Reincarnated as Kaido, married Big Mom, and formed a dual-Emperor pirate crew.

Chapter 255 The Method to Reach the Final Island, Kaido's Conditions

"Red Earl, the famous lone wolf of the Grand Line."

"Because of your powerful personal strength, many people say that you are a legendary strongman who can rival my entire Flying Pirates crew all by yourself."

"Today, we're standing on the same stage. Let me see if you're really as powerful as the rumors say!!"

Red Earl elegantly leaned on a purple umbrella. His powerful Observation Haki completely captured the thoughts in Golden Lion's mind and recited them on the spot.

The golden lion standing directly opposite narrowed its eyes.

"Although I had heard that the Red Earl could read minds, I never imagined that the rumor was actually true!!"

The Red Earl smiled and spoke Golden Lion's true feelings again, which made Golden Lion's face turn completely dark.

"what do you mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything."

The Red Earl smiled and spoke.

"I'm just showing you my abilities so you won't lose to me too easily due to carelessness."

"Humph!"

The golden lion snorted coldly, then burst into laughter.

"Hehehehe, this is interesting. Since that's the case..."

He bent down and slapped the ice surface of the ring.

clack clack...

The edge of the ice arena, which was originally firmly attached to the ice field, suddenly cracked and then slowly floated off the ground.

"I am a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user with the ability to float anything I touch, including non-living objects."

"Of course, touching is not necessarily limited to the palm of the hand."

The golden lion swung his sword, and a golden slash shot out, cutting a huge chasm in the distant ice field.

Then, the ice near the ravine actually detached from the ice field and floated up under the control of the golden lion.

"Hehehehe, see that? My abilities can be used like this!"

The Red Earl watched this scene with astonishment.

"Truly impressive, worthy of being a legendary pirate."

Duang!!

Suddenly, the war bell rang in the center of the island, startling the two people who were chatting.

Then, they stopped talking to each other, and their auras began to turn cold and menacing.

The golden lion moved first.

He manipulated the ice that had been floating and dragged nearby, and quickly crashed into the Red Earl.

The Red Earl gripped the umbrella handle with his right hand, giving it a gentle twist and pull.

A slender staff-sword was quickly drawn from its sheath.

With his sword wrapped in jet-black Armament Haki, he swiftly sliced ​​the ice thrown by the Golden Lion into pieces.

Then, the Red Earl gracefully turned to the side, and a golden slash flew past the hem of his clothes.

Then, with another small, quick turn, the Golden Lion's sword pierced through his back.

He swung his staff and sword backhand, and the Golden Lion parried with his sword.

Clang!

After the collision, the Red Earl used the force to straighten himself.

The slender staff-sword in his hand transformed into a silver rain curtain, launching a high-speed, dense attack on the golden lion.

The golden lion brandished his twin swords, parrying and then counterattacking.

However, the results were not very good.

Because his attacks couldn't hit the Red Earl, but the Red Earl was able to launch an attack on him during the gaps in his attacks.

Almost instantly, several bloody holes were pierced into the golden lion's body.

Although the wound wasn't deep, it was clear that, in terms of performance alone, the Golden Lion was likely the worst performer in the ring since the quarterfinals began.

While Korin couldn't cut Kaido down, Kaido also couldn't really hurt Korin much.

Golden Lion was different; he was wounded right at the start of the battle, and many pirates who had supported him before the battle couldn't help but have doubts when they saw this.

Golden Lion also realized this, and after suffering a minor loss, he immediately activated his Ambition Slash, aiming his sword at Red Earl's forehead.

The Red Earl's pupils suddenly contracted. His usually infallible mind-reading and Observation Haki had failed him?!

Fortunately, during the fight between Kaido and Korin the day before yesterday, his Observation Haki also failed him, so he is not entirely unprepared now.

At the critical moment, the Red Earl dodged the Golden Lion's slash.

However, the Golden Lion's attack came suddenly, and the Red Earl still suffered a shallow wound on his chest.

Blood spurted from the wound, and the Red Earl let out a soft groan.

"Hehehehe, you didn't expect that, did you? I can also use the 'Seeing and Hearing Kill' technique!!"

The golden lion wore a smug look on its face, like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.

Count Red raised his hand and gently touched the wound on his chest, smiling as he said, "It was indeed my carelessness; I should have thought of that earlier."

