A massive burst of energy shot forth from the point where the two staffs connected, racing toward the Goldfish King with overwhelming force. In the blink of an eye, the attack reached the Goldfish King.
Shrrrip!
The sound of tearing flesh echoed as the powerful strike pierced straight through the Goldfish King's midsection. Chunks of its body were obliterated, leaving gaping holes, and the sea around it erupted in massive waves from the sheer impact of the attack. The sea's surface was marked with an invisible trail where the strike had passed, and waves continued to crash violently in its wake.
"Damn, that's pretty powerful!" Kai remarked, licking his lips as he surveyed the carnage Hakai had unleashed.
While Kai's strength was still far from the likes of Big Mom or Kaido, the sheer force of Hakai was undeniable. It was his most powerful technique by far. As he admired the destruction, Kai suddenly realized something important.
"My goldfish meat!!"
Without wasting time, Kai leaped onto his Flying Nimbus and rushed over to the remains of the Goldfish King. With a flurry of precise slashes, he swiftly cut away chunks of the remaining flesh, salvaging what he could. After storing a large portion of the meat in his system space, Kai delivered a powerful kick, sending the rest of the carcass flying ashore.
Most of the Goldfish King's body had been destroyed by Hakai, but the small portion left was still enormous, even after Kai had taken a significant part of it. Despite its reduced size, it still loomed large when it crashed onto the island.
Kai returned to the shore, landing in front of Dorry and Brogy. "Here you go, Uncles! A taste of the legendary Goldfish King for you!"
The two giants stood frozen for a moment, their eyes wide in disbelief. After a brief pause, they finally asked, "What… what did you just do?"
Kai smiled casually. "That was my move, Hakai. It's a combination attack technique."
Brogy let out a heavy sigh. "I never imagined a combo move could be so much more powerful than our Hakoku. We always thought Hakoku was the strongest attack out there, but it seems we've been living in a bubble, seeing only a small part of the world."
Kai held back the urge to mention that their technique wasn't weak, but their individual strength was just lacking. He figured it was best to let it go.
Just then, Luffy came running over, excitement bubbling in his voice. "Kai! Now can you tell me how you can make two of yourself?!"
More than the destructive power of Hakai, Luffy was fascinated by Kai's ability to clone himself. The rest of the crew shared the same curiosity, their eyes fixed on Kai, waiting for an explanation.
"Oh, that? It's just a breakthrough in my Devil Fruit ability," Kai replied nonchalantly.
Though the clone skill didn't come from his fruit, Kai figured it was the easiest explanation. After all, no one knew the full extent of his fruit's abilities. It wasn't even listed in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, so Kai could pretty much claim whatever powers he had as part of it.
Luffy pouted, clearly envious. "Why is your fruit so cool while mine is so basic? Yours can store things, change shape, summon clouds, and now even clone you. And mine… just stretches."
Luffy's jealousy practically radiated off him. For someone with such a carefree attitude, he sure was keeping track of all Kai's powers!
Kai shrugged with mock humility. "What can I say? My fruit is a rare Mythical Zoan."
"Mythical Zoan?" Nami questioned, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't mention that last time."
Kai nodded. "Yeah, it's part of the Zoan type, but much stronger. Mythical Zoan fruits grant incredible abilities beyond what normal Zoans can do. It's pretty awesome."
Luffy, hearing this, slumped in disappointment. "Man, why didn't I get a Mythical Zoan? That sounds way more fun!"
Kai gave him a sly look. "Actually…"
Before he could continue, Nami let out a soft gasp of pain, catching everyone's attention. Kai immediately rushed over to her. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Nami replied, though her face had paled, and a thin layer of sweat covered her forehead. "It just stung for a second."
Kai placed a hand on her forehead, his expression darkening. "You've got a slight fever. We can't delay this anymore. We need to leave—now."
He hadn't expected Nami to start showing symptoms so soon. If he had known, maybe he would've skipped the Goldfish King hunt. Though the disease wasn't fatal for five days, those afflicted would suffer immensely during that time.
"Wait here," Kai said as he shot into the sky, flying toward the Merry on his Nimbus. Once aboard, he called out, "Nimbus, grow!"
The Flying Nimbus began to expand, slowly but steadily growing in size until it was even larger than the Merry itself. Kai had discovered this function after gaining his Armament Haki in Little Garden. The size of the Nimbus was directly linked to his strength, and with his recent power-ups, the Nimbus had grown significantly. It could now become about ten times the size of the Merry!
Kai lifted the entire Merry using the enlarged Nimbus and quickly flew back to the crew, who stood stunned as the Merry descended from the sky.
The strong gust of wind from the Nimbus startled everyone. They turned around to see Kai, standing on the Nimbus with the Merry perched atop it.
"What the…?" Sanji muttered, eyes wide.
Kai waved them aboard. "Come on, we need to move fast. There's no time to waste."
Despite their awe, the crew quickly climbed aboard the ship, eager to get Nami the help she needed. After a brief goodbye to Dorry and Brogy, Kai commanded the Nimbus, and they sped off toward Cigu Island at full speed.
As they soared through the sky, Kai smirked to himself. "Who knows? Maybe I'll be the Sky Pirate King someday."
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.