Chapter 213: Fox
The latecomer arrives first.
The original intent is to deliberately use a feint of taking a detour to lure the enemy, holding them back, so that one can depart later than the enemy but arrive at the goal first.
It can also be understood as waiting for the terrain to counter movement with stillness, striking later to gain the advantage.
But for Aoxi, it was purely the literal meaning.
Even though she deliberately slowed down, compared to Kaido’s slow cloud-riding, Aoxi still arrived at the destination nearly half an hour faster than him.
……
Whoosh—thud!
A blinding light flashed by, and by the time Kaido landed back in human form, Aoxi was already bored and kicking pebbles around.
“Uro-ro-ro-ro!”
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Aoxi!”
“It wasn’t that long……and good food is never late anyway～”
Like kicking a shuttlecock, the pebble flipped up and down with the movement of Aoxi’s boot, but each time it landed back on her shoe surface, until this final one……
Snap!
The pebble wrapped in Haki was casually swatted by a crimson tail, then instantly blasted out at several times the speed of sound!
Whoosh—!
Kaido tilted his head to easily dodge, but the wind from the pebble still sheared off a few strands of his hair.
“Roar roar~ You’ve grown a tail, looks like I made a damn good decision this time.”
“But with both wings and a tail……what kind of Mythical Beast are you, brat?”
“Could it be a dragon too?”
Kaido looked with great interest at the tail behind Aoxi—not too thick, not too thin, restlessly swinging left and right.
“Not a Mythical Beast, an Egyptian God Card.”
Seeing that Kaido was ready, Aoxi also took her hands out of her pockets and assumed a battle stance.
“Hah!”
Like a Saiyan powering up, a faint red aura erupted around Aoxi, her wings behind her suddenly stretched to the limit, and her crimson long hair floated without wind.
Thump~
A heartbeat-like sound echoed in the air.
Boiling divine power was continuously pumped out from the core, traveling along the optimal pathways built from birth to every extremity.
This body was flawless inside and out, from every angle.
Sizzle—
Several crimson energy lines radiated from Aoxi’s chest, forming strange patterns that gave her a more divine aura.
This was undoubtedly a battle stance!
Aoxi in this state was undoubtedly—full firepower!
Shake—!
Just the outward pressure alone made the small island underfoot tremble nonstop.
Beneath the sea surface, countless whales, dolphins, fish, shrimp, and even Sea Kings thrashed their bodies desperately to flee this tiny islet.
“Hoo~”
The space-tearing momentum was reined back into her body, and Aoxi’s state became introverted and stable.
“Phase 1, complete.”
……
“Roar~ The momentum is on a completely different level from before, as expected, that old woman Linlin didn’t let me down!”
Seeing Aoxi’s current stance, Kaido felt a sense of accomplishment like he’d steered his daughter back to the ‘right path’, and couldn’t help bursting into hearty laughter.
“Uro-ro-ro!”
“Looks like now you understand what I’ve always said, that only martial prowess is……”
Snap!
The crimson tail lightly swatted, and the hard islet underfoot immediately cracked with a huge fissure several meters wide, extending all the way to Kaido’s feet.
“So arrogant, Boss Kaido.”
Looking at Kaido’s ‘gratified’ expression, Aoxi spoke faintly.
“Though I always call you ‘Boss, Boss’ and have treated you like an elder in my heart……that doesn’t mean you can casually distort my thoughts.”
“I am me.”
“My thoughts are my thoughts.”
“My will is my will.”
“Which direction my life takes is my freedom, and my right.”
“No one can interfere!”
Aoxi stood opposite Kaido, stating her position in an irrefutable tone.
“Hm?”
Seeing that what she said differed somewhat from his imagination, Kaido was slightly puzzled, but quickly figured it out.
“Hey! Looks like Linlin said something to you……such a busybody.”
Azure Dragon Scales gradually climbed onto Kaido’s face, his muscles began to bulge, his leg bones twisted and reversed, sharp claws extended from his fingertips……
At the same time, on his pair of curved horns, a pair of straight dragon horns sprouted from his head, appearing majestic and ferocious.
Mythical Beast Azure Dragon—Dragon Form!
“Heh!”
“Saying not to interfere with your thoughts, not to interfere with your freedom……Aoxi, do you know?”
“On this sea, only the strong are worthy of speaking the word ‘freedom’!”
“If you’re weak, you don’t deserve to talk about thoughts or freedom! All you can do is pin everything on the whim of the strong one dominating you!”
“If he wants you to live, you live; if he wants you to die, you die!”
“Without power, you can’t do anything!”
In the next instant, Kaido appeared right in front of Aoxi, swinging his Wolf Fang Club with exaggerated force.
Woo-lon—
An explosion like space being bombed rushed straight at Aoxi’s face, as if to smash her to pieces!
“Someone like you, who only relies on power, is the one who can’t do anything!”
Bang!
Without a care for the incoming Wolf Fang Club, Aoxi’s slender fist struck Kaido’s face first, sending him flying out in a shower of sparks and lightning.
Whoosh—sizzle sizzle sizzle!
Like a fighter jet making an emergency landing, Kaido’s dragon feet gripped the ground tightly, skidding hundreds of meters after landing before finally stopping.
Thud!
The black Wolf Fang Club slammed heavily into the ground, steadying Kaido’s form as he wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Tch~”
“Heh heh!”
Looking at the bright red blood on the back of his hand, Kaido first clicked his tongue in annoyance, then grinned.
“Saying you don’t rely on martial prowess, but you’re using it pretty damn well~”
“No matter how nicely you put it, in the end aren’t you relying on the martial prowess you disdain to solve things?”
An untimely sea breeze blew Kaido’s ragged black long hair; though he was the one sent flying, his tone was like a victor’s.
“What nonsense are you spouting, Boss Kaido?”
“When did I ever say I wouldn’t use martial prowess?”
“If you have power at hand and don’t use it, wouldn’t that make you an idiot?”
Aoxi looked at Kaido in front of her with utter speechlessness.
“Then you……”
“I’ve never denied the meaning of martial prowess, but just like this—”
Aoxi raised the arm she had used to punch Kaido flying; the mutated crimson Haki plus sacred golden lightning patterns made this hand look like a priceless work of art.
Her slender palm slowly clenched its five fingers into a small fist.
“This is the fist I used to send you flying just now. And then……”
Aoxi unclenched her fist, spreading her five fingers, then pressing her middle and ring fingers together and hooking them with her thumb.
“This is the ‘fox’.”
Kaido:
