"Three-Sword Style—Extreme Tiger Hunt!"
Zoro roared, his three blades gleaming with Armament Haki as he lunged forward. His attack cut through the air with such force that the very atmosphere screamed.
"Clang!"
Kaido met him head-on, his massive hands sheathed in blackened Haki as he caught the strike directly. Sparks flared violently between steel and flesh.
Zoro gritted his teeth, then pivoted sharply. "Tch!" He kicked Kaido's torso to create distance and sprang back.
"Diable Jambe—Concassé!"
Sanji swooped in immediately, his leg wreathed in burning flame as he spun and drove his heel into Kaido's ribs. The impact sent the Dragon Emperor skidding backward through the air.
"Gomu Gomu no—Double Giant Gatling!"
As Kaido flew back, Luffy inflated his fists like cannons, covering them in Armament Haki so dense it shimmered. He launched both at once toward the airborne Kaido.
"King Kong Smash!"
Kaido's eyes narrowed. With a deep growl, he swung his massive iron kanabo. "Raging Thunder Column!"
A torrent of energy surged forth, colliding with Luffy's fists in a cataclysmic explosion. The moment before impact, Kaido's body expanded and twisted, morphing into his massive azure dragon form as he soared upward to avoid the counterstrike.
"Three-Sword Style—1080 Pound Phoenix!"
Zoro spun midair, unleashing a barrage of slashing wind blades toward Kaido's coiling body.
"Sky Walk—Tempest Kick!"
Sanji leapt beside him, his legs a blur as he released a flurry of razor-edged kicks. He had mastered the Navy's Rokushiki techniques—Moonwalk and Tempest Kick—and even developed his own Blue Step style to match. His bloodline factor had fully awakened, his flames now hotter than ever before.
Kaido inhaled deeply. "Flame Breath!"
A pillar of molten fire erupted from his jaws, colliding with Zoro and Sanji's combined strikes and scattering the blasts into burning fragments.
"Tempest Slash!"
Kaido followed up instantly, spewing a storm of slicing wind blades that tore through the clouds.
But Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy had trained for two years under relentless conditions—this kind of attack couldn't touch them now. They evaded effortlessly, the winds howling past their blurred forms.
"Gear Fourth!"
Luffy drew in a deep breath and began inflating his body. His frame ballooned, muscles tightening as veins bulged across his skin. His legs stayed relatively slim, giving his body an oddly top-heavy appearance.
As Armament Haki spread across his body in rippling black patterns, Kaoru Tsubasa—watching from above—nodded thoughtfully.
His Haki… that's advanced Armament, the level of Ryuo, he thought. With Kaido guiding his training, that's no surprise.
"Interesting," Kaido rumbled. "Let's finish this with one strike."
"Hehehe… yeah," Luffy grinned, bouncing in place. "Let's settle this, Kaido!"
"Zoro! Sanji! Let's go!"
"Ah!" both replied in unison.
Blood energy began to pulse from Zoro's body, thick red mist swirling around him. Kaoru's eyes narrowed. He could feel it—the ability to absorb vitality, though its mastery was still uncertain.
"Asura—Yasha Form!" Zoro bellowed.
Dark crimson patterns crawled across his body as he manifested three heads and six arms, each gripping a sword that burned with spiritual flame.
"Nine-Sword Style—Crimson Hell!"
Beside him, Sanji's feet ignited, flames burning scarlet.
"Hell's Inferno—Demon Step!"
Kaoru compared their strength silently. Zoro's progress… monstrous. Sanji's not far behind, but still needs refinement. He made a note to find something later in his system inventory that might enhance Sanji's potential.
"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy's voice thundered as his arms expanded once more. "King Kong—Gun!"
Kaido transformed again—half-dragon, half-human—and leapt into the sky, his kanabo spinning like a storm.
"Ragnarok—Heaven Splitter!"
The air screamed as four titanic forces clashed.
"Luo Yanyue!"
"Grand Banquet!"
"Great Ape Spear!"
The combined attacks collided at the island's center, shaking Onigashima to its core. Shockwaves ripped outward, flattening mountains and tearing the clouds apart.
Kaoru watched the collision closely—none of the attacks directly struck one another. Instead, a narrow space separated them, trembling with compressed energy.
Conqueror's Haki entanglement… he realized.
He'd expected it from Kaido and Luffy—but Zoro and Sanji? Both had awakened Conqueror's Haki as well, and were even channeling it into their attacks.
The island roared. "BOOM!"
After a fierce stalemate, the four forces exploded outward, sending all combatants flying. Kaido's massive body hurtled the farthest, crashing nearly off the island's edge, while Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji landed heavily but safely nearby.
He went easy on them, Kaoru thought. Just testing their progress. In a true fight, Kaido would've forced Luffy into his Nika form again.
When the dust settled, Kaoru descended and looked over them with quiet pride.
"You've all become stronger," he said.
Even without Luffy's Sun God awakening, they were already unmatched across the Grand Line. Not even the entire World Government could threaten them now—not while Kaoru Tsubasa stood behind them.
"Hehehe! Of course we have!" Luffy beamed.
Zoro smirked. Sanji crossed his arms and smiled coolly.
They had endured two years of hellish training, but their current strength made every hardship worthwhile.
"Brother Kaoru…" Kaido scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he landed nearby. "If I'd known you were watching, I'd have gone harder. Getting blasted away like that was embarrassing."
Kaoru chuckled. "You did great, Kaido."
After checking on the trio, Kaoru turned his attention to the rest of the Straw Hat crew.
Usopp had transformed the most—now tall and muscular, his lean frame hardened into that of a warrior. When Luffy first saw him, he'd been utterly speechless.
Because everyone had trained separately, none of them had seen each other for the entire two-year period.
Nami's changes were subtler. Her greatest strength lay not in combat, but in her navigation and tactical knowledge. Still, no one—not even Luffy—dared challenge her authority on the ship.
"Everyone," Kaoru said sincerely, "thank you for guiding and protecting the Straw Hat Pirates over these two years."
Kaido waved dismissively, looking embarrassed. "Come on, big brother, no need to thank me. It was nothing."
As their training came to an end, farewells filled the air.
"Luffy, be careful out there," Kaido rumbled.
"Hehehe, I got it, Brother Kaido!" Luffy laughed.
"Zoro," Mihawk said calmly, "I expect you to surpass me next time."
Zoro nodded. "I will."
"Sanji," Zeff said with a smirk, "Don't forget what I taught you."
"Got it, old man."
"Straw Hats," Marco added with a grin, "the Whitebeard Pirates' door is always open to you."
"Thanks for everything, Marco," Luffy said, grinning wide.
"A man's farewell needs no words," Hercules said to Usopp.
"I understand," Usopp replied, standing tall.
"Nami," said a gentle voice from the Sky Island, "take care of yourself out there."
"I will," Nami said, smiling softly. "Thank you… for everything."
And with that, the two-year training came to its end—marking the rebirth of the Straw Hat Pirates and the dawn of a new age on the Grand Line.