Kaido, Little Bro

The entire district of buildings west of Hachinosu's central plaza had been reduced to a battlefield, smashed into ruins by Oak and Kaido's rampaging clash.

Meanwhile, a huge crowd of pirates had gathered in the plaza to watch the fight.

"They've been going at it for a full day and night, and there's still no sign of it ending. Don't those two ever get tired?"

The pirates found it unbelievable. The two had fought continuously for an entire day and night. Over such a long time, ordinary people could not endure even going without food, water, and sleep, let alone maintain such an intense battle. Yet the two combatants remained locked together, moving so fast that the spectators could see only blurred afterimages. Neither showed any intention of stopping.

Sure enough, the world of monsters was different from that of ordinary people!

That was the only way the pirates in the plaza could describe it.

"Jihahahaha! Oak's physique is still stronger!"

Shiki floated in the air with his Devil Fruit power. From his high vantage point, he kept his eyes fixed on the two battling figures. Unlike the ordinary pirates, who could only watch the spectacle without even seeing the fighters clearly, Shiki could see the situation perfectly.

Although the battle still appeared deadlocked, with neither side holding the advantage, Kaido clearly had far more swelling and bruises on his body. His invulnerable, diamond-hard physique had been broken through by Oak.

Oak, on the other hand, was completely uninjured aside from looking somewhat disheveled because his clothes had been torn to rags. This discovery delighted Shiki.

"Looks like I'll have two more gold coins for drinks!"

After all, in the betting pool Ochoku had set up, he had wagered on Oak's victory.

"That may not be so."

Newgate immediately opposed him.

"Don't get smug, Shiki. Kaido's presence is still as strong as ever. It's too early to talk about victory or defeat."

Newgate's Observation Haki could sense that neither Kaido nor Oak had weakened in the slightest after fighting for a day and night. Although Kaido had sustained more injuries than Oak, they were merely superficial wounds, nowhere near enough to determine the outcome.

"Wororororo! Newgate, you've got it wrong this time. The winner between our two apprentices will be decided very soon!"

Just as Newgate finished speaking, Rocks burst into hearty laughter. His gaze rested on Oak, and a glint of insight flashed through his eyes, along with a trace of appreciation.

"Just as expected of someone I took a liking to. To think he could reach this level in battle."

At the center of the battlefield, Oak looked at the shirt hanging from him in shredded strips. He tore it off and tossed it aside, exposing his bare upper body. The defined lines of his lean, powerful muscles displayed a unique beauty of strength.

"Hehe~"

"This fight is over, Kaido, little bro!"

He flashed Kaido a wicked grin, clenched his fist, and leaped into the air. Mimicking the stance Garp had used when hammering him before, he drove a punch straight at Kaido.

"Hmph, what nonsense are you spouting? You've still got a long way to go before you can defeat me!"

Kaido answered with a cold snort and a swinging spiked club. This strike carried far more force than any before it. Kaido had unleashed one hundred and twenty percent of his strength, clearly irritated by Oak calling him little bro and determined to teach him an unforgettable lesson.

Boom~

Fist and spiked club collided. Oak could clearly feel that apart from Kaido's raw strength, another force flowed over the club. It was the effect of Armament Haki coating it, significantly enhancing both its offensive and defensive power.

In their previous clashes, neither side had been able to gain the upper hand. This time began the same way, with Oak's fist and Kaido's spiked club locked in a stalemate. But a moment later—

"Hah~"

Oak took a sharp breath. A new force suddenly began circulating within his body, gathering in his iron fist and increasing its power by a third. The deadlock was instantly shattered.

Crack, crack, crack~

Amid the sound of metal breaking apart, the spiked club Kaido had used to fight Oak for a day and night shattered inch by inch. Large fragments fell to the ground, leaving only the handle in Kaido's hand.

"This is..."

Kaido looked at the handle remaining in his hand, then at Oak—especially at that iron fist. His face filled with shock. But Oak gave him no time to think. After spinning 360 degrees to build momentum, he launched a lightning-fast punch into Kaido's body.

Bang~

As Kaido flew backward, unable to hide the astonishment on his face, Oak grinned smugly.

"After so many encounters and all this time experiencing it, I should have mastered this power by now. Otherwise, wouldn't I be useless?"

He lowered his gaze to his fist. An invisible force, like armor, surrounded it.

This was Armament Haki, one of the Three-Color Haki. Oak had seen and experienced this power through Cipher Pol Aigis Zero, Shiki, Garp, and Kaido.

He already possessed extraordinary talent and exceptional perception. He could learn any move or combat technique after seeing it just once, just like his Hasshoken ultimate techniques and the Navy's Six Powers. No one had taught him Armament Haki, yet through repeated battles against those who possessed it, he had stolen its essence. During this battle with Kaido, he had awakened this power and used it in combat for the first time.

"Pfft~"

This time, Kaido had taken a direct hit. With Armament Haki enhancing Oak's attack power, it was no longer merely a superficial injury. After landing, Kaido spat out a mouthful of blood. Oak had thoroughly broken through his defense and inflicted serious internal injuries.

Kaido lowered his head and looked at the pool of blood he had spat out, his expression darkening as it seemed unbearably glaring.

He could accept being inferior to the old-timers in the crew. After all, every one of them was at least twenty or thirty years old, steadily entering the peak of their strength, while he was only fifteen and still growing. Once he matured, he would definitely catch up to and surpass them.

But he could not accept losing to Oak, someone his own age who had just joined and was also an apprentice. It was simply humiliating. With an enraged roar, he shouted—

"Oak!!!"

Throwing away the broken handle of his spiked club, Kaido gathered all his Haki and strength into his fists and charged at Oak with his greatest burst of power.

Facing Kaido's overwhelming momentum and full-force charge, Oak showed no fear. He bent his legs slightly, taking the stance of a hunting leopard, then violently launched himself forward.

Boom~

The two met in midair and crashed together. An invisible shockwave spread between them, and the resulting blast hurled every piece of rubble from the entire western building district into the air, creating the greatest commotion since the battle began.