章 274: Chapter 273
Boom!!
The explosion of terrifying energy sent both Heracles and Kaido flying in opposite directions, their bodies crashing through the debris-filled air.
Boom~~~
The entire hall on the first floor of Skeleton Castle collapsed in an instant. The ceiling buckled and caved in, while massive stone pillars crumbled to the ground like brittle twigs.
"Oh no! The place is collapsing!"
"Damn it! Why is this fight so terrifying?!"
"Run for your lives!!"
Those with even a shred of foresight didn't waste a second. They bolted for the exits, scrambling to escape the chaos that was quickly unfolding.
Kaido, buried beneath a mound of rubble, suddenly stirred. Stones and bricks slid off his massive form as he stood up with a fierce snarl.
Boom!!
With a violent shake, Kaido threw off the remaining debris. His bloodshot eyes gleamed with excitement as he swung his mace around with ease. He stood tall, laughing wildly, "Wororororo… Fantastic! It's been so long since I've faced an opponent this strong!!"
For Kaido, battle was the ultimate thrill, an addiction he couldn't resist. It had been far too long since someone had pushed him to this level. His desire for a worthy fight burned hotter than ever.
Some said Kaido sought death across the seas, but the truth was simpler: he wanted a challenge—someone who could go toe-to-toe with him. And now, in this moment, he felt that exhilarating power from Heracles, feeding his hunger for battle.
"Hah, where is that bastard...!!" Kaido roared, his voice shaking the air as he scanned his surroundings, looking for his opponent.
His gaze fell on the fleeing pirates, and with a swift motion, he snatched one by the collar, lifting him effortlessly off the ground. "Where is the guy I was fighting?!"
The terrified pirate looked like he was on the verge of passing out, but in his panic, his body shook with uncontrollable laughter. "Hahaha!!"
"What?! Laughing?!" Kaido's eyes darkened with fury, and before the pirate could react, Kaido's massive hand struck his face with brutal force, sending him flying.
The slap nearly killed him. The pirate covered his face in pain, still unable to stop laughing despite the severity of the blow. "S-sorry, General Governor… Hahaha…"
Kaido narrowed his eyes and finally understood. The pirate was a Pleasurer—one of those unlucky enough to have eaten a defective artificial devil fruit. While some gained the power of a Zoan-type, others were cursed to laugh uncontrollably for the rest of their lives.
Glaring down at him, Kaido barked, "Where is he?!"
The Pleasurer, desperate to appease his furious leader, choked out an answer between fits of laughter. "Th-that guy... got hit by your mace and flew off!!"
Snort. Kaido flung the laughing pirate aside and stormed out of the collapsing castle. He made his way to the square, where, just as the Pleasurer had said, he spotted Heracles slowly rising from the ground.
Heracles, covered in dust, stood up like a berserker, his body shaking with unbridled fury. The moment his eyes locked onto Kaido, he let out a primal roar, a sound so deep it shook the very earth beneath them.
Black flames erupted from Heracles' skin, swirling around him like a dark storm. The sky above turned even darker, cloaked in a menacing, hellish aura. It was as if the gates of the underworld had opened, and Heracles had emerged as its champion.
"Haha!! Excellent!!" Kaido's excitement grew as he watched Heracles' transformation. His grin widened, and with a growl, he activated the power of his devil fruit.
Kaido's muscles expanded, becoming even more grotesquely large. His body was soon covered in dragon scales, shimmering in the dim light like plates of iron armor. His face stretched and contorted, growing more feral, resembling the face of a dragon. Additional horns sprouted from his head, and long, wispy dragon whiskers emerged from his jaws.
Kaido had entered his human-beast form.
But his transformation was unlike the Tobiroppo's ancient Zoan forms—Kaido was a mythical Zoan, a dragon, a beast of legend. His sheer presence sent waves of fear through the pirates who had gathered in the square, leaving them trembling and gasping for breath.
"Roar!!!"
Kaido, now in his dragon-human form, opened his mouth, and a blazing heat filled the air around him. A massive, bright red fireball began to form between his jaws.
As the fireball grew larger, the temperature in the square skyrocketed, becoming suffocatingly hot. Weaker pirates nearby were already drenched in sweat, their faces turning beet red as they gasped for air like men trapped inside a furnace.
"Oh no! Lord Kaido is about to use his dragon breath!!"
"We're doomed!! Kaido's dragon breath can annihilate entire cities in one blast! If he releases it here, we're all dead!!"
"Oh my god! We have to run!!!"
The surrounding pirates were gripped with horror, their faces pale with the dread of impending death. They had seen Kaido's dragon breath in action before, and they knew its terrifying power.
The enormous fireball spun wildly in Kaido's mouth, pulling flames from his maw like threads of molten metal. It grew to an immense size in mere moments.
"Haha! Taste my dragon's breath!!" Kaido bellowed, his voice filled with savage delight as he unleashed the fiery blast.
Boom boom!!!
The dragon's breath exploded from Kaido's mouth, a massive column of fire roaring toward Heracles like a tidal wave of molten destruction.
Heracles, however, didn't flinch. His berserker rage only intensified as the flames approached. He roared defiantly, black flames dancing around him like a demon god, and countless red lights shot up from the ground around him, forming a shield of energy.
