The Four Emperors Meet, Splitting the Heavens as a Greeting
Their Haki clashed with such intensity that the very ground of Onigashima seemed ready to split, dark red lightning crackling and roaring furiously across the skies.
The fierce collision of their top-tier Conqueror's Haki created an unparalleled mental shockwave, sweeping through the gathered crowd. Wherever it touched, members of the Beast Pirates and Big Mom's crew alike collapsed instantly, foaming at the mouth as they fell unconscious.
"It's been three years, and that brat's Haki has grown strong enough to contend with Kaido..." Big Mom murmured, her bloodshot eyes fixed intently on the two as their Haki clashed.
Despite knowing Zyhark possessed unique racial talents, the rate of his growth still made even the "Iron Balloon" feel uneasy.
"Yes... I must obtain this man. The child we could have together would be an invincible force!" Big Mom clenched her fist, her eyes glinting with unmasked greed.
"So, this is the man the World Government named the Demon King… truly a monster through and through," King muttered. "Still, Kaido-sama won't lose; he's the one who will become the Pirate King!"
"Look at his Haki… the guy doesn't even look older than me!" Katakuri and other Four Emperors' crew members like Jozu and Daifuku watched Zyhark, who had just blocked Kaido's Thunder Bagua, with grave expressions. They finally understood the immense gap between their strength and this young man.
"Wow! So strong! So cool! Is he really the Zyhark everyone talks about, the man who dared to kill Celestial Dragons?" Yamato, hidden among the pirate officers and wearing her ghost-face mask, looked at Zyhark with shining eyes. The sight of him, clad in his thunder-god armor, made her blood race with excitement.
At only nineteen, Yamato had mastered all three forms of Haki, reaching a level that could overpower many officers. This allowed her to clearly feel the sheer force Zyhark's Haki exuded—a power capable of going toe-to-toe with Kaido, the power she had longed for her entire life!
"Hm? Is this the pirate world's way of fighting? Splitting the sky before they even throw a punch?" Unlike the Four Emperors' stunned onlookers, Ishtar sat calmly on her divine bow. As the goddess of war, the Haki clash between Zyhark and Kaido hardly fazed her. Instead, she was intrigued by this ability to convert will into raw, tangible power.
At that moment, the raging Haki storm came to an abrupt halt, and a strange silence enveloped the battlefield.
Seconds later, the earth erupted with force, shattering the calm.
"Cliff Sword!"
A massive magma sword, red with heat, erupted from the ground, surging upward toward Kaido, splitting the earth in its wake.
Boom!
The tremendous explosion echoed through the skies over Onigashima, waves of flame distorting the air with their heat.
With every battle and physical enhancement, Zyhark's summoned Cliff Sword grew in power. But…
With a swift swing of his kanabo, Kaido unleashed a fierce wind blade that shredded the flames to ashes. His face alight with excitement, he opened his massive, fanged maw, gathering countless points of light within.
The compressed energy formed a blinding beam.
"Heat Breath!"
The searing energy wave vaporized the air, causing space to warp around it. Zyhark, undeterred, stepped forward with his twin blades crossed in front.
"200 Million Volts: Thunder Cross!"
The raging wind met the cross-shaped lightning strike mid-air, detonating in a deafening explosion.
The shockwave alone tore the ground, creating cracks stretching hundreds of meters wide.
Kaido, in his dragon form, launched himself through the dust and debris, appearing above Zyhark in an instant. His muscles strained as he gripped his kanabo, Hassaikai, high above his head, now covered in dark lightning.
"Try taking this one, Zyhark! Don't faint like you did on Skypiea!" Kaido sneered, bringing his weapon down with titanic force.
Boom!!!
The terrifying impact tore through the ground, causing all of Onigashima to quake. Pirates stumbled, many collapsing, unable to withstand the sheer intensity.
