The eight-armed molten giant reached out with its remaining two hands, clawing toward Kaido's head.
The pirate's huge dragon body struggled to break free, while energy continued to gather in his mouth. As the massive hands drew closer to him, he let out a furious roar.
"Blast Breath!"
A beam of compressed, golden heat exploded from his jaws, tearing through the sky.
Boom!
The lava titan's head was struck dead-on. It vaporized instantly under the golden blast, and the surrounding magma warped and melted from the heat. A gaping, semicircular hole formed in its chest, spanning dozens of meters—clear evidence of a devastating hit.
But Kaido's expression darkened. The magma where the molten giant's head had been began to writhe wildly. In just moments, it reformed.
The two hands kept moving, completely unaffected. One of them clamped tightly around the pirate's neck.
Then, the magma giant leaned forward.
Seven arms, all clad in thick Armament Haki, pinned Kaido to the ground. Each one pressed down on a different part of his enormous body, locking him in place.
The last free arm clenched into a fist and raised high. Loud booms erupted from its shoulder and elbow as a surge of magma exploded out, propelling the limb downward like a hammer.
Kaido, still struggling, saw the falling punch and his dragon pupils shrank sharply. At the last instant, his head was shielded by a burst of Haki.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out.
Far away, pirates who had fled back to their ship clutched their ears and screamed in pain. A violent shockwave detonated outward from the two titans at the center of the battlefield, flattening everything in its path.
Stuck directly in the head, Kaido felt his mind spinning.
Then the lava giant's arm rose again.
The threat snapped the pirate's mind back to focus. But the dizzying force of the last attack left him unable to react.
High above, King had stabilized his form in the sky, transforming into a Pteranodon. Battling the chaotic air currents, he pulled his head back like a slingshot.
"Imperial Deep Pride Stake!"
With a powerful cry, he released it, generating a powerful shockwave.
Whoosh—
It shot out like a laser beam, striking the magma giant's right side. It hit the raised arm and the ends of two other nearby arms.
Boom!
The resulting explosion severed all three limbs from the giant's body, and they dropped uselessly to the ground.
With the restraint loosened, Kaido's upper body managed to rise. But magma was already surging wildly from the giant's shoulders and new arms were quickly taking shape.
At the same moment, flames ignited from Kaido's head, sweeping downward to wrap around his massive form, burning hotter and hotter. The extreme heat began to melt the hands still holding him.
Sensing the weakening pressure, the pirate pushed harder as fire engulfed his entire body. His long, serpentine form became wreathed in roaring flames, transforming into a blazing inferno dragon.
"Flame Dragon Torch."
"Rising Dragon: Flame Bagua!"
With a twist of his body, Kaido gathered all the fire at his head. Armament Haki coated him, overlapped by Conqueror's Haki.
The fire dragon shot forward at blinding speed, slamming into the magma giant's chest.
Boom!
A violent explosion and shockwave burst from the giant's core. Its upper body shattered into pieces, scattering like molten meteors in every direction.
Kaido's figure shrank back down, returning to his hybrid form. He shook his head, dazed. The impact had taken a toll on him too.
King landed beside him in his Pteranodon form. Together, they stared at the half-destroyed remains of the magma giant.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed from beneath the smoke-covered ruin.
A silhouette began to take shape through the haze.
"Things made from Devil Fruit abilities... always end up getting broken easily."
As the voice sounded, the figure stepped fully out of the smoke, gaze fixed on Kaido.
Staring back with rage filled eyes and clenched teeth, the pirate roared, "Sakazuki!"
Sakazuki let out a low chuckle. "You're pretty lucky. That move didn't kill you back then."
Kaido thought of the lung he had lost, the years of pain that followed, and the torment that never truly stopped. Hatred surged up like a storm.
In a flash, he vanished.
"Kaido-san!" King called out in alarm.
Then he disappeared too, chasing after him.
'This isn't the time to act on emotion, Kaido-san…' he thought as he raced forward.
On Kaido's end, no one had noticed when the kanabo appeared in his hands. It was already coated in Armament Haki. He gripped it tightly, lightning crackling along its surface.
"Thunder Bellow Bagua!"
Sakazuki grinned and flicked his right arm. Streams of molten lava surged out from his hand and condensed into a kanabo of his own. A thick coat of Armament Haki wrapped around it, turning it pitch-black and solid.
He swung it at the charging Kaido.
Clang!
The sharp clash of metal rang out, piercing the ears and leaving a high-pitched hum. Bolts of lightning erupted from where the weapons met, shooting in all directions.
Kaido's face twisted in fury, eyes bloodshot.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Power erupted from deep within him, surging toward Sakazuki.
The vice admiral felt the rising force, but his smile never faded. His body shifted into Crimson Lotus Mode. Explosions burst from his back, shoulders, and elbows, like miniature volcanoes.
In an instant, he overpowered Kaido, forcing him to stagger back.
Just then, King arrived. He dove from the sky at incredible speed, his right leg wrapped in Haki, aiming straight at Sakazuki like a flying spear.
He was only a few meters away when—
Boom!
The kanabo in Sakazuki's hand exploded outward, and a shockwave blasted Kaido away like a falling meteor.
Then his eyes, glowing with golden flames, turned to look at King.
A chill ran through the pirate's heart. 'Damn it... I'm too late…'
Clang!
His foot slammed into Sakazuki's chest. But the vice admiral didn't move an inch. His body, reinforced with Armament Haki, stood firm like a mountain.
King flapped his wings quickly, trying to retreat.
Too late.
Sakazuki's left hand grabbed his leg and yanked it down hard.
King was pulled toward him uncontrollably.
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed as his right hand ignited, and a heavy punch drove into the opponent's abdomen.
Crack!
Bones snapped and the pirate coughed up blood. "Urgh..."
Sakazuki's cold voice followed. "Great Eruption."
Heat exploded in King's gut as his pupils shrank from the burning, violent force.
Boom!!!
Lava burst from Sakazuki's fist, flooding out like a volcanic blast.
From above the island, it looked like a massive fan of magma had erupted from where he stood, stretching forward for hundreds of meters. It swallowed everything in its path until it reached the edge of the island and hit the sea.
Sakazuki looked up and saw Kaido getting back on his feet, trying to flee.
He chased after the man.
...
Meanwhile, King crawled out of the lava field.
"Cough... cough..." He kept coughing up blood. Then suddenly, he felt something.
Someone had locked onto him.
With no time to think, he shot up into the sky.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several slicing sounds split the air.
The flying sword slashes struck the exact spot where he had just been. Each one was infused with Haki and exploded violently on impact.
Cold sweat slid down King's back as he looked toward the source.
There stood Carlo, stepping through the sky using Geppo. Holding Oto, he stared at him.
"One-Sword Style: Storm Rain."
Without a word, he swung his blade, and a crescent-shaped sword slash spun toward King.
As it flew, it split into more and more arcs, large to small, multiplying in seconds.
Soon, countless thin sword slashes rained down like a storm, covering everything above the pirate.
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