Fierce Battle with Kaido! Moria's Escape

Seeing Lin Ye being so brazen, Kaido watched him with surprise in his eyes.

Conqueror's Haki erupted from both of them at once, and the ground beneath their feet suddenly exploded.

Their bodies, each trailing long afterimages, crashed violently together.

Their weapons, wrapped in Two Types of Haki, collided solidly.

The clash of Conqueror's Haki scattered the thunderclouds Kaido had summoned once more.

For an instant, space itself seemed as though it were about to shatter.

Lin Ye completely abandoned the fighting habits he had developed over the past year.

After taking two of Kaido's blows head-on and realizing he could withstand Kaido's attacks, Lin Ye gave up his former mindset of pursuing one-hit kills.

That style of fighting was extremely effective against the weak, but laughably ineffective against powerful opponents on his own level.

And now, the sword in his hand slammed head-on into the spiked club in Kaido's.

This was a contest of strength and Haki.

Kaido was the opponent whose strength had come closest to his over the past year, so his fighting style certainly had its merits.

Lin Ye intended to use Kaido as his whetstone.

Through this battle, he would find a fighting style that suited him.

As for everything else, he could put it aside for now.

And Kaido had finally confirmed Lin Ye's change.

That previous style of targeting vital points had changed. There was not the slightest retreat; Lin Ye was relying on his own Haki and strength to clash with him head-on.

Boom!

Boom!

Even so, their speed had already surpassed what ordinary eyes could perceive.

The thunderous clashes of their massive weapons rang out one after another.

The Shockwaves from their weapon clashes alone brought absolute destruction to the ground.

Over the shattered, chaotic terrain, a faint black shadow was moving away.

After all, he was the strongest one here besides Lin Ye and Kaido, and his constitution was Monster-level as well.

He had survived the aftershocks of Lin Ye and Kaido's earlier battle.

But now, Moria had been completely stripped of confidence by Kaido's devastating blow.

And the scene of this battle made Moria tremble with fear all the more.

He had never expected that the child he had regarded as weak a year ago had reached a height he now needed to look up to.

But let those Monsters fight it out.

Moria stealthily slipped away using his shadow ability, but he could not hide it from Lin Ye or Kaido.

Boom!

Lin Ye, gripping his sword with both hands, and Kaido, holding his spiked club in both hands, clashed weapons and strained against each other.

"Your captain is running away."

Kaido spoke to Lin Ye, a hint of cunning flashing through his eyes.

A captain fleeing should affect the crew.

Lin Ye's expression did not change.

"I was never his crewmate, and I never considered myself his crewmate. That was merely a means for me to set out to sea. It would have made no difference if it had been another pirate crew."

"You little brat..."

Kaido froze when he heard Lin Ye's words, then burst into laughter.

"Fuck your laughter!"

Lin Ye suddenly pulled back, cursed, and slashed Welcoming Snow, wrapped in Two Types of Haki, across Kaido's neck.

The blade sank into flesh and was clamped by Kaido's Armament Haki-coated muscles.

"Brat, you are strong and you have enough spirit, but true powerhouses on this sea need other things."

Kaido sneered and swung his spiked club. Lin Ye released his sword and sprang back to evade the blow.

Kaido sneered as he removed the sword clamped within his neck muscles.

Lin Ye's expression did not change at the sight.

Having his sword taken only proved that his mastery of the blade was insufficient.

But he still had his fists.

Armament Haki flowed over both fists.

Then Conqueror's Coating wrapped around them.

"I'll give you one more chance. Join forces with me, and there will no longer be any opponents on this sea. We can rule this world."

Seeing Lin Ye lose his sword yet wrap both hands in Two Types of Haki without yielding in the slightest, Kaido spoke again.

"I said it already—defeat me first!"

After saying that, Lin Ye charged straight at him.

His fists had no set form, but his fists wrapped in max-level Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, along with his legs coated in Armament Haki, greatly enhanced his mobility.

With the boost from Haki, Cat-Cat Bounce became several times more effective.

Kaido was agile as well, and his body, activated by thunder, moved at terrifying speed. But his huge frame meant that in terms of agility, he was ultimately still a notch below Lin Ye.

Bang bang bang!

Lin Ye raised a hand to press down Kaido's incoming spiked club, flipped over it, and smashed both fists heavily into Kaido's chest.

Several dents immediately appeared in the scale-covered chest.

A trace of blood trickled from the corner of Kaido's mouth.

This was another application of advanced Armament Haki.

Kaido's physical defenses were exceptionally strong, but this application of Armament Haki could strike directly at the internal organs.

Yet judging by the current situation, Lin Ye felt that Kaido's title as the strongest creature of land, sea, and air was not undeserved.

This guy's internal organs were tough too.

Boom!

Lin Ye raised an arm to block Kaido's incoming spiked club, but his body was sent flying again.

Whoosh!

After landing a hit, Kaido suddenly leaned back, his belly swelling as he spewed a blast of Heat Breath at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye landed on both feet, bent his legs, and charged directly into the Heat Breath.

Armament Haki coated his entire body. He tore through Kaido's Heat Breath and lunged toward Kaido.

His body spun.

"Battle Axe!"

Lin Ye shouted. His legs stomped the air with explosive cracks, and his right leg came down like a massive axe upon Kaido's head.

Kaido's body bent sharply, and a collision of Conqueror's Haki erupted above his head.

A fervent expression filled Lin Ye's face as he pressed down with all his strength.

Boom!

The force traveled into the ground, and the earth beneath Kaido's feet violently exploded.

"Down you go!"

Lin Ye shouted again and exerted force abruptly. Kaido was driven straight into the ground, smashing deep underground.

Borrowing the force, Lin Ye sprang backward into the air, stomping on the air as he stood aloft and looked down at the utterly ruined land.

Beneath the shattered ground, red light shone through the cracks.

The earth split apart. Kaido underwent complete Beastification, transforming into a massive Dragon that shot into the sky and plunged into the clouds.

Even concealed within the clouds, his enormous body could not be fully hidden.

The dragon head emerged from the clouds and stared down at Lin Ye on the ground.

"Bad Wind!"

Opening his mouth, he sent countless cyan Wind Blades flying toward Lin Ye below.

Lin Ye's Observation Haki captured everything, and his body flashed past the pursuing Wind Blades.

The already devastated earth was ravaged completely once again by the Wind Blades.

Bubbles occasionally drifted up from certain spots.

They were probably those who had survived the earlier battle's aftershocks, only to be unlucky enough to get struck by Kaido's Wind Blades now.

"Thunder Dragon!"

Kaido roared again.

Purple lightning descended from the heavens.

It struck Lin Ye's body directly.

The lightning was too fast, and Kaido spared none of his strength.

Purple arcs of electricity coiled around Lin Ye. His shirt was completely destroyed, and Lin Ye tore off the tattered scraps, raising his head to look at the sky where lightning continued to fall.

Level nine Survival of the Fittest was still taking effect.