Chapter 268: Hand-to-Hand Combat with Kaido!
Ryuunosuke's expression turned puzzled the moment he heard Kaido speak.
"Bullying Linlin?" he repeated in his mind.
Was he talking about Charlotte Linlin? Big Mom?
Sure, the relationship between Kaido and Big Mom was known to be solid—two monsters who rarely met, but when they did, the world held its breath. At critical moments, Kaido always backed her up. But Ryuunosuke couldn't remember doing anything that might count as bullying her.
After all, when he initially planned to attack Big Mom, Katakuri had come forward, bowed his head, and offered amends. The conflict had been peacefully resolved before it even began.
So… was Kaido here because Big Mom stirred the pot?
Ryuunosuke narrowed his eyes and muttered, "So, you came here looking for payback?"
He wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
Kaido? Please.
This wasn't the kind of opponent that made him cautious anymore.
The Four Emperors?
They weren't enough.
Kaido loomed forward, arms crossed. "I don't know what happened between you and her... but I owe Linlin a favor."
He cracked his neck, releasing a low growl.
"And since I'm here—let's see if the rumors about you, Captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, are true!"
Before the heat from Kaido's breath could coalesce into a shockwave, Ryuunosuke was already in motion.
BOOM!
A heel descended from above like thunder, slamming Kaido's mouth shut mid-attack.
"Hey hey hey," Ryuunosuke taunted, hovering in the air with wings spread wide, "This is the strength of a Yonko? That was slow."
He spun midair with a flick of his wings, gathering momentum before delivering a sharp, whirling kick straight to Kaido's temple. The King of Beasts crashed to the ground like a meteor, earth shattering beneath him.
Buggy's jaw dropped. His entire crew stared, stunned into silence.
Did they just… see Kaido—Kaido—get knocked out of the sky?
Sure, Kaido's strength had always been legendary but vaguely defined. He was the "Strongest Creature in the World," the immovable beast. A force of nature. But in front of Ryuunosuke? He was struggling to even stand.
And as for his "invincible defense"?
Ryuunosuke was cracking through it with ease.
Who the hell was this handsome, monster-like man?
CRACK!
Kaido whipped his tail upward, striking Ryuunosuke midair and sending him flying. The blow landed solidly despite Ryuunosuke's Armament Haki, which flared across his body in defense.
But even he had to admit—he'd underestimated that hit.
Kaido didn't waste the moment. As Ryuunosuke was still flying through the air, Kaido surged upward, muscles tensing, mouth glowing red.
BOOOOOM!
A searing shockwave burst from his mouth, engulfing the sky. The area trembled under the sheer force. Within seconds, the clash had left their previous battlefield, both fighters vanishing into the horizon, leaving only shockwaves and destruction in their wake.
Buggy, who had been planning to sneak away amidst the chaos, changed his mind instantly.
Go out to sea now? With those two fighting?
He wasn't stupid. Any stray attack from them could sink his ship and bury them in the sea. So, he and his men stayed put, frozen in place.
Meanwhile, Najedna and the others calmly packed their supplies and loaded them onto the Ship of God like nothing was happening.
As if their captain wasn't engaged in a cataclysmic battle with a Yonko.
With the pirate ship of the Buggy Pirates left behind, they simply sailed away.
Elsewhere, far from the initial clash site, the battle raged on. An hour later, the two had fought their way to a small, uninhabited island—just large enough for two titans to tear each other apart.
Ryuunosuke stood amidst the rumbling terrain, chuckling. "Kaido, I gotta admit—your physical strength really is something."
He exhaled slowly, body glowing.
"If it weren't for my enhancements, you'd be a serious pain to take down."
He raised his arm—and in the next second, his body was clad in the Dragon Hunting Armor, silver and obsidian scales pulsing with spiritual energy.
"Tsukiyomi—merge!"
A celestial force swept across his body as the power of Tsukiyomi fused into the armor. A shimmering force field radiated outward. Space itself distorted around him.
"Enhance!"
With that command, his internal energy surged, pushing his physical capabilities to the peak. The ground cracked beneath his feet just from standing.
Kaido's eyes widened.
"You… You've awakened a Zoan fruit too?"
He returned to his human form, eyeing the injuries that had vanished from Ryuunosuke's body since their first exchange.
This regeneration speed—this strength—there was no way it wasn't a Devil Fruit. But everything on the sea said otherwise.
No Devil Fruit…?
Could it be… pure training? A unique race?
Kaido's grin widened, teeth baring like a true beast.
It had been too long since he found a worthy opponent.
Ryuunosuke smirked. "Devil Fruit? Nah. I've got something better."
He clenched his fist as a golden-purple Haki flared over his skin, laced with threads of Conqueror's Haki.
"Kaido, are you ready?"
BOOM!
"Let me test your worth. If you can't even beat me… don't even dream of challenging the World Government."
Kaido laughed heartily, the sound echoing like thunder.
He no longer cared why he had come. The only thing that mattered now…
Was the fight.
"Then come, brat!" he roared.
Their fists collided.
The impact shattered the air.
A hurricane tore through the island, ripping trees from the ground and flattening hills. The entire terrain was reshaped from the collision.
Ryuunosuke gritted his teeth. Even at full power, Kaido's strikes still carried terrifying force.
Kaido, on the other hand, felt his bones creak.
His right arm—the same one he had clashed with earlier—was fractured. Again.
And again, it healed instantly thanks to his awakened Devil Fruit.
But he knew.
He lost that last exchange.
Ryuunosuke, unbothered, laughed.
"Let's keep going. I want to find out how far I can push this body."
With Ban's abilities now fully extracted, his regeneration was monstrous—far superior to Kaido's.
As long as he wasn't instantly killed, he could keep fighting. Forever.
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