Slaying Orochi: Two Kings Fight Together

The Flower Capital, the top floor of the Castle. Noon.

The moment Lin Yuan pushed open the door, purple poisonous mist surged out like a tide.

He didn't retreat. He raised his hand and opened a door in front of him—a small door, just big enough for one person to pass through. Behind the door was a small alternate dimension he had created, free of the poisonous fog. He stepped into the doorway and then stepped out again, reappearing inside the room. The poisonous fog flowed past him like water around stones.

This is another use of the Door-Door Fruit —not to transfer the poisonous fog away, but to create an "air circulation system" around himself. He opened a Micro Door, continuously expelling the poisonous fog around him into another dimension, while simultaneously drawing in fresh air from outside the Castle. His breathing was normal, and his vision was clear.

"Ginny, the concentration of poisonous fog at the top is too high. How long has Kaido been holding out up there?"

"More than an hour," Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, "His Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon him immune to all poisons, but the Orochi is also very powerful. You'll see for yourself."

Lin Yuan stepped across the threshold and entered the depths of the room.

The floor was corroded and pitted, creaking underfoot. The walls were covered with claw marks and charred traces, the brickwork exposed, and dust filled the air. Purple crystals of solidified venom hung from the ceiling like stalactites.

Kaido knelt in the center of the room.

His Iron Club was stuck in the floor, supporting his body. His left shoulder was bitten through, and blood flowed down his arm, pooling on the ground. On his right arm were three deep, bone-revealing claw marks, the flesh torn open to reveal the muscle fibers beneath. The skin on his chest was pitted and corroded by venom, with ribs exposed in some places. Most of his azure dragon scales were broken, hanging on his body like tattered armor.

But his eyes were still shining. His dark golden vertical pupils stared at the Orochi opposite him, like a wild beast trapped in a trap but not yet surrendering.

"Oh ho ho..." Kaido's laughter was squeezed out from deep in his throat, hoarse, low, and laced with blood. "You've finally arrived. If you'd been any later, I would have already taken down this Viper."

Lin Yuan walked over to him and squatted down. He took out a clean cloth from his pocket and handed it to him to wipe the blood.

Can you stand up?

"Nonsense." Kaido gripped the Iron Club and strained to sit up. His knees trembled, the wounds on his arms tore open, and blood gushed out even more violently. But he stood up.

His body was changing. The edges of the shattered dragon scales began to heat up, and the muscles at the wounds were writhing—not healing, but Awakening. The power of the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon surged within him, like magma flowing underground. His eyes went from tired to bright, and something was awakening in his dark golden vertical pupils.

"Oh ho ho..." Kaido's laughter regained its strength, "Your Door-Door Fruit can fold space, and my Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon... can restore stamina."

Lin Yuan glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

"We'll only know after we fight." Kaido slung the Iron Club over his shoulder, cracked his neck, and his joints popped.

The Orochi stood at the other end of the room.

His eight heads had fully grown—larger and more ferocious than before. Each head was covered in Armament Haki Hardening, not ordinary Armament Haki, but Ryuo. It was a high-level Armament Haki from Wano Country, capable of striking from a distance. Venom dripped from his teeth, landing on the ground and corroding pit after pit. His body had swelled up, his clothes were already torn, revealing a torso covered in scales, each scale like a small shield.

Eight heads stared at Lin Yuan and Kaido simultaneously, and eight mouths opened at the same time, their voices overlapping and sounding as harsh as fingernails scraping a blackboard.

"Lin Yuan, you've come here to die too? You'd better surrender now. Hahahaha!"

Lin Yuan didn't answer. He glanced at Kaido.

Kaido glanced at him as well.

They both moved at the same time.

Lin Yuan used Space Folding to disappear from his original spot and reappeared to the left of the Orochi. Kaido used his Iron Club to support himself on the ground and launched himself out like a cannonball, rushing towards the right side of the Orochi.

"The left half is mine. The right half is yours."

"OK!"

Lin Yuan folded space five times in succession—not once. His figure flashed through the air, appearing in a different location each time. The first head on the left was smashed by a punch, Conqueror's Haki Coating, dark red lightning exploding on the fist. The second head on the left was smashed by an elbow strike, Armament Haki Hardening to its limit, the fist covered in jet-black armor. The third head on the left was cleaved by a palm strike, the edge of the Space Cutting flowing at his fingertips like an invisible blade. The fourth head on the left was smashed by a knee strike, Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki swirling around it, dark red lightning exploding on the knee.

