When Kaido saw that Ashveil was about to attack again, his expression twisted with dread.
Though much of his stamina had returned, the pain of being pierced by a hundred blades still burned through his body. Those scars, etched across his massive frame, were a reminder of how close he had come to death.
The thought of enduring another hundred cuts made his skin crawl. Could he even survive it? Or would that strange power finally kill him?
A terrifying suspicion gnawed at Kaido's mind.
Was every one of Ashveil's attacks an extension of Conqueror's Haki?
He remembered the old words of Rocks, back on the Rocks Pirates' ship. Rocks had spoken of the dreaded Haoshoku Hakei, a state where Conqueror's Haki could take shape in all things. Yet, Rocks himself had never truly reached that height.
And now this boy… at such a young age, his mastery already seemed to surpass Rocks.
It was enough to chill even Kaido's indomitable spirit.
Ashveil's lips curved into a faint smirk. "This time, it won't just be a hundred little knives."
The barrier of Conqueror's Haki around him swelled outward, surging like a rising ocean. Its pressure thickened the very air, and the shockwaves washed over the battlefield like an unstoppable tide.
Kaido's dragon-human form stiffened. His Observation Haki screamed warnings at him. His bloodshot eyes widened as he felt the crushing power descend.
"I wasn't wrong," Kaido muttered hoarsely. "This is Conqueror's Haki… but in such quantity… I've never felt anything like this!"
Before he could finish, the force struck him like a meteor.
The impact hurled Kaido skyward. The gale it unleashed tore through Kuraigana Island, uprooting trees and ripping the ground apart. Waves thirty feet high rose on the sea, snapping chains and flinging a Marine warship far from shore.
On that ship, Urouge fought desperately with the rudder, teeth gritted as he tried to steady the vessel. His eyes, however, blazed with awe.
"I should have known! Captain Ashveil is invincible! Even Kaido can't stand against him!" he shouted, his voice raw with excitement.
In the sky, Bikley of the World Economic Journal trembled, barely able to hold his den-den mushi steady. He had covered battles before, but never anything beyond pirates worth a hundred million Berries.
Now, before his eyes, the battlefield itself had become a natural disaster.
"Is this really human power?" he whispered, throat dry. "To rival gods at such a young age… This is a being who may surpass even the Pirate King."
His pen scratched furiously across his notes. "No wonder Morgans-sama is so fixated on him…"
Meanwhile, Kaido's massive body crashed down from the sky like a broken kite. He smashed into a mountainside with earth-splitting force, sending boulders raining down to bury him.
Coughing blood, Kaido clawed at the rubble. Pain surged through his fingers, and he realized with horror that many of his joints were shattered.
"The dragon form of a Zoan… defeated to this extent…" His face twisted. "How can this be?"
Step by step, Ashveil walked to the ruined mountain, his expression unreadable.
"I wonder, Kaido," he said calmly. "Can you withstand another blow? You, who call yourself immortal… you won't just die here, will you?"
He was about to move the rubble aside when the faint chime of his internal clock rang.
Ashveil tilted his head and smirked. "Ah. Time's up. Then, thank you, Kaido. That was entertaining."
With that, he turned his back and strode toward the coast. He had wasted enough time. Greater battles awaited.
Beneath the rocks, Kaido exhaled in shaky relief.
Since the fall of the Rocks Pirates, he hadn't taken such a beating. Even Roger and Whitebeard had never made him feel this kind of fear.
Ashveil wasn't a beast, nor even a man. He was something worse. A devil.
The self-proclaimed immortal Emperor realized then that immortality was a lie. Against someone on Ashveil's level, his defenses crumbled like paper.
The wounds carved into him now were deeper than those Oden had dealt decades ago. The fact that he still drew breath was sheer luck.
His last thought, before unconsciousness took him, was one of disbelief and dread.
On the coast, Urouge brought the Marine warship back to shore, staring at the island that had been devastated by Ashveil's power. He shook his head in awe.
Every time his captain fought, it was as though nature itself rebelled.
In the air, Bikley cradled his precious film and notes. His heart raced at what he had captured.
"In just twenty minutes… he toppled Kaido, the so-called strongest creature alive."
He swallowed hard, his hands trembling. "Ashveil's power already rivals Roger's. And if he grows further… he may even surpass Rocks himself."
If Bikley had known the truth—that Ashveil had dragged out the fight simply to amuse himself—he might have dropped his pen in terror.
But even without knowing, he understood one thing clearly:
The name Ashveil would shake the world.
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Milestone,
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter