"Gurararara, you're right, you're no longer the kid you once were..."
A white ball of light appeared on the blade of Whitebeard's Murakumogiri, and under the vibrating light ball, Supreme King Haki burst forth like lightning.
Recalling those years, it was Whitebeard who conveyed Rocks's words and brought Kaidou into the pirate crew. Time has passed, and the kid from those days has become a monster on par with myself.
"Ughhh, that's it, this is the kind of battle I want!"
Kaidou's body began to swell, blue dragon scales covered his whole body, and Supreme King Haki appeared on his weapon as well.
"Daiitoku Thundering Hakken!"
The Thunderbolt from the Hassaikai began to overflow, and the light ball formed by the Quake-Quake Fruit exploded as well. If not for those around them blocking the aftermath of their attack with Haki, Marinfanto would have been turned into level ground.
Or rather a basin, for previously, Arceus's detonated attack left a huge crater on the ground.
Their bodies stood firm amidst the attacks, but the ground beneath them had reached its limit, rocks began to crack, and the land beneath them rapidly became dilapidated, nowhere near the magnificent plaza it was a few hours ago.
As more stones were crushed to dust by the impact, a huge cloud of dust surged into the air, and amidst the smoke, Whitebeard leapt high, once again swinging Murakumogiri with great force toward Kaidou.
Although Kaidou still managed to block this attack, Whitebeard's assault was far from over.
Using the recoil from the clash of weapons, Whitebeard moved behind Kaidou and punched out mightily.
His hammer blow left trails in the air, space nearly breaking under the impact.
But Whitebeard knew this wasn't enough. While releasing a shock wave, a vibration force also arose from Whitebeard's heel, using the momentum of the fall to kick towards Kaidou below.
The previous attacks were just feints; now comes the real deal.
"Newgate, you're as terrifying as ever, whether it's your strength or battle instincts."
Nevertheless, Kaidou's tone carried no hint of panic, as an indestructible barrier had already appeared around him.
"But it's not our first battle; you should remember this, right?"
Absolute Defense's protection is relative, its limit varies with the user's level.
Younger Whitebeard's explosive power is far more daunting than that of an aging Whitebeard, but Kaidou hasn't been idle these years.
Compared to our last battle, Kaidou has grown stronger, and accordingly, the limit his Protect can withstand has become more intimidating. For him, relying on his barrier to face even Kamusari isn't impossible.
Whitebeard returned to his prime, but Kaidou kept pushing his limits higher.
"I certainly haven't forgotten. And don't forget, I can attack you through your barrier!"
Boom!
While Whitebeard's attack was blocked by the barrier, it didn't disappear.
Under the influence of the vibration, even the air behind the Protect began to tremble. The spatial vibrations extended the damage to his body, and the vibration seemed to have caused resonance within him, akin to Advanced Armament inflicting internal damage.
This is the Awakening of the Quake-Quake Fruit, capable of unleashing the power of vibrations to the utmost.
In this state, the vibrations beneath the space are like extensions of Whitebeard's limbs, unless the barrier isolates into another small world, Whitebeard's attacks can penetrate the barrier and damage the body.
Kaidou remembered Whitebeard's battle style, and Whitebeard equally remembered Kaidou's Protect, so he didn't waste time, entering the Awakening state right as the battle started.
The island was drawn by Whitebeard's ability, and under Whitebeard's relentless attack, numerous cracks appeared on Marinfanto, with the island even showing signs of splitting under the seismic impact.
Kaidou and Whitebeard's battle caused massive shockwaves, the furious winds swirling outward from them, while the sky above their heads cracked once more.
Since the onset of the Summit War, Marinfanto's sky has been plagued by misfortune.
Earlier, Arceus's power left a ring of clouds in the sky, hovering like the boundary of the arena in the sky, but now this ring was again slashed apart.
"Agni Dragon Dance Hakken!"
Fiery Dragon Flame enveloped his body, especially the tail flames burning more fiercely, and with small movements, accompanied by bodily dances, Kaidou swung his Wolf Fang Club at Whitebeard once more.
Those who have witnessed Dragon Dance won't let their opponent use it again; ordinary people wouldn't even have the chance to use Dragon Dance in front of Whitebeard, they'd be ruthlessly interrupted by him.
But Kaidou is different. As he grew more familiar with Dragon Dance, he integrated the skill into his battles long ago, whether swinging or moving, he could use Dragon Dance in the process.
Thud!
Even with Whitebeard's body enveloped in Haki, this strike still produced a muffled sound.
Although struck by Kaidou, Whitebeard's attack didn't cease. As Murakumogiri slashed down, it left a trail of sparks on Kaidou's shoulder dragon scales.
The sturdy dragon scales and formidable Haki didn't break his defense, yet the force had already penetrated into his body. Both Kaidou and Whitebeard are masters of top-level Armament, making it impossible for either to completely negate the other's damage when hit.
Both attacks hit their mark, but for Whitebeard, it's not worth it.
Relying on the Quake-Quake Fruit's ability, Whitebeard holds a certain advantage in attack power, but Kaidou's defense and recovery greatly exceed Whitebeard's. Although Kaidou sustains heavier injuries, Whitebeard would be the one to ultimately lose.
Moreover, this isn't a turn-based game.
Whitebeard's vibrations require limb movements to exert power, but Kaidou is different.
Apart from the Wolf Fang Club, he has other weapons on his body.
It's not equipment like King's, as King's fighting style doesn't appeal to Kaidou. For Kaidou, his most trusted asset is his own body.
Whitebeard's slash was blocked by Kaidou's Haki, yet Kaidou's body scales suddenly stood upright, then shot out like bullets, imbued with powerful Armament Haki.
Whitebeard's attack triggered counterDamage, but this was not retaliation, it was a skill released by Kaidou.
The scale shot attack of Dragon-type Pokemon, an advanced utilization of their scales, can treat them as weapons and fire them, often yielding unexpected results.
The dense scales shot towards Whitebeard, leaving numerous blood marks on his body, but then his whole body emitted bursts of white light, powerful vibration forces bouncing all those scattered scales back.
"It's not over yet! Descent of the Three Worlds! Hiku Naraku: Dragon Scale Dance!"
Thunderbolt, Haki, Dragon Power—Kaidou used his strongest attack at that moment, with the air itself moaning as the Hassaikai passed by.
Whether the previously shot scales or those bounced by Whitebeard played a part, Kaidou's Hassaikai drew them to form a coherent whole.
The swinging Wolf Fang Club almost became a roaring dragon, using powerful Supreme King as Dragon Breath, charging toward Whitebeard.
"Good one!"
Seeing Kaidou's attack, feeling the youthful energy within him, Whitebeard's heart was stirred. At this moment, he wasn't fighting for his sons but engaging in a duel with a formidable opponent.
He didn't like Kaidou, yet he couldn't deny that Kaidou was a formidable adversary. In Kaidou, Whitebeard even found the feeling reminiscent of battling Roger. Deep down, he even sensed this junior beginning to surpass Roger in the past...