Poor Kaido had just been thoroughly beaten—all because someone wanted to test if he was truly invincible.
Kaido's mind churned with confusion and rage. 'Who is this guy? How could someone so unknown dare treat me like this?'
He'd never heard of such a pervert before.
"Turn into your dragon form. I've never seen a real dragon before," Kavi said casually, a spark of curiosity lighting his eyes.
This was a dragon, after all—didn't Kaido want to show off his majestic, imposing presence?
"Don't push your luck!" Kaido snapped, feeling deeply insulted. 'If I transform into a dragon for you, and you treat me like a circus act? Am I an acrobat?!'
"You said you wanted to see it! Don't I, Kaido, deserve some dignity?!"
But Kavi wasn't interested in giving him a chance to argue. In a flash, he vanished and reappeared right in front of Kaido, unleashing a terrifying blow with his fist.
Crack!
Bang!
Kaido was blasted into the ground once again—same crater, same pose, but new injuries.
The crisp sound of broken ribs echoed painfully, even to Kavi's ears.
"Cough… cough…" Kaido coughed up blood as he struggled to rise again.
Despite the pain, his chest already began slowly to heal, evidence of the Immortal Kaido's legendary resilience.
Kaido truly was talented—reaching such heights so quickly after devouring the Fish-Fish Fruit.
No wonder he had slipped through the navy's grasp so many times. The pirate before Kavi was formidable.
Still panting and furious, Kaido's glare burned with the desire to tear Kavi apart.
To be mocked and beaten by a middle-aged man was unbearable—no self-respecting pirate would tolerate this humiliation.
"I'm going to fight you!" Kaido growled.
Roar!
In a flash, he transformed into a massive green dragon stretching thousands of feet long, soaring into the sky with an angry roar that echoed for miles.
"Dragon Breath!"
Kaido emerged from the clouds, his gigantic head looming as he unleashed a scorching torrent of fiery breath and destructive energy toward Kavi.
"Damn, this is awesome!" Kavi admired the blue dragon form, unfazed by the attack as he cloaked himself in Armament Haki.
'Now this is the true way to use the Fish-Fish Fruit!'
He sneered internally at Kaido's form, comparing it to the pathetic pink dragon of Momonosuke.
'How could such a powerful fruit be wasted like that?' Kavi couldn't understand the absurdity.
No wonder Kaido's pride was so easily wounded—he was the most hated anime character in Kavi's previous life.
The dragon's breath incinerated everything around Kavi—flowers, plants, and trees were reduced to ash. But Kavi himself stood unscathed in the center of the charred earth.
"That's right! Come down!" Kavi called, his tone firm and commanding.
"Come down? Not a chance! I'm done playing with you! If you're brave, stay here. I'll call someone to deal with you!" Kaido shouted from the sky.
"Bring them on! I'm waiting!" Kavi replied coolly.
Although Kavi could have finished Kaido even in midair, it wasn't worth it. If Kaido escaped, the fight would end prematurely. He wanted to bring him down and settle this face to face.
Seeing Kavi's agreement, Kaido's mood lightened. He flew back toward the town, planning to find Linlin for revenge.
Charlotte Linlin, former captain of the Rocks Pirates and far stronger than Kaido at this time, had recently gifted him the Fish-Fish Fruit. His strength was still developing.
Kavi watched the flying dragon and muttered, "Young people are just too impatient. Whatever. Let's go get a drink."
As he strode into a nearby tavern, he chuckled,
'When did I promise to wait for Kaido? Besides, I'm way older than him. If I had to wait, wouldn't I lose face?'
Elsewhere...
Kaido was nowhere to be found when Charlotte Linlin arrived, having rushed over after hearing he was beaten.
"I've been tricked!" Kaido grumbled, face dark and burning with rage.
"I'm so sorry, brother," Linlin said sympathetically. "You got bullied and don't even know who did it. When the time's right, I'll help you get your revenge."
Though still young, Linlin's regal beauty was unmistakable—though Kavi had no interest in seeing her.
Back to Kavi, comfortably drinking and oblivious to the chaos he caused, he thought about how he'd probably have to teach Kaido another lesson soon.
Poor Kaido didn't even know he'd been marked.
The First Half of the Grand Line
A small boat rocked precariously on the sea, about to tip over at any moment.
A blue-haired girl, around eleven or twelve, sat firmly aboard, a long knife beside her.
"Hey, when are we getting there? This is so boring. Why isn't it like the master said?" complained Little Rosa.
"I can't believe I mastered Armament Haki so fast! I'm a genius, no doubt. But where is Master?" Kallen Rosa, Kavi's chief disciple, looked both proud and puzzled as she sailed toward the naval base.
Her plan: Join the navy, earn achievements, reach headquarters—and become Marine King!
Little Rosa's face lit up with dreams, imagining Kavi serving her tea, massaging her shoulders, and fawning over her as the Marine King.
Laughing to herself, she clenched her fist and shouted into the sea:
"The Marine King! I will be the Marine King!"
Just then, a small boat drifted alongside her own.
A sharp-eyed teenage boy with black hair watched her silently before murmuring:
"Neuropathy…"
"Hey! Who said that? I'll beat you up if you don't explain yourself!" Little Rosa spun around, frowning at the boy.
"Hahaha, you're just drifting your boat out here? That's hilarious," she teased.
Though her boat was small, at least it had a little cabin; his could only hold one person.
The boy's face was blank. "You're not much better."