**Recap:**
After arriving in Wano upon eating an Akuma no Mi, Damian met Yamato and the two became friends — though not before a rather unsuccessful sparring attempt. Yamato tried to teach Damian how to harness his Devil Fruit powers by guiding him into a state of awakening within a separate mental space, where a great Tree spoke to the young Oni boy. And just like that… Damian opens his eyes once more, now being carried piggyback on Yamato's shoulders…
**End of Recap.**
Sliding off Yamato's back, Damian turns toward a massive door — easily ten meters tall — its dark wood carved with intricate blue dragons winding across its surface.
A moment later, it swings open, revealing a towering man standing nearly six meters high. But beyond his staggering height, one detail immediately commands attention… a pair of jet-black wings, with flames licking from his back near their base.
His outfit is entirely dark, matching his wings perfectly — a buttoned-up jacket adorned with skull motifs along the collar and studded spikes running down the sleeves, paired with trousers lined with metal rings riveted throughout.
And lastly, a mask covers his entire head, complete with built-in protective goggles.
????:"So the intruder that brat Ulti mentioned was real, after all… Onihime, care to explain why this boy is here?"
As he speaks, the man looks down at the two of them as though they were nothing more than insignificant little runts.
Yamato:"Well, King… to keep it short — he just showed up out of nowhere. Like, literally just *poof*, right out of thin air. I helped him out, we talked, became friends, and then I told him about that whole 'mental world' thing you taught me about. But he stayed in a trance for *way* too long, so I got worried and came to ask Dad for help, since I figured you were away."
King:"I see… So instead of immediately reporting an intruder, you decided to make friends with him? And on top of that, the boy seems perfectly awake now, so there was no reason to come here at all."
Yamato:"He literally *just* woke up! And about reporting the intrusion…"
As Yamato responds, she puffs out her chest and stares King dead in the eyes.
Yamato:"…I don't recall joining this crew to obey every single thing you say."
Seeing Yamato's audacity, King turns his full attention to her, his gaze burning with anger — but beneath it, a flicker of respect.
Left out of the conversation, Damian catches bits of the argument that follows, but quickly loses interest once he realizes it sounds like an uncle-niece squabble. So, at the peak of his curiosity, Damian decides to slip into Kaido's chambers.
Upon entering, Damian takes in a colossal room — this single chamber alone is bigger than the orphanage where he grew up. But beyond that, the room looks nearly empty… just an enormous bed with someone lying in one of the far corners, and a mountain of liquor bottles scattered across the floor — some still full, others half-empty.
Damian:"Tcharara~ what a massive place!"
Damian's voice echoes through the room like a thunderclap, and the sound stirs the figure on the bed.
Noticing this, Damian takes a step toward the bed, but before he can even register what's happening, a searing pain slams into the left side of his body, followed by a violent crash against the wall.
?????:"Mmm… who's cackling like an idiot at this hour…? Ugh… what a killer headache…"
After swatting the annoying noise that woke her, the figure on the bed sits up on the edge, revealing a colossal woman — even seated, she easily towers over Damian by twice his height.
The expression on her face reads like pure pain, yet beneath it lies something sharp and terrifying, as though she could kill anyone who dared stand in her path. Her eyes burn a feral yellow — not to mention the deep redness brought on by her hangover.
Her wild, tangled hair is an onyx black that cascades down to her waist, creating a striking contrast with her horns, which resemble the tusks of a mammoth.
Her body is a masterpiece of deliberate design — every muscle perfectly sculpted, like a living Greek statue. Her attire only enhances that aesthetic. The woman wears an open purple dress shirt with a white sash wrapped across her chest, gray trousers, and like Yamato, she carries a nio-dasuki tied at her waist.
After sitting up, she lets out a long yawn and glances toward the creature she just swatted.
?????:"Heyyy… who the hell are you? I don't remember anyone like you around here…"
After slamming into the wall, Damian quickly recovers from the blow.
The entire left side of his body is flushed crimson, and blood trickles from both his nose and mouth.
Damian: "Tcharara~ sorry for waking you! My name's Damian! And I—"
*thinking* 'What incredible strength! I swear I felt my whole body melt for a second!'
Kaido:"Stop screaming, damn it! I've got a splitting migraine!"
Pressing one hand against her head as if in agony, Kaido swings at Damian again — but this time the movement feels far slower and more predictable than before, allowing him to dodge with relative ease.
After sidestepping the attack, Damian dashes over to one of the full bottles on the floor and grabs it.
Damian:*(thinking)* 'If I lower the thermal point of this bottle… will it cool down? Only one way to find out…'
With both hands wrapped around the glass, Damian closes his eyes and focuses on lowering the thermal threshold of the bottle, chilling the liquid inside.
Damian:"Tcharara~ perfectly chilled!"
