Capítulo 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.
=========================
[Read more chapter ahead at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
=========================
Capítulo 275: Chapter 274
This is the ability of Heracles' Noble Phantasm, God Hands / Twelve Labours—an ultimate technique that Heracles used to kill the Hydra in his legend. It represents his mastery over all weapons and his ability to unleash a barrage of devastating strikes. In the Fate series, it manifests in various forms depending on the weapon he wields, capable of overwhelming any opponent with repeated, precise blows.
Boom!!
Kaido slammed into the ground, blood oozing from his battered body.
"Lord Governor!!!"
"Boss Kaido!!"
The surrounding pirates were in a frenzy, their voices tinged with panic as they watched Kaido, their indomitable leader, reduced to a beaten figure.
Kaido's body twitched, but he pushed himself up, hands braced against the ground. Slowly, he sat up, a frown creasing his face as he examined himself.
With his awakened Zoan Devil Fruit ability, his wounds were healing at an alarming rate. In mere moments, the gashes and bruises were closing up, skin knitting back together. But then, his gaze fell on one wound—a jagged scar still visible on his chest.
Um? Kaido's frown deepened as his fingers traced the scar. The rest of his injuries had vanished, but this one remained, a reminder of Heracles' final strike.
"He... actually left a scar..." Kaido muttered, his eyes darkening with emotion.
The last time Kaido had been scarred was eighteen years ago, at the hands of Kozuki Oden, who had been at the peak of his power then. Back then, Kaido was still growing into his strength, but now... now Kaido had reached the zenith of his power, and yet—this.
Heracles had left his mark.
Kaido's anger flared. Completely furious, he clenched his fist around his mace, the bloodlust rising in his veins.
"Good! You actually made me feel pain!" Kaido stood up with a roar, hefting his mace in both hands. "Now I'll let you feel it too!"
His hands tightened around the weapon as black Conqueror's Haki surged through the mace, infusing it with destructive energy. At the same time, purple lightning crackled across its surface, snaking and arcing wildly.
"Conqueror of Three Worlds: Ragnaraku!!"
Kaido leapt high into the air, his massive form silhouetted against the broken sky. The weight of his presence felt like a force of nature as he ascended to the highest point, both hands gripping the mace as he prepared to strike.
Whoosh!!
It appeared to be a simple downward smash, but it was loaded with unimaginable power. The air rippled, and the space around him began to destabilize.
Crackling...
Suddenly, cracks appeared in the very fabric of space, expanding rapidly like spiderwebs across the air. Strong winds from the dimensional rift howled fiercely, making the entire battlefield tremble in the presence of the unleashed power.
Heracles, still recovering from releasing his Noble Phantasm God Hands, was in a vulnerable state. But instinct took over, and he met Kaido's attack with his serrated blade.
The roles were reversed now—Kaido was the attacker, Heracles the defender.
Boom!!
Kaido's mace came crashing down with a resounding explosion of energy, purple ripples connecting sky and earth. The sheer impact split the clouds in two, even the sky seemed to fracture under the weight of the blow.
The ground beneath Heracles gave way. His legs sank, calves disappearing into the earth. Yet, despite the overwhelming force, his eyes burned with a fierce, unrelenting light.
"AHHH!!!-------"
Heracles roared, his muscles swelling with power as he pushed back against Kaido's attack. With a powerful thrust, he shoved Kaido's mace away, the force of his push sending shockwaves through the battlefield.
Just as Heracles was preparing to launch his next attack, Logan's voice rang out, cutting through the chaos: "Enough, Heracles! That's enough for now!"
The once-violent warrior suddenly went still. It was as if a switch had been flipped, and the relentless berserker rage that had driven him ceased instantly.
At the sound of Logan's command, Kaido turned his head toward Onigashima Port, where a group of figures was approaching. Leading them was a young man wearing a straw hat and a handsome youth at his side. It was from this young man that the voice had come.
"Thank you for your hard work. You can rest now, Heracles," Logan instructed calmly.
At Heracles' feet, a glowing red hexagram teleportation circle appeared. Red light pulsed through the array as Heracles' form began to dissolve, vanishing into the magic circle until he disappeared entirely.
Logan and the others had been watching the entire battle between Kaido and Heracles from a distance. Logan had seen enough to confirm that Heracles' strength was comparable to Kaido's. However, if the two were to fight to a conclusion, it would likely take ten days and nights of relentless combat.
