Chapter 230: Why are you running?!

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No one could have imagined it, one of the Four Emperors, feared across the seas, had been effortlessly slain by Byakuya with a single punch, as if they were nothing more than a helpless child.

As Byakuya lifted his gaze toward the crowd, his overwhelming presence pressed down upon everyone in attendance.

All three Emperor-level pirate crews understood. Surviving today was nearly impossible. Byakuya's sheer power alone was enough to annihilate them.

And with the ever-present threat of the Night Organization, alongside Garp, Kuzan, and the others, their chances of escape were practically nonexistent.

A fierce battle spirit ignited in Whitebeard's eyes. Even though Byakuya's strength had already far exceeded his understanding of what was possible—

Retreat was not an option. If he backed down now, his sons would all be doomed. At that moment, he made his decision—

He would hold Byakuya back with his life, no matter the cost. Even if it meant his death, he would buy time for Marco and the others to escape.

Meanwhile, Teach—hidden among the crowd—was on the verge of losing his mind with fear. If I had known Byakuya was this terrifying…

Even if it meant being relentlessly hunted by the Whitebeard Pirates— he NEVER would've returned to the main ship!

Now, he was trapped in a life-or-death situation with no way out. Deep down, Teach had already cursed the CP0 agents ten thousand times over.

Any desire he had for Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit was completely gone. But he knew Whitebeard well—

The old man would definitely use his final moments to give them a chance to escape. That was Teach's only shot at survival and he had to seize it. 

Kaido's expression darkened as he stared at the bloodied corpse of his old ally. 

A deep unease settled in his heart, and the urge to retreat grew stronger by the second.

He recalled the bold declaration he and Big Mom had made when they first formed their alliance—

That they would destroy the Night Organization and eliminate Byakuya, and when they heard Whitebeard was also involved—

They had been certain nothing could possibly go wrong. But now, everything had fallen apart.

His grand vision had been utterly shattered. Byakuya, watching Kaido and Whitebeard's silent expressions, let out a chuckle.

"What's wrong? Not talking anymore? Didn't you all have a lot to say before I arrived?"

Kaido's muscles bulged, his body radiating an aura of sheer dominance, like an ancient, primal beast. He bellowed:

"Byakuya, do you really think you have us cornered?!"

Byakuya curled his finger at Kaido in a mocking gesture. "Want me to send you down to reunite with your 'old friend' right now?"

"Arrogant fool!"

Kaido roared, gripping his massive kanabo, which crackled with Conqueror's Haki.

Swinging it in a wide arc, he tensed his entire body and hurled it toward Byakuya with every ounce of strength he had.

The kanabo tore through the air with a deafening roar. Dark purple lightning crackled violently from its surface, splitting across the battlefield.

The sheer force behind the throw ripped open deep cracks in the ice, stretching far into the distance.

Everyone was stunned. Even after witnessing Byakuya's power firsthand—

Kaido still dared to launch an attack.

The Beasts Pirates were shaken and inspired by their captain's fearless charge.

"Boss is still the strong! We should be like him—if we don't fight, we cannot survive!"

Kaido's actions ignited their will to live. With both their captain and Whitebeard standing strong—

Maybe…

Just maybe…

They really could take down Byakuya today. Colour returned to the once pale faces of the pirates.

A united sense of determination spreads through their ranks, even though Kaido was a notorious Emperor, a symbol of piracy and destruction.

At this moment, in the eyes of those around him… He seemed to embody justice itself. A warrior standing fearlessly against an overwhelming foe.

Byakuya, mildly surprised, smirked. "So losing his 'wife' really did mess with Kaido, huh? Otherwise, he wouldn't be so eager to be the first one to die."

The power behind Kaido's full-force throw was nothing short of terrifying. If it had landed at G-5's Marine base, it would have completely obliterated the entire outpost.

But Byakuya didn't move. He didn't dodge. He simply raised one hand and caught the kanabo by its handle.

"CRACK!"

The steel-forged kanabo buckled in his grip, and the overwhelming force spread through the weapon, shattering its structure instantly.

Countless shards of metal rained from Byakuya's fingers. The impact had zero effect on him. Whitebeard, Garp, and the others saw it clearly—

Byakuya hadn't even used Conqueror's Haki or Armament Haki to withstand the attack. He had crushed the weapon entirely with raw physical strength alone.

They couldn't comprehend it; how could someone with such a lean frame possess power that rivalled the gods themselves?

