The Hand of God shook the heavens.
It reached high into the sky, blotting out the sun, a single palm vast enough to swallow the world.
And then—
Even the mythical blue dragon was dragged down into the mortal realm.
The colossal divine hand seized it and slammed it to the earth.
With a thunderous crash, the ground of Onigashima trembled violently.
Under the stunned gazes of all who watched, the mighty Emperor of the Sea—Kaido of the Beasts—was smashed headfirst into the shattered island like a nail driven into wood.
For a heartbeat, the battlefield fell silent.
Then—
"Lord Kaido!!!"
"Master Kaido!"
"How… how could this happen?!"
"Kaido—the invincible Kaido-sama—was…!"
The Beast Pirates' horrified cries filled the air.
Just moments ago, they had been celebrating Kaido's arrival, certain that their Emperor's return meant victory.
Now reality struck like ice water poured over their heads.
"Even Lord Kaido can't…?"
"There's no way! No one can defeat that monster!"
"That man's not human—he's a demon straight from hell!"
Panic rippled through the remnants of the Beasts Pirates as their hope shattered.
"Enough! Everyone shut up!"
The Fire Calamity, King, barked harshly, wings snapping open as he unleashed bursts of fire that scorched the ground, silencing the cowards who dared spread despair.
Onigashima quaked again.
The titanic dragon's body began to stir, the massive head that had been buried in the earth slowly rising.
"It hurts… you bastard…" Kaido growled, shaking the dust from his scales.
"Feeling clearer now?" Sugisawa Yuuto said calmly, his tone almost teasing.
"You brat… I was planning to hunt you down myself, and you came straight to me instead. While I was away, you turned the territory I've ruled for twenty years into ruins."
Kaido's deep voice rolled like thunder. "Seems you really have a death wish."
Yuuto smiled faintly.
"Long ago—back when I was still on the Grand Line—no, even earlier, when I was still in East Blue—I made a vow to myself. Do you know what it was?"
"I don't give a damn what you vowed!" Kaido spat, irritation flaring.
"No, it concerns you directly."
Yuuto's grin widened. "Because you're the only dragon in this world… and what I swore to do was slay a dragon."
Kaido's pupils narrowed.
A dragon slayer—facing the mightiest dragon alive.
The irony was almost laughable.
Yuuto's eyes gleamed with excitement. He had mastered the magic of the Dragon Slayer, and what use was that power if not to slay an actual dragon?
From the moment he set foot in this world, he had been waiting for this battle—
The day he would face Kaido of the Beasts.
That day had finally come.
"Dragon slaying, huh?" Kaido sneered, his voice a deep, rumbling growl. "Do you even know who you're talking to? I'm Kaido of the Beasts, the strongest creature alive! Die where you stand!"
The Azure Dragon opened its massive jaws.
A crimson glow ignited deep within his throat, brighter and brighter until it rivaled the sun itself.
The sky turned blood-red.
A cross-shaped blaze pierced the heavens—
The Dragon's Breath—Burning Inferno!
The searing torrent erupted, melting the air itself as it roared toward Yuuto.
Its power could pierce mountains, split seas, and scorch the very sky.
Kaido's might was absolute—the apex of all living things on land, sea, or air.
Even Ace and Sabo, watching from afar, tensed at the sight, their expressions solemn.
They weren't sure even they could survive such an attack head-on.
But Sugisawa Yuuto… stood still.
Completely calm.
Not a flicker of fear touched his face.
Lightning began to spark around his body—
Golden arcs of pure thunder, surging like a storm unleashed.
Flames erupted next, blazing crimson and wild.
Thunder and fire.
Two raging forces intertwined and fused perfectly within him.
Facing a foe like Kaido—one of the Four Emperors, the mightiest being alive—Yuuto decided to show respect.
He wouldn't hold back.
Blazing Thunder Dragon Mode—activate.
"Careful!" Yamato shouted in warning, heart pounding.
But her cry came too late.
Yuuto lifted his gaze.
He opened his mouth.
Who says only dragons can breathe fire?
"Thunder-Flame Dragon's Roar!!!"
A blinding beam of golden lightning wrapped in searing flame erupted from his mouth—
colliding head-on with Kaido's burning breath.
The two forces clashed with an earth-splitting roar.
Kaido's firestorm wavered, then shattered under the overwhelming surge of Yuuto's lightning-flame blast.
"What?!" Kaido's eyes flared red, Observation Haki instinctively surging.
For an instant, he saw the future—
and jerked his massive head aside just in time.
A second later, Yuuto's thunder-flame beam swallowed Kaido's own attack, piercing the clouds and tearing a hole through the heavens themselves.
The battlefield fell deathly silent.
Every Beast Pirate stared, slack-jawed, their eyes filled with disbelief and terror.
"Impossible… that brat's attack… overpowered Lord Kaido's Dragon's Breath?!"
Plague Queen screamed, voice cracking.
"This… this has never happened before!"
"That was Kaido's strongest attack!"
"He had the advantage! How did that human overpower him?"
"What kind of monster is he?! His flames—his lightning—they're stronger than a dragon's!"
The Beast Pirates trembled as their faith crumbled.
On the other side, the Fairy Tail mages stood proudly.
"Of course!" one of them laughed. "Did you really think your captain could compare to our guild master?"
"Your Kaido might be a dragon," Nami grinned, "but our president is a dragon slayer!"
Pride burned in their eyes.
"A dragon slayer… to think we'd actually witness one today," Sabo muttered, awe in his voice.
"No—there's no 'maybe' about it," Ace said firmly. "That monster ruling over Wano ends today. The evil dragon dies here."
Yamato's eyes trembled as she stared at Yuuto.
"This power… it's beyond Kaido's. Why does it feel like his very existence eclipses even my father's? What is he…?" she whispered in disbelief.