Chapter 72: Kaido’s Delight! Whitebeard Sends the Wildfire Flying with a Single Slash!

The patrol grunts hadn’t even had time to react.

Suddenly, a powerful force swept over them.

Their eyes rolled back, and they instantly lost consciousness.

Even the squad leaders and higher-ranking officers suffered the same fate. At most, they managed a few groans before collapsing to the ground, unable to rise again.

The Flying Six fared slightly better, but the sudden shockwave of Haki still left their heads throbbing with pain.

Confusion filled their minds.

Why would Lord Kaido suddenly release such overwhelming Haki?

Had some emergency occurred?

However, news soon reached them.

The source of the Haki wasn’t Kaido.

The moment they learned the truth, panic spread throughout Onigashima.

"This is bad! Whitebeard is here! Everyone, get up!"

Bao Huang, the "eyes" of Onigashima, was the first to spot Whitebeard and immediately relayed the information through her surveillance network.

Meanwhile, Kaido had been immersed in an alcohol-induced haze.

But Whitebeard’s earth-shaking Conqueror’s Haki struck like lightning splitting the night sky, instantly dragging him out of his drunken stupor.

His eyes snapped open.

Anger and surprise flashed within them.

"Which suicidal bastard dares cause trouble on my turf?!"

Roaring furiously, Kaido rose to his feet, his massive body trembling with excitement and rage.

He grabbed his kanabo, Hassaikai, preparing to meet the intruder head-on.

Then—

A familiar yet overwhelmingly powerful presence reached him.

His movements halted.

"Wait... this Haki..."

A grin slowly spread across his face.

"It’s Whitebeard!"

The hostility in his eyes transformed into excitement.

His heartbeat accelerated.

Every cell in his body seemed to come alive.

This was the thrill of facing a worthy opponent.

"Hahaha! Whitebeard! I knew you’d come!"

Kaido burst into laughter, his voice overflowing with anticipation.

As he laughed, his body underwent a dramatic transformation.

His muscles swelled.

Azure dragon scales spread across his skin.

A pair of enormous dragon horns erupted from his forehead.

His hands transformed into razor-sharp claws.

A long dragon tail unfurled behind him.

ROOOOAR!!!

A deafening dragon’s roar shook the entire island.

The roof above him exploded apart.

Tiles and debris scattered in every direction.

Kaido transformed into a colossal Azure Dragon and soared into the sky.

"WHITEBEARD! YOU FINALLY CAME!!!"

His thunderous voice echoed across all of Onigashima.

The announcement of a battle that would shake the world.

Outside, the atmosphere was tense and oppressive.

Suddenly—

An enraged roar shattered the silence like a bolt of thunder.

The sound carried endless fury and excitement, as though it wished to tear the world apart.

Hearing it, Whitebeard paused the release of his Conqueror’s Haki.

He looked toward the massive dragon rising into the sky.

A cold smile appeared on his face.

There was disdain in that smile.

And confidence.

Confidence that his plan was proceeding perfectly.

Then, Whitebeard quietly nodded toward the figures hidden below, waiting for their chance to act.

The simple gesture was enough.

Everyone immediately understood.

They moved out according to the plan without making a sound.

If someone had been looking down from the sky at that moment, they would have witnessed a strange scene.

Countless tiny but dazzling streaks of light—formed from lightning and glowing particles—darted between hidden structures throughout Onigashima before disappearing from sight.

At the same time—

One of the Three All-Stars, King the Wildfire, shot onto the battlefield like a black bolt of lightning.

King had already been stationed on Onigashima.

Combined with his exceptional physique, he had suffered the least from Whitebeard’s Conqueror’s Haki.

As soon as the pressure eased, he was the first to arrive.

"Whitebeard! You really came!"

King had witnessed Whitebeard’s lightning powers before.

He knew Whitebeard was genuinely a Three-Devil-Fruit User.

Rumors claimed Whitebeard’s body had long since deteriorated.

That he was terminally ill.

That he relied on medication every day just to stay alive.

Yet now—

Whitebeard looked even healthier than the last time King had seen him.

Such overwhelming vitality convinced King that Whitebeard possessed a Zoan ability as well.

Perhaps even Marco’s Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix.

However, King had never personally witnessed Whitebeard fighting at full strength.

And with Kaido still approaching from behind, he had a responsibility to gauge Whitebeard’s power first.

After all, they were facing a legendary monster.

One reckless mistake could result in irreversible losses.

"King the Wildfire..."

Whitebeard muttered.

Originally, he hadn’t intended to waste time on King.

In his eyes, this opponent wasn’t worth using his full strength against.

But Ron’s warning—and the mission itself—had changed his mind.

Every minute he occupied the enemy meant an additional minute for his sons to search and prepare.

’Dragging things out only wastes time.’

’A single slash is much faster.’

The thought crossed Whitebeard’s mind.

And he acted immediately.

Before anyone could react—

His body transformed into a bolt of lightning.

The hundreds of meters between them vanished instantly.

"What?!"

King’s face turned pale.

He hadn’t expected Whitebeard to attack so suddenly.

Nor had he imagined Whitebeard could move so fast.

Before he could recover from his shock—

Whitebeard was already above him.

Murakumogiri was raised high overhead.

"This slash won’t kill you?"

Whitebeard’s eyes narrowed.

"Then consider yourself lucky."

The words fell coldly.

The next instant, the giant blade descended.

Wrapped in crackling lightning, Murakumogiri tore through the sky with overwhelming force.

The air itself seemed to split apart, producing an ear-piercing shriek.

For a moment—

The entire world appeared to freeze.

"Thunder Sever!"

King’s pupils contracted.

In a desperate attempt to survive, he instantly grabbed one of his horns and pulled his head backward with all his strength.

At the same time, Armament Haki coated his body.

Then he released his grip.

His head shot forward like a slingshot projectile.

Using his Lunarian technique—

"Imperial Deep Pride Stake!"

King launched his head directly toward Murakumogiri in a last-ditch clash.

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