Even Ishtar was thrown back, forced to retreat from the center of the battlefield. Regaining her stance, she settled in to observe the fight in comfort. This, after all, was exactly why Zyhark had brought her here.
Unlike Aqua, who focused on support, Ishtar, though summoned as an Archer, excelled in combat. This was a golden opportunity for her to witness Haki at its peak, helping her adapt to the layered powers of the pirate world.
As for concern? The goddess barely stifled a yawn, nonchalantly scratching her ear. She knew, thanks to the link between them, that such an attack couldn't possibly bring down Zyhark.
And indeed, Zyhark was nowhere to be found in the pit Kaido's blow had carved.
"Evaded, huh? That insane speed of yours…" Kaido muttered, his savage eyes narrowing, catching a glimmer of red light in his periphery.
The next instant, a powerful Haki-infused slash tore through space, aiming directly for Kaido's exposed back!
Kaido intercepted it, though the force sent him skidding backward.
"Hraaah!" Kaido roared, stomping down to steady himself, his kanabo swiping away the blood-red slash.
With Zyhark's position locked by Observation Haki, Kaido's kanabo arced back in a deadly counterstrike.
"Indra Meteor!"
A crimson energy blast shot forward, slamming into Zyhark, tearing open cracks in his armor. Sent hurtling back, he smashed through pillar after pillar, landing in a crater a thousand meters away.
"Cough… seems that impulsive strike of mine hasn't reached Roger or Shanks' level just yet…" Zyhark grinned, steadying his arm as he wiped a trickle of blood from his lips.
It was, in fact, a move he had learned from Rayleigh, one of Pirate King Roger's signature techniques: Divine Departure.
"Then again…" His eyes locked on Kaido, who was bleeding slightly from the mouth, and he chuckled.
"A technique from Roger… reminds me of a battle or two," Kaido said, grinning through bloodstained fangs, looking even more menacing.
"Even my blood feels like it's boiling, my heart's racing. You really are worth the wait!" Kaido advanced toward Zyhark with slow, deliberate steps.
Zyhark met him, his body crackling with black lightning as he repaired his broken armor, draped in Haki-charged dark energy.
Under the watchful eyes of the gathered pirates, the two closed the distance until they were nearly toe-to-toe, their gazes locked.
"A mythical Zoan fruit, the strongest of its kind, and you're barely scratched after my full-power strike. Still…"
Zyhark's eyes blazed with powerful Haki. "Only Haki can reign supreme over all abilities!"
Kaido: "…"
Your own Devil Fruit is considered one of the most invincible powers, you know!
And you stole the very words I was about to say!
Kaido's jaw twitched in frustration. If he didn't have absolute confidence in his own Haki, he might have thought Zyhark's precognition surpassed even his own.
Those words alone almost hit harder than Zyhark's previous attack.
Kaido gripped his kanabo, the gleam of battle-lust deepening in his eyes.
Since words failed, it was time to resort to overwhelming force and crush this brat.
"Arrogant brat! Prepare to pay for your audacious sermon."
"Military Deva: Dragon Army Strike!"
Boom!
Kaido's kanabo moved so quickly it left afterimages, layering upon each other to cover Zyhark in an inescapable attack.
Zyhark's mind raced, his Observation Haki pushed to its limit. Despite searching for an opening, he found none.
There was no way out. His only option was a head-on clash with greater speed and power!
"Stellar Thunder Slash!"
As Kaido's attack closed in, Zyhark transformed into a bolt of lightning, his twin blades whirling in a storm of slashes.
The moment electricity met the barrage of shadows, time seemed to slow as the battlefield was drenched in crimson lightning.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their strikes reached a blinding pace, hundreds of swings landing every second, creating a hellscape of slashing energy and raging Haki.
Onlookers were completely bewildered.
All they could perceive were the deafening sounds of clashing weapons and the fierce, red lightning from their Haki battle—neither Zyhark nor Kaido were even visible through the barrage.
(End of Chapter)
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