One Piece: Starting with Breathing Techniques

Chapter 174 Fierce Battle

Without further hesitation, Kiro drew his longsword, a flash of cold light arriving in an instant, and it landed hard on Kaido's bare chest.

"laugh--!"

In the blink of an eye, a huge, violent cross-shaped sword mark tore through Kaido's body and was deeply imprinted on his chest.

The sword mark was wreathed with both crimson flames and a faint, shimmering white shadow. The two forces intertwined and merged, unleashing astonishing energy.

"ah!!!!!"

Kaido, who was in a state of unconsciousness, suddenly opened his eyes, let out a roar, and stared wide-eyed with bloodshot eyes.

"Kilo, how dare you?!"

Feeling the excruciating pain in his chest, Kaido's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his usually imposing face became ferocious due to the pain that was almost pushing him to his limit.

He could sense that the sword energy was not only severely injuring him, but also that countless tiny sword energies were constantly penetrating his body, traveling through his meridians, and tearing apart every nerve that could feel pain.

Even Kaido, a veteran of countless battles and life-or-death experiences, turned pale at this moment, his face covered in cold sweat from the terrifying pain.

"You asked for this!!!"

Unable to endure it any longer, he roared to the sky, and his already beast-like body burst forth with bursts of blue light, unleashing an even more terrifying aura.

As Kaido's aura intensified, a colossal figure gradually emerged, rapidly expanding at a visible speed.

A moment later, a gigantic, ferocious azure dragon, at least several hundred meters long, appeared in mid-air.

The Azure Dragon exuded a terrifying, ferocious aura, its eyes bloodshot, containing a fury and killing intent that seemed capable of devouring everything.

The unstoppable, awe-inspiring, massive dragon body was covered with countless sword marks and bloodstains, the most obvious being the huge crisscrossing sword wound on its chest.

"Kilo, get out here!!"

Kaido, now in his complete form as a blue dragon, roared to the sky, his voice echoing throughout the entire Wano Country, lingering for a long time.

Countless residents of Wano Country looked on in fear, trembling as they gazed at the azure dragon above, which resembled a demon.

Some knelt and prayed to survive, while others closed their eyes in despair and awaited death, and many more stood there dumbfounded.

Inside the Ryoma Dojo in the Flower Capital, Shimotsuki Soku and Karan stared in shock at the heavily injured Azure Dragon in the sky.

Kalan rubbed his eyes, carefully examined the wounds on Qinglong's body, and said in a trembling voice, "Master—Master."

"Those sword wounds, could it be—!?"

Shimotsuki Soku sighed and nodded. "That's right, that's what Mr. Kiro left behind."

Although he had never practiced the swordsmanship passed down by Ryoma, Shimotsuki Soku was able to recognize the aura emanating from those injuries at a glance, thanks to the lingering auras he had accumulated over time at Ryoma's dojo.

He glanced at the heavy, ancient sword manual in his hand. "This is the Dragon-Slaying Sword Manual!"

Frostmoon Soku sighed, his eyes showing both relief and worry.

The joy stemmed from the astonishment at the immense power and potential of the Dragon Slayer Sword Manual, which had even severely injured the legendary pirate Kaido.

The concern is for Kiro, who has now mercilessly injured Kaido and may be facing Kaido's wrath.

Clearly, they were unaware that Kiro actually had the upper hand in the battle.

Kiro stood with his sword in hand, hovering gracefully in mid-air, looking down at Kaido not far away.

He decided that since the goal was to maximize the points without causing too much of a butterfly effect or triggering potential unrest in the World Government, the best approach was to severely injure Kaido as much as possible without killing him.

"Kilo, don't think I'm afraid of you!"

Kaido's voice was filled with undisguised killing intent and anger, and his eyes, which were almost spitting fire, were filled with overwhelming rage.

"This is the me at my full potential!"

His dragon head raised its head and roared to the sky, then transformed into a streak of azure light and rushed over.

"The battle has only just begun!!"

In the blink of an eye, Kaido had already traversed hundreds of meters, his dragon claws almost tearing through the air, leaving several afterimages as he lunged towards Kiro's face.

The attack was so fast that it caused the air to emit a piercing shriek, and a sonic boom came from the dragon's claw.

Kilo, who had already activated his markings, took a deep breath, his eyes narrowed, and he suddenly activated his ability to foresee the future.

The next moment, the longsword blocked the dragon's claws with a loud clang.

At the moment the attacks collided, sparks flew everywhere in the air, and the aftershocks rippled outwards.

Undeterred by his failed attack, Kaido continued his assault, his dragon claws leaving afterimages in the air as he relentlessly slammed into Kiro.

Each attack was imbued with intense Armament Haki, possessing immense power and transforming into countless afterimages in the air, making it almost impossible to pinpoint the exact location of the dragon claw.

Amidst the dazzling and relentless onslaught, Kiro remained calm and composed, moving with uncanny precision through each attack, occasionally striking with his sword to exploit any openings in Kaido's attacks.

Watching the battle above, which almost transformed into two streaks of light and shadow, Frostmoon Soku below was filled with shock and was deeply moved.

"Is this what a battle between great pirates looks like?!"

Although he did not inherit the most core traditions left by his ancestors, with his own exceptional talent and hard work, after studying swordsmanship for decades, Shimotsuki Soku barely managed to enter the realm of a sword master.

Although he is not as powerful as those famous strongmen in the New World, and his actual combat strength may not be able to be fully utilized due to his weak physique, Shimotsuki Soku's eyesight is still sharp.

He could often roughly judge a person's strength and temperament just by looking at their aura.

But the moment he saw Kiro, he realized that this young man was no ordinary person.

It wasn't because the other party possessed an extremely strong aura; on the contrary, he couldn't sense any aura from Kiro at all.

Perhaps it was because the other party deliberately concealed it, but when he tried his best to sense it, he felt a chill run down his spine.

He vaguely sensed that he had glimpsed something so sharp and terrifying, like an unparalleled sword slowly stabbing at him with its blade.

And now, the presence of Kilo above has only strengthened his conviction.

Having lived for so long and possessing a wealth of experience, he had a vague idea of ​​what was going on as he watched the battle above.

Seeing Kiro once again dodge the attack and retaliate, he confirmed his guess: "Could it be foresight?!"

That's a field that only those with extraordinary talent are qualified to explore!

Frostmoon Soku took a deep breath, suppressing the extreme shock in his heart.

Kiro is still so young, yet he has mastered so many incredible abilities!

Is this the difference between geniuses and ordinary people?

A sudden feeling welled up inside him. "Ancestor, can you see this?"

"Your swordsmanship has not been forgotten; someone is carrying it forward!"

"Kilo, you have to win!"