The surging shockwaves expanded and contracted, again and again...
Scarlet Bolo Breath, blue Railguns, golden laser blasts, giant black fists—
Waves of impact in every color collided wildly in the sky, intertwining into a violent tempest of air currents. Flames rolled down and smashed into the cracked earth below.
With a deafening explosion, the blast shockwaves suddenly burst outward.
The surface of the massive, imposing giant began to fracture with countless cracks, then abruptly shattered.
Bullet's figure shot out from within, crashing into the ground like a cannonball, smashing a deep crater as a line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The Pteranodon was flung away by the explosive airwave, its body engulfed in crimson flames as it slammed into a distant mountainside, blasting into the rock face and sending up a dust pillar dozens of meters high.
Daren's face paled slightly as he staggered back two steps.
At that moment, Kaidou's thunderous roar boomed from overhead.
"You two bastards...!"
Daren and Bullet's expressions shifted. They looked up sharply.
The massive black silhouette in the sea of clouds that had nearly blotted out the sun had vanished, leaving only smoke and fire swirling in the sky.
A demonic, towering figure came crashing down like a meteor, punching through the smoke and flames as it plummeted toward Daren and Bullet at terrifying speed!
Muscular arms covered in turquoise dragon scales gripped a massive spiked kanabō. In his dragon-man form, Kaidou's bloodshot eyes blazed as he roared, his long black hair thrashing wildly in the storm winds.
Countless streaks of black and red lightning burst from Kaidou's body, like dazzling yet deadly fireworks, clustering around the Hassaikai.
A vast wave of Conqueror's Haki surged down from the sky!
Conqueror's Haki—infused and unleashed!
An overwhelming pressure crashed down, suffocating and absolute.
But in Daren's eyes, a fierce and blazing light flared as he laughed with wild defiance.
"I told you not to order me around!!"
Bullet roared back, killing intent surging around him once more.
No need for a glance—they moved at the same time!
The ground beneath them collapsed half a meter as both launched skyward like cannonballs in perfect sync.
They roared in unison, their arms instantly shrouded in dark, dense, frigid Armament Haki.
Their eyes burned with madness and defiance.
The thrill of battle and slaughter—etched across their bloodstained faces!
For the past seven days, they had trained on the brink of death, endured the torment of Queen's monstrous virus, and pushed their breaking bodies through relentless sparring...
Now, all the fury and desire they'd suppressed exploded forth—completely unrestrained!
They wanted to know, with their own fists—how far were they from a monster like Kaidou of the Beasts?
From below, they struck together, punching upward to meet Kaidou's descending blow head-on!
"Kosanze Ragnaraku!!"
"Combo Technique: Retsukoku Break!!"
The massive kanabō, wrapped in black and red lightning, clashed with the two Haki-clad fists in midair. Like a comet slamming into the earth, the impact unleashed an overwhelming shockwave.
Black and red thunder roared outward, tearing through the sky and ground, distorting space itself as everything twisted and churned in chaos.
The immense shockwave crushed the ground, while cracks spread like wildfire, swallowing buildings and prisons in its path...
"How... is this possible...?"
From the rocky cliffs in the distance, the black-clad "The Conflagration" King, having returned to his human form, emerged from a deep crater in the mountain wall.
Gazing at the three figures locked midair far away, disbelief flooded his eyes beneath the black mask. A cold bead of sweat slowly rolled down his forehead as he muttered,
"Those two actually managed to block Kaidou-san's full-force strike together...?!"
Elsewhere, on the shattered, ruin-like ground, Queen—covered in smoke, his arms and tail in tatters—was staring blankly at the same scene in the distance. His eyes bulged, tongue lolled out, and jaw nearly hit the ground.
"This can't be happening!!"
In the air, the clash between Kaidou's Haki and the explosive momentum of Daren and Bullet's combined assault raged wildly, forming two spiraling cyclones of completely opposing colors.
Gripping his kanabō, Kaidou suddenly pushed down, trying to force it through with brute strength.
But the next moment, he froze. His pupils contracted, and a flash of shock flickered across his face.
How had these two become this much stronger in just a few days?!
It didn't make any sense!
He hadn't done anything to them—just locked them up in prison, with that idiot Queen in charge of watching and handling them...
Kaidou's rage-reddened, vertical pupils suddenly shrank. He snapped his head around to glare at the scorched, torn-up fat man in overalls and roared,
"Queen, you idiot!! What the hell did you do!?"
Hearing his boss's furious shout, Queen was completely dumbfounded.
All I did was embezzle a bit of supply, slack off a little, sing, dance, have some fun with women... that's it!
And I made sure to torture those two with viruses like clockwork! Left them half-dead and begging for mercy, didn't I?
Seeing Queen's aggrieved face, Kaidou nearly coughed up blood in rage.
The deadlock finally broke.
With a thunderous boom, a massive shockwave erupted from their clash. Kaidou's body was blown backward.
Daren and Bullet both turned pale, blood spilling from their mouths as they crashed into the ground below.
Dust and smoke billowed and twisted through the air, completely obscuring everyone's vision.
Kaidou's feet carved deep furrows in the earth as he skidded back dozens of meters before grinding to a stop, panting slightly with his kanabō still in hand.
Suddenly, a faint blue arc flashed almost imperceptibly through the sky.
Kaidou's eyes narrowed, blood vessels bursting in his pupils as he whipped his head around.
From the direction of the distant factory complex, faint blue arcs began flickering across the surfaces of the towering black chimneys.
The massive chimneys twisted and compressed like wrung cloth!
Collapse followed instantly, and the overwhelming heat that had been sealed within detonated the furnaces below.
Like an enormous string of supercharged firecrackers igniting all at once, the entire industrial zone—built with countless resources and manpower, the very core of the Beasts Pirates' supply lines—erupted into flames amidst Kaidou's furious roar!
Towering fireballs shot into the sky. Within the raging sea of fire, the collapsing furnaces triggered chain explosions from the stored gunpowder and ammunition, bursting into molten jets of flame.
The entire island turned into a blazing hellscape. The sky burned scarlet as the world was consumed by fire...
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