Over the shattered ruins of Alubarna, a thick, inky shadow flowed like water across the ravaged ground, arriving beside Rorschach, who was buried under rocks and dust.
The shadow swelled and rose, transforming into Moria's bloated, enormous body.
He waved his hand, clearing away the scattered rocks and dust, and picked up Rorschach, whose body was shriveled and whose breath was as faint as a candle in the wind.
"ROOM! Shambles!"
Suddenly, a hemispherical罩子 appeared out of nowhere, covering Rorschach. Law gritted his teeth, holding his Kikoku, and instantly warped out, slashing Moria across the waist, cutting a long wound in his body.
Moria groaned, his facial muscles twitching. He propped himself up with his left hand, but didn't release Rorschach, who he held in his right.
"Let him go! Gecko Moria! If you don't want to die, if you don't want to be wanted by the Marines, then..."
Law's mouth was bloody, and his body was covered in blood. He gripped his Kikoku, glaring furiously at Moria, tense.
Originally, he should have died the moment Rorschach and Kaido fell.
But then, Dragon suddenly appeared and saved him.
Not only that, what Law didn't know was that even the Marine soldiers in the desert outside, along with tens of thousands of Alabasta residents further away, had been lifted by Dragon's storm power and placed on safe ground.
But even after being saved by Dragon, his body, severely wounded by Kaido earlier, had lost too much blood, and he was on the verge of collapse.
Law was only able to forcibly stabilize his injuries by relying on the power of his Op-Op Fruit.
As soon as Dragon drove Kaido away, he immediately searched for Rorschach in the ruins.
And so, the current scene unfolded.
Moria, that guy, had somehow unlocked his Seastone handcuffs and found Rorschach before him. Law had no idea what he intended to do with Rorschach.
Slashing Moria, who had suddenly appeared, didn't anger Moria. He simply propped himself on the ground, gasped a few times, then stood upright again, grinning as he looked at Rorschach, who he held in his hand, unconscious.
"He's dying, you know?"
"You...!" Law gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. He tightened his grip on his sword, and his ROOM expanded, preparing to attack Moria again.
As an excellent surgeon, he naturally knew better than Moria how dangerous Rorschach's current state was.
He had no idea how terrible the injuries Rorschach had sustained to be in such a critically ill state, his body battered and broken.
He had to operate on him quickly; otherwise, even with his Op-Op Fruit ability, he wouldn't be able to save Rorschach.
"I can save him."
Law, who was about to flash and swing his sword, suddenly stopped because of those four words from Moria.
He frowned, staring intently at Moria, "Gecko Moria, what trick are you trying to play?"
Moria, however, ignored him, instead letting his own shadow flow and connect to Rorschach's shadow.
Law clenched his sword, hesitated for a moment, but didn't stop him.
He didn't know why Moria, a Shichibukai who hated Rorschach to the bone, would suddenly change his nature and want to save Rorschach.
But his rough Observation Haki sense didn't detect any obvious malice towards Rorschach from Moria.
It seemed that something he didn't know about must have happened during the time he was unconscious.
"Shadow Witchcraft! Damage Transfer!"
An invisible force, through the shadow connected to Rorschach, entered Rorschach's body.
Under Law's wide-eyed gaze, the horrific injuries on Rorschach's body healed significantly, at a visible rate.
Conversely, on Moria's bloated, corpulent body, standing on the ruins, huge wounds ripped open.
Large amounts of blood poured out from those gaping wounds, staining Moria's massive body red.
As one healed, the other worsened. As Rorschach's injuries healed one by one, Moria's wounds increased.
Massive blood loss made his huge body sway, unable to stand steady.
Crimson blood dripped from his cracked lips.
Moria, enduring such horrific injuries, did not stop, continuing to transfer Rorschach's injuries to himself.
"Stop! That's enough!"
Even Law, at this moment, understood the secret of Moria's technique.
Moria was transferring Rorschach's injuries to his own body through a special connection established by shadows.
What kind of change could have occurred to make a man who wished to kill Rorschach be willing to risk his life to save him?
Law simply didn't understand.
But he could see that Moria, before him, was seeking death!
Moria's vision was blurred. He gritted his teeth, a low growl rumbling in his throat, his large eyeballs wide. Large tears, mixed with blood, fell from his eyes.
Rip!
A terrible wound suddenly ripped open beneath his ribs. Through the large expanse of missing muscle and skin, his beating heart was visible!
The aura of life rapidly diminished from Moria's body.
On the other side, although Rorschach's aura hadn't recovered, it had gradually stabilized, pulling him away from the danger of continuously sliding towards the abyss of death.
Moria's enormous, bloated body had completely turned into a leaky water bag; massive amounts of blood had stained the ruins beneath him crimson.
Rorschach's body slipped from his hands. Moria propped himself up with both hands, collapsing onto the ground.
