Vice Commander Makes His Move, Kaido Is Injured

"Vice Commander, we..."

Having grown accustomed to battles with the Beasts Pirates over the past twenty years, the Bad People, skilled in group combat and outnumbered, were like fish in water on this battlefield. With their seamless teamwork, they decimated large numbers of the Beasts Pirates, including many Zoan users. However:

"It doesn't matter how many of these rabble fall; let's focus our attention on the Six Sons and the All-Stars..."

"No,"

The response to the Melody's suggestion wasn't from the Bandaged Vice Commander, but from a fallen white dove.

"... Commander-in-Chief?"

"It's me,"

The white dove 'Roman No. 1' spoke human language. Since the Bad People all knew that Roman could create white doves, they didn't need to explain.

"Everyone, you are the only high-level combatants who are currently available, so I need your help."

The other members of the Straw Hat crew have already begun one-on-one battles against the Six Sons, the All-Stars, and the True Striker from the Beasts Pirates. Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders, needing to both care for the others and suppress Big Mom's children, can only spare a few hands at the moment.

The Red Scabbards and the Bad People!

"Commander-in-Chief, please give the order,"

In response to the Bandaged Vice Commander's words, White Dove immediately turned to look at the right side of the giant skull on Onigashima:

"I need you to help me deal with Kaido."

?!

"Of course, if you're willing to take on the task of dealing with Big Mom, I'll also—"

"No,"

The Bandaged Vice Commander shook his head.

"This is, after all, our home. Dealing with the Beasts Pirates has been our daily routine for the past twenty years. It's time to settle the score with Kaido for all these years. — Let's go!"

At the command of the Bandaged Vice Commander, a group of people immediately headed towards the battlefield to the right of the skull. This caused the Red Scabbards on the other side to exchange glances.

"My lord,"

On the battlefield, Denjiro, who had been closely protecting Hiyori Kozuki, watched as the Bad People rapidly approached Kaido through the battlefield. Had the time finally come for these mysterious masters to confront Kaido directly? Then:

"Go,"

Hiyori Kozuki was well aware of the thoughts of her father's old subordinates. The people from the outer seas and the secret organizations were all confronting Kaido, but the Kozuki family, as the rightful heirs of Wano Country, remained silent. What kind of behavior was this? Moreover, it was indeed time to settle the score for the national and family feuds of the past twenty years.

"But what about our lord's safety..."

"Leave it to me,"

The 'Roman No. 1' that the Bad People had just sent to help Luffy and his Luffy flew over and landed on Hiyori Kozuki's armor shoulder. Since the Red Scabbards were eager to avenge Oden, Roman would naturally grant their wish.

"Although my 'main body' is fighting Big Mom, protecting your 'Admiral' shouldn't be a problem. And—"

Moreover, the senior officers of Beasts Pirates and the BIG MOM Pirates have their own rivals, and there is no longer any fighting force on this battlefield that can threaten Hiyori Kozuki' and holds the line.

"Then Mr. Roman,"

"My lord, please take care!"

Although Denjiro, Kikunojo, and Ashura Doji of Wano Country didn't know much about Roman, and Kawamatsu, who was rescued, was considered neutral, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had had in-depth contact with the Straw Hat crew and had even received their help in saving their Straw Hat crew, so they also had some understanding of Roman.

Among all the Straw Hat crew members, Roman is the epitome of reliability!

From the East Blue all the way to the New World, Roman has never let the Straw Hat crew down. Therefore— Inuarashi and Nekomamushi trust Roman, and the others trust Inuarashi and Nekomamushi.

As the six swordsmen swiftly tore through the battlefield toward Kaido, the battle was about to reach its climax.

"Mr. Roman, do you think we will win?"

From beneath the armor came Hiyori Kozuki's words, and the white dove calmly preened its feathers.

"First of all, I am 'Roman No. 1,' not Roman himself; secondly, you shouldn't be asking whether we will win, but rather considering the distribution of the spoils after the victory."

······

"Mr. Roman is truly confident,"

Faced with the fully armed Hiyori Kozuki, who was so heavily armed that even moving around was difficult, Roman No. 1 shook his head.

"It's not about confidence, but if something I've been planning for two years fails, wouldn't I, a man of such high standing... cough cough, be utterly disgraced?"

To think that failing to defeat a Four Emperors after only two years of planning is shameful? What about us, who have planned for twenty years and can only fight to the death? Hiyori Kozuki sighed. Perhaps this is the mindset of the strong.

But:

Hiyori Kozuki looked up at the right side of the giant skull. Although she couldn't see anything clearly because of the high speed of the people in the battle, she thought that with the help of the Red Scabbards and the Bad People, they should be able to defeat Kaido soon.

However, this is not the case—

The reason Roman had the Bad People and the Red Scabbards join the battle against Kaido was not because Luffy, Ace, Yamato were no match for Kaido, but because the three of them combined were just enough to fight Kaido to a draw.

And here's the problem:

As Devil Fruit user the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Azure Dragon Form, Kaido could easily hold out for several days, if the battle was only at a 'draw,' let alone ten days and nights. Only if the damage he suffers in a short period exceeds his recovery limit could the battle possibly end!

"Damn it, they're Bad People!"

"Stop them! Don't let them disturb Kaido!!"

At the very center of the battlefield, Kaido and Luffy were surrounded by the elite of the Beasts Pirates, including over a dozen True Striker. Facing the silently leaping Delinquents, they immediately drew their weapons to meet them! Meanwhile, the Bandaged Vice Commander body covered in dense bandages, clearly prepared to go all out.

"Vice Commander, please take the weapon!"

As one of the Bad People tossed over two weapons, one long and one short, the white cloth covering them unfurled and fell into the hands of the Bandaged Vice Commander.

The sword is red and black, appearing very noble and beautiful. The hilt has a majestic beast face, and the blade is covered with gorgeous cloud patterns. The spear has a silvery-white, cold light, exuding a chilling killing intent. The spearhead is as bright as frost, and the shaft is decorated with a coiled dragon relief.

"White Night, Black Cry, let's go!"

As the bandages on his face began to unravel, revealing a handsome face, the young vice-commander, wielding the spear-swords named 'White Night' and 'Black Cry,' charged directly at the Beasts Pirates in front of him. Simultaneously, his 'Word-Word Fruit' was being enhanced, but this time the target of the enhancement was:

"Kill one man in ten steps, leave no trace for a thousand miles!"

Black and white light drew two intersecting lines on the battlefield. Before a group of artificial Devil Fruit user, and even the 'True Striker' whose entire bodies were covered in Haki, could react, the deputy commander of the Bad People, wielding a gun and sword, had already crossed the battlefield and appeared behind them! His gun and sword pointed straight at the sky, and then:

Puff, puff, puff, puff—

The world behind them seemed to be divided and sliced apart by black and white light. Whether it was the thick carapace of the Zoan, the Armament Haki covering the sword, or even the two distinct black and white trails left in the air that lingered for a long time!

After a single move, a path was immediately torn open in the dense battlefield.

?!

"Excellent swordsmanship,"

The Red Scabbards, who arrived shortly after, were all immediately impressed, with Ashura Doji praising him without reservation. That single spear and sword strike had already raised their opinion of him considerably; no wonder he was the leader of the Bad People had managed to protect Zhonghua Town even amidst Kaido's rampage.

"Having accomplished his task, he dusted off his clothes and departed, concealing his identity and name."

With a flash, the vice-commander vanished from his spot in an instant, his location undetectable even by the Observation Haki of the many experts on the battlefield! While he hadn't reached the level of the Suke Suke no Mi, which allows one to shove Camera Den Den Mushi in the face of Haki expert to take a picture, a moment of concealment was enough.

"Leisurely drinking at Xinling, I lay my sword across my knees!"

With a bold and unrestrained Haki, he slashed his black and red Han sword at Kaido! The crimson sword energy was like a meteor streaking across the sky, the blazing sun piercing through the clouds, spanning thousands of miles with unparalleled momentum.

There is no embellishment, no superfluity, no gaps, no detours; there is only the most upright, magnificent, and dignified simple sword energy that cuts through everything!

?

Clang—!

With a long, metallic clang, the Vice Commander of the Bad People's longsword slashed fiercely at Kaido's waist! Even the so-called World's Strongest Creature was forced to slide backward by this ferocious sword strike! His feet carved two deep furrows into the hard skull.

