Roy raised Shusui high above his head, and his entire demeanor changed drastically.
The Conqueror's Haki surged forth, completely enveloping the Shusui.
" Kaido, are you ready?"
As Roy finished speaking, an extreme sense of crisis enveloped Kaido.
He could sense the terrifying power emanating from the black longsword in Roy's hand—it wasn't just a simple Conqueror's Haki Coating, but something more essential and sharper.
"To cut... space?"
Even Kaido experience and knowledge, couldn't help but be moved at this moment.
He had witnessed Roger's Divine Departure, Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor force, and Golden Lion's immense power to control the heavens.
I had witnessed the terrifying power of the monster Rocks, but this pure, sharp edge, as if it could cut through the world itself, was something I was facing for the first time.
" Heavenly Dao Roy..."
"Hehehehehe..."
"I acknowledge your power!"
Kaido's laughter suddenly erupted as he felt the deathly threat emanating from Roy's sword.
An overwhelming sense of excitement and wildness rose within Kaido.
Gripping the spiked club " Hassaikai " tightly with both hands, Conqueror's Haki surged forth wildly.
Black and red Inazuma coiled and leaped across the rod, crackling and popping!
"Come on! Let me experience the power of you, ' Heavenly Dao ' Roy!"
Kaido roared and slammed his feet into the ground, causing the entire island to tremble.
Its seven-meter-tall body expanded once more, its muscles bulging like cast steel, and blue dragon scale patterns appeared on its skin—pushing the power of the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon to its limit!
Roy's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he gripped the hilt of the Shusui sword tightly with both hands, pouring all his spirit, Haki, and even his control over the concept of "sharpness" into this one strike!
The white light on the blade grew brighter and brighter, and as the Conqueror's Haki converged, the surrounding spatial cracks became more numerous and denser!
finally--
"Secret Technique: Break!!"
Roy vanished in an instant.
Before Kaido raise his ' Hassaikai ' to defend himself, Roy, who had disappeared, reappeared behind Kaido.
"What is that...?"
"Disappeared?"
"No, it didn't disappear; it was just too fast, faster than the limits of visual perception!"
Jhin shook his head, just as Roy launched his attack.
He only saw a thin white line extending from where Roy had been standing, instantly piercing through the space where Kaido was!
That white line was so thin, yet so striking, as if it had left an unhealable scar on the canvas of the world!
Time seemed to stand still.
"Laugh--"
A faint, almost inaudible cutting sound rang out.
A straight white line appeared on Kaido's chest, on the dragon scales covered in Armament Haki.
A thin line extends from the left shoulder to the right abdomen, running through the entire chest.
"Hmm..."
Kaido turned to look at Roy, who had appeared not far behind him. As he moved, the thin line slowly turned crimson.
Immediately afterwards, the skin and flesh on his chest burst open with blood, the wound so deep that the sternum was faintly visible.
Kaido attempted to activate the Mythical Zoan's self-healing ability, but a thin white membrane at the wound stubbornly prevented the cells from regenerating and reconnecting.
"Hehehehe..."
Kaido suddenly burst into laughter.
" Roy, is this your ability?!"
"This is truly... an eye-opener for me!"
Roy slowly sheathed ' Shusui ' and flicked his fingers to retract the power of rules that had clung to Kaido.
As Roy moved, the stubborn white membrane on Kaido's chest wound dissipated like mist.
Almost the instant the membrane disappeared, Kaido Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon took effect.
Muscle fibers reconnect at a visible speed, skin and flesh heal, and even deep wounds that expose bone are rapidly closing and scabbing over.
In just a few breaths, the horrific wound that pierced through his chest had healed most of its length, leaving only a hideous dark red scar.
"Brother Kaido! Are you alright!?"
"Fine!"
Kaido shoved aside King, who tried to help him up, and strode over to Roy, his seven-meter-tall frame casting a massive shadow.
" Roy, what was that stab you just did called...?"
"Secret Technique: Break."
"The blade of rules that 'sever' all concepts."
Roy calmly looked at Kaido and replied indifferently.
"Severing the concept... In other words, if I were hit by this strike, even Mythical Zoan like myself would lose my self-healing ability?"
"That's theoretically true."
Roy nodded.
"But maintaining 'conceptual severance' requires a continuous expenditure of mental energy."
With my current strength, I can only maintain this for three minutes at most.
"And..."
"This strike consumed too much of my mental energy; I cannot use it a second time for a short period of time."
Kaido's eyes gleamed at Roy's honesty.
It has many limitations and consumes a lot of resources, but it is also very powerful—that makes perfect sense.
If there were no restrictions, wouldn't Roy be invincible?
"Hehehehe..."
Kaido laughed again.
Even with limitations, this single strike is enough to decide the outcome at a crucial moment!
" Roy, I approve of you!"
He stretched out his huge palm.
Tell me, how do you want to collaborate?
Roy grasped Kaido's hand; the two were vastly different in height, yet at that moment they seemed to be looking at each other as equals.
"It's very simple."
Roy looked directly into Kaido's eyes.
"First, I need to establish a research base in Wano Country, and that requires the resources and Seastone you possess."
"Secondly, I need you and Jhin to cooperate and provide blood samples. My subordinate, Dr. Gracia, will study your bloodlines."
In return, I can help you train your subordinates and provide you with our research findings.
Upon hearing Roy's terms, Kaido's face grew increasingly dark.
"Kid, I don't object to you wanting to establish a research base in Wano Country. Resources and Seastone are also available to you. But..."
Kaido's hand suddenly tightened.
"But you want Lao Tzu and Jin to be your research subjects..."
Before Kaido speaking, Roy withdrew his hand, interrupting Kaido.
" Kaido!" Roy said seriously.
Having been through so much, you should know quite a bit.
Kaido.
"What do you mean?"
"What do you mean?" Roy chuckled.
"Having experienced so many battles, you should know that those who stand at the pinnacle of this world possess some inexplicable and mysterious bloodline power."
"It's like..." Roy held up one finger.
"Just like Whitebeard, who possessed the blood of the Giant Tribe, even without the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he was still a top-tier powerhouse."
Charlotte Linlin, she's a prodigy.
"Not to mention those who bear the Name of D."
" Roger, Garp, and Rocks —which of them didn't have secrets!"
"Why are people with a 'D' in their names the natural enemies of the Celestial Dragons?"