Four heads, four fists. The Orochi's body shook violently, and black blood gushed out from the severed wound.

Kaido's side was even faster. The first head on the right was smashed to pieces with a single blow. The second head on the right was crushed by his dragon claws. The third head on the right was shattered by his dragon tail. The fourth head on the right was burned to Huijin by his Dragon Breath.

Eight heads, all shattered.

The Orochi's body arched backward, and it looked as if it was about to fall.

His heels were planted firmly on the ground. His body did not fall.

The granulation tissue at the cut surface surged wildly. It didn't grow slowly, it grew instantly. New heads emerged from the cut, larger than before, covered with a thicker layer of Ryuo. All eight heads opened their mouths simultaneously, venom compressed into spheres deep in their throats, purple light shining through them like eight venomous stars about to explode.

"Yamata no Orochi Poison Cannon - Five-Shot Burst!"

It wasn't eight shots, it was five. The Orochi didn't have time to charge all eight heads simultaneously, only five. But five shots were enough. Five venom bullets shot towards Lin Yuan from different angles, their speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Lin Yuan opened a door in front of him—a door large enough to hold all the venom bullets. The venom bullets flew into the door and out through the space behind the Orochi. But the Orochi's head could turn in mid-air. After flying out of the door, the venom bullets drew an arc in the air and chased after Lin Yuan again.

"What?" Lin Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

Kaido shouted, "His head can act independently! Eight heads, eight consciousnesses! You transferred the poison bullet, but his head can still control it to change direction!"

Lin Yuan had no time to be surprised. He opened a door beneath his feet, fell through it, and then fell out through another door in the ceiling. The venom bullet chased him to the ceiling, so he opened another door and fell to the ground. The venom bullet chased after him again.

After opening seven doors in succession, the venom bomb finally ran out of energy and exploded in mid-air, filling the entire room with purple poisonous mist.

Lin Yuan landed on the ground, catching his breath. The air circulation system around him was still running—the poisonous fog flowed past him, was drawn away by the Micro Door, and fresh air was brought in from outside. His breathing was normal, and his vision was clear.

But his left shoulder—his clothes had been corroded, leaving a hole and the exposed skin charred. It wasn't a direct hit from the venom bullet, but a glancing blow. The venom grazed his shoulder, tearing away a piece of flesh, leaving it bloody.

"Are you injured?" Kaido asked.

"A scrape." Lin Yuan glanced at the wound on his shoulder. "How's your Awakening going?"

Kaido didn't speak, but his body gave the answer. The shattered dragon scales began to regrow, not from the edges, but from the roots, sprouting new blue scales. The bleeding from the wounds stopped, and a thin scab formed. His breathing went from rapid to steady, and something burned in his dark golden vertical pupils.

"Ooh ho ho..." Kaido gripped his Iron Club tightly, "Awakening? This is only the beginning."

The Orochi's eight heads grew back. Lin Yuan activated his Spatial Perception to the fullest extent, penetrating the Orochi's body and scanning its internal structure. Muscles, bones, blood vessels, internal organs—all unfolded in his mind, like a transparent anatomical diagram.

He saw it.

The source of regeneration is not the heart or the brain, but a sarcoma at the end of the coccyx. It is the size of a fist, grayish-white, and resembles a tumor, constantly dividing its cells. The cells are transported upwards through the spine to supply the regeneration of the eight heads. As long as the sarcoma exists, the eight heads can regenerate indefinitely.

"Kaido," Lin Yuan's voice was calm, "His tail. There's a fleshy growth at the end of his tailbone. Break it, and regeneration will stop."

Kaido glanced at the Orochi's tail, then at Lin Yuan.

Are you sure?

"I'm sure, there's no mistake."

Kaido planted his Iron Club in the ground. "Then I'll lead the way."

He charged forward. Not with Iron Club, but with his body. The full-force charge of the human-beast-like Azure Dragon left a crater in the ground with every step. The Orochi's four heads turned to him, firing venom bullets one after another.

Kaido didn't dodge. The venom bullet hit him, exploded, corroded his scales, and scorched his skin. But the newly grown scales were harder than before, and the venom bullet only left scorch marks after exploding, without penetrating.

