Kaido roared.
The black and red Inazuma on the Hassaikai suddenly expanded, and the surrounding air was distorted and deformed by this force.
Some tiny pebbles were attracted to the Inazuma and were instantly broken into powder upon contact with it.
Luffy's Observation Haki triggered a frantic warning in that instant.
He could foresee the power of this attack—it was on a completely different level from all the previous attacks.
If hit head-on, even with the Gum-Gum Fruit's damage reduction effect, the blade will still pierce through you.
He tried to dodge, but his body was still in the stiffness phase of Gear Fourth, and he didn't have time to react.
Kaido a move.
No one saw how he made his move.
All that could be seen was a black and red Inazuma streaking across the air, and then the Hassaikai slammed into Luffy's chest.
" Thunder Bagua."
Kaido's voice rang in Luffy's ears.
At that moment, Luffy felt as if he had been hit head-on by a meteorite.
The bones in his chest creaked under the strain, and his internal organs were violently shaken in that instant.
Armament Haki's defenses were like paper against Kaido's attacks, and the damage reduction effect of the Gum-Gum Fruit was greatly reduced due to the difference in the levels of Haki.
The Gear Fourth Boundman form collapsed the moment it was attacked.
Air rapidly escaped from his body, Luffy's body shrank back to its original size in mid-air before flying away like a kite with a broken string.
He crashed through several buildings, plowing a long trench in the ruins, and finally came to a stop on a boulder.
Luffy lay amidst the devastation, his eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, trickled down his cheek, and dripped onto the gravel beneath him.
Zoro struggled to his feet and, seeing the direction Luffy had been sent flying, his golden eyes suddenly narrowed.
He gripped his three swords tightly, pushed off with his feet, and charged towards Kaido.
" Luffy --!!!"
Kaido countered with another Thunder Bagua.
The spiked club struck Zoro, sending him flying. Zoro landed not far from Luffy, and also lost consciousness.
The battlefield fell silent instantly.
Kaido, carrying the Hassaikai, looked at the two men lying on the ground, his drunkenness completely gone.
He walked up to Luffy and looked down at the boy wearing Straw Hat.
Roy said you can Awakening, and that you're the kind of kid I can beat up.
Is this all the result is?
Kaido let out a heavy snort.
"You've really disappointed me."
In the distance, Luo, hidden in a half-collapsed building, clenched his fists.
He witnessed the entire battle firsthand—from Luffy unleashing his Gear Fourth attack, to Zoro's Demonic Aura Nine-Sword Style, and finally Kaido's two Thunder Bagua that ended the fight.
Suppressed throughout.
They're not even in the same league as each other.
Luo quickly calculated the retreat plan in his mind.
His Operating Room can cover a radius of hundreds of meters. As long as he can locate Luffy and Zoro, he can snatch them out with a single spatial displacement.
The problem lies in Kaido's Observation Haki; he has been observing his surroundings since the start of the battle.
But no matter what, he couldn't just stand by and watch Luffy and Zoro be taken away.
Expand ROOM.
The semi-transparent light shield in the Operating Room silently diffused outwards.
Law gritted his teeth, pushing his power to its limit, attempting to complete the substitution the moment Kaido discovered him.
But just as the ROOM space expanded to in front of Luffy and Zoro, Kaido's gaze swept over them.
There was no trace of drunkenness in those vertical pupils, only a pure, undisguised killing intent.
" Nezumi. There's one more!"
Kaido swung his dragon claw, and a wind blade tore through the air, flying towards where Law was hiding.
Before the wind blades even arrived, the air pressure they generated tore the building where Luo was hiding in two.
Luo gritted his teeth and activated a spatial displacement, abandoning the rescue. He vanished from his original spot and reappeared behind another building a few dozen meters away.
The wind blade cleaved through the air, carving a trench several meters deep into the ground.
Before Law could even regain his footing, Kaido's second attack arrived.
Another wind blade, tens of meters long, struck.
"Swish swish swish--!"
Three consecutive spatial permutations.
Luo barely escaped Kaido's attack range.
"This is Kaido's strength..."
Luo turned back for one last look.
Several henchmen of the Beasts Pirates were dragging Luffy and Zoro out of the ruins and handcuffing their hands and feet with Seastone chains.
" Luffy's leader... Zoro's leader..."
Luo clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.
I will definitely rescue you.
The Operating Room reopened, and Luo's figure vanished from the spot.
Kaido, carrying the Hassaikai, looked in the direction where Law had disappeared and snorted.
"A space-manipulation ability user? They're pretty fast."
The smoke from the battlefield had not yet completely dissipated.
Kaido tucked his fasting belt back into his waistband, holding a gourd of sake in his hand, and was about to take a sip when a voice came from behind him.
"That's quite a commotion."
Kaido turned around and saw Roy stepping out of the void.
Her black trench coat fluttered slightly in the sea breeze, Shusui hung around her waist, making her look as casual as if she were going out for a stroll.
"Oh? What brings you here?"
Kaido put down his gourd and grinned.
Roy looked around.
The main street of the Flower Capital is unrecognizable. The buildings burned by the dragon's breath are still emitting black smoke, and the ground is full of dents and cracks.
Several henchmen of the Beasts Pirates were cleaning up the battlefield, carrying the unconscious Luffy and Zoro onto a prison cart.
"You've made such a commotion, how could I not come and check it out?"
Roy walked over to the unconscious Luffy and looked down at the boy in the straw Straw Hat.
Luffy's clothes were tattered beyond recognition, and there was a purplish-black welt on his chest.
Those are the marks left by the Thunder Bagua.
There was still some undried blood at the corner of his mouth, and his breathing was weak but relatively steady.
Roy activated his Observation Haki, carefully sensing the condition within Luffy's body.
At least three ribs were broken, internal organs suffered significant concussion injuries, and excessive use of Gear Fourth gear caused multiple tears in muscle fibers.
Such injuries would have killed an ordinary person long ago, but Luffy's vitality remains astonishingly tenacious.
My heart was still beating strongly, and a faint, peculiar power flowed through my veins.
"Is this the life force of the Sun God Nika?"
Roy muttered something to himself, then turned to look at Zoro beside him.
Zoro's injuries were less severe than Luffy's, mainly internal injuries caused by the Thunder Bagua, but even while unconscious, his hands gripping the sword remained clenched into fists.
Roy straightened up, thinking to himself.
Over the years, a lot of resources have been invested in Kaido —multiple heart transplants, bloodline enhancement, and the Iron Balloon —which has significantly increased Kaido's strength.
The original intention was to use Kaido a whetstone for Luffy, but now it seems that the stone is too hard.
Luffy couldn't even break through his defenses, let alone force Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika to Awakening.
This is getting a bit troublesome.