"Pī Li Pā Lā!"
From within the boiling oil, crisp crackling sounds rang out like exploding firecrackers.
The crowd watching the scene, some couldn't bear it and covered their mouths. Yet the man standing in the pot continued to sing loudly, as if the pain ravaging his body didn't belong to him at all.
Kaido's gaze darkened. His right hand slowly rose, his index finger resting on the trigger.
He had to admit, this man was one of the strongest opponents he had ever faced. It had taken tremendous effort, even some underhanded methods, to finally defeat him.
But…
On the path to becoming the strongest, one is bound to encounter all kinds of complications.
One day, when he stands at the very peak…
All the filth, the schemes, the darkness… will become nothing more than the light behind him.
"Die!"
With a long sigh, Kaido pulled the trigger. His emotions were somewhat complicated. After all, they had once been rivals, and this man had even left a scar across his chest.
Kozuki Oden was strong! But strength did not mean immortality. In the end, the one who would remain standing before the world… would still be him.
"Bang!"
The gunshot rang out like thunder before everyone's eyes. At that instant, everyone froze, staring ahead in shock. The man who had been standing in the boiling oil just a moment ago suddenly stiffened, clearly struck.
But then…
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Who is that guy?!"
At some unknown moment, another figure had appeared in the boiling pot. Calm-faced, cold-eyed, he stood directly in front of Kozuki Oden, blocking the attack.
"You are…?" Kozuki Oden was momentarily stunned.
"From today onward, you are already dead." The man turned his head slightly, his voice icy.
Oden froze, but before he could react, the man had already grabbed his arm and leapt out of the towering oil pot.
"Pa da!"
The two landed in the open ground ahead, instantly alerting the surrounding guards.
"That guy is…?!" Kaido's pupils shrank sharply.
That face… it felt strangely familiar, as though he had seen it somewhere before. And the flames burning behind him, along with that distinctive white hair…
"King!" Kaido shouted, glancing behind him.
At this moment, King himself stood frozen. The figure before him… looked far too familiar.
"A Lunarian?" Kaido narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
Grabbing his spiked club, he strode forward toward the scene.
"And who might you be?"
Zeus's expression remained cold. He gave no reply. Grabbing Kozuki Oden, he turned to leave.
"King!" Kaido roared.
In an instant, flames ignited behind King as he lunged forward without hesitation, launching an attack. He, too, wanted to know if this mysterious man truly was from his own race?
"Clang!"
In the next moment, Zeus drew his blade and slashed forward.
"Buzz…!"
The force of that strike was indescribable. A terrifying slash roared forth, splitting a nearby oil pot in half before reaching King in an instant.
King quickly drew his sword and blocked.
"Boom!"
A massive impact resounded as King's towering body was blasted backward, crashing through a series of buildings behind him.
Seeing this, Kaido narrowed his eyes. Even Kozuki Oden was stunned by the sharpness and overwhelming power of that single strike.
"Roger?!" From that slash… he saw a shadow of Roger.
"Come with me!" Zeus said coldly.
Without another word, he swung his blade again toward the front. This strike targeted the samurai of Wano rushing in from all directions. The powerful slash instantly tore through the crowd, splitting them apart.
Then Zeus turned and swung again.
The path ahead was completely cleared; an entire street of buildings had been cleanly cut in half.
"This brat…! Has he gone mad?!" Kaido's pupils contracted as flames seemed to burn in his eyes.
From the moment he arrived, the man had attacked without a word, showing not the slightest trace of mercy, even toward innocent bystanders.
He was like a cold-blooded killing machine.
Compared to Kozuki Oden's kindness and sense of honor, the two stood at completely opposite extremes.
"I can't go with you!" Being dragged along, Kozuki Oden suddenly remembered something and shouted loudly.
"You must come with me! This is the order he gave me!" Zeus replied coldly.
His body moved at astonishing speed, darting and leaping through the streets.
"Who?"
"Who sent you to save me?!"
Oden shouted.
At this point, he was completely exhausted; he didn't even have the strength to resist and could only be dragged along. And even if he survived this ordeal, it was uncertain whether he would live much longer. After the heavy injuries he had already suffered, his life was likely nearing its end.
"I'm not saving you. I'm just taking you back." Zeus said coldly.
As he spoke, he swung another slash, clearing away anyone blocking their path.
"Alive or dead."
Those three icy words sent a chill down Kozuki Oden's spine and a faint sense of unease rose within him. He had thought someone had come to save him, but this mysterious figure clearly didn't care whether he lived or died.
Who exactly was it?
"Yorororororo! Brat, you think you can escape from here? Have I given you my permission?!"