In the next moment, Heracles' black eyes gleamed, and his entire body became encased in a dense, solid mass of flowing black flames. Gripping his serrated blade, he swung it forward with a mighty slash.
As the dragon's breath collided with Heracles' blade, something incredible happened—the massive column of fire was split in two!
Half of the blazing inferno veered off to the left of Heracles, soaring into the sky, while the other half flew to the right, disappearing into the horizon.
From above, it looked as though Kaido's dragon breath had split into two massive prongs of flame.
"Wha-what?!"
"The dragon's breath was... split in half?!"
"We... we're saved!!"
The pirates who had been ready to face their doom moments earlier suddenly erupted into cheers, their relief palpable as the dragon's breath faded into the sky.
Heracles' serrated blade stabbed into the ground with a resounding bang, helping him stay upright. The effort to split the dragon's breath had been no easy feat. His skin was charred, the searing heat having burned it beyond recognition. But even in his berserker mode, Heracles felt no pain.
Boom!
He rose to his full height, locking eyes with Kaido once more.
"What a great sandbag! You're still standing!" Heracles snarled through ragged breaths. Despite his body showing signs of wear, his spirit was undeterred. The berserker rage continued to fuel him.
Kaido, far from being deterred, was invigorated by the challenge. His eyes glimmered with wild excitement. With a wide grin, he picked up his mace, twirling it lazily in his hand.
"It's been a long time since I've had such fun in a fight!" he boomed, rubbing the weapon against his wrist in anticipation.
"Ahh!!-------"
But Heracles' fury reached its peak. He let out a bestial roar, his entire body coiling like a wild animal on the verge of pouncing. Dense beams of black and red light spiraled upward from his form, wrapping around him like tendrils of raw energy. The pressure radiating from his body surged outward like a tidal wave, suffocating the entire Skull Square in its grasp.
The pirates who had been celebrating moments ago now found themselves frozen, their faces paling. Their hearts pounded uncontrollably within their chests. What... is this?
Their terror was visceral, every heartbeat a reminder of the power they could barely comprehend.
"Nine Lives: The Shooting Hundred Heads!" Heracles shouted, his voice echoing like a primal command.
The black flames surrounding him intensified, converging toward his body. Endless torrents of terrifying energy surged into him, amplifying his already overwhelming presence.
Many of the weaker pirates couldn't withstand the weight of the murderous aura. Their eyes rolled back into their heads, and they collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth. Even some of the Gifters—those stronger and more resilient—were left trembling on the ground, overwhelmed by the intensity of Heracles' power.
In their delirium, they envied the unconscious ones. At least those pirates were spared from feeling the crushing, suffocating aura. The remaining pirates watched in terror as Heracles, like a waking prehistoric beast, charged forward with unimaginable speed.
In an instant, Heracles was upon Kaido.
With both hands gripping his serrated blade, Heracles raised it high and swung it down with all the force of a god of war. The blade, jagged and monstrous, came crashing down toward Kaido's skull.
The attack seemed simple, almost rudimentary in its execution. But with the speed and force behind it, simplicity gave way to devastating power. It was the ultimate expression of raw, unbridled strength.
Boom!!
As Heracles' blade came crashing down, the eyes of every pirate watching widened in shock.
Kaido had no time to process what was happening. Instinctively, he raised his mace to block the incoming strike.
The collision of the two weapons sent a shockwave through the square. Kaido felt as though an entire mountain had just come crashing down on him. The force was immense, shaking him to his core.
Even in his human-beast form, Kaido's legs buckled under the weight of the blow. The ground beneath him gave way, cracking as his feet were driven into the earth.
The power of Heracles' strike left Kaido stunned. If not for his Observation Haki sensing the attack in time, if he hadn't raised his mace to block it...
He knew that if he had tried to take the blow head-on with his body, he would have been dead.
Since he had managed to block it, Kaido prepared to retaliate, but before he could make a move...
His brows furrowed suddenly.
Kaido's Observation Haki screamed at him—an intense warning, far stronger than before.
What?!
Kaido looked up, and his eyes widened. Heracles, undeterred by the block, had already raised his serrated blade again. The massive weapon was coming down at him with terrifying speed.
Too fast!
There was no time to think. Kaido was forced to raise his mace once more to meet the attack. His pitch-black Haki surged out like a tidal wave, coating the mace in a protective layer.
The second strike connected, and Kaido grunted as he was pushed back, his feet sliding half a meter. The sheer power behind Heracles' relentless attacks was wearing him down.
Damn it... What kind of monster is this?!
Kaido was about to counterattack, but his Observation Haki blared again, giving him another sharp warning.
Nani???
Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, Heracles was already on him again. His serrated blade swung down in rapid, successive strikes, faster than the eye could track.
Kaido had no time to react. It was as if a thousand blades were raining down on him at once, each one faster and more powerful than the last.
The constant flashes of Heracles' blade lit up the battlefield, the sheer intensity of the strikes engulfing Kaido in a storm of violence.
The pirates watched, their eyes wide in terror as Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, was caught in a seemingly endless onslaught.
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[Read more chapter ahead at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
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