Dragon looked at Caelan, eyes filled with burning fighting spirit.
Since rebelling against the Marines and founding the Revolutionary Army, he hadn't experienced a truly even match. Every opponent he'd encountered had been weaker, crushed like dead wood.
Even though he'd trained diligently and steadily improved his strength, the lack of worthy opponents was a constant frustration.
Now, facing a battle with Caelan, all the fighting spirit that had been building over the years erupted, as if he had returned to those glorious days of chasing down pirates.
Dragon took a deep breath.
Air surged around him as his strength exploded outward.
In an instant, his muscles swelled, and the once-loose cloak stretched tight over his body, revealing his powerful frame.
"I'm coming!"
Dragon roared and shot forward like lightning.
In just a blink, he closed the distance and arrived before Caelan.
A powerful straight punch, brimming with Haki, blasted toward Caelan's chest.
The punch tore through the air with a sharp sound.
"It's been a while since someone's thrown hands with me like this. I like it."
Caelan smirked slightly and raised his right fist, meeting the blow head-on.
Since completing the template of Heracles and raising his Strength attribute to A+, he hadn't had a chance to test it in combat. Now that Dragon wanted a fistfight, it was just what he was hoping for.
Boom!
The fists collided with an explosive sound.
The impact sent shockwaves through the air, forming rings of compressed wind.
Dragon was knocked back uncontrollably, his feet carving two deep trenches into the ground before coming to a stop a hundred meters away.
"…?!"
Dragon stared at Caelan in disbelief, deeply shaken by the overwhelming power.
That strength was almost a joke.
The gap between them wasn't just large—it was more than double.
If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, he never would've believed it.
As Garp's disciple, he was confident that his fist strength ranked among the top in the sea, capable of contending with even the Yonko.
So why was there such an enormous gap against Caelan?
"Again!"
Dragon gritted his teeth and charged once more, refusing to accept defeat so easily.
Boom!
Their fists collided again. Dragon was sent flying once more.
This time, the difference was even more obvious.
At the moment of contact, it felt like he was punching diamond barehanded. Not only did he fail to deal any damage, but the recoil also made his own fists ache.
Then, a sudden force surged through him, flinging him away without resistance.
Against that kind of strength, he felt like a lone boat in a vast sea—helpless.
Dragon stared at Caelan like he was staring at a ghost. He couldn't accept the overwhelming power gap.
Everyone knew there were limits to human strength, and he believed he had nearly reached that threshold.
Even if Kaido's Oni lineage hit the upper limit of power, the gap wouldn't be this wide.
But Caelan was more than twice as strong as him. This wasn't a level human beings could reach.
"Are you even human?"
Dragon looked at Caelan, his voice filled with suspicion, as if trying to see through what was beneath the surface.
"Of course, I'm human." Caelan paused, then continued. "But if you prefer, you can call me a god."
With the Divine A Synchronization template, he had transcended the ordinary. If anyone in this world qualified to be called a god, it was him.
"God…"
Dragon murmured, briefly stunned.
Maybe only a god could possess this kind of power.
But the next moment, his conviction returned.
Even if Caelan was truly a god, he still had to challenge that power. He had to know how strong Caelan truly was.
Dragon exhaled slowly, his gaze firming up.
Adjusting the strength in his muscles slightly, he charged again.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Even though he was knocked back each time, Dragon refused to give up. He kept rushing at Caelan over and over.
The two clashed repeatedly across the kilometer-wide duel arena.
Their speed, enhanced by power, broke the sound barrier. Afterimages trailed behind them in rapid succession.
Each shockwave from their clashes had barely faded when another exploded into being dozens of meters away.
At this point, they were moving too fast to be seen by the naked eye. Only the deep footprints etched into the ground served as proof that this was a fight between two humans.
Fists collided over and over, sonic booms echoing one after another.
It was a brutal, overwhelming battle.
Calling them beasts would be too kind—only the devils of hell could match this level of ferocity.
…
In the stands, Aokiji and Borsalino both looked on with wide eyes, visibly shaken by the duel.
"Dragon's fists aren't much weaker than Garp's," Aokiji said, watching Dragon's performance closely.
"He really is Garp-san's son. His boxing technique is quite the headache. Seems he's improved a lot over the years," Borsalino replied, trimming his nails with a bored expression.
"But compared to that, Caelan is even more insane. Is he really just batting Dragon around like a toy?"
Aokiji looked toward the arena, his expression a little sympathetic as Dragon was sent flying again.
He had once fought Caelan for five days and nights straight. But even that wasn't this bad.
"Back at the Sabaody Archipelago, he wasn't like this. Even Garp could land a hit on him. But now, someone on Dragon's level can't even touch him."
"To get this strong in less than a month?"
Borsalino's mouth twitched. He was speechless.
All three admirals were veterans in their forties or fifties. They had already reached their peak. There wasn't much room left to grow.
Now facing this increasingly monstrous Caelan, there was nothing they could do.
The idea of going up against him again made Borsalino seriously consider retiring.
But then he remembered his cushy, high-paying job… and found himself reluctant to leave.
"…Sigh."
Borsalino let out a long sigh, torn.
…
Elsewhere in the stands.
"Koala, I told you Caelan is the strongest!"
Uta said proudly, smiling as she looked at Koala.
As expected, Caelan had crushed Dragon with no effort, completely overwhelming him.
Koala bit her lip, unable to say a word.
She hadn't expected that the leader who was once unstoppable in liberating small nations would be dominated like this by Caelan.
It wasn't that the leader was fake. His strength and achievements were acknowledged by the entire Revolutionary Army. Even what he'd just demonstrated was unquestionably powerful.
But he was still completely suppressed by Caelan.
She was stunned. And more than a little shaken.
It wasn't the leader's fault. It was the enemy who was just too powerful!
That's what Koala told herself.
At that moment, her eyes lit up as she noticed something in the arena.
"He's about to use his ultimate move! This could be the turning point!"
Koala exclaimed, filled with hope.
"A special move?"
Uta curled her lips, clearly unimpressed.
What kind of ultimate move could possibly compare to the God-Slaying Spear that defeated the Demon King of Songs?
After witnessing Caelan's strength, she no longer paid much attention to anyone else.
Still, she shifted her gaze back to the arena, prepared to see whether anything would change.
(To be continued.)
***
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