Naruto: Copy System#675+676: A Cannonball Greeting, One-Shotting Jack the Drought

After a tense discussion, Kaido and Blackbeard finally came to an agreement: Blackbeard would face Whitebeard, and Kaido would deal with Shin Uzumaki.

But there was one condition—Blackbeard had to finish his battle as quickly as possible and come to Kaido’s aid.

Otherwise, Kaido wouldn't hesitate to abandon the fight, leaving Blackbeard to be attacked on two fronts.

Blackbeard agreed to the terms.

“Captain, do you really trust that man?” King asked Kaido.

Blackbeard might look like a brute, but his mind was sharp and his heart was dark. He was a snake, through and through.

"We're out of options. Let's go. It's time to face Shin Uzumaki. I wonder just how strong he's become."

Kaido considered his own power. He had grown much stronger since the last time Shin had utterly humiliated him. A sliver of confidence flickered within him. Even against Shin Uzumaki, he felt he could at least put up a fight.

"We believe in you, Captain," Jack and Queen said in unison.

They were all in this together now, there was no backing out. Besides, even if they wanted to desert, could they really escape Kaido? If they even tried, he’d hunt them down and beat them to death.

Kaido led the Beast Pirates out to sea, taking his entire crew with him.

——————

Meanwhile, Blackbeard held up his end of the bargain, setting a course for Whitebeard.

'Whitebeard, the time has come to settle our score.'

A cold, hateful glint flashed in Blackbeard's eyes. Because of Whitebeard, his life had been a series of frustrations. What he hated most was that Whitebeard hadn't died at Marineford. If he had, Blackbeard would have claimed the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and become one of the Four Emperors.

The thought only fueled his rage.

The power of the Dark-Dark Fruit surged uncontrollably, its oppressive aura terrifying the crew members on his ship. In the two years since, Blackbeard had developed his fruit to an incredible degree, giving him the confidence to finally face Whitebeard.

'This time, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit will be mine.' Blackbeard roared silently.

——————

Blackbeard's schemes and Kaido's resolve were of no concern to Shin.

“Shin, we’ve spotted the Beast Pirates. They’re on that island over there,” Olvia reported to a leisurely Shin.

“Oh?” Shin popped a grape—fed to him by Baby-5—into his mouth and sat up.

“What’s the plan?” Olvia asked.

Shin grinned. "Simple. Let's send them our regards. Fire a shot from Pluton."

Olvia was speechless. Who greets someone with a cannonball?

If Shin had known what she was thinking, he would have told her—he did. And he hoped Kaido would appreciate the gesture. After all, a single shot from Pluton had the power to threaten an entire island. He hoped Kaido could withstand it. Even if he could, his crew wouldn't be so lucky.

Following Shin’s command, Olvia had Pluton fire a single, massive cannonball toward the distant island.

On the island, Kaido, who had been waiting for Shin, was suddenly gripped by a sense of crisis. He trusted his instincts completely. Kaido wasn't known as the "Strongest Creature" for nothing, his intuition was sharper than any wild beast's.

Sensing the impending danger, Kaido immediately transformed into his dragon form and took to the sky. As for the others, he couldn't be bothered with them now.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A deafening roar echoed across the sea as the entire island disintegrated, everything on its surface utterly annihilated.

“DAMN YOU, SHIN UZUMAKI!” Kaido roared, watching the destruction below.

His countless subordinates were gone, buried in the rubble. Kaido was so furious he wanted to tear Shin apart.

Of course, a few had managed to survive. His three All-Stars had narrowly escaped the blast.

Jack was heavily injured. He had transformed into his mammoth form, shielding King and Queen from the worst of the impact. It was only because of his sacrifice that they were unharmed.

“THAT’S JUST OVERKILL…” Queen said, his voice laced with anger.

Besides the three of them, everyone else was dead—including all the Artificial Devil Fruit users they had acquired from Doflamingo.

——————

"As expected of a shot from Pluton."

Shin was quite satisfied with the result. Not even a Marine Admiral could have caused such devastation. As a weapon, Pluton was the ultimate game-changer.

It was why so many, like Crocodile, had lusted after it, hoping to use its power to conquer the world. It was a shame for him that he died at Shin’s hands before he could even find its owner.

'That shot probably left Kaido completely stunned,' Shin thought with a smirk.

He knew it wouldn't kill Kaido, but it would certainly take out his crew.

“Kaido’s Attacking,” Hancock said to Shin.

In the sky, Kaido, still in his dragon form, unleashed a torrent of fire toward Pluton.

“Come Forth!” Shirahoshi cried out. Several massive Sea Kings erupted from the ocean, blasting jets of water that intercepted Kaido's flames.

Kaido's attack was neutralized by Shirahoshi. Though it wasn't her own power, she controlled the Sea Kings, so it was hers by extension.

“Shin Uzumaki, we have no beef. Why are you attacking me?!” Kaido demanded angrily.

"Do I need a reason? If you want one, I can make one up."

Shin said coolly.

"The strong require no justification to act against the weak. Even if I were to attack, what could you do? Would you protest? You may resent it, but you must accept it unless you possess the strength to oppose me. At present, you are not in a position to question me."

“YOU THINK I’M SOME KIND OF PUSHOVER? I’M NOT THE MAN I USED TO BE!” Kaido roared.

"Oh, really? I don't see any difference. You look just as weak as ever to me. You think you've gotten stronger?"

Shin glanced at Kaido, seeing no change at all.