Suddenly, amid thunder and lightning overhead, a massive shadow emerged, rapidly closing in from behind.
"It's Kaido!" Kozuki Oden shouted.
Zeus remained expressionless, still running at high speed. Even while dragging Oden's 3.82-meter-tall body, he showed no sign of burden at all.
"No matter who you are… Today, you'll turn to ashes along with Kozuki Oden!" Kaido loomed above them and spoke with a cold look in his eyes.
This mysterious man had appeared without revealing anything, and even now, his identity remained completely unknown.
Kaido suddenly raised his head. Crimson light gathered within the dragon's mouth.
"Hot Breath!" A blazing red blast erupted from above, crossing several kilometers in the blink of an eye, descending upon Oden and Zeus.
"Dodge it!" Oden roared.
But Zeus showed no concern. He abruptly turned, drew his long blade, and slashed out, simple and unadorned.
"Buzz…!"
Even the air seemed to tremble. An unbelievably powerful slash burst forth, cutting straight toward the massive blast overhead.
An astonishing scene unfolded.
The immensely powerful Hot Breath was instantly split apart. Even more shocking was the fact that the slash continued forward without losing momentum, flying straight toward Kaido above.
Kaido tilted his dragon head, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Flames burned in his eyes as he glared down once more… Only to see the other party still sprinting forward, completely ignoring him.
"Bastard! Who the hell are you?!"
"Do you have no pride as a strong warrior, whay are you only running away?!"
His dragon body twisted as he gave chase once again. Meanwhile, Kozuki Oden, being dragged along, was utterly shaken, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Kamusari… (Divine Departure)?!" He was absolutely certain, the sword strike just now was Roger's Kamusari! The only reason it wasn't even more devastating… was the lack of Haoshoku Haki infusion.
"Who… are you, really?!" Oden's mind was filled with questions as he shouted. "Why are you saving me?!"
Zeus frowned slightly, a trace of coldness in his eyes.
"Primary authority designation: Zeus."
"Secondary authority designation: Seraphim Unit No. 1, First Generation."
Oden's eyes widened even further.
"Unit No. 1?"
"That doesn't sound like a human name!"
Zeus replied calmly: "I am not human. I am an artificial human."
Oden's mouth fell open, completely bewildered.
'What did he mean by artificial human?'
But Zeus offered no further explanation. After running for two or three minutes and failing to shake off Kaido, his brows furrowed, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Then…
His rapidly moving body suddenly came to a halt. He turned sharply, staring up at the massive creature in the sky.
"Any obstacle to mission completion shall be eliminated."
Blue arcs of electricity flickered within his eyes as a targeting reticle formed in his vision, locking onto the enormous dragon above.
"Zzzzz…!"
A dense crackling of electricity spread as lightning began to surge across Zeus's entire body.
"Two hundred million volts - Divine Judgment."
In a cold, mechanical voice, Zeus unleashed the attack.
From his eyes, condensed lightning burst forth, forming a colossal pillar of thunder that shot toward Kaido. The massive lightning column shone with blinding brilliance, reaching Kaido in an instant, his dragon eyes widening in shock.
In the next moment, he was engulfed and swallowed by the scorching lightning.
"So powerful…!!" Kozuki Oden exclaimed in shock.
After releasing the attack, Zeus didn't hesitate. He turned again, lightning erupting across his body.
Then…
He leapt high into the air, shooting forward at incredible speed. Like a bolt of lightning, he vanished from the sight of everyone in the Flower Capital in an instant. And from that day on, Kozuki Oden also disappeared from the world, vanishing from public view.
"Mission complete. Returning to base."
Lightning intertwined around Zeus as he dragged the now-unconscious Oden, who had fainted from the impact of the air pressure, flying out of Wano in moments. A short while later, after searching in vain for both the mysterious man and Kozuki Oden, Kaido smashed the table before him in fury.
"Boom!"
Wood fragments scattered everywhere. Kaido's eyes burned red, his rage causing everyone around him to tremble.
"Damn it! Who the hell was that guy?!"
"I will find him, no matter what!"
His thunderous roar made everyone nearby shiver.
At this moment, King suddenly spoke.
"That face… I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."
"Who?" Kaido turned his head.
He felt the same, but couldn't recall where.
King silently handed over a newspaper. At its center was a photo of a man named Kojin, smiling, bearing the rank of Vice Admiral, addressing the world.
"It's him!!!" Kaido's pupils shrank violently, his heart shaken.
But soon after, he shook his head sharply.
"No… it can't be him! That man isn't this young, and he's taller than the mysterious figure. Besides, he's not a Lunarian!"
King fell silent, confusion also appearing in his eyes.
"Then… who is it?"
(End of Chapter)
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