And Logan had no interest in wasting time on such a prolonged and exhausting ordeal.
"The Straw Hat Pirates..." Kaido rumbled as his eyes locked onto Luffy's iconic straw hat. He immediately recognized the group. Memories of the Straw Hat Pirates' impressive performance during the Battle of Marineford flooded his mind. Though they were a rookie crew, their power was anything but ordinary.
"Is that guy part of your crew?" Kaido asked, his confusion evident as he looked around for Heracles' presence, only to find none.
Luffy scratched his head, glancing at Logan.
"I guess so~~" Logan shrugged with a playful smile. "To be precise, he's just a subordinate I hired. He works for me."
Kaido's face twitched in disbelief. A hired worker? Strong enough to match him in battle? Is there no law anymore?
If workers like that existed, Kaido thought bitterly, I'll hire them all!
"So, it's you—Straw Hat Pirates—who've come to cause trouble today?" Kaido stood up again, dusting himself off. Though he hadn't gained the upper hand in the battle, his pride as one of the Four Emperors refused to acknowledge defeat. He wasn't about to be looked down upon by a crew of young pirates.
"It's not that we're here to cause trouble," Logan replied, stepping forward with a disarming smile. His tone was calm, almost friendly, as if he were discussing a simple transaction. "We just came to borrow something from you."
"Borrow something?" Kaido sneered. "That's not how pirates operate."
"You misunderstand!" Logan raised his hands lightly, then pointed at Luffy. "See, this is our captain—the future Pirate King! We've already collected two pieces of the Road Poneglyph, and it just so happens that you have one here."
Kaido's eyes narrowed as Logan continued.
"We don't want to take it from you. We just need to make a copy. The original stone tablet stays with you."
Kaido chuckled darkly. "Worororo... Do you think it's that simple? There are only four Road Poneglyphs in existence."
Luffy, ever eager, jumped in. "What's the problem? We just want to talk about it!"
But Kaido's rage boiled over. "Idiots! Have you forgotten who I am? I am Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, the strongest creature in the world! You can't just walk in here and expect me to hand things over! Do I have no dignity?!"
Logan's expression darkened. "So, you'd rather die than cooperate?"
Kaido snarled, his entire body beginning to shift as he transformed into his full dragon form, flames erupting from his massive frame.
"DIE? You bastards think too highly of yourselves!" Kaido roared as his dragon form ascended into the air, flames swirling around him.
"Rising Dragon: Flame Bagua!!"
Hovering above Onigashima, Kaido's dragon tail swept across Skeleton Castle, melting stone walls into molten slag. The flames surrounding him burned hotter than any normal fire, more intense than magma.
"Who's first?" Kaido roared, looking down at the Straw Hat Pirates.
Logan raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "Everyone. Attack."
"YES!!"
The Straw Hat Pirates, well-practiced in group combat, laughed as they rushed forward, launching an all-out assault.
Kaido blinked in surprise. What the hell? These kids have no moral principles!
"Hell Chains!!" Brook called, riding his Soul Chariot high into the sky, helped by Nami's floating card. He swung his chains, wrapping them around Kaido's massive form.
"Idiot! Chains are useless against a dragon's flames!" Kaido sneered, fully expecting the chains to melt within seconds.
One second passed, then two, then three... but the chains remained intact.
"What?!" Kaido roared, his eyes widening in shock as the chains continued to bind him.
At that moment, a surge of hellfire spread along the chains, engulfing Kaido in a blaze that burned not just his body—but his soul.
Kaido screamed in pain, the hellfire scorching him in ways no ordinary flame could.
"A star falling from the sky!!" Usopp shouted, pulling out the God Killer Star. A beam of light containing immense spiritual pressure descended from the heavens, manifesting into a sword of judgment, crashing toward Kaido.
Kaido's Observation Haki caught the invisible sword just in time. He whipped his tail, coated in Armament Haki, to meet it.
When the two forces collided, a powerful wave of energy rippled out, leaving Kaido's physical body unharmed. But...
Kaido's soul was twisted in agony. Again with the soul!
"That sword... cut through my soul!"
=========================
[Read more chapter ahead at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
=========================
Status de energia semanal
200+ Ranking de
Poder 
12 Pedra de
Poder Você também pode gostar
Comentário de parágrafo