The two techniques collided instantly.
[You picked up a Devil Fruit Growth Experience!]
[You picked up an Armament Haki Insight!]
[You picked up Stamina!]
[You picked up...]
In an instant, more than a dozen attributes flowed into Renji's body.
At first glance, the two appeared deadlocked.
Yet Renji suddenly smiled.
"Kaido."
"I'm taking this victory."
His words sounded like a declaration of triumph.
The statement immediately left every spectator confused.
From what they could see, the battle was still evenly matched.
If anything, Kaido seemed to hold the advantage.
So where was Renji's confidence coming from?
No one understood.
Not the spectators.
Not even the Four Emperors.
Not even Sengoku and Garp.
However the answer arrived in the very next moment.
The Eight-Directional Han Sword in Renji's hand suddenly erupted.
Countless particles of light exploded outward.
The terrifying energy burst directly through Kaido's attack and sent him flying backward.
"This..."
Seeing the scene unfold, Sengoku shot to his feet.
His eyes widened so much they seemed ready to pop out of their sockets.
His entire face was filled with disbelief.
"Impossible..."
"That's right."
Beside him, even Garp wore a serious expression.
"That's the awakened state of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
"Resonance."
"And he actually integrated the Glint-Glint Fruit into it."
"The result isn't simple addition."
"The power has been amplified hundreds of times over."
Garp stared toward the battlefield where Renji and Kaido were fighting.
Even he couldn't hide the shock in his eyes.
"This brat..."
"Doesn't he have a limit?"
"How much strength has he been hiding all this time?"
Garp was one of the few people who had personally fought Renji.
Although he had intentionally held back and ultimately lost, he had considered himself reasonably familiar with Renji's true strength.
Renji was undeniably powerful.
Powerful enough to reach the realm occupied by the legends of the older generation.
Even so, Garp had always believed that defeating Renji was still possible.
Yet after witnessing this battle against Kaido...he began to question that assumption.
Perhaps...he was no longer Renji's opponent anymore.
A look of disbelief remained on Garp's face.
"This is ridiculous..."
He stared at Renji's figure in the distance.
The more he looked, the more unbelievable it felt.
"That level of strength belongs to a guy who's only in his twenties?"
"If you give him another ten or twenty years..."
"Just how far is he going to grow?"
"Impossible!"
Big Mom was so shocked that the cake in her mouth sprayed out.
"The Tremor-Tremor Fruit awakened?"
"This is absurd!"
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit needed no explanation.
It was one of the strongest Devil Fruits in existence.
A power capable of causing earthquakes and summoning tsunamis.
However the stronger a Devil Fruit was, the more difficult it became to awaken.
Over the years, countless users had possessed the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Yet only one person had ever managed to awaken it.
Whitebeard.
As for Renji, the origin of his Tremor-Tremor Fruit was still unclear.
And yet he had already achieved awakening?
"I can't even imagine something like this."
Big Mom slowly sat back down in her chair.
Her expression shifted constantly.
No one could tell what she was thinking.
"Oh boy..."
"This is becoming troublesome."
Aboard the Red Hair Pirates' ship, Shanks scratched his head.
His face showed clear signs of concern.
What worried him wasn't that Renji's strength had become too great.
Despite being one of the Four Emperors, Shanks had never cared much about status, prestige, or territory.
If Renji became too aggressive and impossible to deal with...then he would simply leave the New World.
He had no attachment to the title of Emperor.
Nor did he carry any pride that demanded he defend it.
Turning his head, Shanks looked toward Mihawk.
"Don't tell me you already knew Renji had awakened the Tremor-Tremor Fruit?"
"Otherwise, how could you have been so certain earlier?"
"No."
Mihawk immediately denied it.
His judgment had simply been based on the circumstances at the time.
As for Renji's awakening he couldn't possibly have known about it.
In fact, Renji had only achieved the breakthrough after fighting the Beasts Pirates, using his conversation with Ace as the final catalyst.
How could Mihawk have predicted that?
"I just had a feeling."
"A feeling, huh..."
Shanks quietly repeated the words.
His gaze returned to the battlefield.
For the first time, even he couldn't help wondering where exactly was Renji's limit?
Shanks could only shake his head helplessly.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about."
"You people who devote yourselves entirely to martial prowess are terrifying."
"A monstrous level of instinct like that is impossible for normal people to understand."
"Doffy, it looks like Kaido might actually lose."
Aboard the Donquixote Pirates' ship, one of the crew members, whose appearance was somewhat unpleasant to look at, leaned closer to Doflamingo.
"It doesn't matter."
Doflamingo raised his wine glass and took a sip.
"What this war has proven is that battles between Emperors of the Sea can never truly wipe each other out."
"Kaido might lose. He might win. Neither outcome is important."
"What matters is that after this battle, the Beasts Pirates will still exist."
"And besides..."
"Haven't we already achieved our objective?"
Hearing Doflamingo's words, the members of the Donquixote Family immediately understood.
Indeed.
The Artificial Devil Fruit Corps had stolen the spotlight.
If Renji had not personally stepped into the battle between the leaders, even the clash between Kaido and Whitebeard would not have drawn as much attention as the Artificial Devil Fruit Corps.
After all, Kaido and Whitebeard were veteran Emperors.
Everyone already had a rough idea of how powerful they were.
Moreover, that level of strength was unattainable for ordinary people.
But the Artificial Devil Fruit Corps was different.
As long as someone was willing to spend enough money, it could be replicated.
"It seems we're going to be very busy from now on..."
Doflamingo's trademark grin stretched across his face.
Even behind his sunglasses, the excitement in his eyes was impossible to hide.
"How is this possible?!"
Kaido stabilized himself in midair.
At this moment, the island beneath him and Renji had completely vanished.
The enormous landmass that had once stretched beyond the horizon had sunk entirely beneath the sea.
Under nature's relentless power, the ocean had already become calm again.
It was as though the island had never existed in the first place.
Kaido stared at Renji.
He simply could not understand why Renji had become so strong.
The Electromagnetic Vibration attack had pierced through the protection of his Armament Haki and directly struck his body.
The pain it caused had left even Kaido unsettled.
Even someone like him was shocked by the destructive power of that attack.
Looking at Renji, Kaido finally voiced the question that had been lingering in his mind.
"The Tremor-Tremor Fruit's awakening?"
"That's right."
Renji did not bother hiding it.
Trying to conceal an ability of this level would only be self-deception.
After all, nobody present was an idiot.
"Are you afraid now?"
A faint smile appeared on Renji's face as he looked directly at Kaido.
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