"You went a bit too hard, Madara."
Just as they stepped onto the elevator outside the city gates, Is glanced back at the black-suited man still stuck headfirst in the ground and spoke calmly.
"Just a grain of sand. With strength like that, who is he supposed to protect? The World Government really is stingy," Madara replied, sitting back in his chair.
Is took a seat as well and continued, "They're just for show… a way for the World Government to reassure most Celestial Dragons. Under normal circumstances, though, it's enough. After all, no one is foolish enough to attack a Celestial Dragon."
That much was true.
Even ordinary people understood that attacking a Celestial Dragon was a death sentence.
And those with real power understood even more clearly—once a Celestial Dragon was attacked, an Admiral from Marine Headquarters or CP0 would arrive with overwhelming force.
So unless someone was looking for trouble, no one would act that recklessly.
"As you said—so long as it doesn't involve us, it doesn't matter," Madara replied.
…
This outing had no particular purpose.
Madara simply wanted to get a sense of the world outside.
They visited a well-known tavern, drank for a while, and chatted about Rocks and other pirates.
"Is, what do you think? Interested in moving around a bit?"
Just as they were about to leave, Madara suddenly asked.
"Moving around?"
"A spar. I've been cooped up there for days—it's getting uncomfortable," Madara said casually.
Is paused for a moment.
Wasn't this perfect?
He had been wanting to test his Devil Fruit abilities all along.
There was no opportunity to do so in Mary Geoise, but now that they were outside, this was the ideal chance.
"Sounds good. Let's have a round."
…
Soon, the two of them arrived at an open area, far from town, with no one around.
Is quickly removed his Celestial Dragon attire and placed it on a nearby rock.
The two stood facing each other.
"Go easy on me," Is said before they began.
His base strength wasn't weak.
Over the past two years, he hadn't spent all his time indulging—he had also trained his physical abilities.
Now, combined with his Devil Fruit power, he felt confident that he could handle pirates with bounties under 100 million.
"I'll keep it in check," Madara replied.
"Then let's begin!"
The moment Is finished speaking, parts of his body began transforming into paper.
Sheets of paper floated around him, gathering together—
Forming a weapon in his hand.
He dashed forward, charging straight at Madara with momentum.
Madara quickly formed hand seals.
Bang!
A cloud of white smoke burst out in front of him.
In the next instant, Madara emerged, already wielding a war scythe.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two clashed.
Despite being made of paper, Is's weapon was as hard as any real blade.
Bang!
Their weapons collided again.
Madara's strength was clearly superior—Is was forced backward by the impact.
Crack… crack…
At that moment, more sheets of paper appeared around Is.
With a wave of his hand, they shot forward like arrows.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sound of air being torn apart echoed continuously.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
At first, Madara didn't dodge, simply deflecting the attacks with his scythe.
But as their number increased, he stopped wasting energy and began evading instead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The paper blades struck the ground, leaving it riddled with holes.
A cloud of dust rose into the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Is attacked again—countless sheets flying toward Madara.
"Quite a troublesome ability…"
Muttering to himself, Madara formed another seal with one hand.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Drawing in a deep breath, he exhaled—
A massive wave of fire surged forward, colliding with the incoming sheets.
BOOM—!
The explosion erupted at the center.
A powerful shockwave swept through the surroundings.
"Can't block it!"
Is frowned.
The paper around him gathered behind his back, quickly forming a pair of wings.
He took to the air, narrowly avoiding the flames.
Then he raised his hand again—
Three paper spears materialized.
"Hah!"
With a shout, he hurled them toward Madara.
The attack was powerful—but to someone as battle-hardened as Madara, it was nothing more than a minor trick.
His movements were swift.
With a few agile leaps, he easily dodged all three.
…
In less than half an hour, Is was defeated.
"Haa… haa…"
Lying on the ground, he gasped for breath.
Overall, he was quite satisfied.
This Devil Fruit was even more versatile than he had expected—it could defend, fly, fight at close range, and attack from a distance.
And this was with barely any development.
If he continued refining it—combined with stronger fundamentals and Haki—it could become something truly formidable.
"You alright?"
Madara walked over slowly.
Is sat up and shook his head.
"Just overexerted. Feeling a bit drained."
As he spoke, he walked over to the rock and put his Celestial Dragon attire back on.
"Alright. Let's head back."
"Mm."
But just as they had walked a short distance—
A group of people approached from the opposite direction.
Soon… they met face to face.
At first, Is thought they were just ordinary villagers.
But the moment he saw the one leading them—
He understood.
This wasn't just anyone.
It was someone who, in the future, would become one of the Four Emperors—the "Strongest Creature"—
Kaido.
And if Is wasn't mistaken, at this point in time, he should still be a member of the Rocks Pirates… likely an apprentice.
Before Is or Madara could speak, someone on Kaido's side spoke first—
"Captain Kaido! That guy… he's wearing—he's a Celestial Dragon!"
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