24: Shukaku vs. Kaido

Kaido was still not quite accustomed to his dragon form; it seemed he would need some time to fully adjust to it. After returning to his human form, Kaido clapped his hands together and growled, "Summoning Jutsu, summon, One-Tailed Shukaku."

Boom! A puff of white smoke, and Shukaku appeared before Kaido.

Shukaku looked at Kaido with a smug expression and said, "What's up? Summoning this grandmaster again? What do you want, Kaido?"

Kaido grinned and replied, "Not much, just thought I'd practice a little with you."

"Practice? With me?" Shukaku let out a sinister laugh, "Kekeke, you actually want to spar with me? Well, I have to admit, you have guts! Alright, I'll play with you."

Kaido frowned slightly and said, "Your personality is really annoying, Shukaku... Yesterday, you lost to Donquixote Doflamingo. My strength is far superior to that brat's."

"Bah! I lost to him? That insect? I could crush him with a single slap," Shukaku snapped, his anger rising. He looked at Kaido with a killing intent that grew stronger. "Fine, today I'll see just how strong you are. Since you managed to form a contract with one of the Nine Tailed Beasts, let's see what you've got! Fūton: Renkōdan!"

Kaido didn't dodge as the transparent energy ball flew toward him. Instead, he raised his hands in front of him.

Boom boom boom… The Renkōdan hit Kaido head-on, and a powerful gust of wind exploded outward.

"So you're going to take it head-on with your body, huh?" Shukaku, seeing the result, gave Kaido an appreciative look.

The area behind Kaido where the Renkōdan hit was completely flattened, with trees uprooted, grass and rocks blown away, leaving only a barren patch of land behind.

"Looks like my physical defense is stronger than I expected! Even Shukaku's Renkōdan couldn't hurt me," Kaido thought as he looked at his body. When he took the Renkōdan head-on, he hadn't even used Haki. Despite that, he blocked it with ease. If he used Haki, his defense would be even stronger.

"Hmph, no wonder they call me the strongest creature in the land, sea, and air! My defense is stronger than Big Mom's. Now, let's test my offensive power!" Kaido grinned as he pulled out his kanabo from behind and charged at Shukaku.

"Armament Haki..." Kaido roared, and the kanabo in his hand was coated with a layer of black Haki, hardening it.

"Kekeke, not bad at all! Your body's toughness is on par with us Tailed Beasts!" Shukaku, seeing Kaido rushing toward him, grinned wickedly. "Shukaku's Shield!"

Boom boom boom… Kaido's kanabo slammed into Shukaku's shield, a massive barrier around Shukaku that stood over ten meters tall. With a single swing, Kaido shattered the shield into pieces, sending debris flying everywhere.

"Such power, huh?" Shukaku couldn't help but be shocked, his Shukaku Shield was formed by extracting the hardest minerals from deep underground and then condensing them with an overwhelming amount of chakra. Yet, it was shattered by a single blow from Kaido.

'Damn, am I really that strong?' Kaido was also taken aback. The Shukaku Shield had withstood King's slashes, but now it was completely destroyed by his one strike.

The blow he had just landed, even though Kaido had used all his power, had completely shattered Shukaku's Shield, something he hadn't expected. Even without mastering his true strength, Kaido's raw physical power seemed to already surpass that of Donquixote Doflamingo and his peers!

Shukaku sneered at Kaido, saying, "Kekekeke, it seems your strength really is something, Kaido. But I can't help but feel like you haven't truly unleashed your full power yet!"

Kaido didn't deny it and replied, "That's exactly why I came to spar with you! I need to better familiarize myself with my strength."

"The real battle begins now, Shukaku..."

With that, Kaido charged at Shukaku, and Shukaku placed both hands on the ground with a sinister grin. "Don't think we Tailed Beasts only rely on brute strength. Let me show you my true power! Fūton: Raging Sandstorm!"

Immediately, the ground beneath them transformed into quicksand, and Kaido's feet sank into it. As his body slowly began to sink, Kaido tried to break free, but there was no place to push off from in the shifting sand. He couldn't help but growl, "Damn it…"

"Kekekeke, Kaido, kid, while your strength is far superior to the two little brats you were with yesterday, it seems you don't really know how to fight," Shukaku mocked as he saw Kaido's struggle. "This is quicksand, and once you're in it, you'll sink deeper and deeper until you're hundreds of meters underground. What are you going to do now, huh?"

Kaido, feeling the panic set in, found his body half-submerged in quicksand. The sand around him felt like water, providing no foothold at all.

"Damn it, I can't push against it!"

Seconds later, Kaido's entire body was completely buried in the quicksand, and the glow around him slowly faded. At this moment, his body instinctively began to change. His form quickly morphed into a massive blue dragon. With a resounding bang, Kaido's head shot out of the quicksand, and his body shot upwards into the sky.