While the battle outside was intense, the fight inside the house was equally fierce.
However, unlike Bazel and Shiki, who were trading blows on equal footing, the battle in the inner room was almost entirely one-sided.
Kaido, who had now grown significantly stronger, surpassed John in both Haki mastery and physical prowess.
While John was indeed a skilled Nitoryu Swordsman, his focus had long shifted away from the way of the sword. For John, Rocks's treasure was the absolute priority!
"I could tell even back on Rocks's ship that you were all bark and no bite." Kaido taunted, throwing punch after punch. He hadn't even transformed into his hybrid form, let alone used his kanabo.
"John, tell me the location of Rocks's treasure, and I'll let you leave alive this time." Kaido growled, "Otherwise…"
He concentrated his Conqueror's Haki, unleashing its oppressive force directly at the battered Captain John, "You can take that treasure straight to hell."
"Heh, you really got me this time. I never thought your so-called vice-captain would be strong enough to hold off Shiki." John sneered, wiping blood from his swollen, bruised mouth before spitting out a mouthful of blood and shattered teeth.
His expression remained defiant.
According to his original plan, Kaido should have been fighting Shiki, while he handled the newcomer.
"Vice Captain? Call him that if you want. Bazel is the brains of the Beasts Pirates." Kaido said proudly, mentioning Bazel, "If he hadn't suspected you might side with Shiki, I might've been caught off guard."
"But John, treasure can buy forgiveness for betrayal once. Tell me where Rocks's treasure is, and I'll pretend this never happened."
"Rocks's treasure? Heh… Hehehe… Hahahaha!" John suddenly burst into loud, mocking laughter, "You think I'd ever tell you something like that, you bastard!"
He drew his swords and slashed, but Kaido blocked the attack with his left arm, hardened with Armament Haki.
A smirk twisted John's bloodied lips. His left hand, which had been hanging at his side, suddenly drew its second blade!
A cold gleam arced upward in a diagonal slash.
"Die, Kaido!"
"A final, desperate struggle," Kaido scoffed. He shifted into his hybrid form with blinding speed, his right fist now wreathed in the black lightning of Conqueror's Haki, and slammed it directly toward the incoming blades.
Black-red lightning clashed violently with the cold steel in a mid-air collision!
Suddenly!
Kaido's eyes widened, channeling the unique pressure of his Conqueror's Haki directly at John's mind.
Seizing the brief moment of disorientation, Kaido broke through the slash, his fist smashing aside the katana. His hand shot out, clamping around John's throat and lifting him bodily into the air.
Kaido's maw opened wide, the telltale glow of a Bolo Breath building deep in his throat.
"Last chance. Death or treasure. Choose, John."
John frantically beat against Kaido's immovable arm, his eyes wide with panic, pupils darting wildly.
"Kill me and you'll never find Rocks's treasure!"
"It would be best if I had that kind of thing, but it doesn't matter if I don't have it. I only want it to buy things that can't be stolen."
"Three seconds, John."
3…
2…
…1.
"Wait!!"
Just as the Bolo Breath was about to erupt, John desperately fumbled in his pocket and produced an Eternal Pose.
"This Eternal Pose leads to the island you're looking for!!" He gasped out.
The glow in Kaido's throat faded. After taking the Eternal Pose, Kaido released John.
Comparing the direction indicated by the pose, Kaido fell into thoughtful silence, "The Florian Triangle… Why there…"
John, who had recovered, grinned grimly:
"It's up to you whether you have the guts to go get it. Eight years ago, after Shiki and I returned to the New World, we went our separate ways. Shiki scoured Hachinosu for Rocks's treasure, but only I knew… Rocks didn't hide all his treasure on Hachinosu! You know about Raijin Island in the New World, the one no one can enter!!"
Kaido nodded.
"Captain Rocks used the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit to hide the treasure on that island. If I weren't skilled in navigation and hadn't accidentally reached Weatheria before setting out, that journey might've been my last. Even so…"
John, now sitting cross-legged on the ground, his expression turning gloomy. "…while I was using a weather ship and a Wind Knot to transport the treasure, I accidentally crashed into a flock of large birds. The ship carrying all the treasure fell into the Florian Triangle. If not for sheer luck, you wouldn't be seeing me now… you'd just be hearing news of my disappearance."
Stowing the Eternal Pose away, Kaido turned to Shakky and said, "The cost for the damages here will be covered by this bastard. Charge whatever you want."
