"Kaido!"
"How did he escape?"
"Locked in a cage of Sea-Prism Stone, with handcuffs, shackles, and chains—all made of Sea-Prism Stone. Even his skin and flesh were tattooed with it."
"He's a Devil Fruit user!"
"And he hadn't even awakened his fruit!"
"He managed to break free despite that?"
Looking at Kaido, who had shattered his cage and shackles and now stood like a demon god, the manifested Zanpakutō present couldn't hide their shock.
They all knew that Admiral Rosen had created them and left them in the Judge Forbidden Zone for two reasons. First, almost all of the Marine Headquarters' advanced technology originated from this base; even with an Admiral or the hero Garp guarding it daily, that wasn't enough.
The second reason was that the Judge Forbidden Zone held a Yonko and countless pirates used for experiments.
Whether it was a single Admiral or the hero himself, if only one person was present and trouble arose, they would be overwhelmed.
Therefore, a hidden force was necessary as a failsafe.
Yet the manifested Zanpakutō—including Sode no Shirayuki and Senbonzakura, tasked with guarding Kaido and protecting the Judge Fortress—never expected that during their brief lull against the Red-Haired Pirates, Kaido, who should have had no chance of escape, would actually break free.
"No wonder Admiral Rosen chose to capture and imprison you alive rather than killing you."
"As an experimental subject, you are truly outstanding."
Hana's gaze swept over Garp, who had been ambushed, severely injured, and knocked away, before settling on Kaido. Seeing the dried bloodstains covering his body and the countless wounds that hadn't fully healed, a realization flashed in her eyes:
"You tore open your own skin and flesh with your own hands, digging out the Sea-Prism Stone core."
"If you couldn't dig it out, you tore it away along with the skin and flesh."
"Finally, you used the incredible regenerative power of the awakened Mythical Zoan Fruit—the Azure Dragon form—to restore your battered body."
Hana looked at Kaido and recounted his harrowing escape, word by word.
"But..."
"What about the Sea-Prism Stone?"
"Kaido's hands and feet were bound with Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs and shackles."
"Even the cage he was in was made of Sea-Prism Stone."
Suzumebachi looked horrified.
In her view, Kaido, as a Devil Fruit user, bound by so many Sea-Prism Stone restraints, should have been extremely weak and unable to escape.
But things hadn't gone as planned.
Kaido had still managed to break free.
"Sea-Prism Stone is sturdy, but it isn't truly indestructible. Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to work it into shackles, handcuffs, and other tools."
"No matter how durable a material is, if you destroy it from the inside, everything can be broken."
"With enough Conqueror's Haki striking from the inside, and then infusing enough Armament Haki into the Sea-Prism Stone, combining internal and external damage, even Sea-Prism Stone can be destroyed."
Hana shook her head.
She didn't believe the nonsense that Sea-Prism Stone was indestructible.
Even a supposedly indestructible stone monument recording the Void Century could still have words carved on it, right?
If Sea-Prism Stone were truly indestructible, it would be impossible to work with at all.
Moreover, the world of One Piece possesses a power called Haki.
Unwavering belief is power.
With this wondrous power linked to will, coupled with Kaido's innate physical gifts, his natural resistance to Sea-Prism Stone far surpasses that of other Devil Fruit users.
Destroying Sea-Prism Stone is not impossible.
Otherwise, Kaido wouldn't have been able to escape from the Marines time and time again after being imprisoned.
"Rosen's Zanpakutō?"
"That guy is as terrifying as ever."
"He can actually imbue his Zanpakutō with intelligence and life, creating special life forms like that old woman's Homies."
Kaido, after severely injuring Garp with a Thunder Bagua, turned to look at Hana, his gaze sweeping over each manifested Zanpakutō, a look of unease creeping onto his face.
Especially when his gaze landed on Hana, a hint of apprehension appeared.
Ben Beckman.
Before today, although they had never met, Kaido knew very well through Observation Haki that the other's strength was definitely no less than his own past self.
If it were him before he awakened the Azure Dragon form, even if he could defeat Ben Beckman, it would have taken a very long time.
In other words, Ben Beckman was also a Yonko-level powerhouse standing at the pinnacle of the sea, but such a tyrant had died at the hands of one of Rosen's Zanpakutō.
For Kaido, the shock was no less than witnessing a Homie defeat a Yonko.
"Since you know how terrifying Rosen is, you shouldn't have escaped."
"Go back to your cage."
"This is your last chance."
Hana, supported by Sode no Shirayuki, stood up again.
Although her injuries were so severe that she needed assistance to stand, given Ben Beckman's defeat as a precedent, neither Shanks nor the now-powerful Kaido dared to underestimate this woman who seemed as fragile as a gust of wind.
Having witnessed the enigmatic cruelty within Hana Ten Kyokotsu Kuromatsu, they wouldn't relax their guard until they saw Hana's eyes close.
"Hehehehehe!"
"That's more like something Rosen would say."
"As for you, you're not qualified."
Kaido acknowledged Hana's strength, but that didn't mean he was afraid.
After all, he was no longer the man he once was.
