Chapter 13: Strongest Versus Strongest (Part I)

"What an overwhelming presence!"

"That guy... he’s no simpleton!"

As the tall, hulking figure in front of Chu Yi and his companions slowly advanced, aiming directly for their position...

Heart and Sword as One!

The wooden sword clutched in his arms began to vibrate violently, causing Mihawk, at Chu Yi’s left, to snap his eyes open. His pupils, sharp as a hawk’s, locked firmly onto the figure pacing toward them.

If I defeat him... my swordsmanship will advance to the next level!

In an instant, an absurd thought flashed through Mihawk’s mind, forcing him to grip the wooden sword in his arms tightly. Even though the idea was utterly ridiculous, as his battle intent surged, Mihawk couldn't even explain why he was so determined to have a fierce showdown with this man, whose allegiance remained unknown.

As for Chu Yi...

When his keen eyes clearly caught sight of that powerful, imposing figure, his pupils constricted slightly. Relying on his memories of the original story, combined with the figure’s shoulder-length black hair and, most notably, the two demonic horns atop his head, a name that struck terror into the hearts of all who heard it in the original series flashed through Chu Yi’s mind!

It was Kaido, one of the future "Four Emperors"!

The Four Emperors... another one of them!

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that after encountering Whitebeard, he would run into another "Four Emperor" on the very first island in the New World.

Realizing the identity of the opponent was Kaido, Chu Yi began to contemplate that before rescuing Fisher Tiger, Smoker, and Lucci, he would likely... have to face a bitter battle first!

In Chu Yi’s eyes, this battle was unavoidable, primarily because Kaido, one of the future "Four Emperors," was an extremely troublesome character.

Kaido of the "Four Emperors," nicknamed "The King of the Beasts," was the strongest creature on land, sea, or air!

And in Chu Yi’s opinion, that guy Kaido... was someone with a deeply twisted psyche!

He didn't like to stick with his pirate crew; he preferred wandering the seas, hunting for prey and wantonly slaughtering his chosen targets. His personality was incredibly violent. Moreover, Kaido’s ability to fight solo was so immense that even Whitebeard, whom Chu Yi had encountered earlier, might have been slightly inferior in that regard. Aside from his habit of taking on hundreds or even thousands of enemies at once during battle, Kaido’s greatest hobby was suicide—which was why Chu Yi considered him mentally twisted.

Running into Kaido at a time like this was truly... troublesome no matter how he looked at it!

"If I could still use my Devil Fruit powers, a mere Kaido would be nothing to fear."

"Unfortunately..."

"Having lost my fruit abilities, my strength has been slashed by at least eighty percent! Relying solely on the physical conditioning from my several awakenings, plus the 'Heaven-Shattering' sword intent... I’m afraid I’ll have to cooperate with Mihawk to defeat this future 'Four Emperor'!"

Secretly thinking this, Chu Yi slowly clenched his fists, building up his momentum. He prepared to join forces with the future world’s greatest swordsman, "Hawk-Eye," to fight Kaido the moment Mihawk could no longer resist the urge to engage him.

However, Chu Yi had calculated everything... except for that "Master of Logic," Gecko Moria!

As for the current Gecko Moria, he was a guy fueled by dreams and hot-blooded passion, which made him... a bit too cheerful!

Seeing Kaido approaching, with every step seemingly causing the entire island to tremble, Moria not only failed to recognize who Kaido was, but actually grinned at him:

"Kishishishishi!"

"If I'm not mistaken, you're also trapped on this island, right? Let's be logical—I've been stuck here for days. Rumor has it that if you're trapped on Dark Island for three days, you can never leave. So, to survive, for the sake of our dreams... why don't you join us and work with Chu Yi?"

"Of course, we have to rescue our companions first before we can take you with us."

"How about it? Interested in joining up?"

Hearing Moria’s words, accompanied by his eerie laughter, Kaido woodenly lowered his head. His gaze locked onto Moria’s sturdy frame as he asked in a low voice, "Chu Yi? Is that the hotshot rookie... Shura Chu Yi?"

"Yo, Chu Yi, seems like you're quite famous!"

Turning his gaze toward Chu Yi, Moria looked slightly startled, then immediately clenched his fists in front of his chest. Looking like he was in the middle of a middle-schooler's fantasy, he said seriously and firmly: "But let's be logical, it doesn't matter if you're Shura Chu Yi or some hotshot rookie—the one who is going to conquer the seas is definitely me, Gecko Moria!"

"Chu Yi! I am destined to be the Pirate King!"

Pfft...

Staring at Moria’s incredibly cringeworthy display, Chu Yi nearly coughed up blood. Even though he didn't, he felt internally wounded by Moria’s antics!

Who the hell do you think you are? Stealing Luffy’s lines—no wonder the Straw Hat Pirates beat the hell out of you!

For a moment, Chu Yi stood there with black lines across his forehead, unable to retort. He felt all his previously accumulated momentum vanish into thin air, and he even found himself missing the version of Gecko Moria from the original story.

At this moment, Moria, the "Master of Logic," was truly... truly despair-inducing!

However, when Kaido confirmed Chu Yi’s identity once more from Moria’s words, his pupils constricted slightly, and a wild, arrogant grin spread across his face!

"Great! Hahahaha! Wonderful!"

"So it really is Shura Chu Yi! Finally... I can taste the feeling of death!"

Boom!

The moment the words left Kaido’s lips, before Chu Yi’s Observation Haki could even provide a warning, the future "Four Emperor’s" fist broke through the barrier of distance and appeared right before Chu Yi’s eyes!

"So fast..."

He had assumed that because Kaido was so large and bulky, raw power was his only true strength. Who would have thought his speed was just as formidable? Especially when throwing a punch, the hundreds of meters of distance were completely negligible to him!

However...

A faint, cold smile curled at the corners of Chu Yi’s mouth. What he wanted to say was: unfortunately, Kaido, your speed is still not fast enough!

The next second!

"Windwalk!"

Whoosh!

Sword intent converged!

Chu Yi transformed into a gale, displaying speed rivaling light itself. Just as Kaido’s iron fist was about to land on him, he suddenly dodged the blow that could have split mountains and parted the seas.

Furthermore...

Mihawk had been waiting for the chance to fight Kaido and seize the opportunity to elevate his swordsmanship. Now that Kaido’s punch had missed, how could Mihawk let such a golden opportunity to defeat him slip away?

So, just as Kaido’s figure flickered, trailing afterimages as he threw his punch, only to have it dodged by Chu Yi...

"Swish!"

The wooden sword descended, tearing the sky asunder!

Mihawk’s "Heaven-Shattering" strike had been prepared for a long time, just waiting for an opening. There was no need for any coordination between him and Chu Yi!

Because of this, Mihawk seized the moment, and his sword landed cleanly on Kaido’s wrist!

But...

When Mihawk’s wooden sword collided with Kaido’s wrist, the sight that greeted him left him stunned. Because as that heaven-shattering blow struck Kaido’s wrist, it wasn't Kaido’s wrist that snapped—it was... Mihawk’s wooden sword!