"This brat."
On the raised earth mound by the island's edge, Garp stared at Kong Tai, his lazy expression turning serious.
From what he knew of Kong Tai, the latter was now intent on killing.
He too would get serious and unleash his full strength.
"He doesn't want to fight Kaido anymore?"
Just like a month ago when he fought Garp, Kong Tai had initially used him as a whetstone. Only when he could no longer improve did he resort to that peculiar spatial ability.
However, it was different from his fight with Garp a month ago. Back then, Garp hadn't felt any killing intent from Kong Tai. Their fight was more like a sparring match.
This was clearly different now. The brat intended to keep Kaido here forever.
Recalling his predicament within Kong Tai's spatial domain a month ago, even Garp could only fall into an endless passive state against Kong Tai's bizarre domain. He didn't think Kaido would fare any better.
And…
Thinking of that pitch-black, eerie blade that seemed to swallow light, his eyes were filled with apprehension.
"Will you use that peculiar ability?"
Old man Garp was a bit expectant, after all, he wasn't the one facing it.
It could instantly kill Carthew, and from his understanding of Kaido, if he couldn't dodge it, he could only die.
Even if Kaido was known as the strongest creature on land, sea, and sky.
"Yonko."
It wasn't that the Marines didn't want to eliminate the Yonko, but they couldn't.
The World Government required balance.
The Marines sought peace.
With the Marines' military strength, they were already struggling to suppress the countless pirates in this magnificent era of piracy. How could they deal with the Yonko?
Each Yonko crew was a gathering of countless pirates, including peak powerhouses like the Yonko themselves, who were not inferior to Marine Admirals, or even surpassed them. There were also a considerable number of mid-level powerhouses comparable to Marine Vice Admirals, and below them were countless ordinary soldiers.
This wasn't a pirate crew, but a warlord, a feudal lord ruling the seas.
Therefore, to eliminate a Yonko, the Marines would have to mobilize a significant portion of their strength.
However, in such a scenario, the Yonko wouldn't be foolish enough not to form alliances, would they?
Thus, gradually, even though the Marines were, strictly speaking, the largest military organization in the world, they had to retreat to the entrance waters of the New World, ceding most of the New World's waters to the Yonko.
And now, there was a disruptor in this situation, a truly transcended powerhouse whose strength surpassed the world's peak, and even he had to avoid its sharp edge.
This powerhouse could kill Yonko, could kill Admirals, and could shatter the fragile balance that had been established by the Marines, the Yonko, and the Shichibukai over the past decade.
Well… not just shatter, he had already shattered it.
Since Kong Tai set sail, two Shichibukai had already been killed, and a third was imminent.
With his insight and strength, coupled with his understanding of Aho Rob, he could tell at a glance that Doflamingo, who was fighting Ah Hua and the other two to a standstill, had his defeat already sealed.
After all, at the highest point of that kingdom stood Kuina, who wielded the most powerful Logia-type fruit, the Goro Goro no Mi!
"What is this?"
Beside Kizaru, the tall Battle-Scarred Momotaro, holding the handle of his giant axe with both hands, stared in horror at the giant void palm in the sky.
He had seen the same move from another powerhouse.
However, unlike Bartholomew Kuma's move, the giant palm in the sky gave him the feeling that it wasn't compressed air, but compressed space, carrying unparalleled pressure.
Even from such a distance, he could feel the sudden oppressive force.
No one could answer him.
Because everyone here, even Garp and Kizaru, were seeing Kong Tai use such a move for the first time.
Beneath the giant palm.
Unlike the Marines who were far away, Kaido felt an unbearable pressure the moment Kong Tai's palm descended.
It was as if the sky was collapsing.
*Bang!*
The ground beneath him couldn't withstand the pressure before the palm even fell, and it cracked open.
"Brat, you're quite something!"
Kaido looked up at Kong Tai, lowered his spiked club, and then a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
"Roar~"
He raised his head and let out a mighty roar. Then, white clouds appeared around his body, and he transformed into a colossal blue dragon.
The blue dragon roared with its head raised and charged towards the palm.
*Bang!*
The dragon's head collided with the palm, erupting in a deafening roar.
The colossal dragon body sank downwards, but fortunately, the palm was stopped by the dragon's power.
However, Kaido wasn't faring any better. The unbearable pressure wasn't just from the palm, but from the surrounding space, as if it were trying to crush him into a pulp.
"Heh heh!!"
On the palm, Kong Tai chuckled. He wasn't surprised that Kaido had blocked his Void Palm.
After all, at Kaido's level, with his full strength, it was still easy to break through his domain space.
But…
"You think this is enough to block it? You're underestimating my Void Palm, derived from compressed space!"
Kong Tai lowered his head, his eyes flashing with cold light.
Then, he sank his body downwards. A ripple appeared beneath his feet, and the entire space began to press down from his feet.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Beneath the palm, Kaido was resisting with all his might, but the increasingly powerful pressure forced his body to be pressed down bit by bit.
Circles of spatial ripples, carrying extremely strong shockwaves, swept outwards in all directions.
Even from a great distance, the Marines could tell the pressure Kaido was enduring from the shockwaves hitting them.
"You brat, you think you can crush me with this?"
Kaido raised his dragon head, opened his mouth, and flames surged within.
A fireball rapidly condensed in his mouth. Once it reached a certain level, he opened his mouth wide and spat the fireball towards the palm above.
*Bang!*
The flames erupted beneath the palm and exploded directly.
*Crack! Crack! Crack!*
Countless cracks spread outwards from the area hit by the flames, instantly reaching the entire palm.
Seeing the flame attack's effect, Kaido clearly felt the spatial pressure around him lessen significantly. This made his eyes light up. He then retracted his body, and his massive dragon tail, from bottom to top, fiercely whipped at the already cracked palm.
*Crack!*
This time, it wasn't just the palm, but the surrounding space also produced countless tiny cracks, like a shattered mirror.
"So it's a spatial domain."
Kaido stared at the cracks around him, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes.
This brat, at some point, had enveloped this area with this peculiar space, thus creating the pressure from all sides.
The appearance of cracks made Kaido feel lighter all over.
He pressed his advantage, retracted his tail, and then whipped upwards with even greater force.
*Clang!*
Like a mirror, the surroundings, including the palm above, completely shattered under Kaido's whip.
The broken space, under the sunlight, shimmered with colorful light, like countless ice crystals, rapidly dissipating amidst the glowing radiance.