Chapter 101: Devil vs Dragon!
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After multiple Cero blasts, his heart was pulverized, joining the ranks of the other legendary pirates who had fallen before Ian, becoming yet another soul to fuel his power.
With that, the entirety of Level Six, the Eternal Hell, and even the prisoners of Levels Three, Four, and Five – the Starvation Hell, the Blazing Hell, and the Frozen Hell – had been eradicated by Ian's hand. Only one remained, a snarling, bristling old lion, standing defiant amidst the carnage.
"Do you think that question still needs answering?" Ian asked, his voice cold as he fixed his gaze on Shiki, the Golden Lion. Regardless of the consequences, Shiki's fate was sealed.
"Aaargh!" A scream tore through the air, followed by the flickering black light emanating from Ian's fingertips. The last of the legendary pirates in the Eternal Hell fell.
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Suddenly, the ceiling of Level Six shattered with an earth-shattering roar, a massive hole ripped open by brute force, revealing a towering figure and a booming voice.
"Yo, Black-Winged Devil! Finally found you! How's my partner doing down there? And that old lion, too. I figured I'd ask after him, seeing as we were crewmates once."
But upon entering the Eternal Hell, the scene that greeted Kaido sent a shiver down his spine. The entire level was a gruesome spectacle of carnage, a sea of blood and corpses, the stench of death thick in the air. Words could scarcely describe the horror.
And at the center of this macabre tableau stood Ian, alone, like a blood-soaked Asura risen from the depths of hell, his presence radiating an aura of terrifying power. No, he was a Devil.
"It seems I don't need an answer either. You've shattered my dream of an all-Zoan crew, Devil!"
A glint flashed in Ian's eyes. He clenched his fist, and in a blink, he vanished, reappearing instantly before Kaido, having crossed the vast distance in the blink of an eye.
Kaido, his massive, muscular torso bare, towered over even Big Mom and Whitebeard. His bulging muscles rippled with explosive power, his very presence like a mountain. He roared as Ian appeared before him, unleashing a devastating punch without hesitation.
Kaido's colossal fist, coated in Busoshoku Haki, hurtled towards Ian with crushing force, the wind pressure alone enough to send tremors through the air. Ian, unflinching, met the attack head-on.
Fist against fist. He planted his right foot firmly, sending tremors through the Eternal Hell, and unleashed his own punch, wreathed in lightning, explosive force, and razor-sharp energy.
While smaller than Kaido's fist, it lacked none of its power. He had absorbed the souls of Douglas Bullet and Byrnndi World, gaining access to the incredibly potent Gasha Gasha no Mi and More More no Mi.
While the More More no Mi could amplify a user's power a hundredfold, at their level of strength, even a thousandfold increase was negligible. It was similar to his own template fusion; the further he progressed, the more souls he required.
Eventually, the amount of souls that once granted a 10% increase wouldn't even yield 1%. At their level, even the slightest difference in power was a chasm.
Otherwise, how could Bullet's amplified cannonball be sliced in half by Mihawk? Bullet was already stronger than Luffy in his base form, so why was his amplified form no match for Mihawk's burst of power, succumbing to plot armor in the world?
Devil Fruits that granted temporary power boosts, without the life-threatening drawbacks, resulting in exhaustion at most.
Throughout his journey, he had absorbed numerous Devil Fruit users, but most were weaker Paramecia or Zoan types, resulting in only a 65% fusion rate.
He had retained Catarina Devon's Mythical Zoan Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Kyubi no Kitsune, for a potential future trade. He needed a certain fox's abilities....
Now, even against the world's strongest man, Whitebeard, he could hold his own, and victory wasn't out of the question.
BOOM!
The ground beneath Kaido's feet shattered as his massive fist, wreathed in crackling energy, descended. Ian, unfazed, met the attack head-on, his own fist colliding with Kaido's.
Two fists, vastly different in size, clashed with a thunderous roar. The air itself seemed to ripple and distort, visible shockwaves radiating outwards in all directions.
The shockwave ripped through the Eternal Hell, shattering the walls and leaving the level in ruins. A metallic clang echoed through the air, followed by a moment of silence before a deafening explosion erupted, a blinding white light flashing from the point of impact.
The entire prison shook violently, the tremors reaching the surface, causing the sea to churn and roil, massive waves hundreds of meters high crashing against the prison walls.
Ian and Kaido remained locked in their clash, their fists seemingly pressed together, though a tiny gap remained between them, the air compressed and screaming under the immense pressure.
Crack! The ground beneath them fractured, unable to withstand the force of their collision, cracks spiderwebbing outwards as if a master swordsman had cleaved the earth in two. Kaido's fist was coated in Busoshoku Haki, its darkness a stark contrast to Ian's pale skin.
The level of Haki Kaido possessed was immense, amplified by his monstrous strength. Few could withstand such a blow. Yet, Ian's seemingly delicate, pale fist held firm, stopping Kaido's attack dead in its tracks.
It was as if Kaido had punched not flesh and bone, but tempered steel. "You bastard…"
Even Kaido, known for his immense strength and durability, was taken aback. He hadn't expected Ian to match his power so directly, let alone surpass it. His own fist was coated in Haki, while Ian's was not. This meant…
Ian had matched his Haki-enhanced punch with pure physical strength.
