Faced with Luffy's sudden attack, Kaido had no time to swing his bat.
He could only concentrate his Armament Haki in his abdomen at the moment Luffy's attack was about to strike.
The fist slammed into Kaido's stomach.
The impact was deafening.
Kaido's pupils contracted slightly; the power of Ryuo pierced through his defenses and directly impacted his internal organs.
That power exploded within him, causing his body to tremble involuntarily.
Immediately afterwards, a burst of energy emanated from Kaido's back, and Kaido was blasted away by Luffy's outburst.
The massive body, nearly seven meters tall, tumbled across the rooftop, smashing through several huge rocks, sending debris flying everywhere.
With a loud 'bang,' Kaido's body slammed into a rock wall before finally coming to a stop.
The deafening roar of the collapsing rocks shook the entire Skull Palace.
There was a moment of silence on the rooftop.
Everyone stared blankly at Luffy.
Luffy's right arm remained in a punching stance, the flames on his fist dissipated, leaving behind white smoke, and the power of Ryuo slowly dissipated from his fist.
······
The roar of the landslide still echoed over Onigashima.
Kaido stood up from the pile of rubble.
He looked down, sensing the dull pain left inside his body after the power of the Ryuo had penetrated his defenses.
He hadn't felt this kind of pain in a long time.
When was the last time?
Bullet?
Garp?
Over the years, very few people have been able to truly hurt him.
Aside from the few monsters in the Roy Pirates, Whitebeard is one, Roger is another, and that's about it.
Now there's a Straw Hat Boy too.
Kaido emerged from the pile of rubble, each step he took causing rocks to fall from the mountainside.
He walked to the open space behind the Skull Palace, looked up at the group of people regrouping on the roof, and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hehehe-- Straw Hat Boy! Well done!"
Kaido slammed the Hassaikai into the ground, creating a crater.
"In just half a month, not only did he master the Ryuo, but he also combined it so skillfully with the Gum-Gum Fruit— "
"Your progress is truly surprising, kid."
On the rooftop, Luffy stood at the very front, his right fist still emitting white smoke.
Hearing Kaido's praise, his expression remained unchanged, still that serious, undistracted look in his eyes.
I said I was going to beat you to a pulp.
Kaido narrowed his eyes as he looked at Luffy, the smile on his face not disappearing, but a hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes.
He flicked his Hassaikai, the spikes on his mace gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
"The technique of internal destruction Armament Haki is something that very few people in the entire New World can master."
"You learned it in just half a month— Roy was right, you little rascal, you're definitely worth looking forward to."
"I'm really looking forward to seeing you more and more."
Luffy did not answer.
He simply clenched his fists tighter, stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, and squatted slightly, his whole body resembling a fully drawn bow.
Meanwhile, deep within the main hall of Onigashima.
Roy sat cross-legged on the floor of his room, eyes closed, his Telekinesis spreading across the entire Onigashima like an invisible giant net.
Every collision of attacks on the rooftop, every footstep, and every flow of Haki within each person was so clear to him that it was as if he were witnessing it with his own eyes.
A palm-sized black energy sphere floated in front of him, the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit spinning rapidly inside the sphere.
But his attention is not on the Dark-Dark Fruit right now.
He had already clearly sensed the effect of Luffy's punch using his Observation Haki.
The power of Ryuo pierced through Kaido's defenses and exploded inside his body.
This was also the first time Luffy had truly injured Kaido; it wasn't a minor scratch, but a substantial injury that caused Kaido pain.
But that's all.
Roy opened his eyes and lightly tapped his finger in the air.
'The gap is too big.'
Roy sighed inwardly. Based on his understanding of Kaido Roy figured Kaido 50% of his strength at this point.
His defenses were only at a basic level; the passive defense of the dragon scales, combined with the physical enhancements from multiple heart transplants, meant he didn't even really use his Haki.
His attack power was restrained; he didn't even unleash half the power of his Conqueror's Haki Coating, and he only used the most basic version of Thunder Bagua.
He is fast, but that's due to his physical attributes, not the power of his Devil Fruit.
He didn't use any of the elemental attacks from the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, and he didn't even use his Awakening abilities.
On the other hand, let's look at the Straw Hat Alliance.
Luffy's punch just now was already beyond his usual level; Gear Fourth plus Ryuo Haki practically exposed all of Luffy's trump cards.
While Zoro and Sanji's Ryuo can injure Kaido, its power is far less than Luffy's; at most, it will only cause Kaido pain.
Kid's attacks are powerful enough, but the frequency is too slow. Kaido can't just stand there and let him hit him.
Although the Nine Red Scabbards ' swordsmanship is exquisite, against Kaido's defense, their slashes without the enhancement of Advanced Armament Ryuo are practically like tickling.
Roy drew several intersecting lines in the air, making the difference in strength between the two sides even more intuitive.
"You've been pushed to this point with only half your strength," Roy muttered to himself, shaking his head.
His plan was never to Luffy and his crew defeat Kaido.
Even if Luffy were to team up with Zoro, Sanji, Kid, the Nine Red Scabbards, and the two Mink Tribe kings, they still wouldn't be able to defeat Kaido at full power.
This is not a gap that quantity can make up for; it's a gap in understanding and skill.
What he needs is for Luffy to break through under Kaido's pressure.
Just like in the original story, Luffy Awakening his Nika Form in a desperate situation, and the Straw Hat Boy can only trigger the true power of that Devil Fruit when he is on the verge of death.
But the problem now is that Kaido seems to be too hard a whetstone.
Although Luffy's punch injured Kaido, it was far from Kaido to use his full strength.
If Kaido continues to overpower Luffy with only five-tenths of his strength, even if Luffy fights until he's exhausted, he might not be able to trigger his Awakening.
"This is a real pain," Roy muttered to himself.
······
At the same time, Roy turned his gaze toward Onigashima Square.
The fighting in the square continues.
Although Hyogoro's samurai army and Mink Tribe warriors were firmly confined to the perimeter of the square, their resistance was far more tenacious than expected.
Those old samurai were all fearless and valiant. Although their swordsmanship couldn't compare to the level of the Nine Red Scabbards, their teamwork was excellent; they formed sword formations of ten.
They actually withstood several waves of attacks from the Beasts Pirates' remaining forces.
The Mink Tribe warriors were even fiercer.
Although Inuarashi and Cat Viper went to the rooftop to support Luffy, the elite members of the Musketeer Squad and the Guardians were still there.
These Mink Tribe warriors are born with the ability to use Electro, and combined with the combat instincts they've honed over years of fighting giant beasts on Zou, they are more lethal than the samurai in the melee.
The Beasts Pirates ' remaining forces suffered heavy casualties.
Despite their numerical advantage, these warriors fought the Mink Tribe warriors with a reckless, almost suicidal ferocity.
If you get slashed, you'll retaliate; if you get bitten, you won't let go; even if you're knocked to the ground, you'll hold onto your leg so your companions can come and slash you.
This fighting style was very difficult for the Beasts Pirates, who were used to overwhelming combat, to adapt to, and their casualties far exceeded those of the past.
Roy didn't care whether these henchmen lived or died.
But King cares, and Kaido.
The Beasts Pirates are Kaido's core strength. If the remaining troops are wiped out by these samurai and Mink Tribe,
Even if Kaido eventually kills the invading enemy, he will still be very unhappy.
Thinking of this,
Roy's Telekinesis spread out silently.