Fight to the Death

A gigantic fire dragon descended from the sky. If Kaido’s attack truly struck the ground with that kind of power, it would likely reshape the entire battlefield, enough to reduce every resistor in Wano Country to ashes.

Even the Beasts Pirates farther away would probably suffer more than half their numbers in casualties.

Across the battlefield, aside from people on the level of the Nine Red Scabbards and the Tobi Roppo, or Kozuki Hiyori and Tama with the Barrier Fruit ability activated, everyone else could only leave their fate to chance against this move. Those far away might fare better, but anyone nearby would instantly be burned into charcoal.

As for the stronger fighters, while they could barely survive by relying on Haki, they would still be severely injured.

As Kaido descended from the sky, the battlefield immediately fell into chaos. No one continued fighting; they simply turned and ran.

Forget the ordinary cannon fodder—even the Flying Six of the Kaido Pirates greased their heels and fled at top speed.

The ordinary samurai of Wano Country also scattered in panic, but the Nine Red Scabbards and the others not only did not run, they charged straight at Kaido. Clearly, they intended to stop him.

"You go first. Leave this guy to me!" Yota said to the others without hesitation. He now somewhat regretted sealing his Chakra when he had first fought Kaido, leaving it usable only passively and preventing him from actively using ninjutsu.

He was not afraid of death himself, but he no longer had the spare strength to protect anyone else.

As he spoke, Yota pushed the Munch-Munch Fruit’s power to its limit. His body swelled as though he were an inflated balloon, and all kinds of compressed metal from Dark Space fused into him. Before long, he had grown into a giant over a hundred meters tall.

In this state, Yota’s reactions became much slower. With his Haki spread thinly across that enormous body, his defense actually decreased rather than increased. Other than becoming stronger, his actual combat power would decline. That was why he had never used this mode.

But facing the fire dragon in the sky, there was no need to worry about agility now. Even though the Munch-Munch Fruit had expanded him to his limit, compared to the several-thousand-meter fire dragon, he was only like a slightly larger mouse. He was not even as tall as the fire dragon’s head.

Moreover, the vast amount of compressed metal packed into his body made him much heavier. It was difficult for Yota to even jump now, much less float in the air.

Fortunately, he had long prepared numerous design templates. A pair of flight devices fused onto the back of the massive metal giant, sending him soaring into the sky.

Rumble!

A blazing sun suddenly erupted in the sky. Terrifying shockwaves and scorching heat instantly swept across the battlefield, sending countless people flying. The suddenly rising, dazzling white light made the ground tremble, twist, crack, and churn. The temperature kept climbing, the heat piercing to the bone.

The flames from the fire dragon poured onto the ground, instantly melting the earth. Only after a moment did the world seem to resume from its pause.

A massive shadow fell upon the ground, and the dragon ultimately transformed back into human form. Kaido panted heavily, blood streaming down his forehead as he grinned.

"Brat, you’re ruthless!"

The moment he finished speaking, a huge demon horn fell from his head, leaving one side of his face a bloody mess.

During their clash, Yota had forced his way into the fire dragon. In the end, he removed all the Haki protecting his body and concentrated it into one hand transformed into a long blade, nearly chopping off Kaido’s head in a single strike.

Fortunately, Kaido reacted with astonishing speed and used one of the demon horns on his head to block the blow. That was the only reason he had avoided being decapitated. Yet that toughest horn on his body had also been completely severed by Yota’s near-death strike.

Clutching his head, Kaido felt his spirits soar. This thrill, so close to the line between life and death, was something this Great Pirate had not experienced in who knew how long.

"Worororororo! How long has it been since I felt this way?" Kaido laughed as he turned around and saw Yota, burned to charcoal on the ground.

"Even when I fought that old man Whitebeard, it was never this exhilarating."

"What a shame… Waaaaah! Why did you have to die like this? What a pity! I’ll never have another opponent this exhilarating again!"

As he spoke, the emotional Kaido burst into tears and let out a long howl toward the heavens.

"Bastard! Die!"

Before Kaido could finish venting his emotions, a blazing fist wreathed in tiny arcs of lightning slammed into his face with a boom, immediately sending him flying.

Ace appeared at the very center of the battlefield, his face filled with rage. As the user of the Flame-Flame Fruit, flames could not harm him at all. The remaining sweeping airwaves and shockwaves were nothing more than a drizzle to him. Thus, he had never left the battlefield.

Yota’s final move had managed to block most of the power of Kaido’s Flame Bagua, preventing him from wiping out all of Wano Country’s forces. However, the aftershock of the explosion had still swept away many Wano Country samurai. Only Ace had remained here.

"It is time to deal with the lot of you. I will turn Wano Country into my pirate kingdom."

Kaido, seeing stars after being punched, climbed back to his feet. In his rage, Ace had unleashed Conqueror’s Haki Infusion, and that punch had nearly made Kaido cough up blood.

After all, Kaido had expended enormous amounts of stamina in his battle with Yota and had even sustained quite a few injuries. His combat power had declined considerably.

Even so, Kaido remained brimming with confidence. Even if his strength had fallen somewhat, would dealing with these youngsters not still be effortless?

Even if Ace had learned Conqueror’s Haki Infusion, he was merely a little more troublesome.

"You’re dreaming!" Another sharp cry sounded from behind Kaido. Yamato, her entire body wreathed in cold air, charged in as well.

"Damn it, you actually killed Yota!" The furious Yamato swung Glacial Fang without hesitation. Her spiked club, likewise coated in Conqueror’s Haki, actually forced Kaido back several steps.

Kaido glanced at Ace’s gauntlets and Yamato’s spiked club. When Ace had attacked, he had not noticed it. Only when Yamato struck did he realize that the weapons they carried seemed to have raised their combat power considerably.

"Hmph, so this is your trump card? But you’re still too green. If you had another ten years, perhaps you could give me a proper fight!"

"Yamato, I’ll give you one final chance. Return to the Beasts Pirates!"

Yamato spat, her gaze resolute. "Keep dreaming. Today, we will definitely defeat you here."

"Then I’ll have no choice but to kill you!" A savage grin appeared on Kaido’s face. Then he suddenly saw the astonished expressions on Yamato and Ace’s faces.