Chapter 254: Joyboy Must Never Appear!
Boom.
Zoro took a deep breath,
gathering the last of his ghost energy into a three-headed, six-armed form.
Like a reaper from hell, he slashed out with Soul-Eater Oni Strikes,
cutting in all directions.
Countless pirates and slaves fell.
Fierce demon phantoms devoured and reaped their lives.
"Don't be afraid! That green-haired guy's spent—he can't even hold his sword anymore!"
"Don't fight over it! That kill's mine!"
A burly man with black stubble and two strands of green-and-purple prayer beads around his neck suddenly rushed in, sword raised.
Those still hesitant were stirred into a frenzy by his words and charged.
"Damn… Is this the end?"
Zoro collapsed, lying on the cold floor, exhausted.
His dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman,
his promise to the dead—
all of it was about to be lost at sea.
There was regret,
but if he had to die, then dying on the path to the top wasn't the worst way to go.
"…Is that all you've got?"
Kaido sat atop the platform,
watching the tide of challengers rush to surround the pair.
A bit disappointed—he'd seen countless Supernovas.
These two didn't even deserve him raising a hand.
Just then—
"Zoro, stay alive!!"
A furious roar pierced through the arena walls,
echoing into everyone's ears.
A body wrapped in bright blue aura—
swollen like a balloon—
plummeted from the sky and crashed into the arena's center.
Boom!
The ground caved in. Dust exploded upward.
Kaido's eyes snapped wide, locked on the swirling dust and the power surging within it.
"Conqueror's Haki?!"
The so-called "qualification of a king,"
a trait recognized in the New World.
He never expected the brat he knocked unconscious with one blow to have this kind of potential.
In the arena,
pirates, slaves, and Marines collapsed one after another,
fainted by the sheer pressure of Conqueror's Haki.
"You made it, Luffy…"
Zoro couldn't turn his head, but just hearing that voice eased his heart.
"Luffy!"
Nami's eyes turned red.
Watching the Straw Hat captain arrive to save them stirred feelings she couldn't put into words.
"Leave the rest to me! Ahahaha!"
Even in such a grave situation,
Luffy couldn't help but laugh—
leaving Zoro and Nami stunned.
"Luffy, are you okay? Your body…"
They could both sense something off,
and now that strange feeling was stronger than ever.
"I'm fine. Trust me. Ahahaha…"
Luffy spoke with shifting eyes—sometimes lost, sometimes firm.
It was as if two wills were taking turns within him.
Sanji saw it all clearly.
Ever since Luffy learned the truth about the Nika Will,
his body had been changing at a frightening pace.
A fruit once developed only to Gear Second,
had suddenly exploded into Gear Third and Fourth, without any of the usual side effects.
His strength skyrocketed.
But the more powerful he became,
the more off he felt—smiling for no reason, losing touch with reality.
At this rate,
Sanji feared Luffy might become someone else entirely.
Like those beasts from legends—consumed by their Zoan Fruits' will.
But Luffy shot him a reassuring look.
Sanji had no choice but to believe.
"Straw Hat brat, you came here to die?"
Kaido rose from his platform,
saying no more—just transformed into his hybrid form,
and charged into the arena with his giant spiked club.
Boom!
Thunder Bagua—crackling with Armament Haki and lightning—descended.
Holy Combo Punch!
Luffy, in Gear Fourth, raised his glowing blue fists.
He met Thunder Bagua head-on.
"He blocked it?!"
Kaido was stunned.
This was just a brat—he didn't even have Armament Haki.
Even if he had Conqueror's, it had only just awakened.
And yet…
he'd stopped Kaido's signature move.
"I'm not done yet! Ahahahaha!"
Luffy's balloon-like body twisted with surprising agility.
Holy Combo Punch was a three-part move.
The first punch blocked Thunder Bagua.
The next two—
burning with blue flame—smashed into Kaido's gut.
The third strike shook space itself.
Boom!
Kaido flew through the air,
slammed into the wall, and crashed clean through it.
"Luffy… you…"
Zoro could hardly believe his eyes.
This was Kaido, one of the Yonko.
Even if he wasn't a Game player,
he was still leagues beyond rookie pirates like them.
And yet Luffy had won the first exchange?
"Sanji! Get them out of here!"
"Got it!"
Without a word, Sanji grabbed Zoro and scooped up Nami,
sprinting out of the arena.
He almost said something—
but in the end, kept it to himself.
"You arrogant brat!
Always spouting nonsense in front of me!"
"You think some little player like you can become Pirate King?!"
Thud, thud, thud…
Kaido stomped out of the wreckage,
eyes blazing with fury.
He wasn't angry about being hit—
but at the sheer audacity of this boy's dream.
To become Pirate King…
Kaido had fought for that himself.
He'd clawed his way through hell,
survived execution after execution.
To Roger, the Pirate King was the one who found Laugh Tale—who sailed the world.
To Kaido, it was whoever seized the ultimate treasure—the one who held the most power.
"If you want it so badly… then I'll give it to you!"
"The Pirate King you want to be… and the one I aim for… are not the same!"
Luffy didn't flinch.
He said it clearly—without hesitation.
His glowing blue aura surged skyward.
Haki might be the top skill in the One Piece world—
but now, in the era of the Reincarnation Game, it wasn't everything.
Luffy had awakened the Blue Fist Saint class.
Its core skill—Fist Energy—was even stronger than Haki.
He had lost to Kaido before…
because his base stats were too low.
But now, having fully accepted the will of Nika,
his Rubber Fruit was nearly awakened.
His weaknesses were gone—
and he was terrifyingly strong.
"Is that so?"
"There can't be two Pirate Kings in this world…
So you—go to hell!"
Kaido leapt high,
spinning his club, crashing it down toward Luffy.
Three-World Descent: Hell's Drop!
Black lightning crackled in arcs,
shattering the entire arena.
The thick walls crumbled to dust.
I won't lose.
It didn't matter if it was the Reincarnation Game or these so-called players—
Kaido wouldn't fall.
He had become the strongest warrior at age 10.
He wanted to forge a new world.
But there was a prophecy—
an absurd one.
Only Joyboy, the fated one, could create a world of dreams.
If that was the case…
Then Kaido would become the strongest dragon—the final test.
Only the one who could defeat him would be worthy of that world.
So he couldn't lose.
He would never allow Joyboy to exist in this world!
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