Smoke and dust billowed into the air, obscuring everyone's vision. The four of them unleashed their Observation Haki without restraint, keeping full vigilance as they waited for whatever creature lurked in the pit to emerge.
Katakuri seized the opportunity—he reached into his clothes, pulled out a small mirror, and without hesitation, stepped into it and vanished.
Momousagi and Chaton both noticed Katakuri's action, but they had no time to stop him. The creature inside the pit had already begun to crawl out.
A towering, burly figure emerged slowly from the hole—black hair flowing over his shoulders, twin horns curled like a dragon's crown atop his head. His upper body was bare, revealing a powerful left arm covered in dragon-scale tattoos, radiating the aura of a demon god.
"Agh... That hurt. Why am I still alive again?"
"Kaido!" Gion shouted loudly in alarm.
Weiss couldn't believe what he was seeing—one of the Four Emperors of the New World, Kaido himself, had somehow shown up in this part of Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line. If he wanted to die, why not head for Marineford? Or charge into the Holy Land? Why here?
Weiss's first instinct was simple: Run. Run now. He wasn't ready to tangle with someone like this.
The reason Garp had come here in the first place was precisely because of rumors that Kaido might appear. After learning that King's Devil Fruit had been stolen, Garp—already drunk—left the New World in a rage.
"Ugh, Marines... What is this place?" Kaido clutched his head, evidently sobering up. He unfastened the giant gourd at his waist and took a deep swig of liquor.
...
He vaguely remembered getting drunk, then being told that King's Devil Fruit had been stolen. Furious, he stormed out of Onigashima.
What happened after that? No idea. He'd forgotten.
"Oh, right! Some brat named Weiss—calls himself the 'Sword Demon'—stole the Devil Fruit!" Kaido suddenly recalled.
"Marines! Where is that brat Weiss?!"
Momousagi and Chaton had no intention of answering. In fact, with Garp already on the island, this might actually be their chance to take Kaido down. The only question was… how long could they keep him imprisoned?
"Fufufufufu... Kaido, Weiss is right behind you," Doflamingo chimed in with glee, clearly enjoying the chaos and eager to stir up more.
Kaido slowly turned his massive body. Wisps of black aura leaked from his skin, and the liquor trickled down his chest. His eyes, now demonic and furious, locked onto Weiss.
"Sniff… sob… You're the one who stole my Devil Fruit?" Kaido suddenly began bawling, all while chugging down more wine from his gourd.
Weiss was already on full alert, his sword coated in Armament Haki, ready to counter at any moment.
Don't be fooled by Kaido's sobbing—when he started swinging, he didn't hold back. This was just one of his many drunken states, each more dangerous than the last.
"I didn't steal yours! I took King's! That doesn't count as yours!"
Weiss threw out nonsense in an attempt to deflect. The other three people nearby twitched slightly at his words.
What are you even saying? That your subordinate's subordinate things doesn't count as your things?
"Hmm???" The liquor-soaked Kaido seemed briefly confused, unable to process Weiss's logic. Then he gave up thinking altogether.
"Thunder Bagua!"
"Crap!"
The weather shifted in an instant. The massive kanabo wrapped in crackling lightning swept through the air with terrifying speed. Weiss cursed inwardly—He's using that move?! I'm not trying to be Pirate King, dammit!
He gripped his longsword tightly, flooding it with Armament Haki. Red killing intent surged along the blade, amplifying its power.
CLANG!
With a single blow, Weiss was smashed into the ground like a nail. Cracks spiderwebbed across the earth, and red-black lightning surged wildly as giant chunks of stone were flung into the air.
But—he withstood it.
He didn't get blown away like a rookie. That meant something. It meant he had at least qualified to trade blows with a Yonko.
Winning? That was another story entirely.
"Hmm? Not bad. You've got some skill," Kaido rumbled.
Momousagi and Chaton remained nearby, observing. They knew Kaido would have to be dealt with, but for now, they were curious—just how strong was Weiss, really?
After that hit, Weiss suddenly sprang up, spinning his wrist. His sword trembled violently as it gathered more Haki. The surrounding air distorted with the sheer pressure of his sword intent.
"Basic attacks of justice!"
Twisting his body, Weiss unleashed a powerful swing. A crimson wave of sword aura burst forth, slicing toward the towering Kaido.
Kaido casually swung his kanabo again, smashing the sword aura and distorting it mid-air. A blinding explosion erupted, disintegrating nearby buildings.
The blow didn't land clean, but Weiss didn't waste a second. He appeared at Kaido's shoulder, slicing downward. A wound opened across Kaido's chest, spraying a mist of blood.
But the moment Weiss touched down, the injury was already gone.
That's the insane regeneration of a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
Weiss couldn't even remember who had once managed to scar Kaido, or how it was done.
"Was that supposed to tickle? A 'great swordsman'? Pfft. King was worthless if someone like you managed to steal his fruit," Kaido scoffed.
A future admiral was still not an admiral. A great swordsman still wasn't the world's greatest.
Close wasn't enough.
Just like scoring a 98 on a test—it's good, but you're still not perfect.
Against a Yonko-level opponent, just surviving was already impressive.
But Kaido clearly wanted to end this quickly.
He didn't even stay in human form. In an instant, he transformed into his full Azure Dragon form.
A colossal dragon coiled through the sky, surrounded by storm clouds and thunder. His massive body loomed, shadowing the earth.
From his gaping jaws, heat began to build—intense, overwhelming.
Weiss said nothing, but his focus was absolute. He layered his sword with more Haki, red killing aura wrapping tightly around the blade. The very air trembled from the pressure of his sword intent.
"Azure Dragon's Breath!"
A searing inferno, like a volcanic eruption, burst from Kaido's mouth. The flame pillar roared with scorching heat, leaving a trail of molten devastation in its wake. The ground itself melted into glowing slag.
"One Sword Slash!"
Weiss's expression sharpened. Gathering all his sword aura into the blade, he unleashed a flurry of crimson slashes. Sword intent and killing intent merged—seven devastating arcs split the incoming fire into eight blazing trails.
The inferno veered off, carving molten trenches through the battlefield and incinerating what little was left. The stench of scorched earth filled the air.
The ground was now a molten wasteland, lava-like fluid flowing freely, forming rivers of fire.
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