CHAPTER 152

"How are you?" Yamato quickly left Kaido's side and rushed toward Alastor, reaching out to support him.

Alastor waved her off with a casual gesture, forcing a wry smile. "It's nothing, just a mere death injury."

Mere death injury?!

Yamato's sharp eyes widened in disbelief. She could feel his ragged breathing and see the state of his battered body. Despite his bravado, it was clear he was pushing himself far beyond his limits, even finding the strength to joke in the face of his dire condition.

Kaido, standing opposite them, raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. The fact that Alastor was still on his feet after enduring a direct strike from Kaido's kanabo infused with Conqueror's Haki was astonishing.

"This brat really does have some guts," Kaido muttered under his breath.

Kaido's murderous aura moments ago had been real, but it also served another purpose: to test Alastor's resilience and see if the young man was worthy of being his son-in-law. To his surprise, Alastor had exceeded expectations, enduring the attack with sheer tenacity. However, Kaido doubted that Alastor had anything left in him to turn the tide.

"Bastard boy," Kaido rumbled, his voice a mix of amusement and authority, "do you even understand who you're dealing with? I'm the strongest creature in the world."

Kaido extended his massive hand, his tone turning unexpectedly persuasive. "You've proven yourself. Join me, listen to me, and I'll treat you as family."

Kaido's offer was not empty words. Now sober, his intentions were clear. If Alastor accepted, he would become a true son-in-law, inheriting the power and legacy of the Beasts Pirates. Kaido, nearing sixty, knew his time as the undisputed ruler of his empire was finite, and in another twenty or thirty years, his family's empire could belong to Alastor.

The offer was lucrative, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most.

Alastor gazed at Kaido, then gently pushed Yamato aside, his expression unreadable. Yamato looked at him, stunned, disbelief written on her face.

But then Alastor's lips curled into a strange smile.

"Boss Kaido," he said calmly, "your words remind me of Whitebeard during the Rocks Pirates era. Tell me—when you were just an intern back then, would you have agreed to be his son?"

Kaido's grin vanished instantly, his face stiffening at the pointed question.

Behind him, Yamato couldn't suppress a laugh, her radiant smile lighting up her face.

Alastor's voice grew firm, echoing with conviction. "A real man, born under the open sky, cannot live in the shadow of another!"

He took a step forward, his aura blazing with defiance. "Father-in-law, let me make this clear. My dream is not aligned with yours. I aspire to claim the title of the strongest creature—by replacing you!"

The declaration reverberated across Onigashima.

From a distance, King, Sasaki, and Who's-Who, who had been observing the battle, were visibly shaken. Alastor had not only rejected Kaido's invitation but openly declared his intent to surpass the Emperor of the Sea. The audacity was almost unbelievable.

Yamato's eyes sparkled with admiration. For the first time, she truly saw the depth of Alastor's pride and ambition. The man she thought was mischievous and unpredictable possessed a powerful drive to stand at the summit of the world.

However, she pouted slightly, muttering under her breath, "Kaido's defeat is already reserved for me, Joey Boy. Don't get ahead of yourself."

Meanwhile, Kaido's expression darkened. The smirk that tugged at his lips now held a dangerous edge. "Bold words, brat. Replace me? You're as delusional as Yamato. Fine, if you haven't learned your place yet, I'll teach you!"

Kaido spread his arms wide, releasing a monstrous wave of Conqueror's Haki that crushed the air around them.

"Come, you arrogant fool!"

Alastor stood firm, his body crackling with electric energy. Without hesitation, he charged forward, lightning sparking as he moved at blinding speed.

Yamato, just a step behind, called out, "Hey, wait! You're too injured to fight him alone!"

Before her words could reach him, something unexpected happened.

Alastor abruptly veered off course, sprinting toward the base of Onigashima's roof. His voice, filled with urgency, trailed behind him.

"Mrs. Yamato, I've reached my limit! I need to recover. Hold him off for a bit—I'll be right back!"

Lightning flashed, and in the blink of an eye, Alastor disappeared into the distance.

Yamato blinked, stunned into silence, her red lips slightly parted in disbelief.

Kaido, meanwhile, stared at the space Alastor had vacated, his jaw slack for a moment before a deep, bellowing laugh erupted from his chest.

"Hahahaha! That brat had me fooled!" Kaido clutched his sides, tears streaming from his eyes. "He spoke like a real challenger and ran away in a flash!"

Kaido turned his gaze to Yamato, his laughter subsiding into a mocking smirk.

