As Admiral Kuzan drifted away from the battlefield, the towering figure of Kaido turned his sharp, beastlike eyes toward Eli Winters. His tone was filled with irritation.
"Boy, you've got guts, standing here alone against me."
Though the Hundred Beasts Emperor had been surprised by Eli's strange teleportation ability earlier, he wasn't worried. In Kaido's mind, no matter how tricky the opponent, if they couldn't pierce his defenses, one strike from him would be enough to send them to the ground.
But he was about to realize just how wrong he was.
Eli smirked. "Can't say whether I'm brave or stupid. But what I do know is you're about to get a beating."
Kaido's thick eyebrows twitched. "Hmph. You've got quite a mouth for someone your size. Try not to cry when I'm done with you."
He swung his massive spiked club lazily, each movement heavy with power. But before his taunt had even finished echoing through the air, Eli vanished.
Kaido's instincts flared. He spun his kanabo upward, guarding his head and shoulders but too late.
Eli appeared above him, his leg wrapped in black Armament Haki, and stomped down with the force of a meteor. The ground shattered beneath Kaido as the weight of the blow drove him deep into the earth.
Before he could recover, Eli reappeared at his side, fists flashing faster than lightning. Each strike glowed with the crackling aura of Conqueror's Haki. Every punch landed like a cannon blast, sending bursts of blood flying from Kaido's skin.
The Emperor of the Beasts roared, swinging his club wildly, but Eli slipped through space again and again untouchable, ghostlike, relentless.
Kaido's mind reeled. This kid… what is he? His power, his speed it's unreal! The ferocity of Eli's Haki reminded him of only one man he'd ever fought: the legendary Marine hero, Garp.
"Damn brat," Kaido snarled through gritted teeth. He actually hurts!
Eli's gaze was calm and cold. He didn't let up for a moment. His goal wasn't just to win he wanted to push Kaido to his limits. Until the Emperor revealed his strongest form, this fight held no real challenge. And without challenge, there could be no growth.
Minutes bled into hours.
For over an hour, Kaido endured a storm of blows unlike any he had ever faced. His body, nearly invincible, was battered and bleeding. Every counterattack missed as Eli's shifting form danced between space and shadow. No matter how fast Kaido struck, the boy was always one step ahead.
Then Eli's foot found a very unfortunate target.
"Boom!"
The kick landed squarely between Kaido's legs.
The Beast Emperor froze, eyes bulging, a soundless scream forming in his throat before it erupted into a furious, sky-shaking roar.
"You damned brat!"
His body trembled with rage. Muscles bulged, veins stood out like ropes, and the air around him exploded as his form began to change.
With a guttural snarl, Kaido transformed half man, half dragon. Horns curved upward from his forehead, his arms thickened with scaled sinew, and a heavy tail lashed the air behind him. His aura was suffocating, a predator's fury barely contained.
But even in his fury, Kaido kept his wits. He knew if he became a full dragon now, that massive body would be nothing but a target for Eli's unpredictable movement. Instead, he chose the hybrid form fast, powerful, and deadly.
Blood dripped from his lip, and one of his fangs cracked and fell as he spat. "You little bastard… that hurt."
He gripped his club with both hands, every muscle tensing. Then, with a thunderous leap, he shot into the sky like a cannonball.
As he spun, his club ignited with a torrent of black and red Haki, swirling like fire around its length.
"Descend Three Realms of Hell!" Kaido roared.
The heavens darkened in an instant. Black clouds churned above as if the world itself was trembling. His attack came down like divine punishment unstoppable, crushing, apocalyptic.
From the clouds, black lightning rained down like serpents, tearing through the air toward Eli. Each bolt carried the power to split mountains and boil oceans.
But Eli didn't dodge.
He clenched his fists, Haki surging through his veins. Crimson and black light flared around him, a blazing aura that pulsed with raw defiance.
When the first bolt of lightning struck, Eli met it head-on with a punch that shattered the sky.
The explosion shook the entire island. He deflected one strike, then another, his form flickering amid the storm. But the final wave of lightning broke through, slamming into his chest. Blood spilled from his mouth, yet his eyes never dimmed.
"You're strong," Eli said, wiping the blood away. "But not strong enough."
He vanished.
Kaido barely sensed the killing intent before Eli reappeared behind him, driving an elbow hard into his back. The impact sent Kaido crashing through several hills, each one exploding into rubble as his massive body tumbled across the land.
But even as Eli closed in, Kaido's instincts blazed.
"Die, brat! Army of the Rising Dragon!"
Kaido swung with terrifying speed, his club coated in twin layers of Haki. The strike came from every direction at once, sealing all escape.
"Boom!"
The blow caught Eli in the chest. He flew backward like a meteor, the impact echoing for miles. For the first time since arriving in this world, Eli coughed blood midair.
He steadied himself, breathing hard. So this is the true might of an Emperor.
Kaido grinned through the blood streaking his face. "Hahaha! Didn't expect you to be this strong, kid. You've earned my respect. Tell you what join my crew. The Beasts Pirates could use a monster like you. I'll even throw in a little bonus… my daughter."
He gave a crude laugh.
Eli's smirk returned. "Tempting offer. But how about this you beat me first, and then I'll think about it."
Kaido's grin faltered. "Cocky brat."
The battle resumed, fiercer than ever. Kaido adapted to Eli's teleportation, predicting his movements more accurately with each clash. Their fight became a blur of speed, fire, and lightning. The air itself tore apart from their blows.
Day turned to night, and night back to day. The battle raged on for three days and three nights.
Thunder roared across the sea, waves rose like mountains, and lightning turned the heavens white. The island beneath them crumbled, torn apart by the sheer force of their power. Finally, with one earth-shaking explosion, the island was gone reduced to dust and seafoam.
Kaido, now in his full azure dragon form, coiled above the ocean, his enormous eyes glowing with fury. Below him floated Eli, battered but unbroken.
Kaido couldn't believe it. This human, this insignificant boy, had fought him for three days straight and had even broken one of his horns.
"You damned… brat!" Kaido's roar shook the sea.
Eli only smiled faintly. His body trembled from exhaustion, but his Haki now flowed like a living flame. He had learned to channel his Armament Haki into advanced flow the same technique that shattered Kaido's horn.
"Kaido," Eli called out, raising his hand. "One last move. If you can take this, I'll let you leave."
Kaido snorted, scales rippling. "You think I need your permission to leave?"
He began to ascend, clearly done with this madness. But Eli's expression hardened.
"You're not going anywhere."
The space around him twisted, warping like glass. Invisible threads of power spread outward, encasing the sky. Kaido's massive body froze midair, bound by unseen force.
He roared, straining, muscles bulging, before tearing free with sheer brute strength. But by then, Eli was already there.
"Sword Technique Piercing Point."
The black blade in his hand glowed like a falling star. Every ounce of his will, Haki, and spiritual force merged into one devastating strike.
Eli vanished.
Then, with a sound like thunder splitting the heavens, the sword pierced straight through Kaido's armored belly.
The beast let out a guttural cry, blood spraying across the sea. His massive form faltered, the pain too great even for him to ignore.
"You… little… monster…" Kaido rasped, then with a final glare, transformed into a stream of light and vanished into the stormy sky.
Eli lowered his blade, the ocean wind tugging at his hair. The sea was silent again save for the fading echo of Kaido's roar somewhere far above the clouds.
He exhaled slowly, the red light of his Haki dimming.
"Not bad," he murmured. "Guess the next time we meet, I'll have to hit harder."
And as dawn broke over the empty sea where an island once stood, the legend of Eli Winters the man who fought Kaido for three days and lived was born.
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