As Kaido unleashed his furious power, even Luffy in his Nika Form was struggling to keep up. It wasn't that he couldn't withstand the onslaught, but rather that his stamina was being rapidly depleted.
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, Onigashima trembled once more and began a massive collapse.
The battle between the two emperor-level powerhouses had reached the limit of Onigashima; even the Abyss that had been blasted out was now spewing out magma.
The terrifying shockwave slammed directly into Luffy. Even though he could freely change his form, this large-scale energy attack still sent him flying backward.
Luffy wasn't just knocked away; his body was also forced back to its original form, and he seemed to have aged considerably.
" Luffy!"
Seeing Luffy's body grow old, Sanji and the others, including the still-intact Molly, couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
Seeing this, Kaido, he stood there panting heavily, but seeing his opponent's condition made him feel much more relaxed.
"Hahaha, Straw Hat Kid, even though you 'Awakening your Devil Fruit power, you're still no match for me. I am Kaido of the Beasts."
After letting out a few angry roars, Kaido picked up his gourd and took a few more big gulps.
Just when he felt he had won, suddenly, a series of heartbeats like drumbeats came again, making Kaido feel a little dazed.
He suddenly turned his head to look at the spot where Luffy had crashed, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
His unease was quickly confirmed; Luffy's chest pounded, and as the " Drums of Liberation " sounded, Luffy body began to recover.
In just a few breaths, Luffy, who had looked somewhat old and withered, returned to his original appearance, and white ribbons once again covered his entire body.
Kaido nearly popped his eyes out; he hadn't expected Luffy, whom he had almost killed, to have fully recovered in such a short time.
In his perception, Luffy's aura was no less powerful than before.
"What kind of monster is this?!"
Kaido cursed angrily, then started drinking heavily, determined to go all out.
"Gulp, gulp!"
"Hahaha!"
Onigashima was unusually quiet at this moment, with only Kaido and Luffy laughing loudly.
Sanji and the others watched this scene with bated breath, silently cheering for Luffy. Whether they could defeat Kaido now depended entirely on Luffy.
As for Lin Yuan, he frowned slightly, then returned to normal.
"That's reckless power, and a death wish!"
When Kuina heard Lin Yuan say that, she looked puzzled.
" Lin Yuan, what did you discover?"
"Yes, while this ability allows for rapid recovery, it depletes the kid's life force. At this rate, he probably won't live past thirty, maybe even less."
What?! Not even thirty years old!
Kuina stared at Luffy in shock, but quickly calmed down.
"That's true. This ability comes at a price. Otherwise, being able to recover at will and fight so recklessly would be too abnormal. But if one had such combat power, I guess many people would crave it."
Lin Yuan didn't speak. He understood what Kuina meant. In this pirate world, many people lived a precarious existence.
If one could possess such combat power, many would likely flock to it, even if it meant a short life, just to live a spectacular one. As for whether it's worth it, that depends on the individual.
Kaido drank all the sake in his gourd in one gulp, then crushed it violently. Lin Yuan's lips twitched at the sight; that was his sake gourd.
Kaido was somewhat drunk at the moment, but his aura was even more terrifying. His face no longer showed any unease, and he laughed wantonly.
"Hahaha!"
The two powerful figures, laughing like lunatics, exchanged a glance, and then, as if by prior agreement, charged towards each other at lightning speed.
" Drunken Dragon Bagua!"
"Rubber-White Rocket!"
Just as Kaido charged toward Luffy, Luffy's arms grew longer, and he grabbed the surrounding rocks, straightened his hair, and used himself as a giant slingshot to launch himself toward Kaido.
The two simultaneously unleashed the power of Conqueror's Haki Coating, their jet-black fists colliding head-on.
The whole world seemed to freeze for a moment, then came a series of frantic explosions.
A small mushroom cloud rose again over the entire Onigashima, and the falling rain was evaporated by the terrifying energy.
The Onigashima was shattered by the attack, with large sections of rocks falling into the sea.
Moreover, this powerful force also caused a tsunami in the surrounding seawater, which surged outwards continuously.
Lin Yuan waved his hand, and the incoming energy was instantly torn apart, swirling around him and rushing into the distance.
Sanji and the others clung tightly to the rock wall to prevent themselves from being swept away.
Amidst the billowing dust, Kaido and Luffy sent flying backwards, but after regaining their footing, they charged at each other again. Apart from Lin Yuan, no one could see what was happening inside.
Kuina wanted to use her Observation Haki to sense things, but she was afraid of being discovered, so she gave up the idea.
All that could be heard was the deafening roar of the bombardment, interspersed with the occasional explosions of Onigashima.
" Lin Yuan, how is it inside?"
"The two are evenly matched; Kaido can't do anything to Luffy for the time being, and Luffy can't break through Kaido's defenses either. However, this battle will probably end soon."
"Well!"
Kuina didn't understand why Lin Yuan would say that. In such a battle between strong people, unless one side was stronger, it would take several days to finish. However, since Lin Yuan said so, she naturally believed him.
The battle between Kaido and Luffy continued for several more hours, with neither side stopping for a moment. However, Lin Yuan heard the sound of the " Drums of Liberation " once again.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a deafening dragon roar echoed throughout Onigashima, followed by the sight of a gigantic blue dragon soaring into the sky – Kaido had completely transformed into his blue dragon form.
This was the first time Kuina had seen Kaido in this state. Although it looked terrifying, it was still far inferior to Lin Yuan's Zhu Jiuyin state.
However, just when Kuina thought Kaido to win, an even more shocking scene suddenly unfolded.
" Gum-Gum Giant!"
Kaido dragon form was already quite large, but Luffy's giant form was unexpectedly about the same size as Kaido's blue dragon, both being nearly a thousand meters tall.
Everyone except Lin Yuan stared wide-eyed, including Lawrence and the others who had already woken up.
"What kind of ability is this? Can Luffy really do that?"
"Roar!"
Kaido roared again, spewing Bolo Breath from his massive dragon mouth, but it was instantly assimilated and vanished upon contact with the white energy on Luffy's body.
The Azure Dragon's pupils contracted, and without thinking, it charged forward, its massive body heading straight for Luffy. The two immediately clashed.
Surprisingly, the blue dragon that Kaido had transformed into was at a disadvantage this time.
"Hahaha!"
Luffy relentlessly punched Kaido's body; despite their similar physiques, he could still execute all sorts of bizarre and unorthodox moves.
" Gum-Gum Lightning!"
The giant Luffy transformed into spread out his massive hand and actually grabbed the lightning flashing in the sky, then shot it fiercely towards Kaido.
"Roar!"
The enormous azure dragon let out a miserable cry, and many of its scales shattered.
"Hahaha!"
" Gum-Gum Jump Rope!"