Caelan did not call out any move names.
Because a casual blow from him was the best response, and his ultimate techniques were already integrated into it.
What's more, this was a contest of strength. The simpler, the more efficient.
"Boom!"
Shusui and the Hassaikai collided, emitting dazzling sparks.
The huge impact created a strong gust, blowing the yellow sand outward.
If both weapons were not divine-grade, they would have shattered under this blow.
After the strike, the two did not separate. They used the Hassaikai and Shusui as anchors and wrestled for dominance.
Both gripped their weapons with both hands to unleash their full strength.
They braced their feet against the ground, their leg muscles harder than steel, like poplar trees with roots sunk deep into the desert, drawing strength continuously from the earth.
The force rose from the ground, gathered at the waist, and finally exploded from the hands.
"Crack."
"Crack."
The black blade Shusui forced the Hassaikai to a halt, producing a harsh, grating metallic screech.
It was clear that Shusui was slowly and steadily suppressing the Hassaikai.
The seven-meter-tall Kaido, holding a five-meter-long kanabo, was forced to retreat step by step by the two-meter-tall Caelan.
Even though Kaido's feet plowed two deep grooves in the ground, he could not stop being pushed back by Caelan.
Kaido felt a tremendous force coming from the other side. He fought it with all his might, but it only slightly slowed his retreat.
"Bang!"
Kaido stamped down and pulled back.
He looked at Caelan as if he were some rare treasure.
He had always used brute strength to suppress others, and no one had ever put such pressure on him in raw power.
Yet today it was reversed, and he was completely suppressed by Caelan in strength.
He could feel that Caelan's power was almost half again stronger than his.
Such an opponent…
Such an opponent was truly exhilarating.
"Happy!"
Kaido shouted, surging forward toward Caelan with fierce fighting spirit.
Caelan also rushed in, gripping the sword with both hands to unleash greater power.
"Thunder Bagua!"
This time, there was not only lightning on the kanabo, but also purple-black lightning.
This was the infusion of Conqueror's Haki, a powerful technique only emperors at the top of the world could use.
"Cut!"
Caelan let out a clear shout.
Shusui was also wreathed in Conqueror's Haki and slashed head-on at Kaido's kanabo.
After one clash, they both retreated. Although Kaido was still at a disadvantage, it was much smaller this time.
"Your Conqueror's Haki infusion isn't complete yet. As a new emperor, you still lack something."
Kaido grinned at Caelan.
He was completely outmatched in strength, and slightly weaker in technique.
Finally, he found a place to strike at Caelan.
He had already mastered Conqueror's infusion perfectly, while Caelan was still a little short.
"Even without the infusion, you can't beat me." Caelan ignored Kaido's mockery and smiled. "I think it will be soon."
His Conqueror's infusion was indeed incomplete, but with a bit more feel, he could perfect it.
And that would not take long.
Opposite him stood the famed Kaido-sensei.
"Don't brag. Conqueror's infusion isn't that easy to grasp!"
Kaido snapped.
Even though he surpassed Caelan in Conqueror's Haki infusion, it was not enough to make up for the power gap. It only made him feel a little better.
And he found it even more laughable when Caelan said he was about to perfect it.
If Conqueror's infusion were so easy to comprehend, the New World would be full of it.
"Then just wait and see." This time Caelan took the initiative. "Again!"
Shusui swung down like a giant serpent's tail, hacking fiercely at Kaido's head.
It was full of killing intent.
The wind howled along the blade as if roaring, Kill. Kill. Kill.
Kaido was not afraid at all, and the kanabo in his hand collided with Shusui.
He did not call out Thunder Bagua again, or rather, every one of his attacks was Thunder Bagua.
"Boom."
"Boom."
"Boom."
Thunderous crashes rang out one after another.
It was like two ancient beasts clashing, every move ferocious and aimed at the kill.
Their battleground was the eye of a tornado. The violent gale kept surging outward, kicking up waves of yellow sand.