Shakky lit a slim cigarette, "Ara~ But I'm much more interested in that Eternal Pose you're holding."
"You have a death wish?" Kaido asked calmly, looking at her.
"Not really." Shakky replied with a smiling face, "Aren't you afraid I'll leak this information?"
"Leak it? Go right ahead. I will enter the Florian Triangle. Let's see who has the guts to take anything from me."
With that, Kaido snorted disdainfully a few times and walked outside.
"Oh, and John."
His left foot stepped over the threshold, and he turned his head slightly, his gaze merciless as he looked at John.
"If this Eternal Pose is fake, I'll spend the next ten years doing nothing but hunting you down to the ends of the earth."
Bang…!
The battered door slammed shut.
Shakky leaned her head out, looking at John's strangely smiling face, and asked curiously, "Aren't you really afraid of death? That Eternal Pose is fake, right?"
"No, it's real. Rocks's treasure is truly in the Florian Triangle."
John calmly got up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and then turned to walk towards the back door of the bar.
"But I never said the treasure was still there. Ocean currents move, you know. I didn't lie to him."
Shakky chuckled, "Wait a minute. Kaido said it, didn't he? You'll compensate me for my losses. If you don't pay up, I'll go out right now and tell Kaido you're playing word games with him."
The smile on John's face froze, "H-how much?"
"Look at the extent of the damage… broken walls, a damaged ceiling... Sigh, even if I renovate, I won't be able to operate for over a year."
"That's all flowing Berry~"
"1 billion Berry. Have your people deliver it. Otherwise, I'll contact Kaido."
Shakky held out her hand, her face wearing the sincere smile of a shrewd merchant.
"Since you tricked Kaido, it means you really do possess Rocks's treasure. 1 billion Berry shouldn't be too much, right?"
John nearly choked, his face darkening, "No way! The money I managed to take wasn't even 1 billion Berry! Don't get delusional."
"At most 100 million berries. Otherwise, go ahead and tell Kaido. Worst case, I'll just take him to the real treasure island."
"800 million."
Shakky smiled confidently, "No matter how much of Rocks's treasure was lost, you must have gotten away with treasure worth at least 2 billion Beli, probably more."
"...500 million, no more." John said, putting on an expression that said he'd rather go down together.
"So it's no deal then."
Shakky sighed, flipped over the bar counter, and made a move as if to head out.
"Deal, 800 million it is!"
Shakky turned around and shook the hand John had stretched out to stop her.
"Thank you for your patronage."
…
Meanwhile, outside.
Kaido walked down the street, following the trail of battle damage all the way towards Grove 14.
"These battle scars... Bazel has gotten stronger. I just wonder if he can beat that bastard Shi…??"
Bang…
Bazel crashed to the ground, coughing up a few mouthfuls of blood, looking rather disheveled.
"Kaido? You're finally done over there? Time to switch then. My stamina is just about tapped out."
Looking at the large and small sword wounds covering Bazel's body, Kaido looked up towards the sky.
Shiki, standing on the ruins, wasn't faring much better.
His golden hair was now a frizzy mess, his body covered in bruises and swellings, with patches of poison infection visible on exposed parts of his skin.
Although his breathing was ragged, within the perception of Observation Haki, Shiki's life force still burned fiercely.
"Bazel, you need to work on your stamina training next."
"The power of the Yamata no Orochi Fruit is indeed terrifying, but if your stamina can't keep up, you won't be able to participate in truly major battles."
Bazel smiled wryly, "I don't have the bloodline of an Ancient Giant. For an ordinary human like me to reach this point is pretty good. And I'm only 19. You can't ask for too much."
"That's true too. When I was nineteen, I was still mopping floors and washing clothes on Rocks's ship."
Kaido transformed into his hybrid form, hefting his kanabo onto his shoulder.
"Shiki, change of opponent. It's my turn now to pound you into the ground, you bastard."
"Tch. That useless John."
Sensing that John's presence had already disappeared, Shiki understood the situation clearly.
"But Kaido, don't celebrate too soon, Shihahahaha! Your little vice-captain has stirred up some major trouble!"
"What trouble could be bigger than you, you bastard?"
"Of course there is. That kid just killed someone."
Hearing Shiki say this, Kaido was dismissive.
"The person he accidentally killed..."
Shiki said with a mocking laugh:
"...was a Celestial Dragon!!"
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