Kaido was smashed right into the ground by Carlos.
The earth caved in, leaving a deep, man-shaped crater.
Even the curved horns on Kaido's head were clearly visible along the perfectly neat rim of the pit.
That single slam from Carlos jolted the dazed Kaido wide awake.
Blood still dripping from his nose and mouth, he propped himself up in a rage and glared at Carlos.
"Carlos, you bastard—"
Boom!
Carlos's swinging arm cut the words short.
With Kaido's ankle still gripped in his right hand, Carlos yanked him out of the hole and slammed him into the ground on the opposite side.
Another human-shaped crater appeared.
This time Kaido landed face-first.
Mouth full of dirt, he could only push against the ground, struggling to break free.
But Carlos was just getting started.
"Huaaah—!"
With a wild yell he swung Kaido by the ankle like a flail, pounding the surrounding ground again and again.
The already ruined ground was quickly reduced to an even sorrier mess under Kaido's body.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth shook continuously.
Cracks spread in every direction.
The entire island seemed to tremble.
After dozens of swings Kaido was dizzy, limp, coughing blood.
A few punches along the way shattered several of his ribs.
Only after several dozen more smashes—when Kaido had no strength left and not a shred of temper—did Carlos roar and hurl him away like a shot-put.
The man traced a perfect arc across the broken landscape and crashed head-first into the seaside embankment at Rocky Port.
"Tough bastard—still not dead after all that?"
Carlos couldn't help marveling at Kaido's cockroach-like vitality.
He glanced at the spiked club lying in the dust nearby.
Walking over, he picked it up, spread his wings, and drifted leisurely toward Kaido.
Certain that Kaido was at least crippled if not dead, Carlos planned to give him a good thrashing with his own club—
—only to stare slack-jawed as Kaido, still planted upside-down in the shore, suddenly pressed his hands to the ground and yanked his head free.
Without a backward glance he dived straight into the sea.
Splash!
A geyser of water burst over the harbor.
Kaido's huge frame shot toward the depths like a fish.
Carlos gaped at the speed.
He'd never imagined that before eating a Devil Fruit, Kaido had been a champion swimmer.
That underwater sprint could rival an ordinary Fishman.
Several kilometers away, on a pirate ship, a white-mustached man leaning on a huge naginata narrowed his red-tinted eyes, sensing Rocky Port with Observation Haki.
"It's been at least three hours since that rookie Kaido started his rampage…"
"Why is the fight still going?"
"Is this Kaido really that strong, or has Samuro been holding back?"
He had never seen Kaido.
Although two powerful auras reached him through Observation Haki, he couldn't tell which belonged to the rookie he sought.
After a careful check he lifted the telescope at his side toward the port.
Just then he saw Kaido plunge into the sea—and, close behind, winged Carlos in pursuit.
Spotting the spiked club in Carlos's hand and recalling the horned oni giant who'd just dived overboard, the blond man froze.
"Er…"
"Which of those two is Kaido?"
Above the harbor Carlos accelerated, golden vertical pupils contracting as he peered through the dark water and barely caught the rapidly fleeing Kaido.
"Hey, Kaido!"
"You bastard, abandoning your own weapon?!"
He roared, though he doubted the sound could reach the depths.
Kaido's dive was fast; within seconds Carlos lost sight of him.
Red light flickered in Carlos's eyes as he tried to use Observation Haki to track him, but the chaotic deep and countless fish badly disrupted the search.
His Haki was not yet strong enough.
Still, no frustration showed on Carlos's face—only amusement.
"Poor Kaido, how long can you hold your breath?"
He flapped higher, rising a hundred meters above the sea, and swept his golden gaze across the surface.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Twenty!
After nearly half an hour his pupils snapped toward one spot, a teasing grin forming.
"So you finally have to surface?"
"Hah, Kaido, you sure can hold it!"
Two hundred-odd meters away a cluster of bubbles broke; a horned bald head burst up gasping.
Before Kaido could catch his breath something gripped the skin at the back of his neck.
He stiffened, turned, and saw two glaring red points in the sky.
"Damn—that move again!"
Cursing, he inhaled and dove—
But the strike came faster than he expected.
Shoom!
Two blood-red laser beams lanced from Carlos's eyes, crossed the distance in an instant, and struck Kaido square in the back.
The impact shot him downward like a cannonball, searing pain blazing across his muscles.
The crimson rays blazed so hot that even the seawater above boiled, bubbles surging upward in clouds of steam.
The lasers lasted a full dozen seconds before Carlos hovered over the bubbling surface, red light flashing again as he sent Observation Haki into the depths.
"Found you!"