Garp's excitent quickly turned to concern as he saw Aokiji coughing up blood after Kaido's powerful strike. Rushing over, he knelt beside his disciple, who gave a faint smile.
"Uh… I'm fine," Kuzan managed, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth as he slowly sat up on the ice, clearly in pain but still steady.
Garp let out a relieved sigh, his gaze softening montarily before it hardened again as he turned back toward Kaido. His usual playfulness vanished, replaced by the fierce resolve of a Marine Hero. This idiot needs a wake-up call, he thought, clenching his fists.
"Moonwalk!"
With a rapid series of air steps, Garp shot forward, closing the distance between him and Kaido in an instant. The great dragon was poised to charge at Luffy, but Garp's sudden appearance blocked his path.
"Don't be so full of yourself, Kaido! I'm still here!"
"Damn old man!" Kaido snarled, his voice dripping with disdain as he recognized Garp. He hadn't forgotten the bone-rattling blow from earlier, and seeing the Marine hero in his way again ignited his rage. With a roar, he swung his massive mace down in a thunderous arc.
"Roaring Thunder Bagua!"
"teor Impact!"
Garp's fist, cloaked in the ultimate Armant Haki, collided with Kaido's mace, which crackled with deadly Conqueror's Haki. The air itself seed to shatter between them, as their attacks didn't even physically touch—such was the force of their wills. A turbulent wave of energy surged outward, sending icy shards flying and churning the sky into dark, swirling clouds.
Watching this intense clash of wills, Luffy felt his heart pound with excitent. The overwhelming power radiating from his grandfather and Kaido stirred sothing deep within him, and he felt his blood boiling. Unable to hold back, he turned to Hancock.
"Stay safe!" he called, before leaping forward, rushing to join the battle.
Hancock's eyes narrowed, frustration flashing across her face. "Wait! Don't think for a second that I'm staying behind!"
With a determined stamp of her heel, she followed him, her fierce gaze locked onto Kaido's towering form. Gritting her teeth, she launched herself into the air, her long legs propelling her toward the Emperor's head with startling speed.
"Go to hell, Minotaur! Parfu Femur!"
Hancock's foot, clad in a razor-sharp high heel, slamd into Kaido's skull with remarkable force, snapping his head back and making him stumble. At the sa mont, Luffy charged in from the side like a cannonball, his right hand crackling with lightning as he aid a piercing thrust directly at Kaido's flank.
"Lightning Talon!"
The combined attacks montarily disoriented Kaido. Hancock's kick had rattled him, while Luffy's electric strike broke through his scales, piercing the thick hide on his right side. Kaido let out a grunt of pain as Luffy's electrified fingers made contact, piercing into the dragon scales.
"Ouch! That stings," Kaido muttered, more annoyed than hurt.
Even with both of them attacking at full strength, Kaido rely let out a slight yelp. Garp seized the opportunity and, with one mighty leap, swung a devastating punch that crashed into Kaido's face. The force of the blow sent Kaido flying, his massive form tumbling through the air before crashing into the ice, creating a large crater upon impact.
Luffy sighed, looking at the faint trace of blood on his fingertips. "This guy's skin is ridiculous… How long is it gonna take to actually hurt him?"
Hancock nodded, her expression mirroring his frustration. "Even with everything I had, my kick barely did anything. Kaido is not called the Emperor of the Sea for nothing."
Garp chuckled, folding his arms as he watched Kaido rise slowly from the ice. "That's Kaido for you. If he was easy to take down, we would've captured him years ago."
Turning serious again, he looked toward his grandson and Hancock, then gestured toward Kaido's massive figure, who was already shaking off the blows as he prepared for another round.
"Alright, let's keep going. Whatever it takes, we can't let him escape. And Borsalino—if you let Kaido get away, I swear I'll hang you on the wall and use you as my personal punching bag!"
Without waiting for a response, Garp lunged forward, fists at the ready. Luffy and Hancock exchanged a determined nod and followed, ready to strike again.
As the three charged at Kaido, a flash of golden light appeared beside Kuzan, who was still seated on the ice, taking in the chaotic scene.
"Enjoying yourself, Kuzan?" Kizaru drawled, his tone laced with mock bitterness. "It must be nice having the master handling things while you sit back and watch."
Kuzan raised an eyebrow, clutching his chest with a mock expression of weakness. "I'm hurt. Unlike you, I was actually injured," he replied dryly.
Kizaru smirked, rolling his eyes as he turned back toward the battle. "Alright, then. You stay here and 'recover.' I'll go lend a hand."
With a burst of golden light, Kizaru vanished, reappearing near the others as they closed in on Kaido. anwhile, Kuzan lay back comfortably, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips. As he settled in, he pulled out his cara Den Den Mushi, snapping a few quick shots of himself, especially capturing the blood still staining the corner of his mouth.
These photos would serve as perfect proof of his "heroic" battle injuries—just the docuntation he needed to ask the Fleet Admiral for so much-deserved sick leave once they returned.
After snapping his photos, Kuzan tucked the Den Den Mushi away and leaned back with a sigh of satisfaction, his hands resting behind his head as he gazed up at the sky. The sound of explosions and clashing attacks echoed in the distance, but Kuzan's expression softened as he watched Luffy engage with Kaido.
Luffy was holding his own, dodging and countering with surprising speed, but even from afar, Kuzan could see him taking hit after hit, bruises and cuts forming on his face and arms. Yet he showed no sign of giving up, his fierce determination blazing even brighter with each strike he landed.
Kuzan exhaled, shaking his head as he gazed at the young man fighting with everything he had. It's hard to believe, he thought, that this is the sa kid who could barely walk when I first t him. Now he's here, holding his own against Kaido.
A strange, bittersweet feeling washed over Kuzan as he considered his own place in this new generation. Am I really becoming one of the old-tirs? he mused, half-jokingly. He was only in his early forties, not yet married, yet here he was, watching these young ones rise up, driven by ambitions he couldn't fully understand.
I wonder what Luffy's dream is, he thought, letting his mind wander. You don't just get Conqueror's Haki without so kind of ambition. It's not going to be an easy path…
His musings were interrupted by the beeping sound of the communicator he carried.
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