Kaido:"What an irritating brat! I told you to shut up!"
Seeing Kaido wind up for another swat, Damian reacts fast — he uncorks a bottle and hurls it straight at her. Kaido catches it on pure instinct.
Kaido:"Oh…! Maybe you're not quite as annoying as you look, kid! *gulp gulp gulp*"
Once she finishes drinking, Kaido's expression softens just a little.
Kaido:"*Puhhaaa~* Nice and cold! Just the way I like it! Hey, kid! Can you do that with the rest of the bottles?"
Damian:"Of course I can!"
Using all four of his arms, Damian grabs four more bottles and repeats the same process.
Once they're chilled, he places them beside Kaido.
Damian:"Allow me to reintroduce myself, since I clearly woke you up on the wrong side of the bed earlier… I'm Damian — and one day, I'm going to defeat you!"
The moment Kaido hears that declaration, she stops drinking. A serious expression crosses her face for a brief moment, before—
Kaido:"Worororo~ you've got some nerve, don't you, brat? But the question is — will you actually be able to back up those words?"
Before Damian can even process what she said, Kaido unleashes her Conqueror's Haki. An aura of deep indigo bleeding into dark violet erupts from her body, accompanied by bolts of fig-colored lightning crackling outward.
The instant her Conqueror's Haki washes over Damian, his vision whites out and he begins to slowly crumble toward the floor.
Kaido:"What a disappoint—"
Damian:"Tchararararararara~"
Before Kaido can finish her sentence, the light returns to Damian's eyes. He steadies himself, lifts his head, and locks gazes with Kaido — instinctively unleashing his own Conqueror's Haki.
***ZRRRMMM*** ***BZZZZ***
The silver aura and charcoal-colored lightning pouring from Damian's body clash head-on against Kaido's Conqueror's Haki, sending the lightning spiraling out of control and scorching everything nearby. But moments later, Kaido withdraws her Haki.
Kaido:"Worororo~ brat! For a second there, I thought you were going to be another letdown!"
Damian:"Tcharara~ what are you talking about? You thought *that* was enough to knock me out?"
Before answering, Kaido grabs one of the chilled bottles and takes a few long swigs before speaking.
Kaido:"*Puhhaaa~* Honestly? Yeah, I did! But you surprised me, kid! So I'm going to make you a proposition!"
Damian:"A proposition? I'm listening…"
Kaido:"*Gulp* You've got potential! Join my crew!"
The same indigo aura radiates from her body once more, but this time it doesn't press against Damian. Instead, it simply *exists* — like a crown commanding every eye in the room to fall upon her, as though she were a benevolent queen.
Hearing her offer, Damian drops to one knee, his own silver aura quietly emanating from him.
Damian:"I can't accept. Not yet."
Kaido's aura does a complete one-eighty. What was once the aura of a gracious, attention-commanding queen transforms into something else entirely — the presence of a Destroyer. A Goddess of Death.
But the most fascinating part is that the aura doesn't strike Damian. It feels more like a thousand weapons aimed directly at him — and the instant he so much as twitches, every single one of them will run him through.
Kaido:"What the *hell* are you talking about, brat?!"
Even under that suffocating, annihilating pressure, Damian ignores it completely. He lowers himself into a full dogeza — forehead to the floor — and in a clear, fearless voice, he speaks.
Damian:"I still have a promise to keep with a friend of mine, but…"
As he speaks, Damian slowly rises to his feet. Once he's standing, he stares directly into Kaido's primal golden eyes and walks straight toward her — pushing through her aura with a fire burning in his gaze.
Damian:"I love a good wager… so I want to make a bet with you, Empress Kaido."
Kaido's expression shifts to genuine surprise.
Kaido:"A bet…? Kid…! Worororo~ you really are something! Go on then — what's your wager?"
Damian finally reaches Kaido, raises his hand toward her, and holds up a single finger.
Damian:"One strike. If I can hurt you — even just the tiniest bit — with a single blow… I get to stay here without joining your crew. But if I fail… I give up everything I was before I got here, and I become your personal slave."
Kaido:"Wororororororo~ brat! Either you've got stones the size of boulders, or you're completely out of your mind!"
Damian:"I know! People usually say I've got a few screws loose! So? Do we have a deal?"
Kaido:"You know what, kid? It's been years since someone's entertained me like this! Fine — I accept your bet!"
A wide grin spreads across Damian's face. He doesn't respond to Kaido's acceptance. Instead, he simply steps back and begins to…
Damian:"War Dance: March of *Nike*"
*(thinking)* 'I think I understand what that energy was… it was Haki… but it's different from Conqueror's Haki. They feel so similar, yet they're completely different… But until I can feel that energy again… I'll set this aside.'