But the shadow connection hadn't broken!
"Enough! Gecko Moria!"
Law gritted his teeth, his figure flashing, electrical arcs sparkling between the fingers of his right hand as he pressed them onto Moria's forehead.
"I don't know what happened, but thank you for saving Rorschach!"
The hand with the sparkling arcs pressed down. The critically wounded Moria couldn't stop it; his forehead was directly struck, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
The black shadow connected to Rorschach's shadow finally disconnected, returning to Moria's body.
Law glanced at Rorschach, whose injuries were stable. He activated his ROOM, silently walked to the blood-soaked Moria, and began to stitch his wounds.
He looked up at the sky.
Up there, a fiery giant dragon roared, locked in battle with a towering storm giant.
Law didn't know why Dragon, the esteemed leader of the Revolutionary Army, would appear in Alabasta.
But regardless, it seemed they were saved.
Just then, from the distant, dim horizon, a golden beam of light, as if piercing the entire dark sky, shot straight from afar, covering thousands of meters in an instant, heading towards the coiling, soaring fiery giant dragon in the sky.
Law's heart pounded. "Admiral Kizaru!"
Ten thousand meters up in the sky, Kaido, who was entangled in battle with the storm giant formed by Dragon, felt his future-seeing Observation Haki frantically warning him.
"Damn it! Another strong one has arrived!"
No sooner had this thought surfaced in his mind than the distant night sky was pierced by a brilliant golden light. From within the dazzling laser beam, a slender figure draped in a pure white justice cloak appeared above his dragon head and kicked down at him.
"Kaido, speed is power. Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"Kizaru!!"
Kaido's pupils constricted, black and red lightning bursting from his body. He was about to charge back at the suddenly appearing Kizaru, but his massive body was locked in place by countless chains formed by the roaring storm, unable to break free. He could only watch helplessly as Kizaru's right leg, turned golden light, kicked down.
"Damn you, Dragon! You dare!"
Before he finished speaking.
In the dark, ten-thousand-meter-high sky, a dazzling golden sun bloomed in an instant.
The force of Kizaru's kick, after an unknown distance of acceleration, was simply indescribable.
It was like an apocalyptic volcanic eruption, or a thousand dynamite rocks detonating simultaneously.
Boom!
Amidst the earth-shattering roar, a sharp pain shot through Kaido's dragon head, tears were kicked out of his eyes, and blood coughed from his mouth.
His enormous crimson body plunged downwards, forming a straight line, plummeting headfirst towards the ground below.
"Kizaru! Dragon!"
An enraged roar erupted from his mouth.
Kaido, in his extreme fury, wanted to revert to his human form and smash the two dishonorable bastards with his club.
An Admiral of the Marines and the leader of the Revolutionary Army, two top-tier powerhouses from completely opposing factions, were actually teaming up against him.
But before he could make a move, from the zenith behind him, a brilliant golden light reflected off the sky like lightning, shooting towards him.
On the other side, the towering, swirling tornado column disappeared, transforming into wisps of howling air currents that twisted and entwined, coalescing into Dragon, clad in his blue robe. His figure, swift as the wind, swept downwards, and within the gale, a black-lightning-bursting dragon claw struck towards Kaido.
The two, one on the left and one on the right, said nothing, choosing to team up with uncanny synchronicity, simultaneously attacking Kaido.
Beneath the dim sky, a golden beam of light and a blue storm intertwined, erupting with the fastest speed in the world, like two auroras, diving from ten thousand meters high, rushing towards the falling crimson fiery dragon.
Intense warnings continuously surged in Kaido's mind.
Even with his self-confidence, he wouldn't dare boast about being able to withstand the combined attack of two top-tier powerhouses.
Both Kizaru and Dragon were peak powerhouses, on par with him.
At their level, to decide life or death, a battle would have to last at least ten days to two weeks before there would be any result.
But if two or more powerhouses of the same level attacked a single individual simultaneously, then barring any unforeseen circumstances, the lone party would undoubtedly be defeated.
Over a decade ago, even the powerful Shiki the Golden Lion was beaten like a dead dog and thrown into Impel Down under the combined assault of Sengoku and Garp.
Kaido desperately wanted to accelerate and dodge, but he tragically discovered that at his speed, he couldn't escape.
Kizaru, with his Glint-Glint Fruit ability, and Dragon, with his Wind-Wind Fruit, were arguably among the fastest people in the world.
In a pure speed contest against these two, even he, a Mythical Zoan, couldn't match them.
The next instant.
A sun-like dazzling golden light flared on his right.
Kizaru crossed his arms in front of him, firing golden light bullets in clusters at Kaido's sprawling body.
Countless light clusters rained down like a furious storm, obscuring the visible sky, illuminating the dim world transparently, pelting him head-on.
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!"
