When Yamato was slashed across the abdomen by Warcury, Kaido held himself back from reacting. However, the moment he saw Borsalino's laser pierce King—who had activated his speed form—Kaido could no longer restrain himself.
Veins bulged on his hand gripping the spiked kanabo. His massive frame crouched slightly before he launched himself toward Borsalino with incredible speed, unaffected by his size.
As he closed in on Borsalino, his kanabo, enveloped in black lightning, swung forward.
"Thunder Bagua!"
Borsalino leaned back slightly, about to evade, when another figure suddenly appeared before him.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed in the sky. Carl stood with one hand pressing against Kaido's kanabo, his voice calm as he said,
"Kaido, your opponent is me."
As he finished, the cursed blade Muramasa appeared in Carl's right hand, slicing through the air. A black arc of light struck Kaido, sending him hurtling back before he crashed heavily into the ground.
The pirates nearby, seeing Kaido's condition, exclaimed in shock.
"Boss Kaido!!!"
The invincible image of Kaido they had in their minds shattered as they saw a terrifying wound on his chest, blood seeping from the gash.
Kaido's expression turned grim. Not even Whitebeard had managed to injure him so easily. This single strike demonstrated Carl's worthiness as the strongest Admiral.
Carl descended slowly, landing across from Kaido. His gaze swept across the battlefield. The massacre led by Akainu and others continued unabated.
Most of the Tobi Roppo were dead. The traitor Fugitora Fukuro and Sasaki were the only ones left standing. The others had disappeared, likely incinerated by Akainu. Among the All-Stars, Queen had lost his mechanical arm, rendering him unable to fully transform into his Beast Form—his three legs unable to support him.
Jack initially tried to assist King against Borsalino, but soon realized he was useless, reduced to a bystander as Borsalino and King clashed in the sky. With no choice, he turned to support Fukuro and Sasaki, but that battlefield proved to be even more of a nightmare. Jack's massive frame barely avoided being turned into a desiccated husk by Aramaki, only thanks to Page One acting as a shield.
In her half-Beast Form, Yamato unleashed a pale blue icy breath, clashing with the purple flames from Warcury. However, her ice was no match for Warcury's flames.
The purple blaze overpowered the freezing breath and burned Yamato directly. She screamed in pain, hastily conjuring layers of thick ice to extinguish the flames, which took considerable effort. When the fire was finally out, much of her white fur was singed away, revealing scorched, raw skin beneath.
Across the battlefield, the overwhelming numerical advantage of the Beasts Pirates was visibly crumbling. It was clear to anyone observing: their defeat was now only a matter of time.
Kaido heard the endless cries of his crew. Anxiety filled him, but he was already struggling to fend off Carl. His strength was beyond anything Kaido had anticipated.
"Roaring Thunder Bagua!" Kaido bellowed, unleashing an enhanced version of Thunder Bagua—a technique that had once deflated Luffy in his Gear Fourth form.
Clang!
Carl easily blocked the attack with his blackened forearm. Simultaneously, black spikes erupted from the ground beneath Kaido. Recognizing the danger, Kaido instantly covered his body with Armament Haki.
The clash left Kaido riddled with bleeding wounds, forcing him to retreat and catch his breath. Before he could launch another attack, a long shadow stretched out at his feet.
A humanoid figure rose from the ground—a perfect replica of Carl.
This was a Shadow Clone, a technique that fused the powers of the Dark-Dark Fruit and Shadow-Shadow Fruit. Unlike Moria's shadows, Carl's clone was far more resilient and capable of wielding Haki.
Under Kaido's wary gaze, the clone formed a long black sword and slashed at him. Kaido raised his kanabo to block, only to feel the sheer force behind the blow.
Metal clashed violently, and Kaido transformed into his Azure Dragon form, flying into the sky. The clone hesitated briefly before spreading black wings of shadow and taking off after him.
Carl stood below, arms crossed, calmly listening to Kaido's roars echoing from above.
Kaido felt unprecedented frustration. That a mere shadow could force the Emperor of the Sea into such a state was maddening. Worse still, even if he managed to destroy the clone, it would reform within seconds.
As Kaido battled the clone, the other skirmishes across the battlefield were drawing to a grim close.
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+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg