The colossal blue dragon descended from the clouds, scales glinting under the sunlight like shards of sapphire. With a thunderous roar, it landed upon the shattered island where Eli Winters and Admiral Kuzan stood.
As the mist cleared, the dragon's enormous form began to shrink and twist. The light of transformation faded, revealing a towering, broad-shouldered man. His black hair flowed past his shoulders, and two curved horns jutted from his head like those of a dragon. A thick, majestic beard framed his jaw like whiskers of flame. His left arm was tattooed with coiling dragon scales, while an X-shaped scar crossed his bare, muscular abdomen.
A heavy purple robe hung loosely around his waist, secured by a thick rope sash and golden chains that clinked as he moved. His lower garments were wide and forest green, and a cloak of violet fur draped across his back. In his right hand, he gripped a massive iron kanabo a spiked club as terrifying as the man himself.
The air grew heavy with his presence.
Even Kuzan's normally calm expression darkened. "Kaido," he said coldly. "What are you doing here?"
Eli wasn't surprised. He knew that Doflamingo had dealings with Kaido secret trades and shadowy experiments that fueled both of their ambitions. Kaido must have come after hearing of Doflamingo's defeat.
The mountain-like man threw back his head and laughed, the sound booming across the island. "Hahaha! Kuzan, I didn't expect to find you here too. Relax, I'm not here to start trouble." He paused, then grinned with unsettling seriousness. "I just came to see if one of you can kill me… or if I'll be the one to kill both of you."
Eli blinked in surprise. Wait. That line… isn't that from Fire Cloud Evil God?
A mischievous thought crossed his mind. Testing his theory, Eli asked casually, "Palace Jade Elixir Wine?"
Both Kaido and Kuzan gave him confused looks. Clearly, the reference was lost on them. Alright, Eli thought. Guess I was overthinking it. He's not a transmigrator after all.
Kaido hefted his club and barked, "Enough talk! Let's fight. Both of you come at me together. Try your best to kill me!"
Before Kuzan could respond, Eli's grin spread wide. A free teacher and a walking sandbag how could he possibly say no?
"Big Pan!" Eli called.
The enormous panda warrior leapt down from the Silver Dragon, gripping his obsidian Panlong Staff. His aura pulsed with Haki, waves of pressure rippling through the air.
Eli smiled brightly. "Mind if we add one more person, Professor Kaido?"
Kaido's grin only widened. "The more, the merrier! As long as you can kill me, I don't mind. But if you're weak and die instead, don't blame me."
Kuzan sighed in frustration. "Hey, did either of you even ask for my opinion?"
Before he could finish, Kaido's massive club swung toward him. The Admiral barely dodged as the ground exploded beneath the impact, cracks spidering outward like a web.
Kuzan exhaled sharply. Should've turned this mission down. Resigned, he joined the fray, though his movements remained deliberately restrained. He wasn't here to fight seriously unlike Eli, who was clearly treating this as a golden training opportunity for Big Pan.
Kaido's fighting style was pure chaos. He didn't dodge, didn't block, didn't plan. Every swing of his kanabo was a natural disaster raw strength backed by monstrous endurance. The very earth trembled under his strikes. Each blow sent roaring winds tearing through the trees, powerful enough to shatter mountains.
"Boom!"
With one deafening impact, Big Pan was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing hard into a rocky cliff. Dust and rubble burst into the air.
Kaido roared with laughter, slamming his club on the ground. "Come on! Put some strength into it! Is that all you've got? You'll all die at this rate!"
Big Pan coughed, dragging himself upright. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but the fire in his eyes burned hotter than ever. "Don't you dare underestimate me, you overgrown lizard!"
With a furious bellow, he charged again.
The panda warrior's staff shimmered with Haki, glowing faintly with golden patterns. He met Kaido head-on, blocking the descending kanabo with both arms before twisting his body and striking back.
"Eight Desolations Staff Art Tidal Overlap!"
The air shuddered.
Each layer of the strike hit harder than the last, waves of force crashing against Kaido's massive frame like the ocean's fury. Even the Beast himself staggered under the continuous impact, sent tumbling backward until his body smashed into a distant hill.
Eli whistled. "Now that's progress."