On the other side, Dragon, who had transformed into a storm and followed closely, approached Kaido's body with an expressionless face, unleashing a destructive dragon claw punch that burst with black lightning towards his abdomen.
"Dragon's Breath!"
"Bastards! Great Blaze Dragon Torch!"
Kaido roared, his scales bristling, spewing flame clouds madly outwards like waves, engulfing Kizaru and Dragon.
Boom!
Boom boom boom boom boom!
Countless light bullets pierced through the incoming flame clouds, hitting Kaido's dragon body with a crackling sound, making his hundreds-of-meters-long dragon body tremble incessantly, countless scales shattering and flying.
Dragon's destructive dragon claw punch, emanating destructive energy, seemed specifically aimed at him, its damaging impact crushing his high-level Armament Haki defense, directly slamming into his body, furiously destroying his muscles and blood vessels.
Even Kaido, renowned as the strongest creature in the world, boasted to have an indestructible body, who wouldn't be harmed even if he jumped from a sky island, now coughed up a large mouthful of blood.
His massive dragon form was a complete hindrance, unable to pose enough threat to the two speed-type powerhouses; instead, it became a living target in their eyes.
Kaido, filled with indignation, endured a combined attack from Kizaru and Dragon, bleeding from his mouth and nose, before retracting his beast form. He transformed into his ten-meter-tall dragon-human hybrid form, gripping the pitch-black Hassaikai, and roared as he slammed it down on Kizaru, who was still firing light bullets.
"Kongokabura!"
Boom!
The black-and-red-lightning-clad club crushed down, Kizaru's body was smashed apart in mid-air, turning into a rain of light that shot into the distant sky, re-forming his figure.
He pouted, a look of lingering fear on his face, and patted his chest.
"That was scary, Kaido. A full-powered King's Haki imbued attack, if I got hit by that, I'd probably die, wouldn't I?"
"Slippery monkey, do you only know how to run? You're a dignified Marine Admiral..."
Kaido didn't finish his sentence when a tearing pain came from his back.
"Damn it! Dragon, you bastard!"
He gritted his teeth, slamming his Hassaikai at the grasping Dragon.
And when he turned around, Kizaru behind him crossed his arms again, transforming into a human-shaped light source, firing a barrage of golden light bullets at his broad back.
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!"
"My &**#￥@ Kizaru!"
Kaido was so angry he wanted to spit blood.
Thus, whenever he turned to pursue Kizaru or Dragon, the other person would unleash a powerful attack on his back that Kaido couldn't ignore.
And he couldn't catch either of them in a short amount of time.
Even if he could catch them, he wouldn't be able to end the battle quickly.
Yet, Kizaru and Dragon had no intention of clashing head-on with him.
Dragon was better; he would still exchange blows with his powerful Dragon Claw Punch.
But Kizaru was truly like a slippery loach; if you chased him, he'd run, if you turned, he'd shoot you.
He showed no demeanor of a Marine Admiral at all.
This frustrating fighting style made Kaido roar repeatedly, his lungs about to burst from anger.
When he was sent flying by Kizaru's Yasakani Sacred Jewel for the tenth time, Kaido could no longer hold back. He spat a mouthful of hot breath and old phlegm at Kizaru, then transformed into an azure dragon, soared upwards, and retreated.
Watching Kaido, in his azure dragon form, fly away, Kizaru and Dragon simultaneously ceased their attacks, showing no intention of continued pursuit.
To keep Kaido, even if they genuinely teamed up, it would take at least several days and nights, and even then, they might not succeed.
Kaido was not Shiki the Golden Lion, who was defeated by the combined efforts of Sengoku and Garp.
As the universally acknowledged strongest creature in the world, Kaido possessed the strongest physique.
Combined with the terrifying life force bonus of his Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon form, he became an unbeatably tough "meat shield" that couldn't be defeated in a short time.
Among powerhouses who stood at the pinnacle of the sea like them, each person's strength tended to specialize in different directions.
For example, Kaido was a typical example of fierce attack and thick defense, but slightly slower speed.
Akainu, Whitebeard, and Big Mom were also of this type.
Whereas Kizaru and Dragon, as well as the newly appointed Yonko Red-Haired Shanks, were fast, had strong attacks, but slightly inferior defense.
Of course, "slightly inferior" here referred to comparisons with other powerhouses of the same caliber.
Against opponents below the top-tier combatants, even their weaknesses possessed a dominating, overwhelming advantage.
This was the terrifying aspect of top-tier combatants like Admirals and Yonko.
Under the night sky, Kizaru quietly hovered in mid-air, exchanging glances with Dragon for a while.
Neither spoke.
Dragon looked down at Alubarna, his figure dissolving in mid-air, transforming into an invisible gale that blew away and vanished into the darkness.
Watching Dragon leave, Kizaru thoughtfully stroked his chin, his figure flashing, transforming into a golden light, and shooting towards Alubarna's royal city.
(End of Chapter)
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