Without needing Lily to shout, Sage had already noticed the anomaly in the sky before Jabra finished speaking.
Looking up, a huge shadow, like black lightning, split the sky and fell rapidly towards the ground, resembling a small mountain from high above, directly landing in the castle ahead.
Bang!
It was as if struck by a giant hammer; the castle collapsed from the center towards the surroundings upon contact with the shadow, turning into ruins. Countless cracks were blasted open at the edges, and the buildings nearby were half demolished by the fierce shockwave.
In the midst of the impact, the nearby pirates could not withstand the fallout waves; one by one, they were knocked to the ground, some even rolling over twice.
The very center of the castle was blasted into a very deep pit, from which faintly emitted an aura that seemed to oppress the air.
Sage bit down hard, snapping his cigar, and spat out the cigar head angrily, "My treasure!"
The things inside the castle hadn't been snatched yet!
Lily gripped the white lightning in her hand tightly, saying gravely, "What should we do now?"
Sage took a deep breath, looking at the giant pit ahead, and said, "How long will it take to capture everyone here?"
"About two days."
If including the villages and towns outside the city on the entire island, it would require such a length.
"Alright!"
Crackling sounds!
Sage's body crackled as he warmed up his hands, squatting slightly, "Then two days!"
At the edge of the pit, a large hand first gripped the edge, followed by dual dragon-like horns appearing, along with black shoulder-length hair and a face with extremely long whiskers resembling dragon whiskers. As the whole body stood up, a towering and burly figure was revealed.
That height was only slightly taller than Moriah, but being so burly made it appear even more giant, as if it could support the heavens and the earth.
The shirtless upper body was draped in purple fur similar to Sage's, with dragon scale tattoos on the left arm and an X-shaped scar on the right abdomen, wearing his purple jacket at the waist, with a shimenawa belt around the waist.
As the whole body stood up, the sky completely engulfed in darkness.
Crash!
A purple thunderbolt cracked from the sky, casting a more terrifying look on the gloomy face.
Not only Lily, but everyone who saw Kaido broke out in cold sweat.
As a pirate, he had been defeated seven times, captured eighteen times when challenging the Navy and the Four Emperors alone, suffered over a thousand harsh punishments, and sentenced to death a full 40 times.
Even when executed, he'd snap the chains, crush the guillotine when taken to the gallows, and break the spears intended to pierce him.
No one had ever managed to kill him, not even himself!
A bounty of 4.611 billion, occupying the throne of the Four Emperors, known as the 'Strongest Creature on Land, Sea, and Air,' and the strongest one-on-one in the vast sea, a true pinnacle warrior.
'Hundred Beasts' Kaido!
"Why am I still not dead! Hic!"
Kaido pushed upwards, erupting a ring of air waves, blowing away all the buildings around him that were about to collapse, forcibly clearing the area surrounding him.
Swish!
And at this moment, a remnant appeared right in front of him instantly.
Flashing black suddenly appeared, carrying a fist that landed heavily on his face.
"Galaxy Strike!"
Bam!!!
It was as if a meteor slammed on his face; with an explosive sound, Kaido's gigantic form was sent flying from the impact, straight over the port city to the countryside of the island centre, crashing through a towering rock mountain, and only then heavily fell to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Sage landed atop one of the rocky hills, watching the rising dust with slightly narrowed eyes.
Long-term training and dietary supplementation, coupled with the continuous nurturing of Life Return, had allowed his physique to reach three times his normal state recently. Adding the defense of Haki, the weight under Hundred Times Speed posed no hindrance.
Except...
The smoke slowly dispersed, revealing Kaido's massive form lying there. His fingers moved slightly, clutching his head while standing up, shaking his head then spat out a mouthful of blood.
"It hurts... Another force wants to stir my brain, but the liquor awakened me."
The aura of the whole body somehow became heavier.
"Just the hard-earned intoxication..."
Kaido gazed angrily at Sage upon the hill, hardly moved, just glaring, opening his mouth and roaring, "Do you know how rare it is, kid!"
As the roar emerged, Sage instinctively crossed his arms.
Boom!
The rocky mountain beneath blew open, along with Sage himself, retreating under the impact.
A shock of externalized Haki...
No, there was more!
Crash!
Several purple thunderbolts surged from the surroundings, exploding without a track in the air, also striking the ground, and surrounding rocks were shattered by the thunderbolts.
That was not something externalized Haki could achieve...
This feeling...
Buzz!
