Chereads / One Piece: Elden Lord / Chapter 36 - Struggle

Chapter 36 - Struggle

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Kai wiped the blood from his blade, scanning the battlefield with sharp eyes. The chaos of Marineford unfolded before him—marines clashing with pirates, explosions ripping through the air, and reinforcements just now making landfall. He narrowed his gaze at the approaching Pacifistas.

"I was expecting them to be here much sooner," he muttered to himself. "Maybe our efforts did screw their 'perfect plan' after all."

"Just a bit more," he whispered to himself. "A little longer, and we'll be there."

Kai's gaze swept over the battlefield. In the distance, amidst the sea of bodies and destruction, he caught sight of Whitebeard. The towering figure of the Yonko stood tall, engaged in brutal combat with Akainu. The ground beneath them shattered with every blow, volcanic eruptions of magma clashing against Whitebeard's devastating power. But what caught Kai's attention wasn't just the ferocity of the battle—it was Whitebeard himself. Despite the mounting toll of the war, the old man still fought with unmatched strength and vigor.

A smile crept across Kai's face. "He's still in good shape," he murmured, the relief evident in his voice. "Maybe… just maybe, I've changed something."

Kai's attention then shifted across the battlefield in the plaza. He spotted Marco, Whitebeard's first division commander, locked in combat with Kizaru. The Phoenix's blue flames burned brightly, matching the speed and intensity of the Admiral's light-based attacks. Marco was holding his own, something that reassured Kai immensely. Then there was Jozu, the mighty third division commander, grappling with Aokiji, holding off the Ice Admiral with sheer brute strength.

Kai nodded, satisfaction glinting in his eyes. "Good," he said quietly. "As long as I'm out of their way, I don't have to worry about the Admirals."

Kai sliced through a marine with a swift, clean motion, his sword cutting effortlessly through armor and flesh. The soldier crumpled to the ground, lifeless, and Kai barely gave him a second glance. His eyes were already scanning the battlefield, searching for familiar faces amidst the chaos.

In the distance, he spotted Luffy, fighting with reckless abandon. The Straw Hat captain looked beaten, his clothes torn and bloodied, his movements frantic but determined. Kai couldn't help but shake his head slightly. "He looks beaten... We both look in a sorry state, but somehow, he looks worse."

He watched Luffy throw himself into the fray, fists flying without regard for his own safety. "Fighting recklessly like that... it's so him."

A grin tugged at the corner of Kai's mouth as he took a breath, readying himself for the next wave of marines. One charged at him from the side, but Kai moved swiftly, delivering a lethal blow with precision. The marine fell, and Kai spared a glance at his bloodstained sword.

"Blood Tax really came in clutch," he muttered, "Otherwise, I'd be damned with no flasks by now." "but im really out of FP now, i gotta be careful" he added.

Despite the adrenaline coursing through him and the constant stream of enemies, his body felt... sharper. His instincts, his awareness of the battlefield—everything was heightened.

"Other than leveling up my rune levels... I feel like my instincts are sharper now," Kai muttered to himself, glancing at the marines who had fallen before him. "I might even be able to take down certain Vice Admirals…"

"Vice admirals…"

But then, in a sudden flash of realization, his eyes widened. His mind raced back to earlier skirmishes, something tugging at his memory—something vital. "Wait… that spider guy!" His heart skipped a beat. How could he have neglected something so important?

Kai's eyes darted toward Marco, who was still engaged in a fierce battle with Kizaru, beams of light and blue flames lighting up the air around them. His stomach twisted. "Shit!"

He started running, weaving through the chaos of battle, his mind racing. "I gotta stay close to him! The only way to stop Marco here is to cuff him with seastone... and that Vice Admiral—he'll take any chance he gets!"

As Kai pushed his way through, his eyes scanned the battlefield frantically. Marco was holding his own against Kizaru, his phoenix form shimmering with every strike and counterstrike. But the spider guy—the Vice Admiral with the seastone cuffs—he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is he?" Kai muttered, scanning every corner, every shadow, his heart pounding harder with each second. The seastone cuffs were the one thing that could neutralize Marco, stripping him of his power and then they would lose an enormous fighter.

Suddenly, Kai's heightened instincts screamed at him, and he spun just in time to see a Pacifista flank him, its cold, mechanical eyes locking onto him. Behind it, a squad of marines surged forward. The Pacifista raised its arm, charging up a beam of energy.

"Damn it!" Kai cursed as he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the scorching beam that incinerated the ground where he had stood moments before.

He sprang to his feet, heart pounding as he broke into a sprint. The Pacifista, relentless, began spamming beams in his direction, each one exploding around him with deadly precision. But Kai didn't just run—he moved like a shadow, dodging while on the move, weaving between marines, ducking beneath debris, and rolling out of danger.

"Shit!" Kai muttered through gritted teeth, frustration building as he evaded another blast. "Get out of my way!" He had no time for this, and every second wasted could cost them dearly.

Without breaking stride, Kai dove into a slide, skidding beneath the Pacifista's open legs in one swift, fluid motion. Dirt kicked up behind him as he rolled out of the slide and bolted forward, his eyes locked on Marco's distant figure still engaged with Kizaru.

But just as Kai thought he had outmaneuvered the towering machine, he heard the distinct mechanical whirring behind him. The Pacifista leapt into the air with a heavy thud, landing directly in his path, cutting him off once more. Its glowing eyes fixated on him, and another beam charged, humming with deadly energy.

Kai skidded to a halt, teeth clenched in frustration. "I guess it won't be that easy," he muttered to himself, gripping his sword tightly as he prepared for another round. The battlefield wasn't going to let him reach Marco without a fight.

Kai quickly summoned his Rift Shield, the shimmering barrier materializing in his left hand while his sword glinted in the other. The marines, emboldened by the Pacifista's presence, charged at him in waves. They swung their blades and rifles, but Kai was ready, his eyes sharp and movements fluid.

One marine lunged first. Kai's shield met his attack with a resounding clang, the blow effortlessly parried. In the same motion, he spun and thrust his sword forward, delivering a swift, precise poke to the man's torso. The marine staggered back, collapsing instantly. Another tried to flank him, but Kai's instincts took over as he pivoted, parrying the next strike and countering with a rapid jab.

His laughter rang out, low and wicked, as he danced between his enemies. "I love parrying slow mobs!" Kai taunted, a devious grin spreading across his face. Each attack was deflected with ease, each parry leading to a lethal counterstrike. His blade darted like a serpent, poking through gaps in armor and cutting down his enemies one by one. A sudden bright light flared in the corner of his eye. His instincts screamed at him, and without thinking, he raised his Rift Shield just in time to meet the Pacifista's beam.

The beam hit the shield with a violent crash, and for a split second, it held. But then, with a high-pitched crack, the energy began to pierce through. Kai's eyes widened in shock as the beam sliced right through the shield, grazing just inches past his face. He felt the heat as it shot by, and then it exploded behind him with a deafening roar, sending a shockwave through the battlefield.

A notification flashed in his vision: [ Item destroyed.]

His eyes dropped to his hand, where the Rift Shield was slowly dissipating into nothingness, its form unraveling in glowing fragments.

"No…" Kai muttered, staring in disbelief as his shield is now no more.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Kai cursed under his breath, his frustration boiling over as the Rift Shield faded into nothing. "I was forced to use Magic! I barely got to use that!"

With no time to dwell on his loss, Kai's instincts kicked in. He leapt toward the Pacifista, his sword in hand, channeling every ounce of energy he had into a rapid series of strikes aimed at its head. Each poke barely scratched the surface, the metal proving nearly impenetrable, but Kai gritted his teeth and pushed through, screaming with the effort.

With a final, desperate thrust, he drove his sword into the Pacifista's eye, the blade sliding clean through its head. Sparks flew, and for a moment, everything went still—until the Pacifista's body collapsed, its head exploding in a violent burst of fire and metal.

Kai, still gripping his sword, was caught in the edge of the explosion. The blast knocked him back, singeing his clothes and skin, but he managed to stay upright, panting as the remains of the Pacifista smoldered at his feet. Dust and smoke clouded the air, but his sword was still in his hand.

Kai could barely stand, let alone walk, his legs trembling beneath him as exhaustion weighed heavily on every inch of his body. The explosion had rattled him, his muscles burned from the constant battle, and each breath felt like fire in his lungs. Still, his eyes locked on Marco in the distance, the blue flames of the Phoenix illuminating the battlefield as he continued fighting Kizaru.

Kai's steps were slow and labored, each one a battle in itself, but his spirit remained unshaken. He gritted his teeth, a pained smile forming on his face despite the throbbing aches that coursed through him.

"Maybe I should've…. leveled… my strength stat," he muttered, his voice strained but laced with sarcastic humor. He let out a ragged, pained laugh, the sound both defiant and self-mocking.

Kai's vision was blurry, a mix of sweat and blood stinging his eyes as his breath came in ragged gasps. He staggered, barely able to stand on his feet, but his gaze remained fixed on Marco, who had suddenly turned away from the fight, his focus lost. Kai's blurry vision followed Marco's line of sight, and what he saw made his heart drop.

Whitebeard. The mighty Whitebeard, the living legend, was kneeling on the ground, clutching his chest as if the world itself had come crashing down on him. The massive man, who had seemed invincible just moments ago, looked so fragile now, his towering figure diminished by the overwhelming pain.

Kai's eyes widened in disbelief as the chaos of battle raged around him. "But... he was fine just moments ago," Kai murmured, his voice barely audible above the din. He clenched his fist, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of what was happening. "I even— I even stopped Squardo from hitting him..."

Before Kai could process further, Akainu leapt through the air, his magma fist colliding with Whitebeard in a crushing blow. The sound of the punch was deafening, the shockwave rippling through the battlefield, shaking the ground and rattling Kai's already fragile senses. The impact was monstrous, a devastating testament to Akainu's power.

Kai's eyes were wide, disbelief etched on his face as he watched Whitebeard's chest eat the full force of the attack He couldn't believe what he was seeing. 

"Whitebeard..." Kai breathed out, his voice low and filled with confusion. "Is this... is this a canon event situation? I know he's sick, but—" His words trailed off as his mind raced, unable to reconcile the reality of what was happening with the battle he had been so desperately trying to survive.

"Shit," Kai muttered under his breath. The chaos around him blurred further, but the image of Whitebeard a hole in his chest and bleeding, was burned into his mind.

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