One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

The flames in the City of Flowers illuminated half the sky.

Luffy and Zoro exchanged a glance, kicked off their oversized flip-flops, covered their arms with Armament Haki, bit their thumbs, and took a deep breath.

A large amount of air was blown into the body.

Fourth Rank: Snake Man.

Across from him, Kaido, carrying the Eight Precepts, tilted his head and sized up Luffy.

He wasn't completely drunk yet, but after taking Luffy's punch, his eyes were noticeably clearer.

"Kid, your form is quite interesting."

Kaido cracked his neck, producing a series of crisp snapping sounds.

"But that punch just now—was that your full power?"

Luffy did not answer.

He bent his knees slightly, pushed off with his feet, and launched himself forward again.

His rubber body expanded rapidly in mid-air, and his right fist gleamed with a metallic sheen under the cover of Armament Haki.

"Rubber Rubber - Giant Snake Cannon!"

The fist no longer attacks in a straight line, but instead curves in the air like a snake, creating a strange arc.

This is a derivative technique of his fourth gear, which he developed under Rayleigh's tutelage. It is specifically designed to deal with masters of Observation Haki—his fist can change direction at any time, making it impossible to defend against.

Kaido indeed failed to predict the trajectory of that punch.

The fist circled around to his side and slammed into his temple.

"Bang—!"

The shockwave exploded, causing the surrounding air to buzz.

Kaido's head was knocked to the side.

But it only tilted slightly.

"that's all?"

Kaido reached out and grabbed Luffy's arm before he could retract it, the force so strong that the rubber was squeaking.

Luffy tried to stretch out his arms to break free, but Kaido's grip was too strong; the rubber was simply too heavy to pull.

"You little rascal—"

Kaido swung Luffy up with one hand, spinning him twice in the air like a towel, before slamming him hard to the ground.

Luffy's body crashed through an abandoned shop, and the wooden beams and tiles collapsed, burying him underneath.

Before the dust had even settled, Luffy leaped out of the ruins.

His clothes were tattered and his face had several scratches, but the fighting spirit in his eyes remained undiminished.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

Luffy wiped the dust off his face.

"But we can still fight."

He bit his thumb again, injecting more air into fourth gear.

The muscles swelled even more, steam billowed from the body, and the surrounding gravel was blown away in all directions by the air current.

"Rubber Rubber - Lion Rocket Launcher!"

He clenched his fists, hardened his Armament Haki to its limit, and released all the elasticity of the rubber that had been compressed to its limit in that instant.

This punch was at least 30% more powerful than the previous one.

The fist slammed into Kaido's chest.

The shockwave exploded from the two people, cracking the ground in countless fissures, the widest of which could fit an arm.

The surrounding building ruins were overturned by the blast wave, and splinters of wood and rubble swirled and flew dozens of meters away in mid-air.

But Kaido's body only swayed slightly.

It really shook.

But that's about it.

Kaido looked down at the fist that had slammed into his chest, then looked up at Luffy, a hint of surprise in his expression.

"That punch—it's interesting."

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"That was better than the last one. Kid, do you have any other moves?"

Luffy landed, panting heavily.

The side effects of level four began to appear; his body temperature had risen to a dangerous level, and white smoke was rising from his skin.

Two consecutive all-out attacks failed to break through the defense, and the stamina consumption was several times that of usual.

"It's not over yet."

Luffy gritted his teeth, about to launch another attack, when a green slash flew from the side, heading straight for Kaido.

Kaido didn't even turn his head; he simply raised his hand and swung his club.

The Eight Precepts struck the slash, shattering the sword energy into pieces.

The shockwave's recoil traveled along the blade, sending Zoro staggering back several steps before regaining his footing.

But Zoro did not stop.

He drew all three swords at the same time, Armament Haki wrapped around the blades, and his entire being began to change.

A layer of dark red mist surged from his body and swirled around him.

The fog grew thicker and denser, eventually coalescing around his body into a ghostly phantom with three heads and six arms.

Ghostly Aura - Nine-Sword Style

This is Zoro's strongest move, which combines his killing intent and Haki to unleash a fighting power far exceeding his usual strength in a short period of time.

Each swing of the sword was equivalent to a full-force attack in normal condition. The nine swords were unleashed simultaneously, their light forming a net that completely enveloped Kaido.

Kaido's eyes lit up: "Oh? This swordsmanship—is not simple."

Zoro didn't give him time to reflect.

Nine knives were slashed out simultaneously.

The blades exploded on Kaido's body, the clanging sounds as dense as a downpour hitting a tin roof.

Kaido's body was slashed with shallow white marks, some of which even oozed fine beads of blood.

Kaido looked down at the bloody marks on his arm, and his expression changed.

It wasn't because of the pain—this injury was nothing more than a tickle to him.

"Kid, your attack isn't bad either!!"

Kaido's voice carried an excitement that had been suppressed for too long.

Zoro didn't answer, and his nine swords slashed out again. But this time Kaido didn't give him a chance.

The eight precepts of fasting are swept away.

Black and red lightning crackled around the spiked club, tearing through the air the moment it was swung out.

Zoro's Nine-Sword Style was like paper before this strike; the phantoms of the nine swords shattered simultaneously, and he himself was sent flying, nearly losing three of the swords.

"Hehehe—not bad swordsmanship, but not enough!"

Kaido strode toward Zoro, each step causing the ground to tremble.

The Conqueror's Hide lightning on the Eight Precepts was still crackling and pulsating, radiating a destructive aura.

"Kid, your swordsmanship is not bad, but you are still far from being able to defeat me."

Want to know why?

Zoro climbed out of the rubble, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, his hand gripping his sword trembling slightly.

Kaido stopped in front of him, his massive, nearly seven-meter-tall body casting a shadow that completely enveloped him.

"Because your domineering aura is too weak."

The Eight Precepts came crashing down again.

This time, Zoro saw clearly the black and red lightning wrapped around the spiked club—it wasn't ordinary lightning, but the product of the perfect fusion of Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki.

Its density, temperature, and destructive power far exceed those of ordinary Armament Haki hardening.

Is this Kaido's true strength?

Zoro used all his strength to raise three swords to block.

The moment the blade collided with the spiked club, he felt as if a mountain was pressing down on his arm.

The ground beneath their feet cracked under the force, sending rubble flying in all directions.

"clang--!"

Zoro was sent flying, rolling several times on the ground before coming to a stop.

The three knives were still in his hands, the blades trembling violently. His tiger's mouth was split open, and blood was flowing down the hilts.

"Zoro!"

Luffy was ejected from the ruins, but Kaido's attack was not over yet.

He turned around to face Luffy, his hands gripping the Eight Precepts so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands bulged.

"Straw Hat Boy"

Kaido's voice suddenly turned low.

"Roy said you're worth looking forward to, that's why I've been playing with you for so long."

"But now—I've lost my patience."