Two heads bit into his left arm. Teeth pierced the scales and lodged in the muscle, blood spurting out. Kaido gritted his teeth, grabbed one head with his right arm, and crushed it with a powerful squeeze. The other head bit into his right shoulder, its teeth lodged in his shoulder blade, which Kaido smashed with his left elbow.

The third head bit his waist. The fourth head bit his leg.

Kaido knelt on both knees, but did not fall. His hands braced against the ground, and his dragon tail lashed out from behind, shattering the head that was biting his waist. Dragon claws extended from his fingertips, tearing apart the head that was biting his leg.

"Lin Yuan! Now!"

Lin Yuan made a move.

Space Folding – three times in a row. First, from the original spot to the east side of the room, dodging the Orochi's two heads. Second, from the east side to the north side, dodging the other two heads. Third, from the north side to directly above the tail.

He appeared three meters above the Orochi's tail, his body suspended in mid-air.

He drew his pistol from his waist with his right hand. The last Seastone -Armor-Piercing Bullets. The bullet was silver-white, with fine patterns engraved on its surface, a masterpiece that Caesar had spent three months polishing. It was a fusion of Seastone powder and a special alloy, capable of penetrating Seastone Alloy armor with a single shot.

Conqueror's Haki exploded from his body. Dark red lightning coiled around the bullet tip, not covering it, but compressing it—condensing the Conqueror's Haki into the tip of the bullet, like a needle. This was a technique he learned from Rayleigh in the anime; Roger's "Divine Departure" used a similar principle to wrap Conqueror's Haki Coating around a sword. He had practiced it for a long time, and today was the first time he had used it on a bullet.

Pull the trigger.

The bullet was fired. The silvery-white bullet trailed a dark red tail, slicing through the air and embedding itself in the fleshy growth at the end of the Orochi's tailbone. Seastone powder exploded inside the growth, suppressing the Devil Fruit's regenerative abilities. But Lin Yuan didn't stop—he made a fist with both hands and pulled them forcefully to the sides.

Space Cutting - fault severing.

A black crack appeared in the air around the bullet, its edges forming a spatial fracture, sharp enough to cut through Seastone. The crack swallowed the tumor whole, causing it to explode and gushing out black blood that splattered all over Lin Yuan's face.

The Orochi's eight heads froze simultaneously. The regenerating flesh stopped growing, and no new heads grew from the severed ends. The eight heads retracted at the same time, as if pulled back by something, transforming back into a single human-faced head. That head was attached to the Orochi's neck and was the only one remaining.

Black blood gushed from his mouth, his eyes were bloodshot, and he stared at Lin Yuan.

You... broke my...

Lin Yuan landed on the ground, holstering his pistol back in his waistband. "Your head won't grow back."

The Orochi's right arm mutated. It was no longer in the form of the Orochi no Yamata no Orochi, but in its final, death throes—the arm transformed into a giant serpent, its mouth wide open, revealing two rows of venomous fangs, lunging at Lin Yuan. The serpent's speed was astonishing, and the venom dripping from its fangs traced purple trails in the air.

Lin Yuan didn't dodge. He stood still, hands in his pockets.

Kaido rose from behind the Orochi. His left arm was still bleeding, his right arm held Iron Club, and his body was covered in wounds, but his eyes shone brighter than ever. Blue dragon scales grew from the edges of his wounds, one by one, like spring grass sprouting from frozen earth. Dark red Conqueror's Haki lightning crackled around the Iron Club, and Armament Haki Hardening to its limit, turning the rod into an inky black.

A stick came crashing down.

The giant serpent was smashed into a bloody pulp. Blood and bits of flesh splattered everywhere. The Orochi's right arm had vanished from its shoulder, leaving only a bloody gash. The Orochi screamed, its voice hoarse, like the howl of a wild beast.

"Your opponent is me." Kaido slung the Iron Club over his shoulder, blood dripping from his arm, but his hand no longer trembled. "It's not him."

The Orochi's human-faced head detached from its body. It wasn't severed; it fell off on its own—its body could no longer support it. The head rolled a few times on the ground before coming to rest at Lin Yuan's feet. Its eyes were still open, and its lips were moving, but no sound came out. Blood flowed from the corner of its mouth, pooling on the ground.

"The D... clan... will not let... you go..."

Lin Yuan looked down at him. "I'm not a D."

