Other failures among the God Knights left Galin Saint seething with fury.
Useless trash!
Still, the sudden appearance of that blind swordsman of admiral-level strength, and the unexpected return of the Golden Lion Shiki, were developments even they hadn't anticipated.
And to make matters worse, Gecko Moria — that cowardly failure who should have been dead — had joined Souta Kiryuu's crew. He now fought like a completely different man, desperately stalling one of their God Knights.
Those three alone were already tying down four God Knights.
This completely disrupted Galin Saint's strategy. Without them, the God Knights and the two Marine Admirals would have had more than enough power to crush Souta Kiryuu's crew, the Revolutionary Army, and even the Yonko forces.
"Over here! Help me take down that lunatic Kaido!!"
Galin Saint didn't want to keep clashing with Kaido, but the Beast was relentless, refusing to let him escape.
"We need to retreat quickly!"
Foss Saint shouted, though he still joined forces with Conif Saint to strike at Kaido. Their combined assault pushed Kaido harder, but the more he fought, the more exhilarated he became, his aura surging like a storm.
Meanwhile, Souta Kiryuu, having just returned Admiral Issho's blood to the Ark Maxim, rushed toward the battlefield. He couldn't afford to let Kaido fall — if Kaido went down, the entire situation would collapse into disaster.
Kaido was strong, but he had been captured many times before by the World Government and the Marines. If surrounded by overwhelming power, even the so-called strongest creature couldn't endure forever.
Souta's arrival eased the pressure on Kaido, but against Galin Saint, Akainu Sakazuki, and two God Knights, even he, Kaido, and King the Wildfire struggled to keep pace.
Akainu's sheer power surpassed both Souta and King, and with two God Knights backing him up, the scales weren't in their favor.
But Galin Saint was no longer what he once was — age had dulled him. Against Kaido, he faltered, forcing Akainu to split his focus to cover Galin's weaknesses.
Seven titans clashed, their battle locked in a fragile, destructive balance.
In that crucible of chaos, Souta Kiryuu pushed himself further, forcing his will against the brink.
"Kaido!! Why can't I get my Conqueror's Haki to wrap around my fists?!"
He roared, clashing head-on with Akainu. Black and red lightning exploded outward, his Haki suppressing Akainu's elemental form — but the searing heat and impact of the magma fruit's power remained overwhelming.
"Wurororororo!! Stop letting it burst everywhere, brat! Focus it, fuse it with your will, your killing intent — then drive it straight in one direction!"
Kaido smashed Galin Saint away, then swung his spiked kanabo. A blast of Conqueror's Haki tore through the air, slamming into Akainu and hurling him backward.
"How the hell do you focus it?! Every time it bursts out, it scatters everywhere!"
Souta strained, struggling to compress his raging Haki into his fists. Controlling it was like trying to hold back a raging storm.
"Damn brat, concentrate!! Think of how you focus your Armament Haki into one fist!"
Kaido bellowed, furious that in the middle of a life-or-death brawl he was forced to play teacher. But there was no denying it — Souta's Conqueror's Haki had already grown strong enough to wrap, its pressure cracking the ground itself.
Killing Celestial Dragons, cutting down a God Knight, declaring war on the World Government — these insane acts had sharpened his spirit to terrifying levels.
And his Haki — it carried the same peculiar nature as Red-Haired Shanks, that meddlesome bastard. A Conqueror's Haki that suppressed Devil Fruit abilities innately, a power as fearsome as the advanced wrapping form itself.
If Souta could learn directional attacks with it, he would become every Logia user's nightmare.
"Damn this Conqueror's Haki!!"
Akainu snarled, fury boiling. As a soldier through and through, he could never awaken it. Against Yonko who wielded it freely, he was always at a disadvantage.
Yet the World Government's centuries of research had pushed Devil Fruit mastery to incredible heights. They had ways to resist Conqueror's wrapping — but always defensively, never offensively.
Which was why he loathed men like Shanks and Souta Kiryuu, whose Haki carried that terrifying suppression.
"Gather it back! Compress it into a single fist!!"
Souta's eyes widened, bloodshot veins spreading across his gaze. He roared, forcing the wild, exploding Haki inward. Black and crimson lightning sparked violently around him.
Mastering Conqueror's wrapping was as difficult as compressing an entire barrel of water into a single bottle — impossible for most.
That was why so many with the gift could never advance. Even veterans like Doflamingo, Katakuri, and Chinjao had spent decades without mastering it, stuck at mere intimidation. Many never even learned to focus it at all.
"Wurorororo!! Not bad, brat! But remember this — this sea doesn't need so many kings! Let me test you myself — see if you truly have the fate of a ruler!
Without the resolve to die, you have no right to wield this power!!"
Seeing Souta edge toward mastering it from his crude instructions, Kaido laughed madly — then suddenly swung his kanabo straight at Souta.
The crushing force, laced with dense black-red lightning, made Souta's pupils shrink, his body scream danger. This wasn't a lesson — Kaido was striking to kill.
He could feel death itself breathing down his neck.
Kaido wasn't playing around.
In that split second, with death looming, Souta poured everything into his right fist. The Haki compressed like a singularity.
"To hell with you, Kaido!!"
His Dragon Claw Fist collided with Kaido's kanabo mid-air. Black and crimson lightning exploded outward, shockwaves blasting King and the God Knights hundreds of meters away.
Galin Saint and Akainu's eyes sharpened with murderous intent.
Souta Kiryuu… had done it.
He had grasped Conqueror's Haki wrapping.
Without hesitation, Galin Saint surged forward, his supreme blade wrapped in his own Conqueror's, swinging for Souta's life.
Akainu thought the same — while Souta was locked with Kaido, this was their only chance. If they didn't kill him now, the monster would only grow stronger.