"What's the matter, old buddy, are you scared?"
"How could I be? I'm also a Navy Admiral. Since that's the case, let's go wild."
Strategy greatly influences war, provided the opponent isn't someone like Kaidou, who is reckless and possesses monstrous individual strength. To take down such a beast, the only way is to find a method to crush him head-on with sheer power.
Seeing Zephyr's determination, Sengoku did not continue to dissuade him. This was the battle chosen by an old soldier, and Sengoku had no reason to stop him from gambling his life to eliminate pirates.
Watching Zephyr and Sengoku approach him, Kaidou halted his steps. He initially intended to check on Whitebeard's side, but didn't expect these two marine officers to have no intention of quitting.
"I have no interest in you anymore."
"Don't be so arrogant, pirate. This is Marineford, a battlefield. Do you think it's just some child's play game?!"
Sengoku threw off the Cloak of Justice draped over him, revealing his muscular upper body, and his body began to swell continuously. A massive golden Buddha appeared in Marineford just like that.
The golden Buddha's figure had several light wheels flashing behind it, and like lotus flames, ribbons of fire encircled his body externally.
Human-Human Fruit·Great Buddha Form - Awakening.
"Wuuu hahaha, thanks for reminding me. It's been so long since I've seen such an awesome battlefield, I almost forgot this is war..."
With many targets to choose from, Kaidou instead overlooked the essence of war; it's not a game but a place for a life-and-death battle.
Watching Sengoku once again in his Great Buddha Transformation and the determined Zephyr, Kaidou also put away his playful thoughts, preparing himself for combat.
To face a real opponent, to offer them death, to let them die honorably in battle, is Kaidou's form of respect.
At the same time, a light wheel rose behind Sengoku and gradually expanded in the sky, finally enveloping Kaidou, King, and others within it, forming a hemispherical light barrier. Even the ground was covered with the golden light emitted by Sengoku.
This was the ability of Sengoku that Zephyr mentioned just now. With the power of the Great Buddha Fruit, Sengoku can create a special space isolated from the outside, like an independent domain.
The faint golden light is a special power as solid as his Great Buddha body. With this, Sengoku can use a restrictive skill much stronger than Doflamingo's Bird Cage.
Within this space, the power of Explosive Rock can be better utilized, minimizing impact on the external environment while causing greater harm to the targets inside.
"Wuuu hahaha, interesting. Afraid I'll escape? Don't worry; since you still want to fight, I'll accompany you to the end. But this time, don't expect me to stop halfway. You better be ready to face death, or it'll be boring."
Having already dispelled his transformation, Kaidou once again entered his Human-Beast Form, with fiery clouds surrounding his body. Moreover, Kaidou seemed to see something interesting, his smile turning more pronounced.
"King, Shaina, protect yourselves, and don't interfere with my fight, no matter what happens!"
"Big brother Kaidou, you..."
"Just watch, King. Don't be like Queen and Yamato, always making me worry about such things!"
"Yes, I understand."
Exchanging a glance with Shaina, King and Shaina flew into the air, finally halting at the edge of the golden light barrier.
"Should we break it?"
Shaina measured the barrier, indicating that if needed, her Red Chain could break through it without difficulty.
"Forget it, since big brother Kaidou said not to interfere, this must be part of the battle, too."
"Then we'll leave it be. However, I just received a message from the Origin; the holy beast masters aren't far from here now. Delaying too long could be troublesome."
"So soon?"
"What else? The holy beast master has already obtained what they needed; Olga and Jack's side is progressing well, and although there were issues with Zeraora, they've been resolved too. Now it's just Mr. Kaidou's side remaining. This war doesn't seem to be ending yet. It seems Whitebeard's side hasn't been rescued. Do you think they can succeed?"
"I don't know. Hero Garp isn't easy to deal with; it depends on how far he'll go."
The Blackbeard Pirates were directly scattered by their combined Hakai attack. Even those who survived were severely injured, so having that ruined area now covered by Sengoku's barrier made them not anxious. Whether these people could survive the aftermath of the battle was an unknown.
For Kaidou to warn them to be careful, the upcoming battle wasn't going to be easy, no matter how you looked at it.
...
"Buddha's Impact!"
Sengoku's right palm struck towards Kaidou, the massive shockwave temporarily halting Kaidou's movement, while Zephyr's Shredder aimed for Kaidou's face.
Oddly, Kaidou had other options to block, yet he directly used the Defend Barrier technique.
"Come on, don't just stand there; let me see your trump card. I'm already cooperating with you, are you still hesitating?"
In his prime, Zephyr could still interest Kaidou, but this older, disease-ridden Zephyr couldn't satisfy Kaidou in battle anymore. Even with Seastone Weapons, they only made him slightly cautious.
He had made this move because he foresaw some future events.
"You'll regret it, Kaidou!"
Kaidou's actions didn't sway Zephyr's determination, and his left wrist turned pitch black, aiming at Kaidou in front of him.
As it collided with Kaidou's fist, the Shredder had already crushed the device enveloping the Explosive Rock. Simultaneously as it touched oxygen, the mechanical arm's pressure pressed onto the Explosive Rock.
Threatening purple light exuded from Zephyr's Shredder, but Zephyr didn't fling it away. Instead, he held it, facing Kaidou, not wanting to leave him any chance to counter.
"Zephyr!"
Zephyr's actions surprised Sengoku. He thought Zephyr would treat it like a dynamite pack, throwing it and quickly distancing himself, but Zephyr chose to push it directly towards Kaidou, giving him no room to respond.
BOOM! BOOM!
The Explosive Rock's detonation triggered a vast purple torrent, and the purple energy waves surged furiously within the area created by Sengoku, quickly filling this space.
With Sengoku's ability limiting it, the explosion's aftershock had nowhere to escape, only accumulating continuously, eventually reaching the limit of Sengoku's ability.
So, a second explosion occurred, but under Sengoku's influence, the shockwave only burst upwards, not spreading horizontally.
After Sengoku's technique was breached, the entire Marineford saw the terrifying purple mushroom cloud, successfully broadcasted worldwide through Buggy's live broadcast.
...
"Cough, cough, what a noise..."
In the sky, Shaina dismissed her Defend Barrier, then coughed a few times from the choking dust. Next to her, King flapped his wings to create a gale, dispersing the explosion's smoke below.
At the explosion's center, Kaidou and Zephyr stood motionless. Zephyr's Shredder was gone, and his entire right arm had vanished, yet his body remained upright, maintaining the posture from when he threw the punch.
Kaidou suddenly moved, wiping his mouth, looking at his blood-stained arm, then smiled again.
"Wuuu hahaha, it's really powerful, now this is an attack worth recognizing!"
The continuous use of Defend Barrier wouldn't fail; it just lowered the success rate. However, Kaidou hadn't used Defend Barrier or any other defense but took the Explosive Rock's explosion head-on.
For Zephyr, a non-fruit user, to dare employ the Explosive Rock this way, Kaidou naturally wouldn't back down. The fact showed, while its power was considerable, it wasn't significant enough.
"You're a qualified warrior, I..."
Kaidou once again raised his Wolf Fang Club, intending to deliver the final blow to Zephyr in front of him, but abruptly halted, not because he faltered, but because it was unnecessary.
Eating the Explosive Rock's explosion at close range, Zephyr, without the Zoan boost, in poor health, although standing, had long since lost his vital signs...