As a legendary pirate, the strength of the Golden Lion that he envisioned should have been infinitely exaggerated.

Let alone the "Seeing and Hearing Kill" technique, even if he possessed more powerful skills, it wouldn't be surprising.

"That's really interesting!"

The Red Earl seemed to be greatly traumatized after being injured.

"This is the first time in my life I've been injured in battle, and the first time in my life I... I can't read my opponent's mind!"

"Ah~~"

The Red Earl spread his arms wide and let out a comfortable sigh.

"What a quiet world..."

The Golden Lion tilted his head, not quite understanding what was wrong with the Red Earl.

However, the magnanimous man said that sneak attacks were shameful.

So he patiently waited until the Red Earl finished his lament and pointed his staff and sword at him again.

"Thank you, I'll use my full strength from now on!"

A red light flashed in the Red Earl's eyes.

For the first time in his life, he actually wanted to use Observation Haki to predict his opponent's movements.

"Hehehe!"

The golden lion laughed heartily.

"That's how it should be! The battle! It has to be exhilarating!!"

Amidst laughter, the Golden Lion raised his sword and pointed it at the Red Earl.

"Lion's Might - Earth Sweep!!"

boom!!

Countless ice crystals split off from the ice field, transforming into a giant ice lion's head, roaring and howling at Count Red.

Count Red raised his hand and with a few swift strokes of his sword, instantly shattered the lion's head.

At that moment, the golden lion suddenly attacked.

Clang!

The staff-sword clashed with the golden lion's twin swords, sparking fiercely.

Clang! Clang clang clang...

Neither of them spoke, and instead engaged in a fierce sword duel on the arena.

"Lion - Thousand Cut Valley!!"

The golden lion flew high into the sky, rapidly wielding its twin swords and unleashing dozens, even hundreds, of massive golden slashes in one go.

These golden slashes all had an attack area of ​​nearly 100 kilometers in length, and when viewed from Aure Island, they looked like a golden curtain of light descending from the sky.

boom!!

The icy arena and the ice field shattered completely under the barrage of slashes.

Red Earl activated his Observation Haki to its fullest extent, constantly leaping and dodging on the flying ice blocks.

But before he could get close, the golden lion squeezed its large hand, and countless shattered ice blocks quickly gathered towards the center.

clack clack...

Lion's Might - Earth Explosion Star!!

The Golden Lion didn't disclose the name of its skill, but if it were to, it would most likely be this one.

The Red Earl was encased in ice at the very center, with a giant ice ball suspended above the ice field.

"Hehehehe..."

However, just as the Golden Lion was about to declare victory, a flash of sword light appeared, and the ice puck shattered into pieces.

Red Earl stepped on the cuts in the ice puck and rushed forward quickly, appearing in front of Golden Lion in an instant.

The slender staff-sword flashed rapidly, and his sword-wielding movements were invisible to the naked eye. Hundreds of slashes had already descended upon the Golden Lion.

The golden lion's coat was shredded, turning into countless pieces of cloth that flew everywhere.

Thanks to Shiki's use of Armament Haki at the crucial moment, he would have been torn to pieces in that instant.

"You've got some skills!!"

Rumble!

Black and red lightning burst from the golden lion's body, and he finally began to use the Conqueror's Haki binding technique.

Red Earl dodged backward to avoid Golden Lion's domineering slash.

The two exchanged blows, each displaying extreme speed and swordsmanship.

The fierce battle lasted from morning until the afternoon of the third day.

In the end, the Red Earl, having rarely experienced fierce battles, was the first to exhaust his strength and was sent flying by the Golden Lion's sword.

Fortunately, because the Golden Lion was in relatively good condition, he held back his strength when he struck out after realizing that the Red Earl was exhausted, thus preventing him from splitting the Red Earl in two.

The Red Earl fell from the sky onto the ground amidst shattered ice.

He gazed up at the sky, a smile of happiness playing on his lips.

"What a thoroughly satisfying defeat!!"

During this battle, he was completely unable to read the Golden Lion's mind. He had to rely on his own abilities to dodge all of the Golden Lion's attacks, rather than reading his mind to anticipate the opponent's attack trajectory.

This unique experience was something the Red Earl had never felt before.

A quiet world, where you can't hear the voices of others, is truly wonderful...

"Moreover, after this defeat, there's a high chance that no one will say again that I can take on a top-tier pirate crew by myself."

The Red Earl's smile deepened.

Although he was indifferent to fame and fortune, the long-standing reputation he had brought him some pressure.

Now, all of this has vanished with this defeat.

That's great, that's really wonderful...

The golden lion slowly descended from the sky.

He's in pretty good shape right now, not at his limit, but actually not far from it either.

This was such a difficult one-on-one duel; he hadn't fought in ages. They fought for three days and two nights straight, and he almost lost to the Red Earl.

"Hahaha, that's so exhilarating!! I haven't felt this good in ages!!"

A magnanimous smile also blossomed on the golden lion's face.

Despite the arduous battle, he ultimately emerged victorious!

I haven't felt this genuinely happy in a long time.

The direction of the host's podium.

Morgans, who was already exhausted from explaining, only snapped out of his daze after the Golden Lion laughed heartily for a while.

"Huh? What's wrong? Are you done playing?"

"Yes, it's over."

An assistant at the podium reminded Morgans, who then belatedly continued hosting.

"After three days and two nights of fierce fighting! The third match of the World Martial Arts Tournament's quarterfinals has been won by Shiki the Golden Lion!!"

As Morgans shouted, the viewers around the world, who were already stunned, suddenly shuddered.

"They won? The winner is the Golden Lion?!"

"Holy crap! Awesome! We finally won!!"

"The Golden Lion is still strong!!"

……

The duel between the Golden Lion and the Red Earl over the past three days has completely refreshed the world's understanding of top-level powerhouses.

They are truly monsters, capable of unleashing their full power for three days and two nights without rest. Even if a normal person could occasionally unleash the same destructive power as them, they probably wouldn't be able to withstand a second strike from one of their casual blows.

And not counting the Golden Lion and Red Earl that we've already defeated, there are at least six more monsters of this caliber!

And none of these six are from the Navy!!

Viewers around the world who had already realized the problem couldn't help but tremble inside.

"Can the Navy... really protect us?"

………………

"Attention all troops! This will be a journey of no return!"

"Those who are afraid to die! Those who dare not go! Quit now, and I won't blame you!"

……

In three days, Golden Lion and Red Earl fought a fierce battle, and the Navy was certainly not idle either.

The orders previously communicated to all branches have been successfully delivered, and the elite forces of each branch have been successfully assembled at the Navy G1 branch.

Now, a giant lieutenant general is giving a pre-battle pep talk to all the soldiers.

The soldiers were in high spirits and shouted enthusiastically.

The World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament was not being broadcast live here, so the soldiers were unaware of the kind of enemy they were about to face.

But it doesn't really matter.

Because no matter who the opponent is, they are the navy.

The navy fights to uphold justice and protect civilians; it cannot be deterred from going to the battlefield just because the enemy is powerful.

If the evil pirates dare not fight, then who can protect the defenseless elderly, women, and children?!

Navy G1 Branch, Main Conference Room.

Fleet Admiral Kong, Admiral Sengoku the Buddha, Hero Garp the Iron Fist, retired Admiral Zephyr the Black Arm, and a group of Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals.

They had just finished watching the duel between Golden Lion and Red Earl, and Fleet Admiral Kong began to give a speech.

"You've all seen the enemy's fighting strength; they're not opponents that ordinary people can challenge. If anyone is afraid, withdraw now, and I can transfer you to guard the base!"

A hush fell over the room; not a single naval officer present showed any sign of fear.

However, some questions remain.

A young naval rear admiral raised his right hand, indicating that he could speak.

The major admiral began by asking, "Can our navy achieve victory in this operation?"

"No, I'm sorry, Air Marshal, I'm not trying to boost the enemy's morale and diminish our own, but judging from the paper strength, our navy really doesn't seem to have the advantage."

"The enemy may be fighting each other now because of the title of the best in the world, but if we intervene, they will most likely unite and fight against our navy."

"If things really turn out this way, how can we win the final victory?"

Kong's gaze swept across the conference room, and he noticed that many lieutenant generals also had the same doubts in their eyes. He knew that this matter could no longer be hidden.

"You don't need to worry about high-end combat capabilities."

"Because this operation was personally designated by the high command, namely the Five Elders!"

"Although our navy remains the main force in the encirclement and suppression operation, however!!"

"The Five Elders have decided that, in order to quell the chaos on the high seas as soon as possible, they will personally take action to suppress these evil pirates you see in the live broadcast!!"