When the dust cleared, Kaido emerged from the rubble, laughing manically, a thin trail of blood running down his lip. "Good! That's more like it, you big furball! You've got bite after all!"
Then his smile vanished. "Now it's my turn. Try not to die too fast."
His aura exploded outward. A shockwave of Conqueror's Haki burst from his body, shaking the island to its core. Even Big Pan stumbled backward under the pressure.
Kaido vanished.
The next moment, his club connected squarely with Big Pan's ribs, launching the panda skyward.
"Damn you, you ugly brute!" Big Pan roared midair. "And I'm a panda, not a bear!"
He unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki in defiance, but his control was still unstable. Two seconds later, Kaido's next strike sent him spinning through the air again.
The battle devolved into chaos.
Whenever Kaido went for the final blow, Eli or Kuzan would intervene a punch of golden Haki from Eli, a freezing strike from Kuzan forcing Kaido to pull back. Then Big Pan would crawl out of the rubble, yell something heroic, and charge again.
This ridiculous cycle continued for over three hours.
Eventually, Kaido began to lose patience. His pants were tattered, his club dented, and Eli's constant interference was starting to grate on his nerves.
"Enough!" he bellowed.
His dragon horns glowed, and he released a storm of compressed air blades, slicing through everything around him.
"Aw, come on!" Kuzan cursed, instantly forming a towering wall of ice. The wind blades slashed through it, but he calmly regenerated the barrier again and again, maintaining it with lazy precision.
Eli didn't even bother defending. He flickered into a translucent state a trick of his Fog-Fog powers and the attacks passed harmlessly through him.
Big Pan, however, wasn't so lucky. Even as his staff spun like a cyclone, slashes opened across his arms and chest. Blood splattered the dirt, and his breathing grew ragged.
Then Kaido appeared right in front of him.
Big Pan's pupils shrank. He barely had time to coat his entire body in Armament Haki.
"Thunder Bagua!" Kaido roared.
The club slammed into Big Pan's chest like a thunderstrike. The giant panda flew backward, crashing across the battlefield and skidding to a bloody halt.
Eli's eyes narrowed, ready to intervene but before he could move, Big Pan coughed up blood, grinned through his cracked teeth, and shouted hoarsely, "Boss! I… I broke through!"
A burst of black lightning erupted from him his Conqueror's Haki flaring to life, fiercer than before.
Eli's grin returned. "Good. That's enough for today. Go back to the ship and rest. I'll take it from here."
Big Pan nodded weakly, swallowing a healing pill from Eli's system stash. The wound sealed slightly, though his strength was nearly gone.
But before he could retreat, Kaido snarled, "Leave? Did I say you could leave?"
He lunged forward only for Eli to appear in front of him in a blur of movement.
The Beast barely had time to react before Eli's foot, wrapped in twin layers of Armament and Conqueror's Haki, slammed into his ribs.
Kaido's eyes widened as he was sent flying across the island, smashing through several stone pillars before coming to a stop.
"Damn it!" he spat, clutching his side. "Can't you kick anywhere else, kid?"
From the ship, Kuzan's expression turned sharp. His Observation Haki hadn't detected even a flicker of movement. That wasn't speed it was something far more dangerous.
Teleportation.
As Big Pan retreated toward the Silver Dragon, Eli turned toward the admiral with a bright smile. "Admiral Kuzan, I'm about to beat someone senseless. Still planning to stick around?"
Kuzan hesitated, watching the glint of violence and thrill in Eli's eyes. Then, with a resigned sigh, he said, "I'll just… supervise from the ship."
He leapt onto the deck and crossed his arms. "Let's see just how strong you really are, Eli Winters."
And as the storm gathered once more over the shattered island, Eli's silhouette faced the raging beast head-on calm, unyielding, and ready for the next round.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Already sailing with Eli on this fog-shrouded journey?
Drop your thoughts and reviews every word keeps this grand voyage alive! And for every 300 Power Stones, a bonus chapter will set sail, bringing Eli's wild adventure closer to its next storm!
The seas are vast, the dreams are boundless, and Eli Winters' legend is only just beginning. Stay aboard One Piece: I'm Just an Adventurer, and let's ride the tides toward freedom, laughter, and the greatest treasure of all!
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a