Chapter 160

POOF!!!

The wave of sword energy from Kairos Flint's strike landed squarely on Kaido's body.

For a moment—

A clear gash opened across Kaido's chest, blood seeping through despite the fact that he had already reinforced himself with Armament Haki.

Yes—he had managed to react at the last moment, hardening his body using Armament Haki…

But the result was clear.

Against Kairos's sword energy—infused by the Third Generation Demon Blade, now evolved and capable of absorbing Conqueror's Haki—mere defense wasn't enough.

Armament Haki alone couldn't stop it.

"Is it because of the Conqueror's Haki absorbed by the Third Generation that this slash feels like those divine attacks from Roger or Shanks?"

"The ghost energy dominates the attack… but it's fused perfectly with Conqueror's Haki. No wonder…"

"No wonder the attack feels so strange."

Kairos wasn't blind. He had seen clearly—his attack wounded Kaido even though he used Haki to defend.

That much was obvious.

After the Third Generation blade evolved into a Supreme Grade Sword, its newly awakened ability was undeniably powerful.

Powerful enough to pierce even Kaido's monstrous defenses.

"Brat! You were the one who attacked me first!!!"

Still airborne, Kaido roared furiously. Blood dripped from the fresh wound on his chest.

He was clearly hurt. And the strike had indeed broken through.

But…

For someone like Kaido, the strongest creature in the world, this kind of injury wasn't exactly serious.

Still—the fact that a single sword strike had bypassed his defenses was enough to make him stop taking the fight lightly.

In the blink of an eye, he unleashed the power of his Devil Fruit.

With a deafening roar and an explosive surge of energy, Kaido transformed from his human form into a massive emerald-green dragon, soaring high into the clouds.

He was absolutely livid.

This sneak attack had instantly snapped him out of his drunken haze.

This bastard really has no sense of honor. Who attacks without warning?!

"Kaido, don't twist things," Kairos shouted, looking up. "You're the one who suddenly came crashing down on my ship out of nowhere!"

A fall from that height?

If Kaido had actually hit the Mythical Sky, it would've been game over.

Their ship would've been obliterated in an instant.

And in the vast, endless sea, once a ship is gone—so are your chances.

Of course, there were strong individuals who could swim from one island to another by sheer physical strength.

One legendary example?

Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King.

The man swam all the way from Sabaody Archipelago to Amazon Lily by himself.

But not everyone could do that—especially not those with Devil Fruit powers.

Thankfully, for Kairos, Nami, and Vivi, the ability crystals he had given them had no side effects. So they weren't affected by seawater.

Still, that didn't mean they were invincible at sea.

Others—like Robin, Uta, Perona, and more—weren't so lucky.

If Kaido had wrecked the ship, Kairos would've had to go to great lengths to find them and make sure they reached an island safely.

"Hmm?"

"Kid, now that I look closer… you look familiar."

"Ah—of course! You're Kairos Flint! The Bounty King!"

"No wonder you could break through my defense!"

Kaido had finally snapped out of it.

Now that he was fully sober, he got a clear look at Kairos—and immediately recognized him.

"Kaido, if you're only realizing that now, then you're already late."

Kairos replied coolly.

Even though he had figured out that Kaido probably hadn't come intentionally to cause trouble, it didn't matter.

Maybe Kaido really was attempting suicide again—jumping from 10,000 meters in one of his infamous death attempts.

But Kairos didn't care about that.

The man nearly destroyed his ship—that alone was enough reason to settle the score.

"Settle the score?"

Kaido sneered.

"Bounty King, don't flatter yourself."

"You think just because the world calls you 'Bounty King' you can stand on equal footing with me?"

"Sure, this was a misunderstanding... but it's perfect."

"I've been wanting to find you anyway."

"I want to see just how strong you are—how someone with a bounty higher than most dares think he's my equal."

Kaido grinned as he spoke.

He didn't seem angry—if anything, he was excited.

Clearly, he hadn't read the newspapers from the past few days.

Otherwise, he'd know that Kairos Flint had already defeated Whitebeard.

If he had known that, Kaido wouldn't be saying anything about being "equals."

Just from his words, it was obvious—

Kaido was completely in the dark.

"Equal footing…?"

On the deck of the ship, Kairos narrowed his eyes.

He didn't like that phrase at all.

Since when did I need to be on equal footing with the so-called Four Emperors?

The Four Emperors...

They no longer mean anything to me.

I'm past that level.

In Kairos Flint's heart, the concept of "equality" with the Four Emperors didn't even exist.

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