Chapter 199
Kai stared at the group in front of him and said calmly, "In that case, I might as well have some fun with you all!"
He cracked his neck and spread his arms. "Come on! All of you, at once! Let's see what the Five Elders are really made of!"
As soon as he spoke, six identical clones materialized around him. In the next instant, all seven Kais charged forward at the same time.
Each clone retained 75% of his original strength, meaning that in a one-on-one fight, he might not necessarily overpower the Elders—but it wouldn't be too much of a gap either. More importantly, he just needed to hold them off long enough.
If he could focus his attacks and take one of them down quickly, the rest would follow soon after.
His main body surged ahead, and suddenly—
BOOM!
His form expanded at an astonishing speed, his body growing to a size that blocked out the sun!
Gasps echoed across the battlefield as all eyes locked onto his towering figure.
"Wh-What the hell…?!"
A Whitebeard pirate trembled as he gawked. "Is he bigger than Little Oars?!"
Even the Marines and other pirates reacted the same way. Seeing Kai's sheer size, an instinctual fear gripped their hearts.
At the center of it all, Kai wasted no time. His massive form loomed over the battlefield before he swung down his colossal staff, aiming directly at the Five Elders beneath him.
The sheer force of his swing distorted the air, creating a deafening roar as it descended.
"!!!"
Even the Five Elders, battle-hardened as they were, felt a moment of fear.
Sengoku, in his towering Buddha form, looked tiny in comparison. Compared to this behemoth, he looked like nothing more than a toy—no, even smaller than that!
"MOVE!!" he roared, his voice filled with urgency.
The Five Elders vanished in an instant, their speed unparalleled. But Sengoku himself…
He hesitated for just a fraction of a second.
And in that moment—
WHAM!!
Kai's staff barely grazed him, yet the force was enough to send the Fleet Admiral flying like a meteor. Blood spurted from Sengoku's mouth as he was launched backward, crashing through Marineford's structures like they were made of paper.
Then—
BOOOOM!!!
The moment the staff connected with the ground, an earth-shattering impact erupted. The entire island trembled violently. Massive cracks spread out like a spiderweb, and before anyone could react—
Marineford collapsed.
The island didn't just split apart. It was shattered into countless pieces, forcibly turning what was once a single landmass into an archipelago.
Silence.
For a long moment, no one spoke. No one could.
A Marine finally stammered out in disbelief, "M-Marineford… is destroyed?!"
As the dust settled, everyone stared in horror at the broken remains of what was once the Navy's most impenetrable stronghold.
"What kind of power is this…?!"
Even the most hardened criminals—villains who had spent decades in the depths of Impel Down—felt true terror at this moment.
One escapee from Eternal Hell clutched his chest, face pale. "Thank god we didn't break our deal with him. If that staff had come down on me… I'd be dead. No question."
For the first time in years, he had felt genuine fear.
He made a decision right then and there—after this war, he would never cross paths with Kai again.
Too terrifying.
And he wasn't the only one. Pirates and Marines alike felt the same way.
Even Kizaru, with his usual laid-back tone, muttered, "Scary~ Did he actually hold back against me earlier? Lucky me~"
Though his voice was playful, those who knew him well could see the truth—his face was tense, and in his eyes, there was something rare.
Relief.
Not far away, Mihawk stood on a floating chunk of debris, gazing at the colossal figure in the distance.
"Did he grow this strong in just a few months?" he murmured to himself.
He still remembered their last duel. Back then, Kai had been strong, yes, but nothing like this. If he had been hiding his strength all along, that would've been one thing—but Mihawk knew better.
This wasn't just hidden potential.
This was growth. Insane, impossible, monstrous growth.
If someone had told him before that a swordsman could rise from an ordinary powerhouse in the Grand Line to one of the strongest beings in the world in just a few months…
He would have laughed.
No—he would've smacked them with the flat of his sword and told them to stop talking nonsense.
But now?
Now, all he could do was admit—he had never seen anything like this before.
"Demon King Kai!"
Akainu gritted his teeth, his voice laced with pure killing intent.
A pirate like this could not be allowed to roam free.
The thought of letting Kai exist in this world was unacceptable.
With that resolve, he turned, ready to regroup with Sengoku and the Five Elders. One more person fighting on their side wouldn't change much now—but killing Kai here was more important than pride.
However—
Just as Akainu prepared to make his move—
"BOOM!!"
A massive naginata slammed into the ground where he had just been standing, barely missing him. White bubbles coated the blade, distorting the very air around it.
The sheer shockwave sent Akainu flying, forcing him to roll across the broken battlefield before he could regain his footing.
He looked up—
And standing before him, radiating pure dominance, was Whitebeard.
The old man let out a booming laugh.
"Gurararara~!"
"That brat Kai helped me save Ace. It's only right that I help him return the favor!"
Whitebeard hoisted his naginata, cracking his neck. "Magma brat, as long as I'm standing here, you're not taking another step forward!"
Akainu slowly stood, his body turning red-hot as magma bubbled around him.
"Then I'll kill you first… and then I'll deal with him."
Whitebeard paused—then burst into laughter again.
"Gurarara! You're amusing, brat."
His laughter died down as he planted his naginata into the ground, raising both fists.
His next words sent a chill down everyone's spine.
"When I was ruling the seas, you were still a damn sperm in your dad's dick!"
"Kill me? Hah! Do you think I'm some nobody you can just take lightly?"
"I AM WHITEBEARD!"
With that, he clenched his fists—
And the world shattered.