"So, Yamato, the man you trust so much ran off. It's time to face reality and submit to me, don't you think?"

Yamato clenched her fists, her expression switching between exasperation and determination. "Alastor, you… idiot," she muttered under her breath before readying her kanabo to face Kaido.

Yamato rolled her eyes in the direction where Alastor had vanished, frustration etched across her face. Turning back to Kaido, she snorted coldly, her voice filled with defiance.

"Stop dreaming, Kaido! I—Joy Boy—will defeat you!"

Kaido raised an eyebrow at her declaration, but before he could respond, Yamato planted her feet firmly on the ground, lifting her slender kanabo high into the air.

Dark clouds churned ominously above Onigashima as purple lightning crackled and descended, spiraling around her weapon. Yamato's aura began to build, growing heavier and more intense with each passing moment. Her entire body radiated energy as she gathered her Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki into her kanabo, creating an awe-inspiring display of power.

The air around her began to tremble. The pressure emanating from her clashed with Kaido's own overwhelming aura, splitting the battlefield in two distinct halves.

"Raimei…" Yamato's voice boomed as she charged forward, her figure cutting through the air with a streak of white energy trailing behind her.

"HAKKE!"

Yamato, now fully transformed into her hybrid human-beast form, leaped high into the air. With a fierce cry, she brought her kanabo crashing down from above.

Kaido's eyes narrowed. For the first time, his expression betrayed a hint of unease. The sheer power behind Yamato's strike wasn't just an ordinary Raimei Hakke—it was infused with the advanced technique of Conqueror's Haki coating, the very skill only a handful of the strongest fighters in the world had mastered.

Kaido growled, his muscles rippling as he prepared to counter. He swung his own massive kanabo upward, also coated in the devastating co-entanglement of Conqueror's and Armament Haki.

"Yamato!" Kaido roared, his voice like thunder. "You've grown strong, mastering a power few can wield—but don't think for a second that you can surpass me!"

The two kanabo clashed violently, but they never actually touched. Instead, the raw force of their Haki created a wide gap between the weapons, a moment reminiscent of the legendary clash between Whitebeard and Roger decades ago.

BOOM!

The impact unleashed an explosion of power, sending shockwaves tearing through the sky. Black, red, and gold streaks of energy intertwined like wild, untamed dragons, ripping through the atmosphere and the earth alike. The ground below fractured, splitting into deep craters, while the clouds above roiled and parted, leaving a canyon-like void that made it seem as though the sky itself had been torn in half.

Kaido's jaw tightened as he stared at Yamato with a mixture of frustration and reluctant admiration. He couldn't deny it any longer—Yamato had crossed the threshold into Emperor-level combat, becoming one of the strongest individuals in the sea. More than that, this clash proved something far more troubling for him: Yamato now held the potential to embody the spirit of Joy Boy.

Compared to her past, where she clung to the fantasy of becoming Kozuki Oden, Yamato's current goal—to embrace the ideals of Joy Boy—carried far more weight. She no longer idolized an individual from history but instead sought to become a symbol of liberation and change, carving her own path.

Kaido gritted his teeth, veins bulging across his forehead. He pushed back against Yamato's strength, though the strain was evident.

"You've come far, Yamato," Kaido growled. "But you're still far from defeating me! I am the strongest creature in the world!"

Yamato's fiery phoenix eyes glared back at him, unyielding. With a powerful swing, she forced Kaido back a step.

"I'm not the Yamato you used to know!" she declared, her voice echoing like a battle cry. "Be ready to fall, Kaido! You're nothing but a tyrant—and I'll send you flying!"

Kaido's expression twisted into a mix of anger and frustration. "You brat! How dare you talk to your father like that!"

The two clashed again, their weapons sparking with incredible force. The winds howled, lightning flashed, and thunder roared as their battle shook the heavens.

In the midst of the chaos, Kaido couldn't help but regret, for the hundredth time, the path that had led to this moment. Why, of all people, did he have to raise such a rebellious and defiant child?

"What kind of punishment is this?!" Kaido snarled under his breath as Yamato's unrelenting attacks forced him to remain on the defensive.

But Yamato's determination burned brighter than ever. She wasn't just fighting for herself; she was fighting to create a new world where freedom reigned—a world she believed in with every fiber of her being.

"My destiny is my own!" Yamato roared, unleashing another devastating strike that sent shockwaves across the battlefield.

Kaido's shark-like teeth clenched in frustration. "If you think you can take me down, Yamato… then prove it!"

And so, the battle raged on, a clash of wills that would shake Onigashima to its core.

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