บท 68: 68. Escape
Bang bang!
In the mist-filled sea, an air of mystery envelops the surroundings. A colossal creature, akin to a burly figure, and two individuals—one towering and the other smaller—are engaged in a fierce battle.
Kaido's entire body bore scorched marks, purple thunder encircling him, and his massive dragon head intermittently released hot breath. Empowered by Conqueror's Haki, the armament-colored 'Hassaikai ' wielded by him carried a staggering force with every swing. In the presence of someone with a feeble will, merely suppressing their courage could lead them to foam at the mouth and tumble into the sea.
Sakazuki and Atlas worked in harmony, flanking Kaido. Sakazuki's arms remained transformed into massive lava appendages, and there seemed to be a formidable explosive power brewing within his body. He sporadically assaulted Kaido with the Meigo (Dark Hound).
On the other hand, Atlas was cloaked in armament haki, and his stature had diminished to approximately two meters. The armament haki enveloping his body appeared darker, the black lines at the corners of his eyes slightly curled, extending to his forehead, and his arms exhibited a peculiar swelling. The punches were delivered with such rapidity that they generated numerous sparks in the air.
Kaido grew irritated by Atlas's persistent harassment. He roared, pivoting to swing, but only connected with a cluster of afterimages. Atlas's two-meter body exhibited incredible speed, continuously maneuvering in the air with remarkable agility.
Atlas is now on the verge of tension, and his haki manifestation has reached its limit state. Despite being constrained by Sakazuki, Atlas still dares not underestimate Kaido.
Even though Kaido's use of Conqueror's Haki didn't appear particularly skillful, Atlas found his mind momentarily clouded each time he was struck by it.
Meigo
Another Meigo imprinted itself on Kaido's chest, instantly shattering him into pieces, yet he recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye. This scene repeated countless times during the day and night of the battle. Zoan's ability awakening proved exceptionally formidable, especially considering Kaido's Fish-Fish Fruit, an awakening of a more potent mythical zoan species.
What irritates Kaido the most is that Atlas seems akin to a Zoan fruit awakener. With his formidable self-healing capability and boundless physical strength, he appears almost monstrous.
"Kid! I'll give you another opportunity to become my subordinate!"
It must be acknowledged that, in the pirate world, Kaido can be considered a model of polite recruitment. He highly values talent and seems almost inclined to enlist anyone he encounters. Decline the offer? A single Raimei Hakke will make you join him.
"Kaido!! You're not worthy! I aim to become the strongest man in the world!"
Atlas stared unwaveringly at Kaido, and a potent aura emanated from his body, reaching into the sky!
"The Strongest Man?"
Kaido was momentarily taken aback, then grinned, "Worororo, what a... formidable spirit!"
Dai Funka(Great Eruption)
The colossal lava fist surged toward Kaido once more at high speed. The temperature was so intense that it scorched the air, almost distorting it. Kaido sensed a wave of heat approaching his face and dared not underestimate it. He grasped the Hassaikai in his hand and delivered a sweeping strike.
Raimei Hakke (Thunderous Eight Trigrams)
Boom boom boom!
The powerful impact jolted both of them backward!
As Kaido regained his footing, Atlas's fist struck him accurately. Before the fist fully connected with Kaido, a blood-red Haki surged forth. Kaido lost his center of gravity and nearly tumbled into the sea.
While falling into the sea wouldn't lead to immediate drowning for Kaido like it would for other ability users, he would be left with limited mobility on the ocean floor, rendering him incapable of fighting.
"Kid! That's not sufficient! With your strength, do you still aspire to dethrone Whitebeard from the title of the world's strongest?"
While Kaido doesn't underestimate Whitebeard in the least, it can be argued that Whitebeard currently possesses the capability to genuinely threaten him. The terrifying destructive power of the Quake-Quake Fruit makes Kaido wary. Of course, escaping would be a straightforward task for Kaido.
Soon, Akainu and Kaido resumed their joint battle. The clash between the foremost figures in the pirate world was essentially a test of endurance. While there might be some disparity between Akainu and Kaido, the difference could be considered relatively minimal.
Huhuhu~
After hundreds of rounds, Kaido and Akainu were gradually growing fatigued, but they had certainly not reached the point of exhaustion. Despite the considerable energy expenditure from their previous powerful moves, both being seasoned veterans allowed them to maintain measured control over their physical strength.
Surprisingly, both Akainu and Kaido noticed that Atlas still appeared remarkably composed. In this battle, even though Atlas wasn't the primary combatant, he had endured countless attacks from Kaido. Consequently, his physical expenditure was no less than that of the two main contenders. However, what was unsettling was that their auras continued to surge, indicating that they weren't even depleting much physical strength.
Genkotsu Cannon (Fist Cannon)
Suddenly, a massive cannonball struck from below the three of them, its target being Kaido, who was positioned in the sky!
"Garp!!??"
Kaido was slightly taken aback. Unanticipatedly, Garp arrived to provide assistance. Presumably, the soldiers on Akainu's ship sought Garp's aid through the Den Den Mushi. Kaido swiftly transformed into a massive azure dragon, ascended into the clouds with his four claws, exhaled a scorching breath downward, and then soared into the sky. He departed, vanishing into the clouds.
Kaido is exceptionally astute. If Garp joins the fray, the balance would tilt heavily in favor of the Marines. This is the main stage of New World dominance, and being captured by the Marines would pose quite a problem.
Sakazukiand Atlas made no attempt to hinder Kaido's escape. In his azure dragon form, Kaido possessed the means to elude anyone if he so desired.
"Hahahaha! Atlas, I didn't think your strength would grow so fast in a few years!"
As Akainu and Atlas landed on Garp's ship using Geppo, Garp promptly approached and slapped Atlas on the shoulder enthusiastically. With his mouth full of donuts, he held out his greasy hands, wiping almost all the grease onto Atlas's tattered justice cloak.
"Haha, Vice Admiral Garp, I appreciate your commendation. It's all thanks to Vice Admiral Sakazuki that I could endure for so long," Atlas replied.
Sakazuki couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth upon hearing this.
Observing all the people around, Atlas called out "Vice Admiral Garp" in a dignified manner. Simultaneously, he shifted his body, evading Garp's greasy hands.
"Sakazuki! Let's return to the G-5 base first and discuss this battle. Oh, and by the way, Tsuru is there too!"
Garp turned to Sakazuki and said.
Now, Garp is the commander of the G-5 Base! He can be considered the overall commander of this New World operation. Of course, his responsibility is solely in combat, and all strategic matters fall under Vice Admiral Tsuru.
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