Chapter 14: The Strongest Versus the Strongest (Part Two)

It snapped... Mihawk’s sword had actually snapped!

No... it was not so much a snap as a total pulverization. When Mihawk’s "Heaven-Breaking Slash," condensed with his sheer sword intent, collided with Kaido’s wrist, Kaido’s wrist remained completely unscathed, while the wooden sword in Mihawk’s hand was reduced to a spray of debris.

"Hmm?"

In the instant the wooden sword shattered, Mihawk could not help but lose focus for half a second. It was true that this was merely an ordinary wooden sword, the kind one could buy anywhere. But for Mihawk, the meaning it held was far from simple.

As everyone knew, the Mihawk of the original pirate legend possessed the "Yoru," one of the twelve Supreme Grade Swords, a blade second to none in the world. However, when Mihawk began his journey as a master swordsman, as the number of opponents he defeated grew, he began to toy with the idea of abandoning his blade. What kind of invincibility was it to win with the world’s finest sword? True invincibility was defeating enemies one by one with the most common wooden sword.

From then on, Mihawk purchased that wooden sword from a shop—a toy meant for children. It was this sword that validated his invincibility and his path of the sword. Only when he defeated his foes with this wooden sword could he truly savor the essence of honing his craft.

But now... the wooden sword was shattered. The myth of Mihawk’s invincibility had come to an end before Kaido. Moreover, half a second is an eternity in a battle between masters. As Mihawk stood stunned by the collapse of his invincible facade, Kaido let out a wild, wanton laugh and swung his fist again.

"Pain... I actually feel pain!"

"What an interesting swordsman. It has been a long time since I’ve encountered one as interesting as you!"

"It’s a pity... you cannot kill me!"

"Since you cannot kill me, then I shall kill you instead!"

Boom!

Twisting his wrist, Kaido took advantage of Mihawk’s daze and launched a punch directed squarely at Mihawk’s chest. Although Mihawk was the future world’s greatest swordsman, compared to monsters like Chu Yi and Kaido with their freakish physiques, his own body was merely average. If this punch landed true... Mihawk would certainly die.

It was because of this that when Chu Yi’s Observation Haki sensed the danger, he knew he would likely be severely injured himself by taking the blow. Yet, Mihawk was his friend; how could he stand by and watch him die?

So, the moment Kaido swung his fist...

"Gale Step!"

Gritting his teeth, Chu Yi threw himself in front of Mihawk, bracing his palm to catch Kaido’s incoming strike.

Immediately following...

"Puff!"

Under the immense force of Kaido’s strike, Chu Yi felt his internal organs shift. His body collapsed backward involuntarily, pinning Mihawk to the ground beneath him.

A heavy injury... undoubtedly a heavy injury. Although Chu Yi had known he would be hurt by taking the blow for Mihawk, he hadn’t expected to be so severely wounded from just a single exchange.

However, if one assumed that Chu Yi had come out on the losing end entirely... that was not necessarily the case. As he collapsed onto Mihawk, Chu Yi kicked out with his right leg.

"Sword Intent Fusion... Witness my Heaven-Breaking Kick!"

Whoosh!

Since Chu Yi had lost the ability to use his Devil Fruit and could no longer manifest the Shura Blade, he had been using his arms as improvised blades. Why couldn't he use his legs as blades to deliver the "Heaven-Breaking" strike?

As he kicked out at high speed, a thought crossed his mind: the "Tempest Kick" from the Navy’s Six Styles! He had mastered the Six Styles from Lucci, but having mastered a superior path of the sword, he had rarely used the Tempest Kick. Now, as he used his leg as a blade, he instinctively fused the technique into his strike.

The moment the "Tempest Kick" combined with the "Heaven-Breaking" sword intent, Chu Yi never expected such a strange chemical reaction.

Whoosh!

That was the sound of the kick combined with the sword intent. As the blue light of the Tempest Kick merged with the sword intent, a violent gale rose around them. The blue light transformed instantly into a brilliant, dazzling silver light!

Or rather... a sword glow!

Unlike the glow he usually produced, this combined strike stretched over a hundred meters long. When it struck Kaido’s chest, even a monster with a physique as freakish as his was forced back nearly twenty meters!

More importantly... Kaido was injured! The wound was not as severe as Chu Yi’s, but the bloodstain on his chest was impossible to hide.

"A happy accident..."

"Cough... I never imagined that an idea I had on a whim would... actually grant me another trump card!"

Chu Yi felt a sense of relief knowing he had managed to injure Kaido, something even Mihawk had failed to do. Moreover, this was only the initial fusion of the two techniques; if he could master this new "Tempest Kick," he would have another ace up his sleeve, effectively compensating for the loss of his Devil Fruit abilities.

However, beasts are not terrifying in their normal state; they are truly terrifying when wounded! Kaido, a "Beast" with a twisted psyche, showed no signs of pain or shock. Instead, he steadied his footing, dipped his finger into the crimson blood flowing from his chest, and sucked it into his mouth as if savoring a delicacy.

"This feeling..."

"Hahahaha! This feeling is truly magnificent!"

As he spoke, Kaido’s crazed gaze locked onto Chu Yi. He looked up and laughed wildly, "Shura! When I first heard your name, I knew you were someone worth finding! I am so excited. I never expected to meet you on Dark Island, and even less did I expect... that you could actually injure me!"

"Let’s play a game, shall we?"

"Shura, in my game, either you kill me, or..."

"I kill you!"

As Kaido’s voice trailed off...

"Bang!"

With his legs bent, Kaido pushed off the ground, leaping high into the air like a human bomb, crashing toward Chu Yi!

At this moment, Chu Yi wished he could use "Shinra Tensei" to blast the guy away. But unfortunately, without his fruit abilities, he couldn't use it.

So... he had to think of a way to defeat Kaido.

Ignoring Mihawk’s apologetic gaze behind him, the weakened Chu Yi slowly stood up. A burning light ignited in his eyes as he prepared to engage Kaido once more.

Unexpectedly... just as Chu Yi held his breath, ready to deliver a counterattack that the future "Four Emperors" would remember for a lifetime, Kaido’s body suddenly froze in mid-air, accompanied by a strange, twisted smile.

"Ihee-hee-hee-hee!"

"To be reasonable, since you are my enemy, then... there's no need for us to cooperate, is there?"