Chapter 195: Waves, Unlikely Ally and Clash

Chapter 195: Waves, Unlikely Ally and Clash

_________ POV Narration _________

A few minutes before Vista's last stand on the island on the island, a small rowboat was still advancing towards the island silently.

Ace and Francisco were so far away that they couldn't even see the island yet. But one thing they did see... A huge tsunami.

Thankfully, Francisco was strong enough to cut it apart before it swallowed them and dragged them to the bottom of the sea.

Ace immediately realized that something was wrong, and did something unexpected...

Instead of continuing to row, he pointed both of his hands backwards and told Francisco to Brace himself as well.

He released a flame so concentrated that it became yellow. The Whitebeard Pirate used that flame as propulsion for their little rowboat.

Francisco smiled as he felt the wind beating on his face. And it didn't take long for the island to come into view... As well as the Ships that surrounded it.

'It's a war huh... Is that Kaido's flag I spot in the distance?' Francisco scowled as he made a mock telescope with one hand.

He was stuck for a split second, wondering if he could even interfere in a war between Emperors without contacting his captain.

"I'll go help Whitebeard... You deal with the ships." Francisco ordered coldly as his eyes narrowed. He could feel the angry tremors that shook the island in the distance.

Whitebeard was still fighting, they weren't too late.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to think about contacting Enel. Instead of waiting to reach the island, he dashed.

He dashed with so much force that the rowboat broke underneath him, Ace was thankfully able to fly, using his devil fruit's propulsion, so that wasn't an issue for him.

The legendary swordsman rushed towards the island, his speed far exceeding Ace as he became a blur that the young pirate could barely follow using Observation Haki...

'Pops... Please be safe...'

Ace couldn't help but pray for a few seconds before reaching the first ship...

"HIKEN!(Fire Fist!)"

And while that was happening, Francisco had already finished dispatching all of the pirates near Vista, not bothering to spare any one of them.

He assumed that Vista was a part of Whitebeard's crew, it wasn't that hard of an assumption to make.

Francsico was a bit disappointed though... He was unsure if he had made it in time to save the flowery swordsman.

He also didn't have the time to check on him. As he could fell Whitebeard's fight with Kaido raging on the other side of the island.

'It's somewhat fitting that the blade of Whitebeard's crewmate would help me save Whitebeard...'

Francisco wasn't as confident in defeating Kaido using the element of surprise this time around.

The King of the Beasts was sure to be expecting it this time around. Especially since Kaido's observation likely covered enough for him to feel his subordinates die off...

By the time Francisco reached the two Emperors, Kaido had indeed realised that his two strongest subordinates had been killed.

But he wasn't all that perturbed by it... No, he was more perturbed by the man that had just rolled up on the battlefield.

Just as the Hybrid Dragon was about to land a finishing blow on Whitebeard, who was already injured and weakened enough to be killed off, said man appeared in front of him.

His Hassaikai was blocked by a red blade. Red and Purple lightning clashed for a few seconds before Kaido jumped backwards with a bit of confusion.

That confusion turned into hatred swiftly, as he recognized Francisco as soon as he laid his eyes on him.

"You... So Whitebeard was already with the Sky King, huh..." Kadio scowled as he gripped his Hassaikai tightly.

Francisco ignored him momentarily, as he looked at Whitebeard's form...

Edward Newgate had seen better days, that was for sure. He seemed to be half kneeling, his body riddled with injuries and bruises.

But his hand was still clutching onto his large Naginata, he was still 'standing' strong...

"You... Don't tell me..." Whitebeard's tired eyes widened when he looked at his side. A rush of emotions ran through him.

Previously he had felt shame and rage. Shame at being unable to help the people he had sworn to protect.

And Rage at Kaido, who seemed hellbent on ruining the family he had worked so hard for his entire life...

All of those powerful emotions were replaced... Confusion, regret, guilt, fear... He didn't even know if he was dreaming or not...

Had Kaido killed him? Was he just looking at a ghost from his past? Most likely...

But he was still alive... He could still feel pain, his injuries, and more importantly... He could feel Francisco...

Even after all of those years, Whitebeard was able to recognize the man's aura at a moment's notice.