Before anyone could even process their shock—Kaido, the so-called "brave warrior" who dared to challenge the "Night" Byakuya, activated his Devil Fruit ability.

His massive body transformed into a towering azure dragon, coiling through the dark storm clouds above.

His colossal, muscular frame and razor-sharp claws radiated an unshakable resolve, The determination to fight to the death.

Is this… the strongest form of "Kaido of the Beasts"? Just seeing him was enough to create a suffocating sense of dread.

The Beasts Pirates erupted in cheers. "Boss Kaido, go for it! We believe in you! You can definitely take down Byakuya!"

Across the world, countless spectators watching the live broadcast silently prayed for Kaido. Even if he couldn't win, even if he couldn't do much—

They just wanted him to land a single hit. Anything to prove that Byakuya wasn't completely invincible. Because the strength Byakuya displayed was overwhelming.

Even Whitebeard once hailed as the Strongest Man in the World paled in comparison, not just in his current state but even in his prime.

The sheer dominance Byakuya exerted over an entire era of top-tier powerhouses made even ordinary people feel suffocating.

And yet, just as the world held its breath in anticipation, Kaido did something no one could have expected.

Perhaps this is what they meant when they said, "The hero who slays the dragon eventually becomes the dragon himself."

Because Kaido ran away, he abandoned his entire crew without looking back.

With a single sweep of his massive tail, his dragon form slithered through the storm clouds like a serpent, moving with lightning speed and vanishing from the battlefield.

The cheers of the Beasts Pirates came to an abrupt halt. Everyone stared blankly at the rapidly retreating figure in the sky.

"Kaido… ran away?!"

"The hell?! You're still calling him 'Boss' at a time like this?!"

"He abandoned us! He doesn't deserve to be our captain!"

Angry shouts and curses rang out across the Beasts Pirates' ranks. Even the three All-Stars and the last four remaining Tobiroppo. 

All seven of them looked grim. Because they knew, If Kaido himself had chosen to flee, there was no chance in hell they could do anything against Byakuya.

On the other side, the Whitebeard Pirates were left completely dumbfounded.

They had assumed that if Whitebeard and Kaido worked together, they might have a chance against Byakuya.

But who could've predicted that Kaido would put on a show and then dip?

Now, their situation was even worse. Garp and Kuzan silently exchanged glances. 

Byakuya hadn't even attacked yet and had already scared the fearless Kaido into abandoning his own crew and fleeing for his life.

Not even Roger had ever exerted this kind of dominance. The real concern now was if Byakuya, after dealing with the pirates, decided to turn his attention toward Marine Headquarters or even the World Government…

What then? Of course, now wasn't the time to dwell on those thoughts. Watching Kaido flee at full speed, Byakuya was left speechless.

When he saw Kaido transform into his Azure Dragon form, he genuinely thought the man was ready to fight to the death.

He had just transformed because it made running away more convenient. Absolutely pathetic.

But, since Byakuya had already decided to reveal his power today, no one was left alive.

Kaido knew exactly how disastrous the consequences of his retreat would be, but no matter how bad the fallout, it was still better than dying.

Only an idiot would know they couldn't win and still choose to stay. What, you think I have a death wish?!

The last time Kaido fought Byakuya, he had already suspected that Byakuya was holding back.

That's why, this time, he only made a move after ensuring Big Mom and Whitebeard were also in the fight.

He had assumed Byakuya's displayed strength was a 1, and his real strength was around a 2 or 3.

But who the hell could've guessed, That Byakuya's actual strength was 10,000?! Kaido just couldn't wrap his head around it.

With power like that, why wasn't Byakuya out conquering the world? Why had he been content staying in the Marines as a mere admiral?

Now, look at what had happened, Big Mom was dead. Everything Kaido had built was gone, and Whitebeard…

Whitebeard was probably not far from meeting the same fate. The entire balance of power in the world was about to be reset.

Kaido made up his mind, The moment he escaped, he would find the deepest, most hidden hole on the planet and stay there.

As long as Byakuya was alive, Kaido would never show his face again. Just as he thought deeply, a shadow suddenly appeared before him.

His massive, bell-like eyes widened in horror. His tail nearly seized up in fright.

"Hey! Why are you running?! Don't you want to kill me before?"

Byakuya's smirking face came into view. Kaido's soul nearly left his body.

"How the hell—?! I ran so fast! I didn't even give any warning! HOW ARE YOU STILL RIGHT BEHIND ME?!"

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