Question: How do you brawl without getting jumped?
Answer: Jump them first.
Aus never planned to win a straight slugfest against these two monsters.
No matter how strong he'd gotten, his raw power couldn't truly dominate the world. Take Big Mom alone—their freak-of-nature physiques were dead even. Throw in Kaido with his Oni bloodline and Mythical Zoan? Yeah, no.
The whole point of going toe-to-toe was pushing his potential and willpower to new heights.
That alone met his expectations.
So this move—"Instant Clone"—was Aus's fast-forward button to end this slugfest.
Massive stamina drain? Sure. But this brief explosion was enough to pin both of them down hard.
"Descent of the Three Realms: Ragnaroku!"
Kaido's teeth ground together. His lightning-wreathed strike came down—Clone Aus split it with Divine Departure. Another clone shot in immediately, bladeless fist wrapped in black-red lightning, damn near punching Kaido's kidney through his spine.
Blood sprayed.
Dragon-form Kaido staggered back, slamming his kanabo into the ground to catch himself.
"Aus!"
"Gah—"
Before Kaido finished roaring, two figures combo'd him, cutting him off. Feint punch first.
Then a blade charged full with Conqueror's coating.
Steel flashed.
A gash ripped across Kaido's gut.
SHHHK—
Blood fountained like a geyser. That ultimate slash made Kaido's eyes roll white for a split second.
"Consider that permanent scar the closing act."
Aus gasped for air. All his clones vanished as he glanced sideways.
Big Mom lay sprawled in a massive crater, blood leaking from her mouth.
"Sure, spamming clones for efficiency torched my stamina, but..."
He watched the two on the ground rapidly regaining consciousness, teeth gritted as they struggled upright.
Aus sheathed his blade. Sweat drenched his face. No stamina left to heal some of his wounds.
"Raw power-wise, in a drawn-out death match going all-in... heavily wounding two Emperors, fighting to the bitter end I should be able to drag at least one more down with me."
"Well... not bad..."
Aus smiled weakly. For someone at the top Commander level, this was pretty damn solid.
The heavily wounded pair still planned to team up and rush him. Slowly closing in. Attacks condensing in their hands.
"Out of gas already? Aus!"
"You bastard brat..."
"Vajra: Whistling Arrow!"
"Heavenly Bonbon!"
Two violent energy blasts screamed toward his face.
Aus inhaled deep.
"That's it. We're out! Little Hawk! Little Sand!"
Next instant—
WHOOSH—
From the island's edge, a kilometer-long emerald slash wrapped in black-red lightning tore forward!
Like a green wall, it severed that terrifying assault clean through.
"Mega Sandstorm!"
Then a dust storm swallowed heaven and earth, blanketing half the island like the world's biggest blender.
Low damage, but scary as hell. And the coverage was insane.
"Hey! You bastards!"
Big Mom was the angriest by far.
Damn it!
So close!
Aus weakened and drained was the easiest time to grab him, but—
"Since you called it, we're done."
Little Hawk's face stayed cold as he hoisted Aus over his shoulder. Backhand slash at the two trying to pursue.
The massive razor-sharp strike forced them to halt, watching helplessly as the sandstorm swept all three away.
"Damn it!"
"Hey! Zeus! Wreck that ship!"
Refusing to give up, Big Mom chucked the half-dead Prometheus aside and barked at Zeus—the thunder cloud who'd played dead the entire fight after catching one kick.
"Huh?! ...Yes, Mama!"
Zeus shot into the sky, lightning crackling across his body. After scrambling to respond, he morphed from cute white puffball into vicious black storm cloud.
He headed for the Oro Jackson anchored at the island's edge.
"Hey!"
Little Sand saw it and freaked, about to launch a sandstorm—
Aus stopped him.
"Too far. Won't make it. I got this."
Slung over Mihawk's shoulder, the drained Aus turned his head toward the horizon. Eyes utterly calm.
Cold light gleamed in his pupils, locked on that distant thunder cloud.
Aus spoke quietly.
"Don't. Move. Zeus."
CRACK...
As the words dropped, black-red lightning solidified, zigzagging toward the horizon.
Black-red lightning struck. The already wrecked ground got ravaged again. Trees snapped like toothpicks. Surviving Homies seized up like they'd been electrocuted.
When that black-red lightning actually coiled around Zeus, he screamed in instant agony.
Twisting. Shrieking. Suffering tremendous pain. Completely frozen.
"That's..."
"Even more brutal Conqueror's Haki than before..."
"Physical destruction at that distance?"
Aus's insane growth rate shocked them both.
Especially Kaido.
He couldn't wrap his head around it—why the hell did fighting him once power up someone's Conqueror's Haki? Expand their willpower?
But he understood one thing clearly.
Aus was really about to bail.
"You've reached this level and you're running?! Aus!"
Cunning Kaido clearly underestimated Aus's brain.
That kindergarten-level taunt? How could it possibly work?
One-on-one? Aus wouldn't run till he was at death's door.
But solo against two Emperors?
Leaving them heavily wounded was good enough. Aus wasn't greedy.
The howling sandstorm swept all three up, landing them quick on the Oro Jackson's deck.
After touching down smooth, Mihawk set Aus on a deck chair and locked eyes with Crocodile.
"Then let's sail."
Mihawk steered the Oro Jackson toward open water.
Kaido and Big Mom dragged their battered bodies forward, glaring daggers at the departing ship.
"Hey! Linlin, you got any juice left?"
Big Mom nodded, casually snatching a nearby cake Homie and cramming it in her mouth to refuel.
"Then... let's take this shot to keep them all here."
Big Mom hesitated.
Then decided.
They'd already pissed off Aus. Might as well commit.
Right now, Aus getting away alive was clearly the bigger threat.
"Then... this is the last shot..."
Kaido, in terrible shape, ground his teeth and stacked his kanabo with Big Mom's Napoleon, pouring Conqueror's Haki into both.
Little Hawk spotted it from the distance. His pupils shrank.
"Beat to hell... and they still got strength for that?"
"Hey! Aus! A monster like you should stay here forever!"
"Conqueror of the Seas!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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