Chapter 71: A Three-Way Clash
"Damn it, if they keep fighting, this base will be completely gone."
Satoru cursed inwardly, watching the titanic auras clashing. A few more rounds and they'd decide the victor by who had more rubble to stand on.
"Admiral Kizaru, if you keep this up, the G-8 base will need to relocate."
"I'd rather not fight either~ If you can convince that monster to leave, be my guest."
Having seen the gap between himself and a Yonko, Kizaru had lost his appetite for a prolonged battle. He couldn't finish Kaido, and Kaido couldn't easily finish him. Fighting further was pointless.
Looking at Kaido, radiating terrifying, bloodthirsty intent, Satoru shook his head. He had no way to make Kaido leave.
"So we have to fight. No other choice. I expect once the others arrive, Kaido will retreat."
The enemy was Kaido. Headquarters wouldn't send just Kizaru. He was simply the fastest, so Sengoku had sent him first for emergency support.
"Then let's team up. I can handle support."
Watching their fight had made his hands itch again.
"Good."
Kizaru glanced at Satoru. He didn't know the boy's full strength, but before he arrived, Satoru had held Kaido at bay. He wouldn't be dead weight.
"Yellow Monkey! And that brat! Don't think either of you is leaving here today!"
Kaido bellowed. His body began to change. Scales erupted across his skin. His frame swelled, becoming even more massive. The aura he emitted was no longer that of a beast, but a primordial predator.
This was the most powerful Zoan form—the human-beast hybrid. It combined human dexterity with the raw power and traits of the beast.
"Yikes~ That's not funny."
Feeling Kaido's transformed presence, a bead of cold sweat traced Kizaru's temple. Even his languid tone held a sliver of genuine alarm. If the previous Kaido was a fierce beast, this Kaido was an ancient calamity.
"Ridiculously strong..."
That was Satoru's most direct impression.
"Admiral Kizaru, maybe you should use your Awakened form too?"
Satoru was curious what Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit Awakening looked like.
"It is awakened~"
"Huh?"
Satoru looked at him, puzzled. He didn't see any difference.
"Paramecia and Zoan Awakenings alter the environment or the user's body~ Logia Awakening is different. It simply amplifies the fruit's existing power across the board. It's more of an overall enhancement."
Satoru nodded, understanding. Like the String-String Fruit turning surroundings to string. Logias already controlled their element.
"So Logia Awakening just boosts the fruit's base power?"
Thinking about it, Logias gained no special new ability from Awakening. But that made sense—a law of conservation. Logias started with overwhelming advantages. Awakening for other types closed that gap by granting environmental manipulation or form changes.
But Awakening wasn't easy. Many users died of old age without ever reaching it.
"Come on then, Yellow Monkey! White-haired brat!"
Kaido roared. A terrifying pressure skyrocketed.
Satoru's eyes sharpened in surprise. Kizaru had already appeared before Kaido and attacked.
Fast. Even faster than before.
Maybe others couldn't tell, but Satoru's Six Eyes saw it. Kizaru's speed had at least doubled, and this likely wasn't his limit.
Ama no Murakumo materialized in Kizaru's hand again, but this time it blazed brighter, sharper, almost humming with contained energy. Light could become laser, and lasers were devastatingly potent.
"Both of them were holding back a lot."
If the earlier Kizaru was a bright light, the current Kizaru was a focused weapon of pure destruction.
Kaido had transformed from a fierce beast into a dragon-man hybrid.
Only Satoru remained unchanged, which left him feeling a bit inadequate.
Each time Kizaru's light-blade struck Kaido, it exploded on impact, leaving behind searing, lacerating wounds. But Kaido's hybrid-form regeneration was absurd. He healed almost as fast as he was cut, wounds closing visibly.
Kizaru's fruit was powerful, but his Haki was comparatively weaker. He couldn't leave lasting injuries on Kaido. And while Kaido's healing was taxing, Kizaru in his Awakened state was burning stamina far faster.
"As expected. Relying solely on a Devil Fruit and neglecting other areas has its limits."
Satoru recalled Zephyr's teachings.
But this wasn't time for reflection. Kizaru was fast, but Satoru wasn't slow.
While Kizaru and Kaido traded blows, Satoru appeared behind the Emperor.
"Tyrant Black Flash."
A fist carrying terrifying force slammed into Kaido's scaled back.
"Don't get in the way, brat!" Kaido snarled, annoyed. Faced with a worthy opponent like Kizaru, the once-interesting Satoru was now just a nuisance.
It was the legendary case of 'out with the old, in with the new.'
Kizaru: I'd rather not be this 'new.'
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