"Borsalino---!!!"
Witnessing this scene, Kaido was fuming with rage, his roar reminiscent of explosive thunder:
"You scoundrel, when did you follow me here, and who gave you the nerve to interfere in my battle?!"
"So angry, how terrifying."
Kizaru raised his hands in a surrender gesture and said with a smile:
"No need to be so agitated, Mr. Kaido~, I'm simply following orders. When a formidable Sea Emperor barges into the first half, someone has to be responsible for surveillance."
Kaido's face darkened, "Are you saying you've been following me from the start?"
"Of course, trying to keep up with you while not getting detected by your Observation is quite a challenging task indeed."
Kizaru scratched his head with a troubled expression, "Although I really don't wish to do this tiring job, there's no choice, only I at Marinfanto can pull it off."
Kaido stared at him dumbfounded.
Suddenly, his eyes reddened, tears glistening.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa!!!"
He sat down on the ground, crying loudly, "Shano kid, it turns out it's me! I'm the one who harmed you!!!"
Thinking about how Kizaru found Shano by following him, and how he was too focused earlier to intercept the sneak attack strike.
The more he cried, the sadder and more self-blame he felt, tears and snot flowing, as his massive fists pounded the ground, causing the entire Judicial Island to tremble.
His heart-wrenching manner was like a child whose most beloved toy had been stolen.
"Has the alcohol not worn off yet?"
Kizaru raised an eyebrow, observing this scene without much surprise.
Over the years, he had dealt with Kaido several times and knew well about his erratic behavior when drunk.
However.
This guy was so heartbroken about Shano being killed, it seems his guess was indeed correct.
Initially, the headquarters misjudged Kaido's intention, thinking he was out to assassinate Shano, which was why they turned a blind eye to his intrusion into the first half.
Kizaru also used to think so.
But after tailing for a while, he gradually sensed something was amiss.
Kaido didn't seem to have much killing intent for that boy and was rather keen on recruiting him.
This kind of thing couldn't be allowed to happen.
The Hundred Beasts Pirates were already troubling enough for the Navy.
Allowing them to add a cadre with "Big Billboard" level strength, though only eighteen, could potentially disrupt the balance of the future New World.
Therefore, he tried to conceal his aura and approached stealthily, launching a surprise attack.
As Navy Headquarters' supreme combat power, doing this to a mere junior was indeed unbecoming.
But if he could eliminate a dangerous figure capable of destabilizing the sea's balance in its cradle...
If given another chance, he would still…
"Hmm?"
Kizaru's expression suddenly changed slightly.
Because Kaido had stopped crying suddenly, slowly standing up, grasping the Wolf Fang Club nearby, his eyes fixed harrowingly on him, full of violent viciousness.
"Hey, are you kidding me?"
Kizaru laughed awkwardly, retreated a few steps, "Has the target of the battle become me now? I have no such intention, how about we meet another day..."
"Run!"
Kaido snorted out two jets of white air, his face fierce, "Sure, you can run! Who can outrun you anyway, I'm too lazy to chase, might as well completely tear down Judicial Island and see if the World Government will hold you accountable at Mary Geoise!"
Kizaru's steps halted.
And Kaido didn't give him time to respond, suddenly stomping the ground, roaring and soaring into the sky!
"Descent of Three Worlds·Hiku Naraku!!!"
The Wolf Fang Club in his hand suddenly flipped, enveloped in an overwhelming destructive momentum, and smashed down furiously!
Kizaru's face shifted dramatically, his body instantly elementalized, trying to transform into countless light spots to evade.
But Kaido's strike, fueled by anger, spread Supreme King Entanglement's shockwave, with a very wide range, forcibly interrupting Kizaru's Flash Move.
"Damn..."
Kizaru managed only to raise his arms, then his whole body was slammed into the ground.
The ground of Judicial Island collapsed layer by layer, with the shockwave continuing to pierce through the entire island, even slicing a thousand meters long vacuum trench on the distant sea surface.
"Cough!"
Kizaru crawled out from the rubble, wiping off the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Facing the fierce and approaching Kaido, he finally put away his lazy expression, rubbing his temples with slight headache:
"Really, I don't want to go all out against a monster like you..."
Kizaru sighed, spreading his arms, countless golden lights converged into the shape of a sword, his face turning expressionless:
"But, since you're determined to fight, old man can only accompany you to the end."
------
Gululu...
Under Judicial Island, 7000 meters underwater.
This was a place unreachable by sunlight, utterly dark, where one couldn't see their own hand.
Shano's body lay quietly in the icy water, floating outward with the current.
He was covered in wounds all over, the blood hole at his chest especially ghastly.
However, if someone were nearby, they would be surprised to find that all his wounds were rapidly healing and regenerating at a visible pace.
Shortly, his body was restored to its original state.
"Huh..."
Shano suddenly opened his eyes, looking upwards.
"That old geezer Kizaru actually thought such a paltry attack would be enough to kill me..."
He sneered.
How naive.
He casually flexed his wrist, slightly feeling his condition, hardly affected, with plenty of stamina.