On an island in the New World.
"Boom!"
A tremendous roar resounded, causing the entire island to tremble slightly. Smoke and dust filled the air.
After a while, two figures emerged from the smoke and dust, both much larger than normal people.
One figure held a huge knife in its hand, while the other carried a spiked club on its shoulder.
"Ororororo..."
" Linlin, how about it? Surprised by my current strength!"
"Indeed! Kaido! When did you become so strong, kid?"
Indeed, these two figures are two of the three emperors of the New World.
Kaido of the Beasts and Big Mom!
During the era of the Four Emperors, Kaido and Big Mom were the two with the best relationship among the four. This was not only because they were both once crew members of Rocks' ship.
More importantly, Kaido's Devil Fruit was given to him by Big Mom decades ago, which is a huge favor!
Furthermore, something seems off between these two, and everyone probably knows exactly what's wrong with them.
"Oh ho ho ho ho! Speaking of which, I have to thank Xia Chen. If it weren't for him, I don't know how long it would have taken me to break through to this stage with my Haki!"
"Are you talking about that brat Xia Chen the Sovereign?"
The Big Mom looked at Kaido and asked in confusion.
"Who else could it be but him?" Kaido retorted.
"You fought him?" the Big Mom asked again.
Kaido nodded and said:
"That's right! Back then, that kid Joker asked me to deal with Xia Chen, and I've always been interested in Xia Chen, always wanting to see just what this new World's Strongest is capable of!"
So I agreed without hesitation! As for the result... I think you can probably guess!
The Big Mom narrowed her eyes and asked:
Is he really that strong?
"Very strong! Extremely strong!" Kaido's eyes revealed a serious expression.
"To put it bluntly, I feel that even if all the strongest people in the world joined forces to attack him, they wouldn't be a match for him!"
"Hey! Kaido! Aren't you going a bit too far with that? How could anyone be that strong?"
"And you, what's wrong with you? You've lost all your arrogance. You weren't like this before!"
"You always act like everyone else is the boss, what's wrong? You've become so weak after fighting with Xia Chen?"
The Big Mom looked completely incredulous.
All the strongest people in the world combined couldn't defeat him. How could there possibly be such a powerful human being?
"Um?"
Upon hearing the Big Mom's words, Kaido was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.
" Linlin, what nonsense are you spouting!"
"I'm not saying I lack arrogance; Xia Chen really does seem that strong to me. I'm just stating the facts!"
"I am indeed no match for Xia Chen right now, but there's only one Xia Chen at most. Even if Whitebeard were still alive and in his prime, I'm confident he wouldn't be a match for me!"
"In today's world, I, Kaido of the Beasts, fear no one except Xia Chen!"
As soon as he finished speaking, an incredibly powerful Conqueror's Haki emanated from Kaido, black and red Inazuma flashed around him, and the trees rustled in the wind.
"Hey! Kid! I know you've reached the King Level with Conqueror's Haki, is it really necessary to show off like this?"
The Big Mom said speechlessly, but her tone was tinged with envy.
The term "King Level Conqueror's Haki" was first used on her by Kaido. She knew before that there was a next level of Conqueror's Haki, but she didn't know that this level had a specific name.
According to Kaido, her current Conqueror's Haki strength is at its peak, and she is just one step away from breaking through to the King Level, just like Kaido before he broke through.
But the problem is that her situation is similar to Kaido's. Without external interference, it's anyone's guess how long it will take for her to break through to the next level of Conqueror's Haki's Haki on her own!
She had just asked Kaido if he could help her break through in the same way Xia Chen helped her, but the result was very disappointing.
Kaido's original words were that his Haki had only just broken through to this level; he could use it himself, but it would be a bit difficult to teach others.
Furthermore, while Kaido's strength has increased compared to before, now that both his Conqueror's Haki and Observation Haki have broken through to a higher level, the increase is still limited.
While I can completely dominate her in a fight, I can't completely crush her, so it's still very difficult to make her break through by putting her under life-or-death pressure.
The Kaido said that, the more interested Big Mom became in Xia Chen. She couldn't help but ask:
"If Xia Chen is as strong as you say, why would he let you go?"
Upon hearing this Kaido looked at Big Mom with an expression as if she were an idiot and said:
"Old woman, are you getting old and your mind isn't working properly?"
"The reason I'm still alive and here is because Xia Chen never intended to kill me! Otherwise, why would he help me enhance my Haki?"
"Although I don't know what he was really thinking, I do owe him a favor, and I owe him my life!"
"To be honest, the injuries I sustained in my fight with him haven't fully healed yet, but I came to see you despite my injuries so I could demonstrate my strength!"
Big Mom:...
The Big Mom hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Do you think I have a chance to get him to help me break through to a higher level?"
Kaido glanced at Big Mom, then shook his head and said:
"I'm afraid not! If you looked like you did when you were young, you might have a chance!"
"But with your current bloated body, I'm afraid people won't even have the desire to talk to you!"
(⊙o⊙)...
(╬▔盘▔)╯!
" Kaido!! You little brat, you want a beating, don't you?"
The Big Mom immediately grabbed Napoleon and slashed fiercely at Kaido with her sword.
" Ikoku!"
"Ororororo..."
Kaido laughed loudly, then, not to be outdone, retaliated with a blow of his own.
" Thunder Bagua!"
The spiked club deflected the incoming blade energy, and then the two figures instantly charged towards each other.
" Linlin, even though I'm still injured, you're no match for me!"
"Kid! Don't try to talk big. Decades ago, when I was sailing the seas, you were just an apprentice on the Rocks!"
One of them held a knife, and the other a spiked club; they both swung them at each other.
"Boom!"
A hole was formed directly between the two weapons, preventing them from making contact.
An incredibly powerful shockwave spread outwards, with countless black and red Inazuma flashing around.
The dark clouds in the sky began to churn, and then, in a moment, they dispersed.
The sky... has broken!
The sunlight shone directly on their faces, and their smiles shone brightly in the sunlight...