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It wasn't a matter of whether they could win the fight, but rather that their attacks simply couldn't breach the opponent's defenses. Moreover, the enemy held the advantage in mobility. Once the frontal assault on the Battleship was disrupted, they could easily withdraw without engaging in unnecessary battle.
"Get ready, Smoker!"
Mozambia drew the folded mechanical sickle blade from his arm, and two jet ports popped out from his back. The energy conduit overloaded, releasing scorching heat waves.
Smoker turned back in astonishment. "Are you really going to...?!"
"Is there any other way?" Mozambia smirked coldly. "Relying on speed alone, the War Behemoth can't match Kaido."
Therefore, there needed to be a decoy to draw the enemy's attention. Even though Kaido knew what he wanted was on the Battleship, he wouldn't let a buzzing mosquito distract him.
"Or are you... afraid?"
"Hah! Your attempts at provocation are boring!"
Smoker sneered, enveloping himself in thick white smoke, preparing to charge alongside Mozambia. Suddenly, something was thrown their way.
Thunk!
Smoker instinctively caught it, his expression immediately changing.
"Tashigi, you..."
At the entrance to the cabin, amidst the rushing crowd, Tashigi stood, biting her lip and nodding at him.
"Come back alive, Vice Admiral!"
Smoker didn't reply. Instead, he and Mozambia charged into the sky together.
As they flew, he grinned, tightly gripping Tashigi's personal sword.
"Troublesome people..."
"But precisely because of their presence, we have a reason to fight!"
Pulling the blade from his hand, Smoker roared and thrust it skyward.
"I won't let you succeed, Kaido!"
White Smoke - White Snake Sword!
The arm wielding the weapon shot out like a cannonball, the boiling smoke extending hundreds of meters, forming a sharp white giant blade enveloped in the azure sky, dazzlingly bright.
"Hmm?"
As expected, Kaido was drawn by this grandiose attack. He slightly lowered his head, a hint of bewilderment on his Dragon face.
"Who?"
"It's your Marine grandpa!!"
Taking advantage of the distraction, Mozambia accelerated, shooting towards the side of Kaido's Dragon head. He accumulated energy in his outstretched palm, the energy conduit's edge emitting terrifying heat.
Incinerate - Flame Dragon Cannon!
Boom!
A terrifying flame curtain several hundred meters in diameter directly enveloped the massive Dragon head, evaporating the moisture in the air instantly, leaving it parched.
The sky turned a fiery orange-red, resembling a burning cloud visible from miles away.
"A perfect opportunity, strike now!"
Swinging his arm transformed into a column of smoke, Smoker's White Smoke Snake Sword twisted in mid-air, aiming straight for Kaido's eyes!
Even if you can withstand a Super Electromagnetic Cannon with scale armor, can your eyeballs withstand a sharp blade?
The snake sword tore through the sky, causing layers of waves in the fiery sea, generating turbulent fluctuations from the airflow driven by extreme speed, capable of splitting mountains and rocks.
And then...
Ding!!!
"Impossible! Why?!!"
Under their incredulous gaze, the snake sword thrust into the fiery sea suddenly emitted a mournful cry. Accompanied by crisp vibrations, the smoke pillar supporting the snake sword suddenly dispersed.
It was the rebounding force alone that made Smoker's attack fail.
"So annoying, you guys..."
Suddenly, a thunderous exhalation resounded. Amidst the crimson sea of fire, a pair of eyes brighter than flames lit up.
In an instant, Smoker's soul nearly left his body. His lower body turned into smoke, attempting to leave the area. But the next moment, a strong wind blew, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood on the spot.
Bang! Bang!
The two of them flew out even faster than they had arrived, the high-speed friction causing Mozambia's metallic body to glow red.
He looked in disbelief at the claws that emerged from the sea of fire, tactical goggles on his eyes rotating several times, locking onto the opponent's head.
[Di Di Di... Scanning in progress...]