After training in the Judge Forbidden Zone prison, he not only regained his sanity and awakened his Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon form, but also, through his extreme battle with Rosen, further enhanced his mastery of all three forms of Haki.
In terms of combat power, he is equivalent to Gol D. Roger after eating a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
Even stronger than the Pirate King who ate a Mythical Zoan.
Because he also possesses an indestructible body that Gol D. Roger lacked.
"If I break you, who are Rosen's Zanpakutō, will he still be able to use your abilities?"
"After breaking you, can he recreate a Zanpakutō, or will he forever be missing a blade?"
"I'm truly curious about that."
Red-Haired Shanks held his sword in one hand, his body crackling with black and red lightning. His Conqueror's Haki was as formidable as Kaido's at this moment.
No.
He was slightly superior.
The successive deaths of his crew, and that one divine evasion that defeated Garp.
His aura had become even stronger than before.
"Break me?"
Hana's expression remained unchanged, only his eyes were as cold as knives.
"No."
"It should be said that he'll break every single one of you."
Shanks's eyes, gleaming with a scarlet light, stared directly at Hana.
"What a pity."
"Neither I nor any other Zanpakutō can be broken by you."
"You can only flee like a stray dog, tail between your legs."
Feeling the terrifying killing intent emanating from him, Hana chuckled lightly, appearing completely calm and collected.
"Hehehehehe!"
"As expected of Rosen's Zanpakutō, as arrogant as its master."
Kaido clenched his fist, purple lightning and black Haki, like two dragons of light, coiling around it.
"I'd like to know how you've managed to make us cower like stray dogs."
Shanks tightened his grip on his sword, Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki erupting in a flurry, like lightning, like flowing light, wrapping around the blade.
As the two Emperors stood side by side, Conqueror's Haki spread out, bathing the entire Judge Forbidden Zone in a monstrous wave woven from Conqueror's Haki.
The sky cracked.
The island trembled.
These are the two Emperors in the current One Piece world, possessing the strongest Haki and power.
Especially Kaido.
After his defeat in a one-on-one duel and subsequent capture and imprisonment, his Haki rivaled Roger's, his physical talent was no less than Charlotte Linlin's, and he had even mastered the awakening of a top-tier Mythical Zoan.
Even if Rocks at his peak were alive, he wouldn't be much different, and might not even be able to defeat him.
"Pirates."
Facing the Conqueror's Haki unleashed by both sides, stirring up the universe and shaking islands, Hana showed no fear.
"Red-Haired."
"You were on Roger's ship."
"You know how to use giant techniques, right?"
Seeing this, Kaido didn't immediately attack, but instead looked at Shanks beside him.
Regardless, Shanks had come to rescue him, even sacrificing his crew and first mate. And it was precisely because the Red-Haired Pirates attacked the Judge Forbidden Zone that he seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to successfully escape.
It's fair to say that without the Red-Haired Pirates' massive attack, even if Shanks had regained his sanity, awakened his Devil Fruit powers, and mastered all three forms of Haki, he still wouldn't have been able to escape.
He'd barely torn through the skin and flesh, not even having extracted the Sea-Prism Stone beneath, when Garp arrived.
And then there was the materialized Zanpakutō guarding the restricted area; single-handedly, he would only have been imprisoned again.
That's why, even though Shanks isn't yet a future Yonko, Kaido considers him an equal.
"Yes."
Shanks nodded.
He even learned Roger's Divine Evasion, let alone the techniques of the other crew members in Roger's Pirates.
In fact, he secretly observed and learned every signature move of everyone in Roger's Pirates.
However, because the giants' techniques are wide-ranging and powerful, more suitable for naturally gifted monsters like Kaido and Big Mom, Shanks rarely used them after learning them.
"That's good."
Kaido glanced at the Zanpakutō, led by Katen Kyokotsu:
"Let's fire!"
"Red-Haired Shanks."
"Let's see how many of these Zanpakutō survive. After all, I'm also curious to know if Rosen will permanently lose these blades after breaking a Zanpakutō."
He spoke coldly, enunciating each word sharply.
As one of the Four Emperors who reigned supreme, being defeated and imprisoned was bad enough, but he was also used as experimental material, researched daily by scientists like Vinsmoke Judge.
These past few days, he'd been simmering with rage and murderous intent.
In Kaido's eyes, defeating Garp was merely interest; breaking these materialized Zanpakutō created by Rosen was the real repayment.
"Fine."
Shanks nodded, his crimson eyes blazing with a killing intent no less intense than Kaido's.
Having reached an agreement, one raised his sword, the other clenched his fist, simultaneously unleashing a torrent of Conqueror's Haki that shot straight into the sky.
"Conqueror's Haki!"
A kingly roar that shook the heavens and earth resounded as Shanks and Kaido simultaneously swung their swords and punched.
A torrent of Haki surged forth, forming a distorted sky, tearing apart the earth, a multicolored ball of light wreathed in jagged Conqueror's Haki lightning, crashing down upon Hana and all the materialized Zanpakutō around her.
No.
Even the towering naval base behind them was included in the attack range.
Kaido and Shanks, the two great sea lords, shared the same idea: to break all their Zanpakutō and completely erase the Judge Forbidden Zone from the North Blue.
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