The battle broke out again.
This time, everyone learned their lesson.
Instead of confronting Kaido -on, they used a hit-and-run tactic.
Luffy and Kid would take turns drawing Kaido's attention from the front, while Zoro and Sanji would attack from the flanks, and the Nine Red Scabbards would launch a sneak attack from behind.
Apoo harassed Kaido from afar with sonic attacks, Bege's turrets kept firing to distract him, and Hawkins ' straw puppets kept thrusting spears out from tricky angles.
The clanging and banging sounds echoed across the rooftop.
The crisp sound of a knife striking dragon scales, the dull thud of a fist slamming into muscle, the booming of sonic explosions, the flash of a cannonball exploding.
Kaido stood at the center of all the attacks, his Hassaikai flying out of the way, occasionally launching a counterattack with his staff.
But he always wore that smile of enjoyment on his face—not mockery, but genuine enjoyment of the battle.
"Yes! That's it! Let's do it again!"
Kaido smashed Kid's massive metal arm away with a single blow, then turned and kicked away the attacking Cat Viper.
He swung his elbow at Ashura Doji's chest, sending him staggering back several steps.
Zoro slashed in from the side, unleashing a simultaneous strike with all three swords.
The power of Ryuo flowed along the blade, and three strikes landed simultaneously on Kaido's side.
This time, the blade didn't deflect— the Ryuo penetrated beneath the defenses and exploded within Kaido's muscle layer.
Kaido grunted and swung his staff backhand, sending Zoro flying.
Zoro rolled several times on the ground before stopping, nearly dropping his three swords.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sanji kicked Kaido in the back of the head.
The flames of the Diable Jambe exploded on Kaido's hair, and the power of Ryuo pierced through his skull, sending shockwaves into Kaido's brain.
Kaido shook his head, turned around, grabbed Sanji's ankle, and slammed him to the ground.
Sanji's back slammed into the stone slab, shattering it, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Kaido tossed Sanji aside, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes as he watched Zoro and Sanji get up from the ground.
" The Ryuo from Wano Country? You two learned it too?"
Zoro wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and readjusted his three swords.
Sanji got up from the ground, spat out the blood in his mouth, and rekindled the Diable Jambe.
The two did not answer, but their eyes said it all.
Kaido was about to say something more, a slash carrying flames came crashing down from the front.
Kin'emon rushed in front of Kaido, the foxfire burning intensely on his sword.
His sword slashed at Kaido's chest, the Ryuo power exploding beneath the dragon scales, leaving a shallow scorch mark.
Denjiro attacked from the side simultaneously, his iaido slash landing precisely on the same spot, deepening the scorch mark.
Kikunojo and Ashura Doji surrounded Kaido from behind, their twin swords striking him in the back of the knee, causing him to stagger.
Kaido swung his club down.
Luffy charged in from the side, crossing his arms to block Hassaikai.
Ryuo flowed wildly across his arm as he carefully sensed the Inazuma power on the Hassaikai.
Luffy's knees buckled under the pressure, and a large crack appeared in the stone slab beneath his feet, but he gritted his teeth and held on.
" Zoro! Sanji! Kin'emon!" Luffy shouted through gritted teeth.
The three of them seized the opportunity and launched a fierce attack on Kaido, who was being held Luffy.
Zoro's three sword strikes landed on Kaido's arm holding the staff, Sanji's series of kicks landed on Kaido's knees, Kin'emon's Foxfire Slash struck Kaido's chest.
Kaido swayed slightly, but remained as steady as a mountain.
He looked down at Luffy, who was bracing himself against his spiked Luffy, and a hint of admiration flashed in his vertical pupils:
"Kid..."
Before Kaido could finish speaking, Kid descended from the sky.
The giant metal fist clenched, the power of Ryuo Advanced Armament Haki) pulsating wildly along its blade, and slammed into Kaido on the back of the head.
The punch sent Kaido staggering forward, Luffy seized the opportunity to flip over and land a punch on Kaido's chin.
Kaido took a few steps back to regain his footing. There was a faint red mark on his chin, and the spot on the back of his head where Kidd had hit Kid was throbbing.
My chest, arms, and the backs of my knees—the places where the Ryuo struck me—are all throbbing with a long-forgotten pain.
This pain made Kaido laugh even harder.
Just as he was about to continue his attack, Luffy suddenly charged in from the side.
Kin'emon had just pulled Luffy out of the crater in the ground.
Luffy spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto Kin'emon's kimono sleeve, gleaming a dark red in the moonlight.
Kaido's blow was so powerful that Luffy was smashed into the stone slab, leaving a large, human-shaped crater on his back.
" Luffy!" Kin'emon, his hand trembling as he held Luffy's shoulder.
Luffy pushed Kin'emon's hand away and stood up straight.
Blood still clung to the corner of his mouth, and a burning pain throbbed in the spot on his chest where the Hassaikai had struck him. With each breath, he could feel his ribs throbbing.
But as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, the light in his eyes shone even brighter than before.
"I'm fine," Luffy said.
Kin'emon wanted to say something more, but after seeing Luffy's eyes, he swallowed his words.
He had seen that look in Oden Oden's eyes before—that fearless attitude towards powerful enemies.
Luffy his right hand, and his entire arm began to change.
His skin changed from its normal color to a dark red, not the jet black of Armament Haki, but a dark red that shone through from beneath his skin, as if it had been scorched by high temperatures.
Steam billowed from the skin's surface, forming a white ring of vapor in the moonlight.
The surrounding air was distorted and deformed by the high temperature, and the pebbles on the ground were blown away in all directions by the steam.
"Aaaaaaah--!"
Luffy's legs were bent, and his whole body resembled a fully drawn bow.
His right arm swung behind him, the properties of the Gum-Gum Fruit stretching his arm to an exaggerated degree—tens of meters long.
His fists were clenched tightly behind his back, and Armament Haki was frantically gathering on his knuckles, transforming from ordinary hardening into flowing Ryuo, with pink auras intertwining with jet-black Haki.
Each jump produced a piercing popping sound in the surrounding air.
Kaido just sent Sanji and Zoro flying.
Sanji crashed into a stone pillar, which broke in half.
Zoro rolled several times on the ground, barely managing to steady himself after three swords were stuck into the stone slab.
Kaido turned around, intending to continue the pursuit, when he suddenly sensed something was amiss.
He turned his head and saw Luffy rushing towards him at high speed.
Luffy's eyes narrowed, and his right arm, which was swinging behind him, transformed once more, stretching to an extremely exaggerated length.
The fist had already gathered the ultimate Ryuo, and Haki flame suddenly rose from its outer edge.
" Kaido --!!!"
Luffy's roar exploded in the night sky.
The fist trailing behind him suddenly shot out.
The Gum-Gum Fruit combined with Ryuo) and flames—a triple force stacked together.
The fist tore through the air, and the resulting wind pressure overturned all the stone slabs along the way.
The power of Ryuo surged wildly across his fist, tracing a pink streak of light under the moonlight.