Chapter 144: Beating Kaido Down - Princess Hiyori in Shock

"Stronger than me in terms of raw strength?" Kaido stared at Kuke in astonishment.

A direct confrontation.

A pure clash of power and Haki.

Even in his strongest hybrid form, Kaido was forced backward.

The undeniable reality told Kaido that in sheer strength, he was inferior to Kuke.

"How did you get so strong?" Kaido eyed Kuke.

He couldn't understand. This man was only twenty years old. Even if he started training in the womb, he shouldn't be this powerful at twenty.

Kaido thought back to his own experience at the age of twenty.

Constant failures, constantly being beaten—a miserable journey.

Then he looked at Kuke.

The comparison made him feel bitter.

"Realizing your own weakness, and now you're afraid to fight?" Kuke walked towards Kaido, dragging his blade along the ground.

Kaido couldn't help but sneer, "Ridiculous! Just because you're stronger doesn't mean you'll win. The one left standing will always be me!"

With his mad laughter echoing, Kaido's body began to shift.

A deep blue, dragon-scaled Haki covered his entire form, his head transforming into that of a dragon. He shot into the sky.

A massive azure dragon ascended into the clouds.

Riding on the storm.

The colossal dragon coiled amidst swirling clouds, its enormous head poking out from the storm, like a godly beast straight out of myth, ready to bring destruction.

The members of the Beast Pirates roared with excitement.

Their morale exploded.

For example, Jack... who was promptly slapped away by Shakky.

"The old man is still that strong." Yamato looked up with trepidation at the sky, swinging her kanabo even faster.

She pushed her opponent, Sasaki, one of the Flying Six with an Ancient Zoan Triceratops Fruit, even harder.

"I need to defeat my opponent quickly to assist the captain!"

Pushing herself, Yamato's form began to change.

The features of her Mythical Zoan ability started to surface, a chilling aura emanating from her body.

"Though this isn't the first time I've seen it, every time, it's still despairing... Kaido, that monster." Denjiro stared up at Kaido in his azure dragon form, feeling the massive power gap.

"You didn't expect this, did you? I can fly," Kaido boasted arrogantly, looking down at Kuke.

Flight was an enormous advantage.

"Long-range attacks will exhaust you eventually."

Kaido opened his massive maw.

A blinding red light gathered in his mouth.

A breath attack painted the sky crimson, leaving a blazing red trail.

"Fly, huh?" Kuke planted his foot firmly on the ground.

Moonwalk.

He kicked off the air, golden Haki flames bursting around him, and he charged directly into Kaido's breath attack like a blazing comet.

Sparks flew.

Fireworks exploded in the sky.

Without using any special techniques, Kuke smashed through Kaido's breath with his body, barreling straight towards Kaido.

"Moonwalk?" The dragon's enormous eyes narrowed.

"Your combat experience is weak. Moonwalk is energy-consuming, and yet you waste so much Haki." Kaido assessed, feeling even more confident.

He thought he had found the key to victory.

A battle of attrition.

"Wind Scythe!"

A piercing wind blade sliced through the sky.

It landed on Kuke, but was instantly destroyed by his top-tier Haki.

He didn't dodge.

He ignored all of Kaido's attacks, moving rapidly towards the dragon's head.

Kicking off the air again, a ripple spread beneath his feet.

Kuke vanished.

The next moment, he was above the dragon's head.

Kaido's eyes looked up, seeing Kuke standing above him.

"They say you've got the most combat experience, Kaido, so why are your tactics this foolish?" Kuke mocked as he took a stance with his blade.

Kaido: ???

"Golden Crow Circles Heaven!"

Kuke came down like a blazing sun, smashing into the dragon's head.

A mushroom cloud of energy formed, shattering the swirling storm clouds.

"In that beast form, you're just a giant target—fall!"

Kaido's eyes rolled back.

He felt as though his head was about to split open.

The massive dragon was sent crashing back down towards Onigashima, smashing into countless buildings, the whole island trembling violently.

"Damn it, I'm actually hurt." Kaido lifted his head, blood dripping.

His once unbreakable dragon scales were shattered, blood flowing from the wounds, staining his eyes red.

Kaido, who hadn't been injured for years, felt a rare pang of fear.

"Hmph, it's just a scratch, I can heal instantly," Kaido blustered, refusing to admit he was shaken.

The dragon claws crushed the ground beneath them.

