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Dressrosa – Northern Shore The sky, black as ink, seemed to buckle under the weight of the titanic silhouette stretching above the sea. Wa
Dressrosa – Northern Shore
The sky, black as ink, seemed to buckle under the weight of the titanic silhouette stretching above the sea.
Waves, stirred by an unnatural force, crashed violently against Dressrosa's cliffs, spraying foam into the salty air.
The low rumble that had heralded Kaido's arrival had morphed into a primal roar, vibrating in the bones of everyone on the island.
"WORORORORORO!"
The Emperor's laugh tore through the atmosphere, a sound both mocking and menacing. The monstrous form of the Azure Dragon, coiling through storm clouds, descended slowly toward the shore.
On the black pebble beach, a lone figure stood motionless. Dracule Mihawk, his sword Yoru planted in the ground before him, arms crossed, watched the Emperor's approach. His black coat rippled gently in the sea breeze, and his eyes never left the colossal shape dominating the horizon.
Behind him, Dressrosa seemed to hold its breath. Citizens, still busy rebuilding, froze, tools slipping from their hands. Even the birds, so noisy moments ago, fell silent.
The Azure Dragon halted a few meters from the shore. The beast's head, as wide as a house, lowered slowly, its yellow slit-pupiled eyes fixing on Mihawk with burning intensity. Steam poured from its nostrils, and the air around it seemed to pulse with raw power.
"Worororo…" Kaido's laugh softened, becoming almost an amused growl. "You're the one greeting me, Hawk? So, little Doffy really did bite the dust."
Mihawk tilted his head slightly, his expression impassive. "You're late, Kaido." His voice was calm, without a trace of fear. "Doflamingo fell yesterday. If you wanted to save him, you should've hurried."
A thunderous laugh erupted, shaking the pebbles under Mihawk's feet. Kaido raised his massive head slightly, his eyes narrowed with amusement. "Save him? Worororo! I'm not his babysitter, Hawk. He just wasn't strong enough for his ambitions. A weakling playing at emperor." He paused, his gaze studying Mihawk with newfound curiosity. "But you… You're different. Since Marineford, it's like you've decided to step out of your solitude. You've got guts, I'll give you that."
Mihawk didn't respond immediately. His eyes narrowed slightly, assessing the dragon before him. Then, in a measured tone, he said: "I told you. I will become the Pirate King."
The silence that followed was shattered by another booming laugh, so powerful the waves seemed to retreat before it. Kaido threw his head back, his fangs glinting in the lightning's glow. "The Pirate King? WORORORORO! You don't lack nerve, Mihawk!" His laughter faded slowly, his expression growing faintly serious, though still dripping with crushing arrogance. "But before we talk crowns, Hawk, let's talk business. Doflamingo had packages that belonged to me. Valuable… merchandise. Where are they?"
Mihawk uncrossed his arms, his right hand brushing the black hilt of Yoru. "Everything in Dressrosa is mine now." His voice was cold, unyielding. "If you want something, offer me… substantial compensation."
A low growl rumbled from Kaido's throat, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Insolent…" he muttered.
Suddenly, a wave of aura surged from the dragon, a pressure so overwhelming it cracked the rocks around Mihawk and whipped up swirling sand. The waves froze for a moment, as if cowed, before crashing with redoubled violence. Kaido's Conqueror's Haki, raw and savage, swept the coast, shaking the ground and bending distant trees.
But Mihawk didn't budge. Not a muscle twitched. His gaze remained locked on Kaido, unflinching, as if the Emperor's aura were a mere breeze. Slowly, he grasped Yoru and pulled it from the ground with a fluid motion, the black blade gleaming in the lightning's flash.
"Have you come to visit, Kaido?" he asked, his voice sharp as steel. "If not…" He raised Yoru, its tip aimed at the dragon. "Go back where you came from."
A predatory grin stretched across Kaido's scaly lips. "Worororo! I like you, Hawk! I really do!" He tilted his head slightly, his eyes gleaming with a hunter's glint. "But don't let your win over that dying old man Newgate go to your head. Taking down a weakened geezer doesn't make you my equal."
Mihawk didn't reply immediately. His expression stayed cold, but something shifted in the air around him.
An aura, just as dense, just as crushing as Kaido's, began to rise. The pebbles around him split silently, and the waves seemed to hesitate, as if wary of approaching.
