In the hazy grey space, Kaido lay on the ground, gaunt as a stick. His face was blank, his lips were parched and cracked, his beard was unkempt, and his eyes were sunken.
That physique, which had originally been so robust it was almost deformed, with muscles that inspired fear, had now shriveled away. He looked as if a layer of skin had simply been pasted over his bones.
"This bastard old man... he couldn't be dead already, could he?"
Standing by the monitors outside the prison, Yamato couldn't help but ask with some concern as she looked at Kaido lying in the grey space.
"Don't worry, I have his physiological monitors here. He just looks miserable right now, but in reality, he's using Life Return to suppress his energy consumption to the minimum. He's definitely not as weak as he appears on the surface."
"If you don't believe me, go in now, and he can still fight you for dozens of rounds!"
"Uh... is that so? As expected of the old man, he really is cunning and insidious enough!"
Yamato's words made Kozuki Hiyori, who was standing nearby, feel an urge to cover her face. She even wondered if Kaido had done so many bad things that the heavens had sent down such a daughter just to get revenge on him.
Vegapunk stroked his chin as he looked at the reclining Kaido. He did some mental calculations and felt that it might take too long to completely wear Kaido down to his last breath.
Even with the harsh conditions of that space, plus no water or food, Kaido could probably hold out for three months!
If it were a normal deserted island with no food or water, Kaido could probably last for half a year!
After all, people in the One Piece World aren't as fragile as ordinary humans, let alone a monster like Kaido.
"I don't have time to wait him out. Send a few high-level mechanical warriors to fight him! Given his current state, he should be about finished after the fight!"
Ultimately, Vegapunk made his decision. Upon hearing Vegapunk's words, Yamato looked excited. She gripped the mace in her hand and asked with an eager expression:
"Then can I go over too? I've wanted to defeat this bastard old man for a long time!"
Vegapunk glanced at Yamato. Yep, appraisal complete: a standard 'filial piety' relationship of the One Piece World—she's definitely his biological daughter.
However, he eventually shook his head:
"I advise you not to go. When people are driven mad by hunger, they're capable of anything; even cannibalism is possible! That's why I'm only sending robots..."
Even if Kaido didn't have a binge-eating disorder like Big Mom, there was no telling if he'd treat his own daughter like a snack if he went crazy with hunger. Vegapunk didn't intend to let Yamato test that theory.
Hearing this, Yamato also shuddered and quietly settled down.
In the hazy space, a strange vortex suddenly appeared. A moment later, a tall robot emerged from it.
Golden armor, a helmet like a Tyrannosaurus, sharp claws flashing with a cold light, and a flexible, agile, streamlined body—it was WarGreymon, known for its frontal melee combat power among Vegapunk's Three Great Mechanical Dragons!
Kaido, who had been lying on the ground like a skeleton with a faint aura, suddenly let out a long breath. A column of white air surged from his mouth and nose like a long dragon, stirring up a small storm within the grey space.
With this deep breath, Kaido's originally gaunt body inflated like it was being pumped with air. Although he didn't return to his original peak state and still looked very thin, he was completely different from the skeletal appearance he had at the start.
His originally vacant and dull eyes gradually became sharp and spirited. Kaido looked around, and when he saw WarGreymon, his expression shifted. His face darkened, and he slammed a fist hard into the ground.
"Dammit... are you really sending a robot to brush me off?"
Most importantly, robots weren't flexible like humans. Even if he wanted to escape this hellish space, there was no point in threatening a robot.
WarGreymon didn't care about Kaido's thoughts. A blood-red light glowed in its eyes, energy erupted from its body, and its pair of sharp claws slashed down toward his head.
"Just a mere robot, yet you dare to look down on me!"
Kaido roared. Since he didn't have his weapon, he clenched his fists, transformed into his hybrid dragon-man form, and threw a punch.
With a boom, a fist wrapped in Haoshoku struck WarGreymon's chest and abdomen, sending the terrifying combat machine flying. However, WarGreymon's sharp claws also slashed straight down, leaving three deep bloody gashes from Kaido's shoulder to his chest.
Even under the simultaneous protection of incredibly sharp dragon scales and Armament Haki, he had only barely managed to defend against the dual claws, which were enhanced by powerful high-frequency vibrations and Lightning Release Chakra nature transformation.
The pain in his shoulder didn't make Kaido shrink back; instead, it made his ferocity explode. Amidst his wild laughter of "Worororororo," Kaido transformed into a giant dragon, and a terrifying Blast Breath erupted, blasting toward the airborne WarGreymon.
A vortex instantly appeared within the raging flames, absorbing all the fire completely. WarGreymon stepped out from the dissipating flames with a cold and tyrannical posture.
The two fist prints Kaido had punched into its chest and abdomen were now fading significantly under the restorative effect of high-quality memory metal.
His eyes narrowing slightly, the Azure Dragon Kaido immediately understood that he absolutely could not engage in a war of attrition with the mechanical monster before him. With memory metal and being a machine itself, as long as he couldn't destroy WarGreymon in one go, the mechanical monster could fight almost indefinitely until its energy was completely exhausted.
With energy generated in nuclear fusion mode, WarGreymon's internal energy probably wouldn't even be one-third consumed by the time Kaido died of old age. Even if the 'tanks' of the One Piece World could fight for days and nights on end, they could only bow in submission compared to this.
Understanding the situation, Kaido didn't hesitate. In his dragon form, he summoned lightning and flames to wrap around his body, then transformed into his hybrid form and roared as he smashed directly down!
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