The electronic screen flashed with data, narrowing the distance. But upon seeing the opponent clearly, Mozambia "bang" clenched his teeth and shook a screw loose.
"Sure, the eyeball can't withstand attacks… but the eyelid can…?"
On Kaido's face, he looked like he had just woken up, eyes half-closed, gaze lowered.
That White Smoke Snake Sword had indeed hit its mark—yet the result was even less effective than the Super Electromagnetic Cannon… Kaido lazily rubbed his eye with his massive claw, just like an ordinary person rubbing their eye when something gets in it. And when he lifted his hand again—not a single scratch could be seen!
"No wonder morale is gone… Anyone would despair upon realizing their attack couldn't even break through the defense. Even I..."
Mozambia couldn't help but think this.
But just then, a stream of white smoke shot past him at high speed.
"That's... Smoker?!"
As a flesh-and-blood human, Smoker had taken far more damage than Mozambia. Yet his face bore a resolute determination. Instead of retreating, he charged forward again, gritting his teeth.
Mozambia turned to look, and only now realized that in the brief moments since they attacked, the distance between Kaido and the Battleship had closed to less than 300 meters.
At that range, with Kaido's terrifying physical strength, just a compressed air cannonball could obliterate everything!
"Look over here, Kaido! Your opponent is me!"
"You again? You're so annoying, insect!"
Kaido recognized the one who had forced him to close his eyes. The next moment, his eyes flared wide, as if finally fully awake, and he shouted loudly:
"I remember you! You're the bastard who took my treasure from Zou Island!"
There was a fact that Smoker hated to admit:
Their previous attacks hadn't even threatened Kaido. All they had done was wake him up from a half-asleep state.
Until now, Kaido had been defending, chasing, and countering purely by instinct.
Unshakable.
This... this was what they called "The Strongest Creature on Land, Sea, and Sky."
Compared to someone like Rowen, whose speed was so overwhelming you'd die before you could even land a hit, Kaido's immovable, mountain-like defense inspired an even deeper kind of despair.
A look of death will surface in Smoker's eyes. Staring into Kaido's fierce glare, he slowly raised Tashigi's sword and grinned.
"Yeah, that's right. I took it."
"What are you gonna do about it?!"
"I'll kill you!"
Kaido didn't waste words. He opened his mouth wide, and an unfathomable torrent of energy began to gather within it.
The spreading void was filled with Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), thick as fortress walls. The terrifying Haki energy fused with the searing Hot Breath, slowly seeping into the air. Smoker couldn't help but hold his breath.
Awakening Technique: Fog World!
Hot Breath!
As the sky bloomed with white smoke, a crimson heat beam simultaneously tore through it, splitting the sea in two under the horrified gaze of countless Battleship soldiers.
"What a terrifying attack!!"
Mozambia was sent flying by the shockwave and barely stabilized himself. Staring at the searing red blast Kaido exhaled, his face was filled with dread.
"Even the MAX version of Incinerate from Vegapunk's lab probably couldn't reach this level."
Saying this, he looked toward the torn cloud of smoke.
"Please be okay, Smoker!"
zī zī zī...
Just then, Mozambia's pupils shrank. He sensed an energy signature that had no business being on this battlefield—his mind briefly went blank.
"Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)?!!"
Why is he here so fast?!
Beneath that massive Dragon's head, a familiar figure held up a savage, pitch-black heavy halberd with one hand, bracing it like a support pillar under the dragon's chin, pushing it off course.
His large cloak fluttered wildly in the wind. Rowen silently turned his head.
"Don't tell me you really thought your 'Fog World' could make you immortal, Smoker."
"Kaido's attacks… they're not that simple."
"W-well, can't blame him. He's never fought Kaido before, after all..."
Golden particles of light gathered around them. Kizaru puckered his lips with a sly grin, trying to smooth things over.
"Also... Smoker, not bad at all!"
"Leave the rest to us!"
Lightspeed Kick!
Billion Volt · Thunderlight Fist!
BOOM— KABOOMMMM!!
(End of Chapter)