Ron: Feign Weakness, Then Spring a Trap?

Boom!!

With a deafening blast, Kaido and Ron's battle at the harbor officially began.

Kaido had lived with his life on the line since childhood and had experienced countless battles of all sizes. In terms of combat experience, he was exceptionally seasoned.

As for Ron... he had spent his first eighteen years living a peaceful life on Blue Star, and it had only been a little over a year since he crossed into the world of pirates.

As soon as they exchanged blows, his movements were noticeably less practiced than Kaido's.

"Hey, rookie!"

Kaido swung his spiked club, growing more dissatisfied the longer they fought. "What kind of fighting is this, dodging and weaving like that? The path to becoming a true powerhouse isn't forged by running away!"

But Ron's thoughts were completely different.

After all, this was his first time fighting someone important in this world. There was nothing wrong with being cautious.

The reason he kept dodging was to gauge just how much power Kaido's club carried.

He had continued dodging because he was wary of Kaido feigning weakness and setting him up.

Now, though, every swing Kaido made seemed to carry roughly the same amount of force. He probably wasn't holding back.

In that case!

Whoosh!

Ron abruptly stopped, planting both feet firmly on the ground as he faced Kaido head-on.

Kaido froze for a moment, then grinned. A rookie was still a rookie—just a few taunts, and Ron had already lost his patience.

"Heh heh... take this!"

Before his words had even faded, Kaido swiftly coated his spiked club in Armament Haki and swept it straight at Ron's face.

Ron moved almost in sync with Kaido, coating his own weapon in Armament Haki before swinging it out.

Boom~~~

The two weapons slammed together, and the violent collision instantly unleashed a terrifying shockwave that swept in every direction.

In terms of raw explosive power, Ron, bolstered by his Sage Body, was clearly stronger than Kaido.

After the two terrifying forces collided, Kaido was blasted backward again and again, his feet plowing two deep trenches through the ground.

An unmistakable look of disbelief appeared on his face.

"You bastard...!" Kaido glared, shouting in irritation. "You kept dodging before just to make me lower my guard?!"

Ron ignored him.

His body flashed as he charged forward in pursuit.

The people aboard the ship also instinctively realized that they had underestimated Ron.

It had to be said... Rocks really did have a sharp eye.

"John."

Stussy slowly walked over to John and spoke in an unhurried tone. "I'll bet one billion that the rookie wins."

John looked at her as if she were an idiot and cursed, "What the hell are you betting for?"

"Tch. Can't afford to play, huh?"

Stussy casually tossed out those words and turned toward Whitebeard.

John's veins bulged with rage as he shouted after her retreating figure, "Me? Can't afford to play? Are you seriously saying that, you bastard? Come back here! I'll bet two billion that the rookie wins!"

But Stussy didn't acknowledge him at all.

John's face turned green with fury. "Stussy! You bastard! Are you making a fool out of me?!"

On the ship's roof, Rocks continued drinking what little wine he had left, the corners of his mouth stretching into an exaggerated, almost twisted grin. "Wororororo~~~! Looks like... this trip hasn't been entirely without gains."

Bang...!

Bang...!

As explosive collisions rang out one after another, Kaido was steadily forced backward, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

Then, a dangerous plan began to take shape in the depths of his mind.

Whoosh!

Ron's long blade suddenly slashed across Kaido's body. Even with Armament Haki covering him for defense, blood immediately appeared on Kaido's chest.

Ron was visibly stunned.

By all rights, Kaido could have dodged that attack.

"You think you've won?"

Kaido's voice sounded beside Ron's ear, carrying a vicious edge. "I took one of your slashes, but you... can you take one hit from my club?"

Ron understood instantly.

Seeing that he could not gain an advantage, Kaido intended to trade injury for injury and compete with him in endurance.

Whoosh~!

What seemed like several seconds had passed, but in reality, it was only the blink of an eye.

Kaido's spiked club had already come roaring down, carrying savage force as it hurtled straight toward Ron.

"Trading injury for injury?" Ron did not dodge. "That's quite an idea."

He wanted to see what expression would appear on the face of this man who would one day be known as the "Strongest Creature" when Kaido's plan completely fell apart.

Thud~~~!!!

A dull explosion suddenly erupted around them. The powerful shockwave kicked up rolling clouds of dust, instantly swallowing the area where the two stood.

Crash!

The blasted-up dirt fell like a torrential downpour, smashing down over them.

The dust gradually began to thin.

Kaido's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints.

"You..."

White steam was rising from Ron's injured area, and it was... healing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

That was thanks to his Sage Body. Besides granting him an endless supply of energy, the Sage Body also possessed accelerated regeneration. Even fatal wounds could heal instantly.

Kaido's mentality was starting to collapse. This rookie not only had real skill, but was also a freak of a physique.

"Don't be in such a hurry."

Ron calmly said that before beginning to test another one of his abilities: Tailed Beast Transformation.

In an instant, scarlet vertical pupils replaced his previously clear eyes.

An orange-red chakra cloak erupted around him like blazing flames, and a scorching aura rushed forth.

His body rapidly expanded in a brief instant, growing enormously large.

Behind him, one tail after another burst from his body, lashing wildly through the air and stirring up howling winds.

Kaido's pupils shrank violently once more.

This time, his mentality completely shattered.

Not only was he a physical freak? He was also a Devil Fruit user? And judging from this, it was clearly an incredibly powerful Devil Fruit!

Why?!

Kaido's face was filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment. He suddenly felt that the difference between himself and Ron... was simply luck.

Once the Tailed Beast Transformation appeared, most of the people on the ship became interested.

"A Zoan... Mythical Zoan?"

Linlin stared at Ron's transformed appearance and made an intrigued guess.

"It seems... it also looks rather powerful?" Streusen, standing beside Linlin, chimed in.

"Mamamama!" Linlin laughed lightly. "Kaido has already suffered when it comes to basic strength alone. Now... he's probably going to suffer badly."

"Ha ha ha." Stussy covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes glimmering. "I thought Rocks had picked up some trash... but who would've thought there'd be such a reversal? Isn't that right, Newgate?"