It was unbelievable. Such raw power contained within that slender frame. "It's been a while since I've had a fight like this. Entertain me, Black-Winged Devil!"
"Maybe then I can forget the hatred I feel for you destroying my dream of an all-Zoan crew. Kill me, and you won't have to worry about it anymore."
Ian stood motionless, then looked up, a faint smirk playing on his lips. In the next instant, he roared, unleashing a surge of power from his fist, sending Kaido reeling.
BOOM!
The ground beneath Kaido's feet exploded, and he stumbled backward, taking several steps to regain his balance. It was the pure, unadulterated force of an explosion.
Kaido, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief, stared at Ian. If Ian blocking his punch had surprised him, this… this was something else entirely.
Kaido had fought countless powerful individuals: Whitebeard, Garp, Sengoku… He had experienced the might of the world's strongest firsthand. And the only one whose strength rivaled Ian's was Garp.
Even Whitebeard had relied on the power of his Tremor-Tremor Fruit to overpower him. Garp, too, had needed to use Haki. Yet, Ian had achieved the same level of power with pure physical strength. While Kaido hadn't used his full strength, the power behind Ian's punch was undeniable.
"Your body… it's not as normal as it looks." Kaido's voice was low and gravelly.
"Again. It's not often I get to enjoy myself like this. Magellan, that guy, he's not weak, but he's no Admiral. I took him down easily."
BOOM!
The smile vanished from Kaido's face, replaced by a fierce grimace as his fists crackled with Haki. Before he could finish his sentence, he vanished from Ian's sight, his speed belying his massive size.
But with his Observation Haki and soul-sensing abilities at their peak, Ian was among the most perceptive individuals in the world.
He perfectly predicted Kaido's trajectory, seemingly punching at empty air. But Kaido materialized before him, their fists colliding once more.
"Don't underestimate a Yonko!"
Kaido roared, grabbing Ian's arm with a vice-like grip, spinning him around, and slamming him into the ground.
Thud!
A dull impact reverberated through the air, followed by a second, earth-shattering thud that shook the entire island. A powerful shockwave erupted, scattering the dust and debris.
It was the sound of Kaido, the King of the Beasts, crashing into the earth. But Ian stood firm, his feet planted deep in the ground.
He had caused the first thud, using Kaido's own momentum against him, redirecting his force like a master of Jujutsu. By the time Kaido realized what had happened, he was already on the ground, momentarily stunned.
Kaido slammed his fist into the earth, creating another crater a meter deep.
Using the recoil, he launched himself back into the air, his speed astonishing for his size.
"It's not over yet!" Kaido roared, his left fist hurtling towards Ian.
Ian's eyes narrowed, and he met the attack head-on, their fists clashing in a flurry of blows.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The air crackled with the force of their impacts, the ground beneath them trembling, a brutal, primal display of raw power unfolding in the heart of Impel Down's Eternal Hell.
It was a clash between the strongest creatures of two worlds, a dragon and a Devil.
BOOM!
Ian's fist, wreathed in lightning, explosive force, and razor-sharp energy, slammed into Kaido's chest, leaving a burning imprint several inches deep. Kaido roared in pain, retaliating with a blow that sent Ian reeling.
Bang!
A sickening thud echoed from Ian's chest as it caved inwards.
But in the next instant, it popped back into place, his Hierro and High-Speed Regeneration at work, granting him unparalleled defense and recovery.
"Is that all you've got, Kaido?" Ian grinned, dusting himself off as if nothing had happened.
Kaido took a deep breath, his chest expanding, and the imprint of Ian's punch vanished as quickly as it had appeared. It was the incredible regenerative ability granted by his Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon form, second only to Marco the Phoenix's near-instantaneous recovery.
No wonder Kaido had been defeated and captured countless times, yet no one had ever managed to kill him.
His defenses were monstrous. Even with Busoshoku Haki, few could penetrate his tough hide. Only those at Admiral level could even hope to injure him, and even then, they would struggle to inflict any lasting damage.
Even if Kaido simply stood there and allowed himself to be attacked, few could kill him. And even if they could break through his defenses…
His regenerative abilities were unmatched, healing even grievous wounds in an instant.
Even a group of Admirals attacking him relentlessly would likely only exhaust him, not kill him. However, Kaido had a weakness: his attacks, while powerful, lacked versatility. His offensive power paled in comparison to his defense. If he possessed an offensive ability like Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he would have conquered the world long ago.
Compared to the other Yonko, Kaido's attacks posed less of a threat.
He lacked Big Mom's unpredictable abilities, Shanks' mastery of swordsmanship and Conqueror's Haki, and Whitebeard's devastating Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Of course, this was relative. His attacks were still incredibly powerful, just not as versatile or unpredictable as the other Yonko.
With his immense defense and regeneration, overwhelming numbers were meaningless against Kaido. Facing three Admirals was no different from facing five.
Two Admirals could stall him, or even subdue him, but it would be pointless. They couldn't kill him, and they couldn't simply stand guard indefinitely. Eventually, they would have to let him go.
"So, your incredible defense and regeneration have made you an immortal monster, huh?" Ian observed, a faint smile playing on his lips as he shook his head.
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