The clouds in the sky churned violently as a massive, azure dragon's head emerged.
"Marine brat, you're getting a little too cocky."
"Heh, just a pirate, and you think you're qualified to talk down to a Marine?"
Kaido's enormous dragon face tightened with a frown. His temper wasn't exactly known for its restraint—provoked by Kaito's words, he didn't bother with further talk. He opened his mouth wide and unleashed a blast of dragon breath from the sky. It deliberately avoided Doflamingo on the ground, instead engulfing Kaito and the two behind him—Corazon and Law.
Vergo, however, wasn't even in Kaido's calculations. He was instantly turned to a pile of charred remains.
Kaito's pupils contracted. He could easily dodge such an attack himself—but to carry away the unconscious Corazon and Law in such a short time? That was pushing it.
"No choice then."
Kaito let out a soft sigh and with a flicker of movement appeared beside Corazon and Law. His Rinnegan locked onto the oncoming torrent of dragon flames.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion erupted. A wall of towering flames surged over the battlefield, swallowing up the figures of Kaito, Corazon, and Law.
"Hmph. Overestimating himself."
Kaido snorted, two jets of hot air shooting from his nostrils. With Doflamingo in one claw and his massive body twisting through the air, he prepared to leave.
Suddenly—
"Leaving just like that? Bit premature, don't you think?"
"Hm!?"
Kaido looked down in surprise. From the sea of fire below, a single sword slash suddenly blew the inferno apart.
As the flames dispersed, a massive, sixty-meter-tall, deep purple, armored humanoid figure stood in the clearing.
"What the hell is that?"
Even Kaido, a veteran of the seas, had never seen anything like the purple giant before. He couldn't help but ask aloud.
Inside the purple giant stood Kaito, along with Corazon and Law, who had just come to from the blast and were now curiously inspecting the eerie purple surroundings.
This was the third form of Kaito's Susanoo—the final stage unlocked during the battle between Itachi and Sasuke. Like Sasuke's, it was purple, though a shade darker.
In the year since Kaito had been promoted to Vice Admiral, he had reawakened this guardian deity of the Uchiha clan. And now, for the first time in the world of pirates, Susanoo had appeared.
"Didn't expect the first time I'd use Susanoo here would be against Kaido... but honestly, he's more than worthy."
Kaito didn't respond to Kaido's curiosity. His expression turned solemn. Raising one hand before his chest, he formed a seal with his index and middle fingers and let out a low shout. The purple giant began to expand rapidly.
Inside the giant, Corazon and Law were utterly dumbfounded as the ground fell away beneath them. Terrified, they clung to each other in a comically tight embrace.
Finally, Susanoo sprouted legs and reached a towering height of around 200 meters, comparable to Uchiha Madara's fully formed version.
A pair of enormous wings unfurled on its back and folded inward. A string of long prayer beads hung around its neck, and a sheathed longsword was strapped to its waist. An ancient-style suit of armor covered its entire body.
"Whew."
Kaito let out a quiet breath inside the diamond-shaped space within Susanoo's head. He was very satisfied with its size.
It couldn't compare to the nearly Ten Tails-sized Susanoo of the Sage of Six Paths, but it was easily on par with Madara's.
...
On the approaching battleship, everyone could now see the massive dragon hovering over Minion Island and the colossal purple giant standing tall on the ground. Panic spread across the ship.
Even the usually composed Tsuru's expression had changed. Of course she recognized the dragon in the sky as Kaido—but that giant? Who could it be?
Only one name came to mind: Kaito.
Staring at the overwhelming pressure radiating even from this distance, Tsuru muttered to herself,
"Kaito... just what kind of existence is this Uchiha clan you spoke of?"
Without hesitation, she ordered the fleet to increase speed. Even if the warships were ruined in the process, they had to land on Minion Island as fast as possible!
...
Watching Susanoo swell to its full height, Kaido finally got serious. His eyes studied the figure standing atop its head.
He hadn't paid much attention to the newspapers or live broadcasts before, but now this Marine looked oddly familiar.
"Brat, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. What's your name?"
Kaito crossed his arms and gazed coolly at him.
"Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters—Uchiha Kaito."
"Oh? So you're the infamous new Marine everyone's been talking about. Good. Just from that display, I'd say you're worthy of being my opponent. Come—show me what you've got!"
With that, Kaido's massive dragon form soared even higher into the sky.
Below, Kaito let out a cold laugh. Susanoo's wings spread wide. With a slight crouch and a mighty flap, it shot up after Kaido.
"Waaaahhh!!"
Corazon and Law clung to each other in terror, eyes and noses running. Kaito stood in front of them with an exasperated look. No choice—he had to protect these two.
...
To be fair, Kaido's dragon form was even larger than Susanoo. When Kaito's Susanoo reached his head, it was only about twice the size of Kaido's skull.
But size wasn't everything.
Kaido stared coldly at the giant before him. Normally, he would have transformed into his half-dragon, combat-ready form. But just like Kaito needed to protect Corazon and Law, Kaido still had Doflamingo in his claw.
He didn't care much for Doflamingo, but the man still had things to offer—so he couldn't die here at the hands of this Marine.
With that thought, Kaido struck first. His entire body spun in place, generating a violent storm. The clouds surrounding Susanoo were scattered by the force—but the giant remained steady in midair.
Seeing that this move failed, Kaido wasn't fazed. He twisted again, this time sending out powerful wind blades capable of slicing through steel.
Susanoo crossed its arms in front of the diamond-shaped cockpit to shield it. It withstood the barrage of cutting winds with sheer force.
Kaido's interest only deepened.
"Oh? That's some solid defense. Now let's see what your offense is like."
In response, Susanoo slowly lowered its arms. Its right hand reached across to the sword at its left hip. A hundred-meter-long blade, radiating dazzling light, was drawn.
Gripping the sword tightly, Kaito stared at Kaido and said clearly, one word at a time:
"Today... this sword of mine will slay you—dragon!"
Buzz!
Susanoo slashed upward at a diagonal angle. For a moment, time seemed to freeze. A blinding arc of sword light ripped across the sky.
Wherever it passed, the sky itself was torn apart. The slash landed squarely on Kaido, carving a deep, bone-revealing gash into his massive body.
The remainder of the slash fell into the ocean behind him, slicing the sea open. One battleship sat right on the edge of the rift, on the verge of sliding into the depths.
Three figures appeared at its side—Vice Admirals Onigumo, Momonga, and Yamakaji. Faces red with strain, they kicked off the air with Geppo and exerted all their strength to stabilize the ship.
On another vessel, Tsuru finally let out a breath of relief. Then her face tensed again as she looked toward the sky above Minion Island.
She guessed that terrifying slash had come from Kaito—and she was worried about his condition.
After all, in her heart, Kaito wasn't just the Navy's greatest hope—he might also be her future Uchiha brother-in-law!
Growing increasingly anxious, Tsuru gathered the other three Vice Admirals. Without waiting for the ships to dock, they all launched into the air with Geppo, rushing full speed toward Minion Island.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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