Boom...!
Kaido's gigantic body, in the form of a 'green dragon,' suddenly plummeted from the sky!
The massive shadow seemed to blot out the sun, covering the entire horizon!
Then, like a meteor, Kaido slammed into an island.
"Boom—!"
The moment Kaido's body made contact with the island's surface, the terrible impact shattered the earth in a radius of five to six hundred meters!
Debris and dust erupted into the air as visible shockwaves rippled outward in circular waves.
The thick dust clouds enveloped the entire area, leaving the island trembling violently, as if it were on the verge of being torn apart at any moment.
One could only imagine the sheer force carried by Kaido's massive body.
Even before the dust could settle...
"Roar!!!"
A deafening roar erupted from the center of the debris cloud.
The soundwave crushed the dust and stones in its path, while the very earth beneath cracked and was blown away, leaving bare, scorched ground in its wake.
From within the chaos emerged Kaido's ferocious dragon head.
However, compared to earlier, Kaido's condition was visibly worse.
At this moment, one of Kaido's horns was half-broken, blood streamed down his massive body, and horrific burns covered large portions of his blue-scaled flesh.
His injuries were severe—almost fatal by ordinary standards.
But Kaido was no ordinary being.
As the self-proclaimed "Strongest Creature on Land, Sea, and Air," and the possessor of a Devil Fruit with unparalleled regenerative power, even these seemingly mortal injuries were not enough to kill him.
Despite this, Kaido stared at Bai Ye in disbelief.
He had lost in a head-on collision?!
For Kaido, whose physical strength had been unmatched since consuming the Azure Dragon Fruit, such a defeat was unthinkable.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Kaido's mind raced.
"I'm one of the Four Emperors! And you—just a remnant of the old era, someone who should have been crushed by the tide of the new age!"
Kaido's golden eyes glinted with a mix of fury and madness.
"There's no way I'm losing here. No way!"
"Roar!!!"
Kaido's thunderous roar echoed across the battlefield, his voice filled with both killing intent and battle-lust.
The hurricane winds beneath Kaido's dragon form began to intensify, and bolts of purple lightning crackled ominously as the skies darkened once more.
"Boom!"
Kaido's enormous dragon body began to shift.
Muscles bulged, his frame compressed, and his figure began to shrink.
Moments later, as the storm cleared, Kaido revealed his strongest form—his hybrid, "human-beast" state.
Standing 7.1 meters tall and wielding his massive spiked club, Hassaikai, Kaido radiated raw, overwhelming power.
The Armament Haki on his arms surged like a black tide, crackling with the might of Conqueror's Haki intertwined with purple lightning.
Kaido roared, the ground beneath him shattering under his explosive aura.
"Watch out!"
With a sudden burst of speed, Kaido vanished from his position, leaving a gaping crater in his wake.
In an instant, he appeared before Bai Ye, his Hassaikai tearing through the air.
"Thunder... Eight Trigrams!"
The mace, coated in Haki and lightning, descended upon Bai Ye with terrifying momentum.
Bai Ye's eyes flashed with sharp determination.
"Good. Let me see the strength of a so-called Emperor of the Sea!"
The flames of Ryūjin Jakka roared to life, bathing Bai Ye in a radiant inferno.
Boom!!!
Their attacks collided with a thunderous explosion.
Kaido grinned maniacally, his voice booming across the battlefield.
"Your flames are strange, but as long as I don't touch them, you'll burn out eventually! You can't keep this up forever!"
With a crazed roar, Kaido leapt into the air, his muscles swelling as veins bulged across his body.
Swinging Hassaikai with both hands, Kaido tore through the atmosphere, creating massive shockwaves.
"Diamond Pulverizer!"
The raw force of his strike shattered the air itself, sending columns of destructive energy hurtling toward Bai Ye.
Not stopping there, Kaido's pupils contracted as his Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, shattering the very space around him.
Bai Ye remained unfazed.
"I told you," he muttered, his voice calm yet commanding, "this will be the last scene you see before you're buried."
As Kaido's devastating attacks approached, Ryūjin Jakka flared with white-hot intensity.
The searing heat incinerated the incoming strikes, reducing them to nothing.
Kaido, unrelenting, charged in close, swinging Hassaikai down with all his might.
But Bai Ye's flames erupted, igniting everything around him.
The blinding light forced Kaido's pupils to contract as the overwhelming heat surged forward.
"Now, it's over."
Bai Ye raised Ryūjin Jakka and pointed it at Kaido.
He could sense the exhaustion creeping into his body.
Kaido was partially correct—Bai Ye's physical strength was not limitless.
However, his Reiatsu (spiritual pressure) did not rely solely on physical stamina.
Even with half his strength remaining, Bai Ye knew it was enough to end this fight.
"The World Government's secret weapons should have made their move by now."
Scanning the battlefield with sharp eyes, Bai Ye saw no sign of any hidden reinforcements or schemes.
"It seems this is truly their last gambit. Fitting."
With one hand, Bai Ye held Ryūjin Jakka before him.
Kaido, now in a frenzied state, roared and prepared to unleash another devastating assault.
But Bai Ye's flames grew hotter, brighter, and more intense than ever before.
The very sea seemed to boil beneath their feet, and the air shimmered with unbearable heat.
"Hot as hell..." Bai Ye murmured, as he prepared to deliver the final blow.