The moment Claudius activated his Observation Haki, he sensed something was off.
Why was there still a presence beneath the glacier? And even stranger—it was identical to Kaido's aura?!
"Shit!" Claudius muttered in shock. "Shadow Clone Technique?"
Though momentarily surprised, he quickly pieced together what was happening.
Kaido had left behind an identical presence to lure Sakazuki and the others away while he remained hidden, waiting for an opportunity to escape.
However, this wasn't some ninja Shadow Clone Technique—despite Wano having ninjas, they didn't have real ninjutsu, just cheap tricks.
No, the real answer lay in Kaido's bizarre nature.
For years, people had speculated—was he a dragon or a man?
Even now, there was no definitive answer.
Claudius had once discussed this with Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and the conclusion was that Kaido was a Devil Fruit user but his abilities were far beyond what was normal.
In reality, Kaido was a Devil Fruit user.
And what had just happened was one of his abilities, one he had never revealed before.
Dragon Shedding.
By rapidly molting, he could create an exact duplicate of himself.
And because this duplicate was formed from his ability, it wasn't affected by seawater, it could even swim.
Since Kaido's real body wasn't the one entering the sea, it didn't trigger the usual Devil Fruit weakness, just like how Kuzan's ice could freeze the ocean or how Luffy's neck could stretch even if he was submerged. The sea didn't suppress the ability itself!
This was why people were always confused about whether Kaido was a dragon or something else entirely.
After all, there were records of him swimming, which made no sense for a Devil Fruit user.
Did this bastard seriously cheat the system?!
At the moment Kaido had dived into the glacier, he had already shed his "dragon skin" and escaped.
Meanwhile, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and the others—focused on the chase—hadn't noticed the trick.
With Kaido taking a direct laser hit from Borsalino and getting blasted deeper into the glacier, the explosion had obscured their vision. Given the clear objective in front of them, they hadn't even thought to double-check with Observation Haki.
"Dammit… Sengoku was right!" Claudius cursed.
The old man still had deep insight—he had seen through Kaido's nature long ago.
This bastard looked reckless, but in truth, he was incredibly cunning.
If Claudius hadn't noticed, Kaido would have slipped away!
Cursing under his breath, Claudius unsheathed his cursed sword, Shindō, from the special swamp pouch at his waist.
At that moment, deep beneath the glacier, Kaido also sensed something was wrong.
That feeling just now was that an Observation Haki scan?!
Had he been discovered?
Before he could react, a razor-sharp slash tore through the glacier, cutting straight toward him.
Trapped in the icy depths, Kaido had little room to maneuver. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself, stomping his feet into the ground and raising his arms to block the attack.
CRACK!!!
The glacier shattered, exposing him completely to Claudius' view.
"Where the hell do you think you're hiding, you bastard?!" Claudius roared.
Kaido's eyes widened. "Doflamingo?!"
For a brief moment, he was genuinely confused.
What the hell was up with this guy's outfit?!
From the tights to the shoes, it screamed Doflamingo.
But the face—it was Claudius.
Before Kaido could process this bizarre sight, a strange frost spread across his arms from the point of impact.
Even though the slash hadn't broken through his defenses, he could feel the freezing effect.
Claudius had infused his strike with nitrogen, using Kuzan's glacier as cover to amplify the chilling effect.
Seeing his last escape route exposed, Kaido's frustration boiled over.
He couldn't run anymore.
If escape was no longer an option… then he'd fight to the death!
Gripping his massive kanabo, Kaido leapt out of the ice and charged straight for Claudius.
If he was going down, he might as well take the strongest opponent with him.
At least then, he wouldn't have lost for nothing.
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
Kaido swung his kanabo at lightning speed, aiming straight for Claudius' head.
"Are you looking down on me?!" Claudius growled.
With a roar, he swung Shindō to meet Kaido's attack.
A violent shockwave erupted as their weapons clashed.
Sparks flew from the impact, followed by an intense clash of Armament Haki.
And then, at the same moment.
Both unleashed their Conqueror's Haki.
Kaido's Conqueror's Haki was terrifying—his dominance and experience had forged a will strong enough to rival the strongest in history.
Throughout his life, only Shanks had ever matched him in a clash of wills.
But now…
As Claudius' Haki exploded, Kaido felt it.
A suppression even stronger than Shanks.
The air cracked.
Black lightning arced violently, splitting the sky.
The sheer force of their willpower caused the space itself to tremble—revealing glimpses of a void-like black rift.
Claudius' eyes turned bloodshot, his aura surging wildly.
The dormant power within him—the ability he had long held in reserve—activated.
The energy stored in Zero Hour Mizu surged through his body, enhancing his strength beyond its limits.
His muscles tightened.
His movements sharpened.
His blood boiled.
This feeling—this pure, primal rage—he hadn't experienced it in years.
Kaido's physical strength was monstrous.
Against Charlotte Linlin's raw power, he had never lost ground.
Yet now—he felt suppressed.
In a flash, Kaido recalled something from years ago.
The moment when Claudius had overpowered Linlin and pinned her to the ground.
"My blade destroys evil, cuts down eras, and forges the future!"
"I am Donquixote Claudius—"
"The man who is always victorious and undefeated! The one before whom all evildoers fall!!!"
Kaido barely had time to react, he felt the weight of Claudius' declaration.
And then—
Claudius swung Shindō.
A single slash—
Kaido's kanabo was cleaved in two.
The same strike sliced through his chest as effortlessly as a hot knife through butter.
No resistance.
No defense.
Nothing.
Kaido's body erupted in blood.
His chest split open, pain tearing through his core.
A moment later, his shattered kanabo slipped from his grasp.
His body hurtled backward, smashing through an enormous glacier.
The massive ice wall collapsed, burying Kaido under its weight.
A single strike.
Claudius stood firm, gripping his sword tightly, his presence towering over the battlefield.
(To be continued.)