"Can the Rumble-Rumble Fruit really be this powerful?"
The battle in the sky above had deeply shocked Robin. Her pupils trembled violently as she muttered to herself.
"Awesome! Long live Captain Leno! Long live our captain!"
Carmen clapped excitedly, grabbing Kuina's arm and shaking it wildly as she cheered for her captain. The sky-supporting titan in the sky was simply too stunning. That was an 'Emperor of the Sea,' yet he was being beaten senseless by their own captain. The usually carefree and lazy captain was actually an expert who surpassed an 'Emperor.' This made her exceptionally proud and honored.
"Hey, Carmen, calm down. The fight isn't over yet."
Kuina, being shaken, had a helpless look in her eyes. Although she was also shocked by Leno's current combat power, she had a rough understanding of his strength, so she could still remain calm. But she couldn't handle the excited Carmen beside her. She could only comfort Carmen while paying close attention to the battle.
High in the sky.
Seeing the Azure Dragon offering little resistance, the giant flicked its hand. "Swoosh" The huge dragon's body shot towards the ground. Then, with another wave of his hand, a massive pillar of lightning followed the Azure Dragon's body.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The massive dragon's body slammed into the ground, kicking up a huge shockwave. The pillar of lightning that followed immediately exploded. The island instantly began to shake violently, the ground shattering into deep, bottomless fissures, and the shockwave swept across the entire island. Seawater poured in through the cracks, and the half of the island that had taken the impact was almost completely destroyed.
'Swish'
Leno, having returned to his original form, appeared in front of everyone.
"Done! Little Kaido, easily handled."
"Wow~ Leno, you're so cool! I love you to death!"
"BAM"
Seeing Leno appear, an excited Yamato jumped in front of him and pressed him into her chest, cheering and bouncing.
'So soft, so bouncy. Is this a reward for defeating Kaido? This is bliss.' Leno couldn't help but rub his head against her. 'Yamato, my beloved. From now on, you've got my back from now on.'
"Hiss~"
Just as Leno was immersed in this gentle paradise, a sharp pain shot through his ear. He turned his head—good grief, was she using Haki??
Nami twisted Leno's ear and pulled him out of Yamato's embrace, staring at him with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"What? Does our great captain hope to receive such service every time he returns from a battle?"
"Really... ahem..."
"Nami, what are you talking about? I don't understand. And can you let go of my ear first? It really hurts."
"Hmph~"
Seeing Leno return, Nami had wanted to step forward and show her concern, but then she saw him enjoying himself, rubbing his head against Yamato's chest. It was infuriating. His heroic posture during the battle was now shattered by his lecherous expression.
"Yamato, don't hug Leno like that anymore. Don't let him take advantage of you for free..."
"Eh? Why?"
Seeing Yamato's innocent look, Nami was exasperated. It was Nojiko who quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Alright, Nami, don't worry about these small things. We've known what kind of person Leno is for a long time, haven't we?"
"Nojiko, you're the best~"
Seizing the opportunity, Leno hugged Nojiko and took a few deep breaths from her neck, instantly feeling refreshed.
The originally excited expressions of the girls around him were turned into a mix of amusement and exasperation by Leno's antics. However, they were all still very happy that Leno had returned unharmed.
Just as the group was discussing their next plans, a sound came from the deep pit that had been filled with seawater.
"Cough, cough..."
Kaido, having returned to his original size, climbed out of the pit, leaning on his kanabo.
"Hmm? He can still get up?"
Everyone was shocked. After suffering such a violent attack and falling into the sea, Kaido could still get up.
'Swish'
Leno's figure appeared in front of Kaido. Looking at Kaido's miserable state, Leno felt a bit wistful. He knew better than anyone how severe Kaido's injuries were. In his mind, after such serious injuries, Kaido shouldn't have been able to move for a while. He hadn't expected him to be able to stand up so quickly.
At this moment, Kaido was charred all over. One of the horns on his head was broken, and he had even lost a few teeth. He looked very pathetic.
"Ara ara, as expected of Kaido. To be able to stand up after all that, you're really amazing!"
Hearing Leno's sarcastic voice, Kaido was filled with a rage he couldn't vent. His eyes, full of killing intent, stared at Leno, but there was also a hint of dread. This fight had been too humiliating. Before he could even react, he had been beaten senseless by Leno's combination of moves, unable to even fight back.
"Wororo... cough, cough... roro..."
"Kid, you're pretty strong. To be able to injure me like this, you can preen over that much. But that's all."
With that, Kaido's body suddenly grew taller, transforming into his Dragon Man form. His body crackled. The originally charred skin began to peel off, revealing new flesh underneath, which was then quickly covered by azure scales.
"Your Devil Fruit ability is indeed very strong, but Haki is fundamental. You can't defeat me by relying on your fruit's ability alone!"
"Worororo..."
Watching Kaido, whose body had mostly recovered in just a moment, Leno sighed. 'Kaido has developed his Azure Dragon Fruit to a very deep level. To recover from such heavy injuries so quickly, he's truly a monster.'
"You're right. Haki is fundamental."
Leno strongly agreed with Kaido's words. It was a well-known fact in the New World that the foundation of great strength lay in the degree of one's Haki training.
Watching Kaido appear before them, alive and kicking after such a short time, the girls left behind were at a loss for words.
"Is he a monster? To recover so quickly from such heavy injuries!" Nami screamed in terror.
"Even that idiot Leno's recovery ability wasn't this insane, right?"
"That's not necessarily true now. Back then, Leno's body hadn't broken its limits yet, and his fruit development wasn't as mature as it is now," Nojiko pointed out, hitting the nail on the head. That time when Leno was injured by Golden Lion, it had taken him several days to recover with the help of Kuina's ability.
"Then how can a battle between two recovery monsters like this ever be decided?" Carmen asked, getting a headache from Nami and Nojiko's analysis. 'They get injured and recover immediately. They're almost immortal. What can you do?'
Fortunately, their own captain was also a monster. Otherwise, faced with such a creature, they wouldn't know what to do.