Kaido, transformed into his Dragon-Man form, slowly descended from the sky, his gaze fixed earnestly on Allen.
Francis Allen—this name had reached his ears as early as two years ago.
As soon as he entered the Grand Line, he forged a formidable reputation, and after Crocodile's arrest, he was recognized by the World Government and recruited as a Warlord of the Sea.
Upon entering the New World, he was hailed as the strongest rookie in history, touted as the contender most likely to replace Whitebeard and claim the title of Emperor of the Sea.
At that time, Kaido hadn't paid him much mind. After all, the pirates flooding into the New World every year were countless.
Those highly favored at the start wouldn't necessarily go the farthest, and those who stood out in the New World weren't always the Supernovas who enjoyed fleeting fame.
Kaido merely thought of Allen as a rookie with decent potential.
And for a rookie like that, challenging the overlords of the New World was only a matter of time. If they ever crossed paths, he might consider taking him under his wing.
He had always done this with promising rookies: utterly shattering their arrogant mindsets and dreams of becoming the Pirate King with absolute power, then subjugating them.
That was until a year ago, when news of Linlin's death arrived.
Upon learning that she had been defeated by Allen, Kaido's attitude toward this unseen rookie completely shifted.
"At first, I couldn't believe Linlin actually fell at the hands of a rookie. But looking at it now, it seems I underestimated you."
"So, what is your goal? Entering the Grand Line and walking step by step to get here... what do you want to become, and what do you want to obtain?"
Kaido's voice was deep and heavy. He raised his kanabō, pointing it at Allen as he demanded,
"Power, fame, wealth, or that title of Pirate King that countless pirates madly pursue?"
"Is this supposed to be a duel declaration? Don't be so boring, Kaido,"
Allen replied, his face completely unfazed as he pointed his halberd straight at Kaido. "Only the one left standing at the end has the right to ask questions from a high horse. Show me what you've got and bring it on."
"Heh, don't get too arrogant, you brat."
Kaido's mouth curled into a grin. "But you're right. Only the one left standing has the right to spout nonsense, while the loser..."
He paused, tightening his grip on his kanabō. His gaze sharpened, and he suddenly accelerated, charging forward!
"Just needs to lie on the ground and answer obediently!"
Kaido roared as he closed the distance to Allen. Conqueror's Haki wrapped around his kanabō as he rapidly swung it in every direction around Allen, creating an inescapable space!
"Gundari: Dragon Swarm!!"
Black lightning flashed violently as the kanabō swung continuously, creating countless afterimages that completely sealed off every direction Allen could dodge, leaving absolutely no blind spots!
However.
His evasion was far from being limited by space!
"Shadow Paper Art!!"
Allen split into countless afterimages. At this moment, his body seemed to turn ethereal. Attack after attack struck his figure, only to pass through without any resistance and smash into the ground!
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!
The continuous barrage shattered the ground, sending massive amounts of rubble flying in all directions and kicking up endless clouds of dust.
If Paper Art was a technique that made the body as supple as paper to sense changes in airflow and dodge in advance...
Then Allen's body right now had become exactly like a shadow—formless, intangible, and completely devoid of a physical body!
Kaido's brow furrowed heavily.
Allen's figure flickered continuously, letting the kanabō obliterate one afterimage after another. It looked as though his body no longer existed in this dimension.
Once Kaido's breath was exhausted...
A gleam of crimson flashed in Allen's eyes. The Homie energy beads emitted an intertwined red and blue light, and the halberd's blade instantly ignited with flames while violent lightning coiled around it!
"Lightning Flame Halberd: Dragon Spear!!"
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Seizing the opportunity, Allen raised his halberd and thrust it continuously! The blade whistled with ear-piercing screeches as it tore through the air, every strike carrying Haki and the combined energy of lightning and fire!
Kaido's pupils shrank in surprise as he quickly brought his kanabō across his chest to defend.
Clang!! Clang!! Clang!!
Thrust after thrust was blocked, but quite a few still landed on Kaido's body, sending sprays of blood splashing into the air.
Combined with the high-temperature energy, the sharp blade surpassed the hardness of steel. It could even tear through his invulnerable dragon scales, leaving gashes across Kaido's shoulders, limbs, and torso!
However, for Kaido, whose physique was terrifying and whose vitality was astonishingly immense, scratches of this degree couldn't even be considered injuries.
He only bothered to guard against attacks that could potentially cause severe damage, allowing Allen's halberd to pierce other inconsequential areas.
The moment the storm-like barrage of thrusts ended, Kaido immediately seized the chance to counterattack!
His dragon tail swiftly whipped out from behind him, wrapping around Allen's right leg to prevent him from dodging. He raised his kanabō high with both hands, infusing the weapon with Conqueror's Haki as black lightning suddenly erupted.
"Roaring Thunder Bagua!!"
Kaido roared, bringing the kanabō down from above with a vicious smash accompanied by violent lightning!
Allen reacted quickly, raising his halberd horizontally above his head!
Clang!!
The heavy, momentum-filled strike crashed onto the halberd. Allen felt as if an entire mountain was pressing down on his head.
—Boom!!!
The immense force transferred down to his feet, causing the ground to suddenly shatter and collapse into a massive circular crater. Allen's entire lower legs were driven straight into the earth.
Kaido curled his lips into a savage grin. He swung his kanabō behind him, concentrating all of his Haki to wrap around the weapon.
"Daiitoku...!!"
But before he could swing it, Allen had already driven his halberd vertically into the ground!
"Rock Halberd: Lion's Fang!!"
The next second.
The ground beneath Kaido's feet shook violently. Over a dozen massive, sharp rock spikes suddenly erupted from both sides, resembling the gaping maw of a lion exposing two rows of fangs as it viciously bit down!
Boom!!
Dozens of thick rock spikes crisscrossed and snapped shut tightly. Each one was comparable to a six-story building, burying Kaido on the spot!
However, barely a second later.
Boom!!
A beam of crimson Blast Breath pierced through, blasting a massive hole in the pile of rocks before hurtling toward Allen's position with undiminished might.
Everything in the path of the Blast Breath was obliterated, leaving a massive trench stretching for thousands of meters across the earth. A faint crimson glow emanated from the trench, and wisps of white smoke rose from the scorched ground.
Boom!!
With another loud crash, the rock pile collapsed, and Kaido's figure burst out from the rubble.
However, when he looked toward where Allen had just been, there was no longer anyone in sight.
Kaido's expression darkened. He spread his Observation Haki and immediately caught a figure rapidly approaching from above, prompting him to look up sharply.
Allen had sprouted a pair of large, pitch-black wings on his back. With fierce flames propelling him from behind, he was dive-bombing at high speed!
"Demolition Gust!!"
Kaido opened his mouth and spat out a massive barrage of wind blades, shooting into the sky like a dense swarm of kamaitachi slashes!
"Lightning Flame Halberd: Flying Dragon!!"
Facing wind blades powerful enough to tear through armor and weapons alike, Allen let out a deep roar. He hurled his halberd, which was wrapped in lightning and flames, with all his might!
Swish—!
The halberd transformed into a crimson comet as it plummeted! It scattered the wind blades and shot down toward the earth with unyielding momentum!
Boom!!!
The immense energy violently detonated. Lightning rampaged wildly, and the fiery shockwave erupted across the ground like a nuclear explosion!