When there was no sensation of impact from the strike, Orin instantly knew—something was wrong.
Sure enough—
Splurt—
A gash spread rapidly across Kaido's chest, blood gushing out like a waterfall.
If it weren't for his massive size and large blood volume, this amount of blood loss would've sent any normal person into shock and near death by now.
But Kaido merely rolled his eyes, then quickly regained his posture.
The wound on his body rapidly scabbed over, stopping the bleeding.
"So this is the so-called canonical answer... a Mythical Zoan-type, huh?"
Orin glanced at the wound that dealt damage but failed to cause a critical injury, then casually flicked the blood off his blade.
Seeing Kaido wounded by a single slash and Orin already fired up with a face full of battle spirit,
Big Mom wanted to explain, but Orin didn't listen at all. With no choice, she could only join the fight in response to his attacks.
...
At the edge of the battlefield,
Everyone watching the clash of these three top-tier powerhouses stood frozen in place.
Members of the Big Mom Pirates who finally snapped out of it, regardless of whether they could actually help, rushed forward—they couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
Among them, Oven and others were the most desperate, clenching their fists as they prepared to charge in.
"Sandstorm!!!"
A cold voice rang out. Before they could even get close, a sand-laced tornado swept toward them with devastating force.
A woman stepped forward, wearing a coat and sporting a weary, scarred face.
She casually lit a cigar with one hand, staring at them like they were trash.
"Hey!!! Crocodile! What the hell do you think you're doing!!?"
"You trying to start a war with us?!!"
"You bastard..."
"Don't get cocky!!!"
The crew members who nearly got swept up in the sandstorm glared furiously at Crocodile. Finally, it was Katakuri who stepped forward.
His expression darkened as he opened his mouth.
"This is all a misunderstanding..."
Before he could finish, a sand blade suddenly shot up from beneath the ground, stabbing straight toward his abdomen.
But of course—
"Hey, Mihawk, I don't need your help... this guy, who's just like a certain bastard when it comes to Observation Haki, leave him to me."
Seeing Hawk Eyes silently gripping Yoru, ready to move, Crocodile quickly stopped him.
She was fuming,
And she really wanted to beat up someone with good Observation Haki.
Looking at Katakuri before her, unharmed and regenerating his waist from mochi, Crocodile's face darkened further.
That disgusting feeling again—
She'd been completely predicted.
"Foreseeing the future, huh? Then how about this—"
"Corrosion!!!"
Hearing that, a red gleam flashed in Katakuri's eyes, and he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
That attack radius...?
In the next second, the luxurious venue was replaced by an endless expanse of yellow sand—a thousand meters in all directions turned to desert.
Massive waves of quicksand surged forward, impossible to avoid through mochi-body transformation.
A sand blade swept toward Katakuri, forcing him to block with Armament Haki and attempt to engage Crocodile in close combat.
But in the desert domain, Crocodile clearly had the upper hand.
Bang—
A pitch-black fist collided with a golden hook, and both were forced back several steps.
The two were evenly matched in an intense showdown.
It was hard to determine who was stronger, but at this rate, it was clear Crocodile's fight would drag on for a while.
And aside from Katakuri, Big Mom's other children were... not very impressive.
Stussy and others, leading their forces, "faithfully" blocked them.
Not because of loyalty—but because they were still too young.
Even future Sweet Commanders like Smoothie and Cracker were now just a young man and a girl.
One was twenty-five, the other merely fifteen.
Although they were around the same age as Mihawk, their potential was nowhere close.
If it really came down to it, Mihawk now could defeat them as easily as Aokiji's original invasion—basically an instant KO.
Stussy alone, going all out, could wipe the floor with them. And there were still plenty of top-tier underworld agents around too.
Mihawk looked left and right. There were no worthy opponents left for him.
So he turned his gaze to the main battlefield.
Big Mom... was holding a blade?
Right?
Hawk Eyes gripped his hilt tightly, preparing to unleash a wave of sword aura.
But suddenly—
Whoosh—
Within his Observation Haki, something plummeted from the clouds—just like Kaido earlier.
It was a massive, pitch-black bird, dive-bombing from the sky like a jet fighter, its overwhelming momentum making Mihawk tense.
Something... was heading his way?
Whatever.
Slash first, talk later.
With a sudden twist, Hawk Eyes gripped his sword in both hands and slashed toward the incoming figure.
Clang—
Zzzzz!!!
But instead of slicing cleanly through, like he always expected—after all, he had full confidence in his strikes, capable of cleaving mountains—Mihawk was stunned.
His blade struck the bird's beak... and got completely locked in place.
Even with the boost from Armament Haki, the defense was utterly insane.
Was it even possible for something to be this tough?
After that clash, the pitch-black bird quickly retreated. Its body shifted and transformed into a tall figure clad in black armor.
No skin exposed. Huge wings sprouted from its back. Flames burned from behind its head.
And yet, none of that was what Mihawk focused on.
What caught his attention most—
Was the sword in the figure's hand.
"Beasts Pirates officer... King, huh?"
Thinking of Kaido's earlier appearance, Hawk Eyes wasn't surprised.
"Black Emperor Orin's right-hand man, Hawk Eyes Dracule Mihawk. I've heard of you."
As reliable vice commanders of their respective Yonko crews, both Mihawk and King had definitely heard of each other.
Neither was the type for idle chatter. Confirming they were enemies, both drew their blades and charged!
Mihawk's sharp eyes locked onto King, who now held a longsword. The fire of battle surged within him once more.
It had been so, so long since he'd had a proper sword duel like this.
With a simple raise of his hand, a massive slash of green sword aura several hundred meters long exploded into the sky, tearing through the earth and buildings, shooting straight at King.
"Nani!!!"
The strike came too fast. King couldn't react in time and was sent flying by the sword aura, smashing through dozens of buildings before barely stopping.
Even though it hadn't done real damage, it left him briefly stunned...
Clang—
Yoru, covered in Armament Haki, struck King again through the swirling smoke. But it still couldn't pierce his defenses.
"Don't you get it yet? Just based on biology alone..."
"You can't beat me!!!"
"Is that so?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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