Faced with the formidable Sima Yi, Queen faltered.
The ability to negate Devil Fruit powers, along with the capacity to drain others' stamina, meant that failure to kill the opponent before falling would ultimately lead to his own demise.
Thus, after the failure of Flame Calamity King, Queen could only defend against Sima Yi, daring not to engage in close combat.
On the other side, Sima Yi, after observing Queen, chose to forgo the pursuit.
After all, if he were to engage in a battle with Queen, Flame Calamity King, freed from his restraint and possessing the ability to fly, would not be so easily captured.
As Benedict had specific requirements for personally killing Devil Fruit users, he could only abandon the chase at this moment.
Meanwhile, the battle between Kozuki Oden and Drought Jack was in full swing.
However, Drought Jack's condition was dire, with too many wounds and excessive bleeding, his stamina rapidly declining, and his life hanging by a thread.
In contrast, Kozuki Oden, though panting, was faring much better than Drought Jack.
The final outcome, without external intervention, was certain defeat for Jack, and possibly even death.
Compared to the battlefield of Kozuki Oden and Jack, the clash between Sima Yi and Flame Calamity King was still far inferior to that of Kaido and Benedict.
Amidst rumbling sounds, the battle between Kaido and Benedict had already caused the collapse of more than half of Onigashima.
Kaido bore various injuries, with the only places drawing blood being his forehead and the corners of his mouth.
Kaido's defense was indeed formidable, more than ten times stronger than when Benedict had fought him in the North Blue.
Kaido's power had also increased terrifyingly over the past year.
"Benedict, you cannot kill me," Kaido roared after colliding with Benedict and both retreating.
Benedict exuded a powerful aura, causing the surrounding air to flow at an accelerated pace, resembling a Super Saiyan standing at the edge of a vortex.
"Cannot kill me?" Benedict chuckled upon hearing this. "That was just a warm-up."
"Killing you only requires one punch. Want to give it a try?"
Kaido's pupils instantly constricted upon hearing Benedict's words, especially the last sentence.
One-Punch Man, Saitama.
He had personally experienced the terrifying power of that bald freak's punch.
Moreover, that punch was a casual, ordinary one. The thought of what would happen if he fought with full force was enough to instill fear.
Now, Benedict was the same.
Recalling the live broadcast of Benedict's battle in the North Blue, the terrifying power of that punch, which even Sengoku and several Admiral-level powerhouses couldn't withstand when united, made him even more dreadful.
"I saw it."
"You are afraid."
"Kaido!"
As Benedict spoke, his aura surged directly.
"Gate of Death, open!"
Boom!
The terrifying energy released by Benedict stirred up a hurricane, instantly impacting the surroundings, making the entirety of Onigashima feel as if it were being ravaged by a Category 15 or 16 typhoon. Drought Jack, engaged in battle, was almost blown to the ground by this howling wind, narrowly escaping decapitation by Kozuki Oden.
Other members of the Beast Pirates, even on the periphery, were desperately resisting the gale.
Those who couldn't withstand it were directly blown away.
Kaido, in his Dragon form, released an aura to counter Benedict's surging energy.
Even so, Kaido felt that Benedict's strength had increased again.
It's coming.
The act of clenching a fist.
Kaido's pupils widened as he watched Benedict clench his fist.
The sense of crisis locked onto him in that instant was incredibly intense.
"Damn you!"
"I am the immortal King of Beasts!"
"How can I be afraid of you!"
"Gunzali Ryuseigun!"
Conqueror's Haki converged on his kanabō, which grew to an immense size.
As Kaido charged forward and leaped high, the colossal kanabō also descended towards Benedict.
Benedict's eyes flashed with cold light as he watched the falling kanabō.
"Three Thousand Thunderous Strikes!"
One punch landed, and in an instant, three thousand fist shadows appeared and converged.
The golden fist energy collided with the descending kanabō.
Bang!
Terrifying energy formed a storm that instantly swept outwards.
The subordinates of the Beast Pirates, who had been struggling to hold on, at this moment, all vomited blood and were sent flying backward, or knocked unconscious, or dead.
At the center of the battlefield.
Due to their battle, a massive crater appeared between Benedict and Kaido.
Kaido's face contorted, and he glared at Benedict, roaring, "I am the strongest."
With those words, Kaido's kanabō shattered completely and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Indented fist marks appeared all over Kaido's body, with some areas completely caved in, his back bulging outwards.
The horn on his forehead also snapped with a crack, breaking into two pieces and falling to the ground.
*Puchi!*
Kaido's leg bones made cracking sounds. His skin, which should have possessed astonishing defensive capabilities, was now as fragile as paper, unable to support Kaido's weight. His fractured thigh bones instantly pierced through.
Ah!
Kneeling on the ground, his bones sinking into the earth, the intense pain struck Kaido, and he let out a scream, yet he did not fall, his body going limp as if hanging.
At this moment, Kaido had never felt such humiliation.
"Beyond my expectations."
"This punch did not kill you!"
"However, you are no different from dead now."
Benedict deactivated his Eight Gates formation. His immortal body also exerted its effect. His heart, which had momentarily stopped, began to beat rapidly again, and the consumed life force was restored.
The previous punch could be considered Benedict's strongest.
Yet, while Sengoku and five or six S-class powerhouses couldn't block it, Kaido, relying on Conqueror's Haki, physical strength, and a counter-attack with his strongest move, endured it, not being blown apart like Bartholomew Kuma.
Kaido's head, amidst the intense pain, slowly lifted when it should have broken, glaring at Benedict and stating, "No one can kill me."
"Not even now!"
Benedict looked at Kaido and praised, "Truly astonishing regenerative ability."
"You can lift your head so quickly."
Benedict walked towards Kaido and said, "Is that so?"
"Then let's try!"
"Will you die this time?"