The Orochi's lips twisted into a grimace, blood seeping from between its teeth. "You will... you can't escape... the Will of D... will find you..."

"Are you done talking?"

The Orochi's mouth was still moving, but there was no sound.

Kaido walked over, planted his Iron Club on the ground, and looked down at the head. "What is he still muttering about?"

"Nonsense."

Kaido raised his foot and stomped down, like crushing a watermelon. Blood and brains splattered everywhere, and the Orochi's mouth finally closed.

The room became quiet.

The poisonous fog slowly dissipated through the cracks in the window, and sunlight streamed in through the broken window, illuminating the blood-stained floor, Kaido's wounded body, and Lin Yuan's scorched shoulder.

Kaido swayed. He braced himself against the wall, preventing himself from falling. The blue dragon scales stopped growing, and blood began to seep from his wounds again. He had reached the limit of his Awakening.

"Oh ho ho..." Kaido's laughter was weak, but still chuckled. "Your bullets were spot on."

"Your head is blocking the view very well."

Are you praising me or insulting me?

"I'm praising you."

The two looked at each other and smiled simultaneously.

Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, trembling slightly, yet filled with barely suppressed relief. "Orochi... is dead?"

"He's dead," Lin Yuan said.

There was a long silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi. Then Ginny took a deep breath, and her voice returned to normal. "Flower Capital, we've got it."

Lin Yuan helped Kaido out of the Castle gate.

Kaido's Awakening side effects had begun to take hold—his legs were shaking, his hands were shaking, every part of his body was trembling. He used the Iron Club as a crutch, moving step by step, leaving a bloody footprint on the ground with each step.

"Your Awakening... has such a strong aftereffect?" Lin Yuan asked.

"The Awakening of the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon... folds away my strength and injuries into the future..." Kaido's voice was weak and feeble. "I'm exhausted now... For the next three days... I won't even be able to stand up..."

"You stepped on the Orochi's head quite hard just now."

"That was... my last bit of strength... gone..."

In the plaza, Huijin had finished stopping the bleeding of Kuma with his gray flames. Kuma sat leaning against a pillar, his chest wound mostly healed, his breathing steady, and his complexion much better than before. He opened his eyes and saw Kaido being helped out by Lin Yuan. His lips twitched—he probably wanted to laugh, but didn't.

Huijin stood up and extinguished her gray flames. Her bandages still covered half her face, and her exposed gray eye lingered on Kaido for a moment before looking away. She stepped aside and stood with Ash.

Bullet jumped down the steps and rushed to the Orochi's corpse—he had just run from the edge of the square, his left arm still hanging down, his right fist clenched, but upon seeing the Orochi's body, his fist loosened.

"Finished?"

"It's over." Lin Yuan helped Kaido sit down on the steps.

Kaido plopped down on the steps, his Iron Club resting across his knees, and closed his eyes. His breathing was heavy, his chest heaving, and blood seeped from the wound on his shoulder, but he didn't treat it or cry out in pain.

Jin walked over and stood next to Lin Yuan. His right arm was still wrapped in bandages, and his left hand was in his pocket.

Kaido injured.

"It's alright," Kaido said with his eyes closed. "Let me sleep for three days."

"Three days?" Bullet scoffed. "If you can get up in three days, I'll treat you to meat."

"You said it."

"... I said it."

Lin Yuan handed the Orochi over to Fukurokuju and the others.

Fukurokuju led his men to clear the streets. The Oniwabanshu ninjas carried stretchers to transport the wounded soldiers to the makeshift medical station. Civilians emerged from their hiding places; some were crying, some were laughing, and some stood in a daze in front of the ruins.

The Orochi's banner was torn down from the highest point of the Castle and thrown to the ground.

The flag of Hachinosu was raised—a skull against a backdrop of a half-open door, from which a dark red light shone and fluttered in the sea breeze.

Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, carrying a weary air of "finally able to sleep": "Lin Yuan, the casualty statistics are in. The Allied forces suffered 213 casualties, Orochi suffered over 1,800 casualties, and civilian casualties... are being tallied. Flower Capital have been damaged to varying degrees; repairs will take time."

"Let's start by taking money from the Orochi's treasury," Lin Yuan said. "The compensation will be paid according to the previous plan."

"It's already being processed."

Lin Yuan stood on the top floor of the Castle, looking down at the city below.

(End of Chapter 84)