Using the same movements as always for his technique, Damian doesn't notice one crucial difference about it… something Kaido observes with razor-sharp attention.
Kaido:*(thinking)* 'This brat… he hasn't deactivated his Conqueror's Haki since I hit him with mine. And this dance… it reminds me of my days in the Vodka Kingdom. This kid really knows how to put on a convincing performance. Not to mention his skin… how interesting — he's increasing his blood flow to grow stronger. And wait… his Haki is taking shape?'
As she studies Damian's technique, Kaido notices something remarkable about his Conqueror's Haki — the energy emanating from the boy's body is molding itself into the shapes of countless soldiers marching in formation, following Damian's precise, technical choreography.
But unbeknownst to Kaido, her own Haki has also taken form — shaped into marching soldiers as well. The difference is that Kaido's soldiers are brutish, overwhelming in their relentless advance.
Damian:"War Dance: Path of *Bia*"
*(thinking)* 'It's definitely different… just like Conqueror's Haki, both seem to come from the very core of my being… but from different places.'
The moment Damian shifts to the next movement of the Dance, his Haki "soldiers" surge forward with greater speed, as though they've finally reached the battlefield.
Kaido:*(thinking)* 'The way he portrays war… it's realistic and fantastical at the same time… How curious — his Haki even depicts the casualties of battle.'
What Kaido hasn't realized is that Damian's "soldiers" are only suffering "casualties" because of her own Haki soldiers, who launched their assault the instant Damian transitioned into the next act. They didn't just attack — they *slaughtered* Damian's soldiers, who fought back with everything they had.
Damian:"War Dance: Conquest of *Kratos*"
*(thinking)* 'That feeling… I can feel it forming… it seems to come from my very soul… Now I understand. They're not the same… but they resonate similarly… as if they were complementary… bound together, yet completely separate…'
As the third act of the War Dance begins, Damian's "soldiers" gradually grow brighter, their assault intensifying — as though, despite all odds of victory being lost, they would still force at least one casualty from the enemy's ranks. But it seems futile. By the end of the act, only a single "soldier" remains standing.
Kaido:*(thinking)* 'What a fascinating trick…! The rhythm of the dance doesn't just accelerate his blood flow — it's making his Conqueror's Haki follow the same motion… similar to the flow needed to use Ryou. And with the power boost from both flows combined, he's awakened his Armament Haki… and if he layers that into the mix… worororo~'
Damian's movements grow faster and faster, reaching a speed where most of Kaido's crew would swear he was teleporting between steps. On top of that, his muscles are visibly swelling alongside his speed, to the point where he looks like a character straight out of Baki. But none of that truly matters, because… the final act has arrived.
Damian:"War Dance: Glory of *Zelos*"
*(thinking)* 'I hope this works… this is going to hurt like hell…'
Just before Damian truly begins the final act, Kaido notices something extraordinary happening with the last "soldier" still standing.
Kaido:*(thinking)* 'What is his Haki doing now? It's… returning to his body? Why—'
Before Kaido can finish the thought, she watches the Haki "soldier" flow back into Damian — lodging itself specifically in his upper right arm. The instant it does, that same arm erupts in a burst of blood vapor…
But it doesn't stop there. Not even a millisecond later, the vapor ignites, engulfing Damian's arm in flames that make it look like the very limb of the demon Ifrit himself.
And beneath those flames, invisible to everyone present, Damian's arm glows with an almost divine silver radiance.
Kaido:"Worororororo~ brat— no Damian! You're insane! But also a goddamn genius! For showing me something this brilliant, I'll take your hit without defending! Come at me, Damian!"
*(thinking)* 'Judging by the way his arm reacted, he must have a Devil Fruit that allowed him to reach this level without evaporating outright… and on top of that, this has to be one of the first times he's ever used Armament Haki! He doesn't even know how to combine it with his Devil Fruit powers! And yet somehow, he's already using Advanced Haki.'
Too consumed by pain to even think about responding, Damian simply continues his dance steps until he's right in front of Kaido. With a single leap, he twists midair, building centrifugal force, and drives his fist straight into Kaido's collarbone.
But the punch doesn't connect right away. First, it feels like an invisible suit of armor strikes her — but that lasts only an instant before his fist finally meets Kaido's skin. And the moment it does…
The flames from Damian's arm explode outward, swallowing Kaido's entire body. Damian begins to fall, overcome by pain.
Kaido:"Worororo~ congratulations, Damian! You won the bet!"
As the flames die down, Kaido is revealed — seemingly completely unscathed, without a single scratch. But that changes the moment the last embers fade, exposing a fist-shaped burn scar branded across her collarbone.
Damian:"Tcharara… told you I could do it…"
Then Damian blacks out mid-fall — but before he can hit the ground… Kaido catches him and gently lays him down on her bed.
**To Be Continued**