A scarlet glow burst from Sage's eyes as he flew back through the air. A torrent of black and red erupted, clashing against the thunderbolts around him. The lightning, already surrounding him, was suppressed and crashed to the ground, creating one crater after another.
"You have it too... Hmm, you probably do!"
Kaido laughed loudly, "I saw you taking down those Heavenly Celestial Dragons and destroying Marineford. It's normal to have such qualifications, Ohahaha!"
"Supreme King materialization?"
Sage coldly replied, addressing Kaido, "What are you doing here, Kaido?"
"Of course, I came to find you, Sage. I heard you defeated William. I want that place too!" Kaido roared.
Sage's eye twitched, "Then you should come to my territory. What are you doing here!"
"Drank too much, couldn't stand it."
Kaido grumbled, "What's this Battle of Tias, what's shipbuilding industry? This place should be mine as well. Originally, I wanted to take this down first, then come for you, but now I don't need to, Ohahaha!"
He grinned at Sage, reaching back to pull out an iron club. As intense Haki coiled around the club, visible purple lightning crackled around it.
"Kid, I'm very forgiving to the strong. If you join me, I would welcome it! Aren't you called 'Calamity'? I have 'Three Calamities' under me. If you join, I'll make you a new big figure, become the 'Fourth Calamity', just like that old lady!"
Big Mom's camp has 'Four Generals'.
"Ha!"
Sage chuckled, facing Kaido, "I could say the same to you, why don't you join me instead? I'm recruiting for the 'Three Phases', and I lack a strong fighter. If you come, you're welcome too!"
The title 'Calamity' wasn't something he decided, it was a nickname given by those on the sea based on his style of operation. Matching Kaido's officers was purely coincidental.
Recruiting him just for that?
He's not afraid of Kaido!
Kaido was also momentarily taken aback by Sage's words and then laughed out loud, "Ohahaha, Sage, you deserve..."
The Haki-laden iron club swung out with purple shockwaves, "My service?"
Sage neither dodged nor avoided, raising his fist. Extreme Armament infused his punch, releasing black flashes. As his fist pounded forward, a wave of Haki collided with the purple shockwave, sending ripples of air bursting out from the center.
The gust blasted through, ruffling both their hair and the fur cloaks billowing behind them, making them flutter loudly.
Sage lifted his cloak, letting the wind carry it off to the distance. He then began removing rings from his fingers, wrist ornaments, and the Black Jade Bead Chain around his neck.
Kaido wasn't in a hurry, watching him with great interest.
The previous attack had already revealed everything.
Sage understood too. His Hundred Times Speed combined with triple weight concentration of full Haki in a strike, plus the Secret Hole's damage, struck this guy in the face, waking him from the drunken stupor?
This wasn't just about defense; this guy's physique... was monstrous!
Was the Mythical enhancement that strong?
No... he had seen Marco during the Summit War, also a Mythical type. In terms of sensory perception, Marco wasn't as terrifying as Kaido.
The truth is, this guy was inherently powerful.
Simple brute strength wasn't enough to hurt him.
Then...
"Huff..."
He exhaled a white fog from his nostrils, hitting the ground like an arrow.
With a hiss, his entire body began to expand madly, tearing through his upper shirt. His muscles writhed fiercely, transforming to armor-like thickness, and two muscle-condensed pauldrons appeared on his shoulders, with his main body swelling over three meters tall.
"Dragon Transformation Breathing Technique, 100%, tenfold!"
Roar!
A black aura coiled around his entire body. As his foot stamped heavily on the ground, a muffled sound accompanied it, creating a deep footprint. In an instant, Sage's body loomed in front of Kaido.
"In an Instant, Hundred Splits!!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
His fists turned into afterimages, in an instant landing blow after blow on Kaido's body, each strike releasing massive power and impact, forcing even Kaido's immense body to tremble with each hit upon impact.
In a split second, Sage's fists, visible now, retracted back. With a thud, a smoke ring blasted outward from beneath his feet, rising in front of Kaido's face, both hands now appearing to either side of his head, delivering a fierce blow.
"North Star Remorse Fist!"
Crackle!
But just before his high-speed fists could strike Kaido's temple, an unexpected sound of thunder rang beside Sage's ear. Instinctively alarmed, he stomped down hard, dashing to another side, fist swinging straight down.
"I saw your move, kid, Thundering..."
Just as he flickered to Kaido's side, that iron club suddenly swung, striking with tremendous force.
"Hakke!!"
Bam!!