian… who still hadn't unleashed his full power. He hadn't even drawn his sword.
He had initially thought Ian was a worthy opponent, their strength comparable. He had anticipated a battle of attrition, a test of endurance, a domain where he reigned supreme.
He had clashed with other Yonko crews and even Admirals, battles lasting days, even weeks, until his opponents succumbed to exhaustion. No one had ever managed to kill him.
He had withstood the combined might of entire Yonko crews and even multiple Admirals.
But now, Kaido realized that Ian hadn't been fighting seriously. He felt a surge of anger, the indignation of being underestimated.
"You're holding back? Do you think I'm not worth your full effort?!" Kaido roared, his fury radiating outwards, engulfing the surroundings.
Ian looked at Kaido, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, before breaking into a smile. "Aren't you holding back as well? Mythical Zoan users have three forms. I've seen two. Why not reveal the last one?"
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Impel Down, Level 2, formerly the Beasts Hell.
The battle between Ian and Kaido raged on, the thunderous roars echoing through the prison. The beasts on this level, once ferocious predators, were now cowering in fear, their initial shock replaced by numb resignation.
Even the awakened Zoan guards trembled before the might of the two titans.
"It seems even Vice Admiral 'Black Wing' is struggling against Kaido. They've been fighting for so long without a clear victor. It looks like this stalemate will continue for a while." One of the guards muttered, shaking his head. Magellan, rescued from the sea by Fujitora's gravity powers, lay gasping for air, his body battered and weakened.
He had been brutally beaten by Kaido and further weakened by the seawater, his Devil Fruit powers nullified. He had yet to recover.
"Against anyone else, the outcome would be clear. In a battle of attrition, Kaido always wins. No one can match his endurance. But Vice Admiral Ian is also a rare Mythical Zoan user…"
"Ian-sama, Sadi-chan wants to be punished by you!" Sadi-chan squealed, her eyes filled with adoration. This powerful man was captivating.
They had easily quelled the riots on the upper levels. On Level One, Magellan's poisonous fog had left few survivors.
Domino, clad in her Marine uniform, felt a flutter in her heart. Tashigi, however, was filled with worry. She had journeyed alongside Ian, witnessing his growth firsthand.
Yet, she still felt so weak, unable to even approach the battlefield. He could now face a Yonko? The thought filled her with both pride and unease. Every new encounter seemed to trigger an exponential increase in his power.
Magellan and Fujitora shared her sentiments. They knew Ian was strong, having defeated several Warlords and legendary pirates. Now, he was facing a Yonko? How many secrets did he hold?
Everyone's hearts pounded in their chests, mirroring the turbulent waves outside Impel Down. No one could remain calm in the face of such power.
Kaido gripped his weapon, his black kanabo, and slammed it into the ground, shattering the earth beneath his feet. Black Busoshoku Haki surged around him, coating his body in a dark aura.
At the pinnacle of power, Busoshoku Haki no longer solidified completely. Its density and intensity reached a point where it began to radiate outwards.
Kaido was bathed in Haki, black lightning crackling around his kanabo, a manifestation of his overwhelming power.
Thump, thump, thump…
Kaido advanced towards Ian, each step shattering the ground beneath his feet, his Aura growing with each stride.
Sadi-chan, Domino, Tashigi, and even Magellan and Fujitora, watching from a distance, felt a sense of suffocating pressure, anticipating the inevitable clash.
Kaido continued his advance until he stood before Ian, who looked up at him calmly.
For some reason, as he stood before Ian, Kaido felt a sense of unease, a primal fear he hadn't experienced in years. Ian hadn't released any Haki or exuded any killing intent.
Yet, his presence, his calm gaze, triggered a deep-seated instinctual fear within Kaido.
Danger!
This man was dangerous! His Observation Haki told him so, sensing an abyss of power, an immeasurable force.
In that moment, Kaido felt a tremor he hadn't experienced since he was a child, facing a predator in the wild. His primal instincts were screaming at him, warning him of imminent danger.