The massive dragon form began climbing out of the rubble, scaling the towering cliffs, claws sinking into the mountain peak, eyes fixed on Kuke above.

"Let's continue."

The mountain crumbled.

The azure dragon took to the sky once more.

But instead of flying towards Kuke.

He flew off into the distance.

His serpentine body twisted, a massive tornado connecting the earth and sky.

He was unleashing a catastrophic attack.

"How long can you last in the sky?"

Kaido was determined to drag Kuke into a battle of attrition.

"You don't learn."

Kuke turned into a streak of light, shattering the tornado, charging at Kaido.

"Dragon Breath!"

Kaido spat out searing breath after breath, trying to slow Kuke's advance and gain some distance.

He didn't want to fight Kuke in close quarters.

"One Slash, Two Halves!"

A massive slash, splitting the sky from north to south.

Even with his giant dragon form, Kaido couldn't avoid it.

The attack cut into his body.

Dragon blood sprayed forth.

"With a body this large, your Haki can't cover it all."

"As long as I win," Kaido still believed in his strategy.

With his immense vitality and recovery, he thought he could wear Kuke down.

"Wear me down?"

Kuke laughed.

Did Kaido really think that using Moonwalk was that exhausting for him?

Was it exhausting at all?

Kuke didn't feel a thing.

"Haha, today I'll show you what a real sea battle looks like, Kuke. The longest fight you've had is, what, three days and nights against Shanks? That's nothing. In my battles, fifteen days is the average."

Kaido laughed boastfully.

Intimidated yet?

"The longer the battle, the greater the shame," Kuke replied calmly.

Kaido blinked.

······· Shame? I thought it was a point of pride.

Damn it, his words are sharper than mine.

Kaido quickly pondered what to say to save face.

Then he saw Kuke move.

Kuke's figure blurred, leaving multiple sonic booms in the air, vanishing instantly.

He reappeared beside Kaido's head.

He grabbed the dragon's horn.

Kuke's muscles bulged, his form expanding until he looked like a giant himself.

"So close... You asked for this."

Kaido stared at Kuke, so close to him.

His massive jaws moved in, trying to breathe fire at point-blank range.

"Dragon Breath!"

But Kuke unleashed his full strength, swinging the dragon around.

One circle, two circles, three circles...

Faster and faster.

Kaido's dragon form turned into a spinning blue disk in Kuke's grip.

Within moments, it spun countless times.

The resulting windstorm spanned hundreds of meters, a disaster-level tornado.

"Get down!"

...

Kuke hurled the massive dragon down.

The shocking scene filled everyone's vision.

The Beast Pirates trembled uncontrollably.

"Is this the battle of an Emperor?" Denjiro watched in shock as Kaido crashed down, feeling numb.

"So... so powerful." Kozuki Hiyori gazed at Kuke in the sky, her eyes full of awe, as if she were looking at a deity.

"Boom!"

The dragon landed.

A massive crater formed in the back of Onigashima, a thousand meters wide.

Dozens of massive rocks were flung away.

A deep abyss formed, accompanied by an unstoppable windstorm that swept across the island.

"Help us!"

Thousands of pirates screamed in terror, vanishing into the storm.

"Thunder Birth - Destruction of All Things!"

Kuke held his blade, lightning flashing around the hilt.

He descended from above.

Splitting the sky, like a god of thunder, striking the massive crater.

The aftershocks hadn't even ceased.

A second, even stronger shockwave followed.

More pirates fell to the collateral damage.

"So strong?" Even King, the All-Star, along with the other top officers, had to give it their all just to hold their ground.

Stussy assumed her lightning form.

Shielding Kuina and the others behind her.

The Beast Pirates, however, received no such protection.

In an instant.

Only fewer than a hundred pirates remained standing.

"This isn't good!"

Denjiro stood in front of Kozuki Hiyori, holding his sword, releasing a powerful slash.

A blow capable of slicing a giant battleship.

But it couldn't cut through the scattering shockwaves.

"Ugh—"

Denjiro staggered back several steps, blood dripping from his mouth, urgently checking on Hiyori.

Thankfully.

He had protected her.

Though Hiyori had rolled across the ground, in a sorry state.

Her arms were scraped up.

But it was as if she had forgotten the pain, climbing to her feet, supporting herself on her hands, staring ahead like a statue at the post-apocalyptic scene.

This moment.

Would be etched into her heart forever.

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DONT FORGET POWER STONE 

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up 40+ chapters at patreon.com/Emik01.

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