Ian's Armament Haki wasn't necessarily stronger than Kaido-sensei's.
After all, Kaido had accumulated decades of power and experience.
But when it came to Conqueror's Haki, Ian had already completely surpassed him.
The strength of Conqueror's Haki depended entirely on the user's power and spirit.
Since Ian had already grown stronger than Kaido-sensei, naturally, his Conqueror's Haki was superior as well.
Strength, speed, agility, defense, and Haki—an overwhelming superiority in every aspect led to one inevitable result—
"It's time to step down, Kaido-sensei!"
Like a meteor streaking across the sky, Ian struck again and again, sending Kaido flying like a baseball.
His speed was so fast that Kaido didn't even have the chance to dodge.
Even Future Sight through Observation Haki proved useless before Ian's assault.
The sheer difference in strength and Haki meant that every clash ended with Kaido being blown away.
This was no longer a battle between equals.
"…Why does this suddenly feel a bit sad?"
Jack tilted his head back, staring at the scene above, his voice filled with a rare sigh.
The man he once believed to be the strongest, the unbeatable boss Kaido, now couldn't even fight back against Big Brother Ian.
He was being beaten around the sky without resistance.
Perhaps this was what they called the change of an era.
A new age, represented by someone like Ian, would inevitably replace the old one.
It was just that Ian's rise to power felt a little too fast.
"Kaido-sensei…"
After sending Kaido soaring into the sky once more with a slash, Ian grinned and called out, "It's about time you used your ultimate move, isn't it? Come on, let's end this quickly."
"Brat!!"
High above, a massive shadow fell under the blazing sun.
A colossal azure dragon coiled beneath the blue sky. "Very well! Show me your strongest power!"
Scorching flames burst from Kaido's maw, wrapping around his enormous body.
In the blink of an eye, a gigantic dragon of fire floated in the heavens. The blazing heat it radiated was so intense that the frozen ground below began to melt rapidly!
"Tch…!"
Bullet's pupils contracted sharply as he stared at the monster hovering in the sky.
So this… this was Kaido's true full strength.
A terrifying technique—if he added his Haki on top of it, Ian's current form probably wouldn't be able to withstand it!
"Fire Dragon Torch! Rising Dragon!"
The massive head of the crimson flame dragon, blazing like molten lava, was suddenly cloaked in overwhelming Armament and Conqueror's Haki. With a roar, it dove straight down toward Ian.
"Flame Eight Trigrams!!"
This was Kaido's strongest strike—the perfect union of ability and Haki.
The last time Ian had faced this attack, it had been a nightmare. Kaido had used the regenerative power of the flame dragon to counter Ian's destructive flame.
Back then, Ian had simply transformed Surtur into a towering giant of fire to clash head-on with the dragon.
But this time, there was no need for such trouble.
Ian's body ignited, burning with scarlet flames.
The sword in his hand, Laevateinn, shifted as well.
The golden holy blade darkened, turning into a doomsday demon sword, its edge coiled with ominous black patterns.
The colossal flame dragon came crashing down.
Ian gripped his crimson sword and swung upward.
In silence, the dragon's blackened head split open, a crack carved straight through.
Without hesitation, Ian strode into the fissure and ascended through the flames.
Flames hot enough to vaporize stone, heat so dreadful it could melt anything—yet none of it mattered to him.
Even when the fire touched his skin, it was erased instantly.
To Ian, stepping into the dragon's body felt like returning home—the searing heat only brought him comfort.
"You little brat!!"
Floating inside the flame dragon as well, Kaido roared in fury.
He reinforced the dragon with his Haki, desperately trying to halt Ian's advance.
But it was useless. With just two casual slashes, Ian wiped everything away.
Truthfully, in raw ability, Ian wasn't vastly stronger than Kaido.
Kaido was a perfect hexagon of balance, while Ian was only a slightly larger one.
He could suppress Kaido, but not utterly crush him.
Against Kaido's flame dragon form, Ian had once felt cornered.
But now, with the Fire of Destruction added to his power, it was different.
An overwhelming destructive fire, fused with an even stronger Haki—the force of it was absolutely crushing!
Bullet had already been completely crushed by Ian, and even Kaido-sensei's Haki was useless against him.
Charging forward at incredible speed, Ian soon spotted Kaido-sensei deep within the flames of the Fire Dragon.
"Come, Ian!!"
At this point, Kaido-sensei had more or less realized that his disciple's strength had completely surpassed him. To keep stalling now would be meaningless.
"Thunder Bagua!!"
Kaido-sensei returned to his beast form and shot toward Ian like a cannonball.
Ian's lips curved into a smile. He decided to end this battle between master and disciple with this one strike.
Flames burst from his joints, empowering the swing of his next sword strike.
Ian launched himself forward as well, leaving behind a blazing crimson trail.
"Heaven and Earth Ashes!!"
Slash!!
The Fire Dragon split instantly.
An invisible sword blade cut it cleanly in half, and the now-uncontrolled flames gradually dissipated.
Amid the explosion of fire, half of a spiked club spun high into the sky.
From that same direction, Kaido-sensei's massive body was plummeting downward.
A huge wound had been carved across his chest.
Skin, muscle, and bone had all been sliced away, leaving his internal organs exposed.
"Haaah…"
Ian let out a long breath.
If he hadn't pulled back at the last second, Kaido-sensei's organs would have been completely cleaved in two.
He had won.
Of course he had won.
There was never a reason he shouldn't.
In every aspect, his power had already surpassed Kaido-sensei. To struggle in a difficult battle now would have been the real surprise.
Even without using the Flames of Destruction, he was already stronger than Kaido-sensei.
And if he used the Flames of Destruction together with his Flame Form, he already completely surpassed the level of an Emperor.
Perhaps… he had even reached the level of Joy Boy from long ago.
That guy must have been strong, right?
As he thought this, Ian, who had returned to his beast form, beat his wings and descended like a falling star, reaching out to grab his sensei before he hit the ground.
"Wororororo! What a refreshing strike, Ian!"
Kaido-sensei, surprisingly, hadn't fainted yet. His voice was weak, though, even as he continued to laugh.
"This one's definitely going to leave a scar."
"It's more than just a scar," Ian said with a smile. "If we don't hurry and get Princess Mansherry to heal you, you'll die."
After all, his entire chest had been split wide open!
"But Kaido-sensei," Ian grinned, "I won, didn't I?"
"Of course! Hahahahaha!"
Kaido wasn't the least bit dejected or sad. Instead, he burst into wild laughter.
"Of course it's my defeat!"
"From this day forward, Ian, you are the captain of the Beasts Pirates! Unite all their power and lead this monstrous army!"
"From this day forward, let even the world tremble before you, let even the gods fear you! Go forth and become the king who reigns above the entire world, Ian!"
**********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
patreon.com/PirateKing24