Every cell in his body trembled with fear, alarm bells ringing in his mind. It was like someone poking a stick into a bush, believing it to be a snake, only to realize, upon striking it, that it wasn't a snake at all,
It was a tiger's tail.
Kaido's expression flickered, his fear quickly replaced by a surge of battle lust. He had never feared anyone.
Not Whitebeard, not Rocks D. Xebec or Gol D. Roger, not even the Marines…
No one had ever made him feel this way.
Even against stronger opponents, even in the face of defeat, he would continue to fight, to grow stronger, until he surpassed them all. He was Kaido, King of the Beasts!
His fighting spirit surged, and he raised his kanabo, roaring as he brought it down upon Ian with earth-shattering force.
Thunder Bagua!
Kaido's already massive arm bulged even further, his muscles overflowing with explosive power. He unleashed his most devastating attack, the culmination of his monstrous strength and mastery of Haki.
The air crackled and distorted under the force of his attack, the very space around them trembling. The sheer weight of the blow could shatter mountains.
"Let's do this!"
Ian's eyes burned with equal intensity as he drew his sword. The blade met Kaido's kanabo, a black crescent of energy clashing against the crackling lightning.
For a moment, they were locked in a stalemate. Kaido's kanabo creaked under the strain, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. But it held. forged and tempered over decades with Kaido's own Busoshoku Haki. Its durability was legendary. As long as it didn't shatter completely, Kaido could likely repair it.
Ian's arm trembled from the force of the impact. Kaido, gaining the upper hand for the first time, roared in triumph, his grip tightening on his weapon. "Die, you conceited Kid!"
Crack… Ian's grip tightened on his sword. Thunder echoed through the air as he channeled the power of several Devil Fruits – the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the Kilo Kilo no Mi, and the Sharp-Sharp Fruit – into his blade. A wave of destructive blue-white lightning erupted, engulfing the battlefield.
Everything was obscured by the blinding light. A dome of blue, white, and black lightning split open at its center, revealing the aftermath of the clash.
Black Busoshoku Haki peeled away from Kaido's kanabo like burnt caramel, tendrils of black energy dissipating into the air. The space around them remained distorted, a testament to the sheer force of the attack. It felt as if a single blow could shatter Impel Down.
As countless eyes watched in terror, Kaido's devastating attack landed. BOOM! Crackle!
Black lightning spread outwards from the point of impact, the ground beneath Ian's feet collapsing. The earth trembled as if struck by a magnitude ten earthquake, cracking and splitting apart.
In an instant, countless fissures spread across the ground, radiating outwards for a kilometer.
"Vice Admiral!" The onlookers gasped, their eyes wide with shock.
He hadn't dodged? Facing Kaido's ultimate attack, Ian had chosen to stand his ground and meet it head-on.
"He blocked… Kaido's attack?!"
The roar subsided, the black lightning dissipating into the air. Thunder echoed through the sky above Impel Down, the very air seeming to crack under the strain. The shockwave rippled outwards, destroying buildings and structures in its path.
BOOM!!! The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Even from a distance, the earth-shattering roar was deafening.
As countless eyes watched in disbelief, the battlefield where Ian and Kaido clashed, the very heart of Impel Down, the first two levels of the Eternal Hell… crumbled and collapsed.
"The ceilings of Levels Five and Four have been destroyed!!"
Gasps of astonishment echoed through the prison. Most of the onlookers were speechless, their minds reeling from the sheer destructive force. While Admiral-level battles could reshape landscapes, Impel Down was built with seastone and located near the Calm Belt.
It was supposed to be impenetrable, impervious even to Sea King attacks. Yet, these two had destroyed three levels of the prison.
"Guys, it looks like Impel Down is coming down! Let's get out of here!" Level 5.5, the Newkama Land, was now exposed, visible to Hannyabal, the other guards, and even Magellan and Fujitora.
"That's Emporio Ivankov of the Revolutionary Army…"
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