"What happened!?"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three figures arrived on Onigumo's warship simultaneously—the other three Vice Admirals participating in the mission.
When Onigumo and his comrades saw Kaido leap out of the hole, their pupils constricted. They thought to themselves, This is troublesome.
Only Vice Admiral Tsuru looked calm, though her thoughts were uneasy. She had just left Uchiha Chiga's quarters not long ago—he'd said he was going to take a nap. And now, Kaido just so happened to appear?
The Kaido, transformed from a Wood Clone, didn't waste time. His fist, clad in Busoshoku Haki, smashed toward Onigumo, who was closest.
Onigumo didn't dare be careless. He immediately drew his katana and blocked the strike.
But the strike, bolstered by the Asura Fruit's power, was too much. His sword shattered on impact, and Onigumo was sent flying, slamming into the ship's railing.
Seeing their comrade fall, the other Vice Admirals exchanged glances, activated Soru, and charged together.
"Kaido" laughed heartily. His muscles bulged as he swept his arm to the side.
Bang!
One Vice Admiral was knocked aside, following Onigumo.
Another Vice Admiral launched a counterattack, utilizing his Life Return technique. With six swords held in his hair and two more in his hands, he slashed at Kaido's back.
Clang!
The metallic sound rang out, but Kaido remained unharmed.
This wasn't mere invincibility—the clone only had half the strength of the original. But combined with the Asura Fruit's formidable physique and the Asura Path's temporary mechanization, it was more than enough.
Kaido narrowed his eyes, grabbed one of the Vice Admiral's arms, and yanked him forward like a rag doll.
Eyes wide with fear, the Vice Admiral barely reacted before he was slammed into the deck.
Boom!
A crater shaped like a man with eight arms formed on the warship's surface.
Kaido lifted him again, observing the pitiful sight—nose smashed, blood dripping from his forehead. His arm hung limp, likely broken, though he remained barely conscious.
"Damn, did I go too far?" Kaido muttered, a bead of sweat trailing down his temple. Even if this guy was arrogant, he was still a Vice Admiral.
Taking advantage of the moment, Kaido placed a hand on the Vice Admiral's head and used the Human Path's ability to extract the location of the Ope Ope no Mi from his memory.
Meanwhile, the remaining Vice Admirals regrouped, preparing to strike again. Even Tsuru folded her arms, clearly readying her Wash-Wash Fruit ability.
Kaido didn't want to keep this up. With only half his power, it was too easy to seriously injure them.
And Tsuru… Chiga would never hurt her.
Thinking this, Kaido roared:
"Too weak! Get lost!"
He flung one Vice Admiral back toward the warship and leapt after him.
The Vice Admirals trembled. They knew the Ope Ope no Mi was still aboard their ship—but stopping Kaido now was beyond them.
One turned to Tsuru. "Let's go to Vice Admiral Chiga's warship. He's the only one who can stop this Kaido."
Tsuru frowned. The more she watched, the more she suspected this wasn't Kaido. She'd just left Chiga's room… Could he have made this clone?
And why wasn't she attacked?
If this was the real Kaido, since when did he spare women and the elderly?
Still, if this was Chiga, wasn't he off his ship?
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, please—we need Chiga. Even if he's not in good condition!"
"But—"
"I'm fine! Let me handle it!"
A voice rang out. Everyone turned.
Chiga's ship was nearby. On the bow, Kalifa and Ain supported Chiga between them. His face looked pale.
Onigumo and the others felt ashamed.
Ain had nearly activated her ability out of panic, purple flames ready on her hands, before Chiga stopped her. He feared her emotional spike might trigger an unwanted awakening or regression.
He'd explained that he was faking it. She calmed down, now amused by his act.
Chiga glared subtly at her, and she pouted, quieting down.
Kalifa, on the other hand, remained steady. She knew her boss well. Whether or not she'd been told the truth, she knew Chiga wouldn't appear weak unless there was a reason.
Tsuru said nothing, her eyes scanning the women before settling on Chiga's face.
Noticing her stare, Chiga wondered, Did I mess up my act? Isn't it convincing enough?
Still, he committed to the performance. Releasing Ain and Kalifa's shoulders, he activated his Deva Path ability and slowly floated toward Tsuru's warship.
Onigumo looked like he wanted to catch him in midair, worried he'd fall into the sea.
Seeing this, he sighed. "How about… we just hand over the Op Op no Mi? This is beyond our mission now—even Kaido's involved."
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