Seeing Lin Ye being so brazen, Kaido watched him with a trace of surprise in his eyes.
Conqueror's Haki erupted from both of them at once, and the ground beneath their feet suddenly exploded.
Their bodies, trailing long afterimages, slammed into each other.
Weapons wrapped in Two-Color Haki collided solidly.
The clash of Conqueror's Haki scattered the thunderclouds Kaido had summoned once more.
For an instant, space itself seemed as if 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 attacks head-on and realizing he could withstand them, Lin Ye gave up his former obsession with ending battles in a single blow.
That fighting style was ridiculously effective against weaker opponents, but it did not work well against powerful enemies on his own level.
Now, the blade in his hand crashed head-on against Kaido's spiked club.
It was a contest of strength and Haki.
As the opponent whose strength had come closest to his over the past year, Kaido's fighting style surely had merits worth learning from.
And Lin Ye intended to use Kaido as a whetstone.
Through this battle, he would find a fighting style suited to himself.
As for everything else, he could put it aside for now.
And Kaido had finally confirmed Lin Ye's change.
His previous approach of targeting vital points had changed. He showed no hint of backing down, relying on his own Haki and strength to clash with Kaido head-on.
Boom!
Boom!
Even so, their speed had already surpassed what ordinary eyes could perceive.
The thunderous crashes of massive weapons rang out one after another.
The shockwaves from those weapon clashes alone brought utter 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 physique was also at a monster's level.
He had survived the aftershocks of Lin Ye and Kaido's earlier battle.
But Moria's confidence had now been utterly crushed by Kaido's heavy blow.
And the sight of this battle made Moria tremble even more.
He had never imagined that the child he had considered weak a year ago would now have reached a height he needed to look up to.
But let those monsters fight it out.
Moria stealthily slipped away with the help of his shadow ability, but he could not hide it from Lin Ye or Kaido.
Boom!
Lin Ye, holding his sword with both hands, and Kaido, gripping his spiked club with both hands, collided weapons and strained against each other.
"Your captain is running away."
Kaido spoke to Lin Ye, a crafty gleam flashing in his eyes.
A captain's escape should have affected the crew.
Lin Ye's expression did not change.
"I was never his crewman, nor did I ever consider myself one. That was merely a means for me to head out to sea. It would have been no different on any other pirate ship."
"You little brat..."
Kaido was taken aback by Lin Ye's words, then burst into laughter.
"Fuck your laughter!"
Lin Ye suddenly drew back, shouting a curse as Yingxue, wrapped in Two-Color Haki, slashed across Kaido's neck.
The blade sank into flesh and was clamped by Kaido's body, which was coated in Armament Haki.
"Kid, you're strong, and you've got enough guts. But true powerhouses on this sea need other things as well."
Kaido sneered as he swung his spiked club. Lin Ye released his grip on the sword and pulled away, dodging the blow.
With a sneer, Kaido removed the blade caught in 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 still lacking.
But he still had his fists.
Armament Haki flowed over both fists.
Then Conqueror's Haki infused his fists.
"I'll give you one more chance. You and I can join forces, and there will be no more opponents on this sea. We can rule this world."
Seeing that Lin Ye had lost his sword yet still wrapped both hands in Two-Color Haki without retreating in the slightest, Kaido spoke again.
"I told you, defeat me first!"
After saying that, Lin Ye charged straight at him.
His fists had no set technique, but his max-level Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki-infused fists, along with his Armament Haki-coated legs, greatly enhanced his mobility.
With Haki reinforcing it, Cat-Cat Leap became several times more effective.
Kaido was also agile, and his body, activated by lightning, moved at incredible speed. But his massive frame still made him somewhat less nimble than Lin Ye.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Lin Ye raised a hand to press down on the incoming spiked club, flipped over it, and slammed both fists heavily into Kaido's chest.
Several dents immediately appeared in the scale-covered chest.
A thin streak of blood trickled from the corner of Kaido's mouth.
This was another application of advanced Armament Haki.
Kaido's physical defense was incredibly strong, but this use of Armament Haki could directly attack the internal organs.
Yet judging from the current situation, Lin Ye felt that Kaido's title as the strongest creature in land, sea, and air was no exaggeration.
Even this guy's internal organs were incredibly tough.
Boom!
Lin Ye raised his arm to block Kaido's incoming spiked club, but his body was sent flying again.
Whoosh!
After landing a hit, Kaido suddenly arched backward, his belly swelling as he blasted a breath of fire at Lin Ye.
Lin Ye landed on both feet, bent his legs, and charged straight into the Heat Breath.
Armament Haki coated his entire body as he tore through Kaido's Heat Breath and lunged toward him.
His body spun.
"Battle Axe!"
Lin Ye shouted as his legs kicked off the air with explosive cracks, his right leg smashing down onto Kaido's head like a massive axe.
Kaido's body suddenly bent over, and a clash of Conqueror's Haki erupted above his head.
A fervent look appeared on 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 suddenly exploded.
"Off you go!"
Lin Ye shouted again and exerted force abruptly. Kaido was driven directly into the ground, smashing deep underground.
Using the force of the blow, Lin Ye flipped into the air, stepping on the air as he stood above the completely devastated land.
Beneath the shattered ground, red light shone through the cracks.
The earth split apart as Kaido fully underwent Beastification, transforming into a giant dragon that shot into the sky and plunged into the clouds.
Even the clouds could not completely conceal his enormous body.
The dragon's head emerged from the clouds, staring down at Lin Ye on the ground below.
"Bad Wind!"
Opening his mouth, he sent countless azure Wind Blades flying toward Lin Ye below.
Lin Ye's Observation Haki caught everything, and his body flashed past the pursuing Wind Blades.
The already devastated land was thoroughly ravaged by the Wind Blades once again.
Bubbles occasionally drifted up from certain places.
They were probably people who had survived the earlier battle's aftershocks, only to be unlucky enough to get hit by Kaido's Wind Blades now.
"Thunder Dragon!"
Kaido roared again.
Purple lightning descended from the sky.
It struck Lin Ye's body directly.
The lightning was too fast, and Kaido spared no expense in expending his strength.
Purple arcs of electricity coiled around Lin Ye. His shirt was completely destroyed, and he 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.
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