Occasionally, the overflow of their strikes reached the lines where the two armies fought, blasting piles of bones to pieces or pounding clusters of pirates into mince.
The battlefield between the Skeleton Army and the Beasts Pirates had to pull back again, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
"Too strong."
Whether the Beasts Pirates or Yamakaji's people on Caelan's side, all were shocked by the clash between Caelan and Kaido.
The gale hurled yellow sand dozens of meters high, and the sheer wind pressure even blew away many skeletons and soldiers.
It was simply an apocalyptic scene.
"So this is how the Yonko fight. It's terrifying."
It was hard to imagine this devastation was caused by only two people.
A deep sense of powerlessness rose in everyone's hearts.
In front of these two, their own fighting was meaningless. Whether the pirates killed the bones or the bones killed the pirates would not decide the war.
Only when Kaido and Caelan decided the winner would the war truly be won or lost.
Fortunately for Yamakaji, Momonga, and the others, Caelan had the upper hand.
"Boom!"
Kaido was blasted away again.
Shusui's brutal swings in Caelan's hand were not only the pinnacle of technique, they were the aesthetics of violence.
It seemed he was holding not a katana, but a heavy saber.
Because Caelan knew that weak attacks were useless against Kaido.
Only overwhelming strikes could truly hurt Kaido, whose body was almost indestructible.
Fortunately, Shusui was a supreme blade that would not bend even if a dinosaur stood on its spine, otherwise it would have crumbled under his relentless swings.
And under such violent attacks, Kaido still held on.
Fortunately, it was Kaido. If it had been Drought Jack, he would have died in a single blow.
In just a few minutes, Caelan had exchanged hundreds of blows with Kaido.
The purple-black lightning on the kanabo seemed to be telling him something.
"I understand."
At some point, Caelan suddenly had an epiphany.
From that moment on, Conqueror's Haki infusion was no longer a mystery to him.
"Cut."
Caelan raised Shusui and slashed at Kaido.
This time, the purple-black lightning wrapped around Shusui was more condensed than ever.
"Boom!"
Kaido raised his kanabo to block.
But he was caught off guard by the sudden increase in force.
The kanabo was shaken slightly by Caelan.
Taking that opening, Caelan slashed at Kaido's chest.
"Sizzle."
A wound opened on Kaido's chest and blood gushed out.
His body, as tough as diamond, could not resist Caelan's blade.
The wound was about an inch deep. Had he not retreated in time, it would have been several times larger.
"Kaido-sama is injured!?"
King, struggling under the assault of Aokiji and Kizaru's bones, was a little shocked.
He relied on the Lunarian tribe's powerful defense. Though the fight was painful, he would not be in danger in the short term.
Unexpectedly, Kaido, whose defense was stronger than his, was injured before him.
That was Kaido, known as the strongest creature in the world, with an indestructible body. Even the Marines had failed to execute him.
Yet he was injured after less than ten minutes against Caelan.
If this continued, the situation would be very bad for them.
"It's too strong, to injure Kaido in just a few minutes."
Momonga shouted in shock and surprise.
They had always been on the sidelines, their situation not as dire as the Beasts Pirates.
What they needed to watch for was the aftermath of Caelan and Kaido's fight.
…
Kaido covered his wound and looked at Caelan in shock. "You mastered Conqueror's Haki infusion so quickly?"
It had been many years since he was injured.
He remembered the last time was eighteen years ago, when Kozuki Oden used all his strength and left two wounds on his chest.
And now, he was injured again by Caelan.
Considering that Caelan's strength and swordsmanship surpassed Kozuki Oden's, it was not surprising he could injure him.
What truly surprised him was that after only a few minutes, Caelan had perfected his previously immature Conqueror's Haki infusion.
It was because of this sudden change that he took a hit from Caelan.
"Of course, all thanks to your good teaching."
Caelan felt the power of the infusion and was very satisfied.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)