<><><><><><><><>

Enraged by Shin’s taunt, Kaido’s bell-like eyes locked onto him.

"If you've really gotten stronger, then show me."

Shin’s interest was piqued.

This Kaido should be durable, just as he remembered from their last encounter. In the original story, he was known as the Strongest Creature, with such absurd vitality that he couldn't even kill himself by jumping from a sky island.

Kaido had already reverted to his human form, his massive kanabō club in hand. It was a formidable weapon, probably strong enough to withstand even a Supreme Grade sword.

“DIE!”

Kaido swung his club, charging at Shin with incredible speed. A tempest of lightning-clad strikes rained down on Shin.

This was Kaido's signature move, Thunder Bagua—the same technique that had one-shotted Gear Fourth Luffy in the original story. Kaido wasn't wrong about one thing: he had gotten stronger, far more so than his original counterpart. The immense pressure Shin had put on him had forced him to evolve.

“<Tempest Kick!>”

Shin unleashed one of the Six Powers, kicking out a crescent-shaped blade of air that shot toward Kaido like a shooting star.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The sea churned violently. Kaido used his club to desperately block the attack, the force of the impact splitting the very ocean beneath him.

"This is the strongest Tempest Kick I've ever witnessed," Momousagi murmured, her expression frozen in awe.

Even at full power, her own Tempest Kick couldn't compare to this casual strike from Shin.

“DAMN IT, HOLD!” Kaido roared, his muscles bulging as dragon scales erupted across his arm. The transformation doubled his strength in an instant.

"Not bad, Kaido. To be able to block that… you've grown. I'm proud of you."

Shin’s patronizing tone made Kaido’s blood boil.

“SHIN UZUMAKI, ARE YOU MOCKING ME?” Kaido’s rage intensified, his eyes burning with fury.

"Mocking you? You must be mistaken. I'm not mocking you. I'm genuinely proud of how much you've grown."

Shin's calm, sincere tone only infuriated Kaido further. It was the impotent rage of someone who knew they were outmatched. If he had the strength to deal with Shin, he wouldn't be standing here, shouting.

Suddenly, a torrent of flames shot toward Shin.

A massive Pteranodon, breathing fire, swooped down on him.

It was King in his Ancient Zoan form—the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Pteranodon.

King was shrouded in mystery, believed to be the last surviving Lunarian, a race thought extinct. His ability to manipulate fire came from his Lunarian heritage, not his Devil Fruit.

“Hmph! Trying to gang up on him? They must have a death wish,” Hancock snorted, her hand already on her sword.

But before she could act, Olvia stopped her.

“Shin’s finally getting into it. Let him handle this himself. We shouldn’t interfere.”

“Alright. As long as Shin is happy,” Hancock relented, choosing to trust Olvia’s judgment.

Shin didn't need their help anyway. He stood in the air, watching King approach, and simply kicked out. A golden flash of light tore through the sky. King was sent flying, his body half-destroyed.

“Looks like your subordinate is pretty tough too,” Shin remarked with mild surprise.

“Damn it.” Kaido glanced at King but didn't spare him another thought. He couldn't afford to. His own life was on the line.

Kaido’s massive body took to the air, treading on the sky as if using Moonwalk. The technique was different, but the principle was the same.

“Get back down here.”

Shin delivered a light-speed kick to Kaido, just as he had to King. Even with his entire body coated in Armament Haki, Kaido was sent crashing into the shattered remnants of the island, a trail of blood marking his descent.

“Who’s next?” Shin asked, holding his Kusanagi Blade, a sword of pure golden light, and pointing it at the three All-Stars.

Seeing this, Jack transformed into a mammoth. Though his size made him an easy target, his defense and strength were pushed to their absolute limits.

He swung his trunk at Shin.

The Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Ancient Model: Mammoth was a powerful Devil Fruit. Zoan types were often underestimated, but Ancient and Mythical Zoans were in a league of their own—though Ancient Zoans were still no match for Mythical ones.

“Since you’re so eager, you can be first.”

With a single slash, Shin’s Kusanagi Blade severed the massive trunk swinging toward him.

“One-Sword Style: Flash of Thunder.”

Shin’s light sword transformed into a blade of pure lightning. He brought it down on Jack’s mammoth form. Like a bolt of lightning streaking across the sky, Jack’s massive body was bisected, his famed durability meaning nothing in the face of Shin’s power.

Queen, who hadn't even moved, was terrified. Jack’s strength wasn't far from his own, yet he had been one-shotted. If it had been him, he wouldn't have lasted two hits.

'Should I run?' The thought flashed through Queen's mind.

"Trying to escape?" Shin's gaze shifted to Queen, his eyes seeming to pierce right through him.

Feeling Shin’s all-seeing gaze, Queen swallowed hard. It was as if his every thought had been laid bare. He couldn't even muster the will to resist.

He knew it then—he never should have come with Kaido to fight this monster. They weren't even in the same league. King was down, his condition unknown. Kaido was nowhere to be seen. Jack was dead. Queen truly wanted to leave.

“I QUIT THE BEAST PIRATES!” Queen, scared out of his wits, shouted at Shin, no longer caring about the consequences.

“Kaido, looks like your crew isn't as loyal as you thought. Someone’s already trying to jump ship.”

Shin said with amusement. As he spoke, Kaido hauled himself out of the rubble, his face twisted with cold rage as he glared at Queen. He'd always believed Queen was loyal, but now, at the first sign of trouble, he was trying to desert.