"You hide on a forgotten island, Kaido," Mihawk said, his voice low but carrying absolute authority. "You don't know who you're facing."
Kaido's grin widened.
The sky above them tore apart with a blinding lightning strike.
Kaido's laugh erupted again, a guttural rumble that shook the air. "Worororo! You're not just talk, Hawk!" His yellow eyes, blazing with wild intensity, locked onto Mihawk. "Let's see how far your ambition carries you!"
Suddenly, Kaido's aura surged, becoming a storm of raw power. His Conqueror's Haki exploded, even fiercer, devastating Dressrosa's northern coast. Cliffs crumbled, hurling stone into the sea. Trees at the forest's edge tore from the ground, swept away by unnatural gusts. The waves, as if driven by divine wrath, rose into towering walls threatening to swallow the island. Citizens miles away dropped to their knees, choking under the crushing pressure.
But at the heart of this chaos, Mihawk stood unmoved. His golden eyes, impassive, fixed on the dragon without blinking. Then, slowly, his own Conqueror's Haki grew. A cold, razor-sharp aura rose around him, pushing back Kaido's assault. The pebbles stopped trembling, the waves calmed, and a bubble of stillness enveloped the island, shielding Dressrosa from the Emperor's fury. The storm-saturated sky split under the clash of their titanic wills, revealing a pale shaft of light. The sea itself seemed to part, forming a deep trench between the two fighters.
Kaido, still in his Azure Dragon form, smirked. "Impressive, Hawk. But listen up. The Marines won't be long. Do you really plan to fight me here, or will you hand over what's mine and call it quits?"
Mihawk lifted his chin slightly, his gaze piercing. "Are you afraid, Kaido?"
Kaido's smirk vanished. His eyes narrowed, and a low growl rumbled from his throat. "Afraid?" He chuckled, but his tone carried restrained anger. "Your insolence knows no bounds!"
With a sudden motion, Kaido rose into the sky, his sinuous body coiling among the clouds. A blinding light flared from his open jaws, and a colossal beam of destructive energy tore through the air, aimed straight at Mihawk and the coast.
Mihawk didn't move. His Conqueror's Haki, bolstered by absolute focus, formed an invisible shield. Kaido's beam slammed into it, triggering an explosion of light and heat that lit up the horizon. The waves scattered into droplets, and the black pebble beach was swept by a shockwave.
Yet, when the smoke cleared, Mihawk stood there, Yoru in hand, unscathed.
"My turn," he murmured.
He closed his eyes for a moment. A terrifying aura rose, so dense it seemed to warp the space around him.
"Ha ga tamashii o kirisaki… Kage ga sora o nomikomi… Sekai ga waga ken no mae ni furueru!" (Let the blade cleave the soul… Let the shadow swallow the sky… Let the world tremble before my edge.)
The silence following Mihawk's words was louder than any explosion.
Suddenly, he raised Yoru horizontally, as if drawing an invisible line between sky and sea. A black, pulsing slash rippled through the air, carving a dark scar across the sky itself.
The wind retreated. The clouds parted.
A sneer curled Kaido's gaping jaws. But…
His body vanished in a wingbeat, against his will.
A fraction of a second later, where he had been, a black energy slash tore through the sky with such force that the air ignited along its path.
A cut that erased everything in its wake: light, wind, sound—even the very existence of space.
The shore exploded under the pressure. The sea parted as if struck by a god's wrath, forming a canyon of water stretching for miles.
In the sky, Kaido reappeared.
A bloody gash crossed his left flank. It wasn't a scratch.
"Tch…"
His gaze, once tinged with arrogance, was now grave. He had just escaped death. Not because he was stronger, but because he was faster… barely.
On the shore, Mihawk opened his eyes.
"Does the world's strongest creature fear a mere sword strike?"
Kaido landed heavily on the shore, the beach quaking under his weight.
A rapid transformation followed: his scaly body condensed into a hybrid form, half-man, half-dragon. Horns crowned his forehead, scales covered his muscular arms, and a spiked club rested on his shoulder. His yellow, slit-pupiled eyes burned with savage excitement.
"Don't die too fast, Hawk," he said, a predatory grin stretching his lips. "It's been a while since I've had a worthy opponent!"