Kaido scowled as he looked down and locked eyes with Francisco, who now seemed to have a neutral expression.

"Maybe I was too quick to judge you as a disappointment back on the Sky Islands..." Francisco said as his gaze became serious and his Conquror's Haki flared up a bit more.

"We've barely just begun, you old freak!" Kaido scowled as he tried his best to overwhelm Francisco with his physical prowess...

And it seemed to work, the swordsman was pushed back slightly. But it looked more like he had jumped backwards.

The swordsman then seemed to grip his blade a bit tighter, as lightning started rolling around it more and more.

'Here it comes... He's going all out now...'

Kaido's eyes narrowed as he realized what was coming. Whitebeard had a similar reaction as he prepared to protect the people by his side the best he could.

"Surging Whirlwind!"

In that instant, Francisco's arm became a blur, as he sent countless red flying slashes towards Kaido.

The Dragon Emperor scoffed as he covered his entire body in armament and put his weapon in front of him.

Sparks flew, and the Dragon was immediately pushed backwards as ten or so slashes made direct contact with his metallic club.

He felt his legs hitting the sea, but he was still filled with strength, as the wind from the flying slashes seemed to create too much turbulence for the water to be still.

Eventually, Kaido Roared and batted them away, before jumping towards the sky, to avoid getting pushed into the sea.

The Dragon soared into the sky as more and more flying slashes came his way, he swung his blade, breaking a few of them and batting them away, but he was forced to put his guard back up as cuts started appearing all over his body.

The flying slashes seemed to be pushing him further and further into the sky, straight into the clouds that had barely managed to recover from his previous clashes with Whitebeard.

When seeing that he was far up enough, Francisco stopped and smiled.

The slashes had landed all around, severing the ocean and shores, and turning them into a scarred mess. The ocean was recovering quickly, water rushing in and filling the gaps, but the shore wasn't so lucky...

Francisco's expression became serious as he grasped his blade with both hands, taking a posture that was all too familiar to Whitebeard.

'Here it comes...' Whitebeard slowly stood up as he prepared for the worst. He slowly walked over and stood in between the village and Francisco.

"Sever!" The Swordsman grinned as he used the technique that had earned him his title... The Island Splitter.

The swordsman used both hands and swiped his blade with all of his strength. Pointing the edge directly at the ground.

He released a gigantic red flying slash that seemed to strike everything at a 360-degree angle. The arc seemed to expand more and more, cutting both the island and the clouds in half.

Kaido's eyes widened as he was faced with the gigantic slash, he quickly tried to deflect it, but that was unfortunately impossible.

The Dragon Emperor knew that he wouldn't be able to block the attack, so he instead decided to control his fire clouds to dodge to the side.

Unfortunately, he had moved far too late and was forced to sacrifice his broken arm in order to stop the Flying Slash for a split second.

Whitebeard scowled as he watched Francisco split his home island in half.

'At least he aimed properly this time... He's always had a notoriously bad accuracy...'

Whitebeard sighed as he sat down and looked at the unharmed village behind him. Some buildings had collapsed from the severe shockwaves, but at least the villagers were mostly unharmed...

Francisco swiped his forehead as he huffed a breath he seemed to have been holding onto for a while.

'Been a while since I went all out like that... That Dragon Brat probably survived it though...'

The Swordsman then looked at the sky, a deep mark was left on the clouds that had gathered before.

He, as well as everyone that was paying attention, managed to see a rather thick arm covered in azure scales falling out of the sky.

Regardless of his injury, Kaido still seemed to be hellbent on ending Whitebeard, as he crashlanded onto the island, his eyes shining red with anger.

Francisco sighed and prepared to clash with the Emperor once more. This time, his sword arm trembling slightly...

Whitebeard smiled as he prepared to rejoin the fight.

'I'll make that Dragon brat pay a bit more than an arm...'

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Hope you like the chapter!

Yeaa, Kaido still doesn't get to face Francisco at full power, leaving that matchup a bit more ambiguous.

I just felt like it wouldn't make sense for him to not get injured fighting Whitebeard.

Fight still not over tho ;)

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