The Indestructible Poneglyphs

The flames dispersed and the thunder receded. Just as fire could not extinguish smoke, nor smoke extinguish fire, a simple clash of elemental attacks made it difficult to determine a victor.

The overflowing radiance obscured their vision, but Kaido had already firmly locked onto Mobius's presence with Observation Haki. Hassaikai swayed in his hand.

A greeting gift!

"Thunder Bagua!"

The air exploded once more. Kaido had transformed into a blue-scaled dragon-man, charging at high speed as his spiked club swung straight for Mobius's head.

If the brat could not withstand this attack, then he was nothing special!

"Fast, but not fast enough."

Mobius spread his Observation Haki as well. Though it could not compare to Kaido's years of experience, it still allowed him to vaguely catch his movements.

When it came to speed, Mobius had gained far too much insight from the Glint-Glint Fruit. Even Kaido could not match the speed of light.

Armament Haki climbed over his fist, turning it pitch-black as lightning coiled around it and formed something like a knuckleduster.

Lightning: Dragon Fang Thrust!

Mobius threw a punch, likewise aiming for Kaido's head.

Boom! Boom!

The spiked club and lightning-clad fist collided, and two enormous shockwaves spread outward as their power erupted against each other.

Mobius spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying in the opposite direction of Hassaikai. The faint sound of cracking bones followed.

Kaido's head buzzed as the piercing lightning numbed his brain. Two or three bloody holes appeared along his jaw, and the scales that served as his defense shattered.

He instinctively took a step back, but quickly steadied himself and shook his head to dispel the discomfort.

After blowing his nose again and spraying out a stream of filthy blood, Kaido bared his teeth in irritation.

"Damn, that hurt!"

The horned brute had never been one to hide his emotions.

A series of faint cracks sounded out. Mobius bounced once and rapidly got back on his feet.

His internal organs had nearly been damaged beyond repair by the Haki impact, and he did not even know how many bones had broken.

With injuries this severe, an ordinary person would have long since died beyond saving.

Yet after only two or three breaths, Mobius's bleeding stopped, his organs recovered, and his bones became sturdy again.

Salamander: Self-Regeneration.

Mobius had not pursued any other avenue of development for this Devil Fruit. He had invested everything into recovery, and the results had left him immensely satisfied.

With a physique forged from nearly ten Zoan Fruits alone, Mobius was now not much different from an awakened Common Zoan. Perhaps the only thing he lacked was Flame Clouds.

He stepped forward, walking toward Kaido at an unhurried pace as he slowly gathered strength again.

After that single exchange, Mobius had already judged the gap between himself and Kaido.

In terms of Devil Fruit abilities, they were nearly evenly matched. Mobius might even have held the advantage.

But that was all. Whether it was technique, combat experience, Haki, or pure physical strength, Kaido far surpassed him in every respect.

Especially Haki. Without tempering or life-and-death battles, relying only on sparring, Mobius's Haki compared to Kaido's was like that of a child compared to a grown, muscular man. The gap was immense.

Kaido rolled his neck, somewhat regretful. He had thought Mobius was a strong opponent, but it seemed he was still just an immature brat...

"Oi, you're Mobius, right? Want to join me? You're too green. You can't even get me interested."

"If you come aboard my ship, I'll make you into a true powerhouse!"

Kaido extended the invitation. He had always valued talent.

"I'll pass."

Mobius smiled and refused without hesitation. His journey had only just begun.

"What a shame..."

Kaido seemed to sigh, yet there was not a trace of disappointment in his eyes.

"Then I can only beat you unconscious and drag you back to my ship!"

Boom!

As the words fell, Kaido stopped testing him. His Conqueror's Haki erupted in full, crimson lightning twisting wildly like strands of silk as it covered all of Ryugu Palace.

His body had clearly not changed, yet in that instant, Kaido's already towering figure became even more massive and monstrous in Mobius's eyes.

Without another word, Kaido raised Hassaikai and attacked with all his strength.

!

Mobius's pupils constricted. Though he had yet to master Future Sight, he could still feel that piercing pain about to run through his entire body again.

Dragon's Nine Sons: Suanni!

His body abruptly transformed. Neither fully dragon nor lion, his smoke-and-fire-like mane blazed brilliantly as Mobius's dragon-man form vanished.

Kaido felt a trace of suspicion. Just what kind of Devil Fruit had this brat eaten?

Forget it. It did not matter. He could ask after taking him back.

His actions were not affected by his thoughts. Kaido swung his spiked club again, tearing apart the atmosphere once more.

But Mobius raised all four limbs, kicked off the ground, and dodged aside in an instant.

Bang!

The shockwave rolled outward, but surprise appeared on Kaido's face. He had missed?

In Suanni Form, Mobius's ground speed far exceeded Kaido's expectations. He had darted nearly a hundred kilometers away in an instant, catching Kaido completely off guard.

Lion Emergence: Green Glaze Incense!

Ethereal white smoke spread outward, filling the entire area in the blink of an eye. Mobius's Suanni body dissolved into it, flickering in and out of sight.

Kaido widened his eyes. Was this also part of that brat's ability?

Although Observation Haki could sense presences, beneath the cover of white smoke, Mobius seemed to be everywhere. His aura appeared in every direction.

Kaido could not lock onto Mobius.

"Damn it!"

Kaido cursed loudly. This was not the kind of open, head-on battle he preferred, but he said nothing more.

As a former warrior, Kaido naturally understood that on the battlefield, every method was acceptable as long as it was for the sake of battle.

Tornado Wind!

A dragon's roar erupted. Kaido's body stretched out, transforming into a colossal dragon thousands of meters long. The shadow he cast nearly blanketed all of Fish-Man Island.

Lightning crashed down, tearing apart the white smoke. Kaido then coiled his massive dragon body, and a tornado-like gale rose from the ground, instantly blowing away every obstruction.

That brat could transform and had all sorts of bizarre abilities. Kaido could transform too, and he had plenty of abilities of his own!

Lowering his dragon head, Kaido looked toward the ground in search of Mobius, only to find a hole in the earth large enough for a person.

He ran away?

The thought surfaced for an instant, making Kaido even more furious. He had only just...

Hm?

A strange sensation came over him. Kaido turned his head and fixed his gaze on Ryugu Palace—or rather, on the golden dragon sculpture atop Ryugu Palace.

The rigid dragon head blinked as if it had come alive. Its entire body began to move, producing a series of creaking sounds.

The supports holding up the sculpture were torn free one by one. The golden dragon sculpture actually crawled down, clinging to Ryugu Palace as it stared at Kaido.

At that moment, it was as though a local dragon had encountered an invading dragon, and a battle between colossal beasts was about to erupt.

What exactly was going on with that brat?

Kaido grew increasingly puzzled, but after roaming the seas for so many years, he had already seen all kinds of bizarre Devil Fruit abilities. He did not take it too seriously.

Bad Wind!

His enormous maw opened, releasing countless wind blades that sliced toward the golden dragon sculpture like razor weasels.

Even armored samurai would have been cut in two by this attack.

Yet the golden dragon, much like Kaido earlier, did not dodge at all and simply allowed Bad Wind to strike it.

Bang, bang, bang, bang...

A grating, dull cutting sound rang out, making one's teeth ache. Kaido's eyes widened in shock.

The golden dragon was completely unharmed!?

That was impossible. He could clearly sense that it was made of ordinary construction materials!

Where Kaido could not see, mysterious writing appeared across the golden dragon's abdomen.

Island: Assimilation: Poneglyphs!