On the battlefield, Borsalino was making his final move.
The photons in his hand had gathered to their limit.
"Ama no Murakumo Sword!!!"
Like a divine blade cast down to the mortal world, meant to slay a demon king.
The golden sword of light streaked forward, crossing the distance in an instant—
About to cleave through both the ice and the Kaido trapped inside it.
Boom!
The frozen block shattered, pierced straight through.
But instead of splitting Kaido apart, it felt like Mjolnir gripped by the hand of death itself.
The Sword stopped cold—caught by a black, scaled hand.
Crack!
With raw, overwhelming strength, that hand crushed the light blade to pieces, scattering photons like sparks.
"Worororororo! Now that feels good!!!"
Kaido's booming laughter echoed from within the cracking ice.
Crack! Crack!
More and more fractures split across the frozen mass.
Boom!!!
The block exploded outward like a missile barrage, shards shooting in every direction.
But Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino stood firm, unfazed by the ice shrapnel—it couldn't harm them anyway.
Their focus was razor sharp, all eyes locked on Kaido at the center.
And what they saw made their hearts lurch.
Kaido's wounds—burns, gashes, torn flesh—were healing right before their eyes.
This was—
A Zoan Awakening!
"Three Logia users, huh? Perfect!"
Testing his regenerative power and liking what he felt, Kaido grinned and drew his kanabo—the Hassaikai.
His body swelled and shifted, taking on a larger, more draconic form.
A towering demon lord ready to bring ruin, eyes gleaming with feral excitement as he stared them down.
"Awakening suits you better as a prison guard in Impel Down, Kaido!"
Sakazuki's face was as grim as stone. This Kaido—Awakened—was even more dangerous than before.
His arm transformed into a massive fist of molten rock, as big as a mountain peak.
And then he struck.
"Great Eruption!!!"
"Fire? I command the flames, brat!"
Kaido roared, jaws wide open as searing crimson light gathered in the back of his throat.
A surge of energy ignited within.
"Blast Breath!"
A pillar of fire, powerful enough to punch through an island, erupted from his mouth!
Boom!!!
The column of flame collided with Sakazuki's magma fist, and inch by inch, Kaido's flames pushed back the attack—about to engulf Sakazuki entirely.
In that instant—
A flash of light condensed by Kaido's ear.
"Mythical Zoan Awakening… Kowai ne. Speed is power, Kaido. Ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"Oh?"
Kaido's eyes shifted mid-attack—and the golden glow of Borsalino's long leg was already right in front of him.
No way to dodge.
Boom!
Like a thunderous drum, the kick landed squarely on Kaido's jaw with brutal force.
His head snapped sideways, and the fire pillar veered skyward, blasting a hole through the clouds.
Kaido touched his aching chin and laughed.
"Wororororo! Now that one hurt!"
"How about you let go of me now?"
Borsalino's eyes darkened. His light-speed kick had landed—but Kaido shrugged it off.
The earlier blow from his Yasakani no Magatama had pierced through, but now it seemed like child's play.
His Haki…was too weak!
And worse—his leg—
Was trapped. Wrapped tight by a Haki-clad tail.
"Saving people comes with a price, little light brat!"
Kaido grinned, raising his hand.
Zzzzt—!!
Lightning crackled from the sky, drawn down into his right hand, charging up the Hassaikai.
"Thunder Bagua!"
His tail yanked Borsalino up, bringing him face-to-face—and the kanabo came crashing down.
Just in time, Kuzan's ice spears shot in, pinning into Kaido like giant needles.
Kaido grunted but didn't falter. His muscles bulged as he held his ground against the icy barrage, only barely staggered by the cold and the impact.
And thanks to Borsalino's desperate struggle—
The Hassaikai strike veered, smashing down on his shoulder instead.
Boom!!!
A sickening crack echoed—the bone-breaking sound was clear as day.
Borsalino's shoulder caved in visibly, and his body shot back like a falling star.
The speed was terrifying, breaking the sound barrier as he flew.
For the first time ever, Borsalino moved almost as fast in his flesh as he did in light form—just from the sheer force of being struck.
Kaido didn't even bother chasing to finish him off.
Because another attack was already incoming.
"Meteor Volcano!!"
A rain of magma fists fell from the sky, crashing down like a meteor shower!
Far off, Sakazuki's face burned with fury.
"Wororororo! Flashy, but useless trash!"
Kaido laughed, inhaling deeply.
"Destructive Wind!"
A massive blast of green wind blades shot from his mouth.
The storm of wind split apart every falling magma fist, clearing the sky.
But below—where the lava struck—the ground melted into a bubbling sea of magma.
Now, Kuzan found himself trapped—unable to advance, unable to retreat.
This battlefield belonged to Sakazuki. The lava terrain gave him the upper hand.
But for Kuzan, it was the opposite. One wrong move, and he'd risk being scorched.
Still, Sakazuki didn't care. He wanted this battlefield.
He had already transformed into pure magma, pouring his power into the ground, turning more and more of the island into molten rock.
Like a dormant volcano gathering strength before its next eruption.
Kaido stood atop the searing lava as if it were solid ground, smiling wide.
His hands clenched the Hassaikai, black and red lightning of Conqueror's Haki crackling around it.
Sparks and bolts of energy danced across his body.
His gaze locked on Sakazuki.
"Oi, magma brat. Lemme show you what a real attack looks like!"
"Here it comes!!"
Sakazuki's hair stood on end. His eyes went wide, tracking Kaido's every twitch.
His Observation Haki screamed—this was a threat like never before.
He gathered every ounce of power he could muster.
Boom!!!
The ground exploded beneath Kaido.
Sakazuki could barely track the blur rushing toward him through the air.
He detonated his stored energy in a desperate counter-strike.
A molten fist—pure concentrated eruption—rocketed up to meet Kaido's charge.
The punch landed square in Kaido's chest, magma sizzling on impact.
But—it wasn't enough.
Kaido grinned through the hit, barely slowed, and swung his Hassaikai down with monstrous force.
Splurt!
Sakazuki's body crumpled as the club struck home.
Blood gushed like a fountain, and he was smashed back into the earth, splitting the ground beneath him.
"Wororororo! You're still way too soft, magma brat!"
Kaido cackled, watching Sakazuki cough up more blood than breath.
Casually, he peeled off a charred dragon scale from his chest where he'd been punched.
Then turned his smirking face toward the two remaining Admirals.
"Now… you two are next!"
Kuzan's face was pale and frosted with ice. He hadn't expected Kaido to take down Sakazuki so easily.
And judging by that hit…Sakazuki's life might already be hanging by a thread.
Borsalino, who had just made it back, looked equally shaken, his shoulder wrapped tight in bandages.
Clearly, he'd already done some emergency treatment just to stand again.
Their eyes met—and Kuzan gave a sharp nod.
"I'll go first!!!"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg