The collision between Kai and Weevil was so violent that even the shockwaves from their exchange alone were enough to batter the pirate ship into near-collapse.
Crack!
Crack!
Clear, brittle sounds rang out one after another.
Across the deck, thin fractures spread in every direction.
There were more and more of them by the second, twisting outward in dense, terrifying patterns like a spiderweb.
Under the force of those terrifying airwaves, Miss Bakkin retreated in panic, not daring to get anywhere near the battlefield ahead.
Her eyes were fixed on Kai, filled with shock and fear.
Clearly—
she had never imagined that a mere five-year-old child could possess such terrifying combat power.
More than that—
for a short time, he had been able to clash head-on with Weevil without falling behind.
Miss Bakkin was completely stunned.
"What… what is going on?!"
"How can that five-year-old brat possibly be this strong?!"
"My son Weevil possesses top-tier combat power on this sea! Compared to those so-called great pirates, he doesn't lose in the slightest."
"And that five-year-old can fight him head-on?"
"I must be dreaming…"
She was dumbfounded.
Trembling, she hid herself in a corner and didn't dare show her face or make a sound, afraid of drawing Kai's attention.
Watching Kai's fearless performance, she felt only horror and disbelief.
Even in her wildest dreams, she would never have imagined a five-year-old could fight her precious Weevil to a standstill.
Everything she thought she knew had been overturned.
Her worldview had been smashed to pieces.
"Weevil, you still haven't gotten serious… right?"
"You haven't even used Haki yet…"
That was how Miss Bakkin tried to comfort herself.
On the battlefield, Weevil swung his naginata down at Kai.
The massive blade cut through the air with savage sharpness.
SHHHK!
A shrill tearing sound rang out.
That slash seemed powerful enough to split space itself.
"Tekkai: Steel Fist!"
Facing the attack, Kai didn't dodge.
He met it head-on.
Power surged through his body and gathered into his right arm—
then he threw a punch.
The instant it shot out, it broke the air with a sonic crack.
In the next moment—
the blade and fist collided.
BOOOOM—!
Weevil's naginata struck Kai's fist, and the two monstrous forces exploded outward, transforming into a devastating wave of pressure that tore across the ship.
Crack! Crack!
The deck beneath Kai's feet shattered without pause.
Fractures multiplied and spread outward in every direction.
Then—
RUMBLE—!
Kai's body sank half a meter into the deck, smashing through the planks and leaving behind a brutal crater.
"That actually hurts."
Feeling the sting shooting through his fist, Kai sucked in a breath.
As expected…
using raw flesh to clash directly with a weapon wasn't exactly wise.
At the very least, if he wanted to take blades head-on, he needed Armament Haki.
"You're a very good opponent."
Kai stared at Weevil, his eyes shining with excitement.
Strong.
Edward Weevil was the strongest opponent he had faced so far.
And precisely because of that, Kai's blood was burning hotter than ever.
His battle spirit blazed like fire.
"Soru!"
Kai vanished in an instant.
Weevil's second slash hit nothing but air. But with the beast-like instinct of a wild animal, he could still track Kai's movements.
His eyes darted wildly, murderous intent overflowing as he locked onto Kai's flickering figure.
"Die!"
The moment he caught him, Weevil slashed again without hesitation.
A razor-sharp arc of force shot toward Kai—
but the next second, Kai disappeared once more.
The slash only cut through an afterimage.
It tore through the air and rushed past, striking the sea beyond.
BOOOOM—!
The blow split the ocean open for dozens of meters, hurling water high into the sky.
Splash! Splash!
Waves rolled in every direction.
Countless sheets of seawater rained back down—
and in the mist, a faint rainbow even began to appear.
"So you want to settle this with brute force…"
"Fine."
"I'll give you exactly what you want."
With a smile, Kai flashed to Weevil's side.
After a full year of training his body—
he feared no one in a direct collision of strength.
Not even a monster known as Whitebeard's "son."
In an instant, Kai drove a punch into Weevil's waist.
BOOM!
The blow landed hard enough to make Weevil's side cave in for a split second, leaving behind a vicious dent.
The giant body was blasted off his feet and sent flying dozens of meters backward—
straight into the ship's cabin.
RUMBLE—!
The entire structure collapsed under the impact, exploding into splinters and wreckage that scattered across the deck and out toward the sea.
The force of the shockwave made the entire ship groan, new fractures ripping through the hull.
Crack! Crack!
More and more damage spread.
The ship was riddled with wounds, looking as if it might break apart at any moment.
Even though it was a massive pirate vessel large enough to carry hundreds of men—
it still couldn't withstand a fight like this.
Kai and Weevil's blows were only releasing stray shockwaves—
yet those "stray" aftereffects were already enough to inflict irreversible damage on the ship.
"Weevil!"
Seeing him blasted away by a single punch, Miss Bakkin panicked completely and screamed his name, her voice shrill and grating.
Then—
suddenly—
BOOM!
An eruption of force burst from the wreckage.
The mountain of shattered timber burying Weevil was blasted outward in every direction.
At the center of it—
Weevil stepped out.
His body was covered in wood chips and dust, his hair disheveled, his clothes torn in several places.
He looked miserable.
But—
despite taking that level of impact head-on, his body showed no visible injuries at all.
Not even a scratch.
His defense was terrifying.
No wonder he was called a man with the power of Whitebeard in his youth.
That durability alone was enough to leave the vast majority of powerful figures at sea in the dust.
"Mom, I'm fine."
Weevil first turned to reassure Miss Bakkin.
Then he looked back at Kai.
His eyes were overflowing with rage and murderous intent, as if he wanted nothing more than to rip Kai apart with his bare hands.
"You deserve to die!"
"You tore up my clothes!"
"I'm going to rip you apart alive!"
"Mom hates it when I get dirty. And you made me all dirty. I won't forgive you!"
His fury boiled over, and the killing intent pouring off him became heavier and heavier.
That murderous aura spread across the battlefield.
His presence kept rising.
It was as if his anger itself was pushing his strength to a higher level.
"I'm getting serious now."
"You bastard…"
"I'm going to kill you."
"Kill you!"
Kai laughed.
"Serious?"
He studied Weevil with obvious interest.
"If you're finally getting serious, then I guess I can't hold back either."
"Come on."
"Let me see just how strong you are when you're serious."
"You've got the title of Whitebeard's 'son'—don't disappoint me."
"Because from this point on…"
"I'm getting serious too."
The earlier exchanges had been just that—exchanges.
Neither side had used Haki.
It had only been a test.
But now, as Weevil's fury rose higher and higher, he was done holding back.
And if Weevil was about to go all out—
then the real battle was about to begin.
From this moment on, the clash between them entered its true stage:
a death match between two top-tier monsters of the sea.
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