The moment Borsalino soared into the sky and golden light surged around her, both Zephyr and Kaido noticed her movement immediately.
Zephyr had heard about her sparring match against Garp at the Marineford training ground, and he was well aware of the devastating power behind her ultimate technique. As the young girl rose higher into the air with pillars of light flickering around her, he understood her intention and stopped holding back.
Erupting with pitch black Armament Haki, every punch Zephyr threw shattered the air with a thunderous roar, carrying tyrannical force. He used his full strength to pin Kaido in place, ensuring that when Borsalino struck, the pirate would have no chance to evade.
Under Zephyr's fierce offensive, Kaido's hybrid form stalled. An intense, ominous foreboding rose in the depths of his heart. The shimmering golden radiance in the sky was growing exponentially more powerful by the second.
Light flowed endlessly around the Marine Ensign. Though her aura remained steady, it carried a weight of oppression that surpassed even Zephyr's. That silent, lethal intent made Kaido's entire body tense up. Powerful as Zephyr's fists were, they could not threaten Kaido's life in a matter of seconds, but this was different.
High above, Borsalino cast aside all distractions and focused entirely on gathering her power. Yata no Kagami activated at full speed as countless beams of light intertwined and refracted around her, layering and overlapping continuously.
Her speed and force amplified exponentially with every passing second. Ten seconds, thirty seconds, one minute, two minutes. This time, she stacked two full minutes of light speed, double the energy of the strike she had used against Garp, and the absolute limit of what her body, Haki, and Devil Fruit could currently sustain.
The blinding golden light did not erupt outward; instead, it was tightly compressed and contained within the blade of Qingyue and her very bones. Pitch black Armament Haki coated the steel, intertwining the dual forces of light and Haki. The unreleased edge radiated such pressure that the sea breeze around them came to a dead halt.
This was the absolute peak of her power at her current stage.
Grappling below, Zephyr caught the subtle shift in light and shadow, sensing that her charge was complete. Gathering his Haki, he delivered a crushing punch and used the explosive recoil to spring backward, instantly opening a safe distance and clearing the line of sight for her attack.
The line of fire was clear. Kaido's pupils shrank as the cold sensation of impending death gripped him. But it was already too late.
Hum!
The sky trembled as golden light pierced through heaven and earth. From Borsalino's perspective, time itself ground to a halt. She turned into a beam of blinding light that tore through the sea mist at a speed beyond visual comprehension. Kaido's Observation Haki caught only a fleeting afterimage, far too late for him to raise a defense.
In the next heartbeat, the black and gold blade slashed viciously across his chest.
The sickening sound of steel biting deep into flesh exploded across the water. A brief, dead silence enveloped the ocean, as though time had frozen.
An instant later, the concentrated power detonated in a violent shockwave that expanded across the sea. The ruined pirate ship beneath Kaido's feet collapsed, the hull shattering into splinters and disintegrating as wreckage rained across the water.
Kaido's massive hybrid form hurtled backward like a broken kite, smashing through the ship's cabin and piercing clean through the hull before crashing into the ocean, sending up a towering wave dozens of meters high.
That legendary physique, which had survived countless artillery shells and blade strikes without a scratch, now bore a gruesome wound across its chest that cut deep to the bone. Scales were shattered, flesh was torn open, and scalding blood gushed wildly into the water, staining the sea red.
The tide of battle had turned completely.
Zephyr did not hesitate for a second. Leaping onto a piece of floating wreckage, he caught Borsalino just as her strength gave out and she fell from sheer exhaustion.
Her crisp white Marine uniform was dust stained and speckled with blood, her long hair disheveled, and her body trembling from total depletion. Yet her eyes burned with astonishing brightness, filled with the clarity of having shattered her limits.
That single, limit breaking strike had revealed her true ceiling. Charged to her absolute limit, her attack was powerful enough to heavily wound Kaido, a man destined to become a Yonko.
Even more surprising, the intense exertion had not drained her Haki completely. Instead, what remained within her had grown denser and more robust, showing clear signs of refinement. True battle was indeed the ultimate catalyst for Haki.
"You were far too reckless," Zephyr said, looking down at the girl in his arms. His voice carried a note of stern scolding, yet he could not conceal the profound pride and satisfaction in his eyes, a faint smile touching his lips.
Had that desperate strike failed to deal decisive damage, leaving Kaido room to counter, the consequences would have been dire.
Borsalino tilted her head slightly, a relaxed, nonchalant smile gracing her lips. "At least the result was good." It had been a gamble, but the payoff was undeniable.
Zephyr shook his head helplessly, preparing to step forward to finish the fight and verify Kaido's condition. Right then, a thunderous dragon roar split the clouds and echoed across the foggy sea.
Clatter!
Giant waves erupted as a dark beam of light shot toward the heavens. Kaido had resumed his Azure Dragon form, soaring into the sky. Though his massive body remained impressive, it had lost its overwhelming, invincible aura. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
The bone deep gash across his chest was horrifying to behold, dragon blood continuously raining down and staining the sky. The thick, ferocious horns on his head were snapped in half with jagged edges, laying bare the severity of his defeat.
Enduring excruciating pain, he rapidly summoned flame clouds beneath his body to carry his weight. Accelerating to top speed, he swept past Zephyr and Borsalino. The dragon's massive claws reached down, scooping up the unconscious King and pulling him safely against his chest.
With his crewmate secured, the dragon ascended into the clouds, pausing briefly at high altitude. His cold, ruthless eyes cut through the mist, locking onto Borsalino down below. His gaze was heavy, filled with caution, scrutiny, and a burning thread of lingering battle lust.
In the next second, the Azure Dragon turned and fled into the fog on flame clouds, disappearing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Zephyr placed a hand on Borsalino's shoulder as she tried to force herself up to pursue. His voice was calm and steady. "Do not pursue."
"Although Kaido is severely wounded, he is fully intent on escaping, and his speed is immense. You are the only one here who could catch him, but your energy is completely spent. Forcing a chase is far too dangerous and not worth the risk."
"We have already dealt him a crushing blow. It will be a long time before Kaido can stir up trouble again."
Heavily injuring Kaido was already a monumental victory, even if capturing him for Impel Down was out of reach today.
"Next time we meet, we will capture him and bring him to justice," Zephyr concluded grimly.
With the mighty foe gone, quiet returned to the sea. The Marines moved swiftly to secure the battlefield, rounding up and binding the surviving members of Kaido's and Ochoku's crews.
They also fished Ochoku out of the water. Long unconscious, the relic of the Rocks era had finally become a prisoner of the Marines.
The ocean settled into a peaceful calm, giving the crew time to rest, repair the vessel, and assess their casualties before setting course for Impel Down.
After reporting the details of the engagement to Fleet Admiral Kong, Zephyr delivered the vessel full of pirate prisoners to Impel Down. Borsalino, exhausted from overusing her powers, spent the next few days recovering in her cabin.
With the prisoners safely handed over and all reports filed, the warship turned around, cutting through the open blue waves on its return journey. They continued patrolling the Grand Line for another month. Through several more skirmishes along the way, Borsalino refined her Haki even further.
As the warship sailed steadily onward, the distant silhouette of Marineford grew clear on the horizon. After a month at sea, Marine Headquarters finally came into view once more.