"Good,"

However, Kaido's voice clearly didn't sound like that of an injured person, and the vice-commander of the Bad People had already dodged to the side without hesitation, avoiding Kaido's swinging spiked club. He leaped into the air, swiftly sheathing his longsword 'Black Night' in his belt, his bandages constantly unraveling as Chinese characters danced and swirled around him:

"He offered roasted meat to Zhu Hai, and raised a cup to Hou Ying;"

As the vice commander leaped high into the air, charging up his spear, strange squeaks and streaks of black Inazuma simultaneously rang out from his spear. Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki began to converge on the spear, causing the space around him to sag and the light to become distorted and erratic.

"Three cups of wine and I'll utter my vow—"

?!

The surrounding scenery had already begun to shatter and distort. Even before the shot was fired, the terrifying power it had accumulated had already made everything around it, including space and sensation, feel like it was about to collapse, causing strange tremors.

"Don't even think about it!"

With a hoarse shriek, Kaido instantly disregarded his "stand and let me fight" tough guy demeanor and swung his spiked club fiercely at the Bandaged Vice Commander was gathering power in the sky!

The outward-released Armament Haki formed a piercing impact! With a thunderous roar like the collapse of the heavens and the earth, it rushed towards the Bandaged Vice Commander, its terrifying speed and Haki directly compressing the air into a solid shape, turning it into a blue 'arrow'.

"Diamond-shaped Arrow!"

This situation is precisely because Kaido knows that the opponent's attack will hurt him.

At the same time, the vice-commander finally gathered enough Haki and power, concentrating it all on his spear. He thrust the spear downwards with a sudden, earth-shattering sound, directly clashing with Kaido's ranged Haki attack.

"The Five Sacred Mountains Weigh Nothing!"

The spear tip tore through Kaido's outward-flaring Haki and 'pecked' hard onto his spiked club!

Click,

First came the sound of shattering glass, then everyone's eyes lit up and they couldn't hear anything:

Rumble!...

The sky trembled, the earth shook! The whole world was shaking wildly. The collision of the two people's full-force attacks created a shockwave composed of destructive black light and wildly unleashed domineering Haki. The air itself turned into huge ripples that spread outwards, threatening to engulf and crush everything.

"Ahhh~~"

"Damn it, what kind of monster is this...?"

As the terrifying shockwave swept through, it ruthlessly cleared everything within a thousand meters in an instant! Whether it was the Beasts Pirates, the samurai of Wano Country, or the elite of the Whitebeard Pirates, they were all turned into flying paper figures and thrown out. Even Roman and Big Mom on the other side of the battlefield couldn't help but look over in this direction.

This power...

After clearing the area in one move, the one remaining on the right side of Onigashima:

"The bandaged man is amazing!"

Looking at the terrifying collision before him, Luffy had to admit that the vice-commander of the Bad People, who had 'stolen' his opponent, was indeed qualified to intervene in this battlefield.

"Don't let your guard down, Luffy."

Ace, standing to the side, faced the combined impact of the two's Two-Color Haki, his black hair flying behind him.

"Kaido is not an easy guy to deal with,"

"But,"

Yamato had already entered 'half-orc' mode, sniffed the air.

"Kaido is injured."

········

"The wound, the long-awaited blood..."

As the smoke cleared, the deputy commander of the Bad People stood with his guns pointed at the ground, crimson blood spreading across his silver-white spears. It wasn't all from the enemy; much of it was actually blood from his own arms, as that last shot had exceeded his own strength.

Opposite him was Kaido, whose shoulder had been pierced with a large hole!

He wiped his shoulder, and the muscles in the wound began to writhe, regenerate, and then cover with scales. —Although it appeared to have healed quickly, the new flesh was nowhere near as strong as it had been through countless trials. It was an undeniable fact that the arm's strength had decreased.

"Well done,"

Despite being injured for the first time since the start of the war, Kaido remained unmoved and instead extended his hand to the man holding the spear.

"Hand over the 'treasure'!"

"I can spare you Bad People, and even make you one of my 'Four Calamities'!"

"You should know that I admire you young people the most."