"People who can't even withstand a single blow from me have no right to speak."
Kaido's logic was as brutal as it was simple.
I don't even know your name. You're not famous. Take my strike first.
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
Kaido's eyes burned with ferocity as he swung his kanabō, its blackened spikes wreathed in roaring lightning.
"Divine Departure!"
Rain smiled faintly as he answered, drawing Ace in one fluid motion. His blade surged with dark lightning as he slashed to meet Kaido's attack.
Conqueror's Haki infusion—advanced, refined, and overwhelming—erupted from both weapons at once.
The energies snarled against one another, blades and mace never quite touching, yet colliding with enough force to tear apart the world around them.
BZZZZZT—!!!
The air screamed. The very atmosphere between them split open.
Above, the clouds themselves shattered, the sky torn apart by the violent clash of willpower.
"…Oh?"
For once, Kaido's grin slipped into surprise. He hadn't expected this boy, this stranger, to wield such power.
A Conqueror's Haki so overwhelming—it could only belong to one destined for greatness.
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
Kaido roared again, his kanabō wrapped in an even greater torrent of black-red lightning as he hammered down another strike.
"Divine Departure!!!"
Rain didn't flinch. He infused his blade with his own Conqueror's Haki, the aura flaring even brighter, and cleaved upward to meet Kaido once more.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Strike after strike shook the battlefield. No feints, no tricks, no distance—just raw, head-on clashes. Power against power. Will against will.
This was the language of monsters.
And though Rain's body was still that of a youth, his strength stood tall against Kaido.
My Armament Haki…
As his blade met Kaido's weapon again, Rain's eyes lit with realization.
He could feel it. The steel of Ace, wrapped in his spirit, resonated with Kaido's overwhelming presence.
His Armament was sharpening, rising, evolving in real time beneath the weight of this battle.
So this is the pressure of a true monster…
"Kaido really is a good teacher."
Rain's eyes gleamed as he locked blades with Kaido. Every strike, every clash of Haki, pushed him higher. His Armament was sharpening by the second.
Against this monster, his growth was being forced forward at lightning speed.
"…?"
Kaido narrowed his eyes. Even in the middle of the clash, he could sense it, the boy's strength was climbing mid-battle.
"Interesting…"
Then Kaido's grin split wide, his face twisting with madness as his aura flared. "Very interesting!!!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Their battle ravaged the land. Forests were flattened, the earth cratered, the craters split apart again into ravines.
The Jiuli region—land that had belonged to the Kozuki family for generations was shattered, half its territory torn apart by their rampage.
In the city of Jiuli, people screamed as tremors split the ground beneath their feet. Homes crumbled.
Samurai and commoners alike fled in panic, desperate to escape the endless earthquakes.
But for Rain and Kaido? Such things were meaningless.
Rain had no attachment to Wano. And Kaido… Kaido was a madman. As long as the fight thrilled him, nothing else mattered.
"Hahhhh…"
Rain exhaled slowly, centering himself as he drew Ace back into position.
He remembered when he had first inherited Roger's soul with his Take-Over magic.
Back then, his strength had only been comparable to Yamato's level.
Yet now, barely a year later, he was clashing with Kaido himself.
And he knew this still wasn't his limit.
His eyes sharpened.
"…!"
Kaido's grin widened further, his instincts prickling. The boy wasn't just defending anymore... he was going all out.
"What speed!!!"
In an instant, Rain vanished. His presence disappeared like mist.
"He is Coming!"
Kaido's pupils shrank, his instincts screaming. He didn't know where Rain had gone, but he didn't care, his body moved on its own. With a roar, he swung his kanabō hard to the right.
A shadow flickered there...then vanished.
"Divine Severance!!!"
Rain reappeared at Kaido's left. His blade cut downward in a single devastating stroke.
BOOOOM!
Kaido didn't react in time. The slash ripped through his guard, Conqueror's Haki entwined with Armament tearing apart his defenses.
The blade carved across his torso, opening flesh and spilling blood into the air.
"…What?!"
Kaido's eyes widened as hot pain surged through him. Blood sprayed from his wound, staining the ground red.
For the first time in a long time… he had been cut.
"How could his speed jump so high?!"
Kaido's eyes widened. He hadn't expected his opponent to suddenly move like this vanishing and reappearing faster than even his instincts could track.
"…Fine then."
Kaido's grin twisted as his aura flared.
"Beast Form—Hybrid!!!"
Kaido's body shifted, scales rippling across his skin as he transformed into his half-dragon, half-human state.
His presence exploded, a violent storm of power that shook the battlefield itself.
But
"What a fast speed!"
Rain was already on him, blade flashing. His slash carved across Kaido's side before he could react.
BOOM!
Kaido was blown back again, skidding across the ruined earth.
"Come at me!!!"
He roared with laughter, ignoring the blood dripping from his body as he charged back in.
The gashes across his flesh knitted shut almost instantly, steam rising as his monstrous vitality restored him in seconds.
"Injuries?" Kaido barked. "They mean nothing to me!"
Rain's eyes narrowed. His regeneration… that first wound's already gone.
"He's trying to drag this fight out," Rain muttered under his breath. "If it turns into a battle of attrition, it'll never end…"
But then, his lips curled into a smile.
"…And why should I care about that?"
What was his true goal here? To defeat Kaido?
No. My goal is to grow stronger.
And against a monster like Kaido, who could endure endlessly, this was perfect.
Rain's eyes burned with new fire. "Then let's see who can last until the end."
The battlefield became a tug-of-war of Monsters.
Each clash shattered land, each swing split the skies, neither yielding an inch. It was no longer about winning quickly, it was about endurance, willpower, and whose spirit would break first.
From a distance, Douglas Bullet watched, then smirked.
"Tch. Monsters fighting monsters. Let them tear each other apart."
He turned away, searching the battlefield for prey. His stomach growled. "…I'll settle lunch first."
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and Exclusive R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Every 100 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.