Chapter 45 – Azure Dragon Soars in the Heavens, All Beasts Bow to the Earth
"I am Kaido—the Azure Dragon!"
A hundred-meter-long dragon coiled in the sky, auspicious clouds trailing behind its vast body as it shot upward, aiming straight at the godlike figure looming overhead.
The upper half of that figure resembled a colossal ancient general, while the lower half dissolved into thick clouds.
A thousand-meter titan hovered in the air, lowering its gaze to look down upon the tiny azure dragon rising defiantly toward it.
"Long Roar—Ten Thousand Leagues of Lightning!"
A voice like rolling thunder boomed across the sea.
In an instant, countless bolts of lightning, large and small, erupted all at once.
They struck every inch of the massive dragon, searing its scales to a charred crisp outside and inside.
Even those scales—resilient enough to withstand submersion in molten lava—couldn't endure the hundreds of repeated shocks.
Kaido's dragon eyes rolled back, his body shrinking rapidly in midair until he turned into a five-meter-tall giant.
He plummeted into the sea below, his fate uncertain.
As though exhausted, the thunderclouds began to dissipate, and the giant figure in their midst flickered, fading in and out of view.
Finally, a colossal white hand reached down from the clouds, plucked Kaido's half-dead form from the seabed, and laid him atop the shattered remains of the base.
Then, the world quietly returned to normal—
As if everything just now had been nothing more than a fleeting nightmare.
High above, Ross was gasping for breath.
He couldn't help it—that last attack was one of his ultimate techniques.
Kaido would never have imagined that his opponent would open the fight by going all out.
Had he not done so, taking down Kaido's near-indestructible body would have cost him much more time and effort.
When it came down to it—there was nothing to be done against overwhelming brute force and an indomitable will.
Once he'd recovered a little, Ross slowly descended to the ground.
By then, the base was deserted.
All the minor pirates had been knocked unconscious by Kaido's Conqueror's Haki.
The few with stronger wills had fainted in terror at the sight of that apocalyptic spectacle.
After all, they were nothing but prisoners held in a branch facility—small fry who weren't even worth sending straight to Impel Down.
Ross walked over to Kaido.
He could only sense the faintest traces of breathing and a flickering thread of life.
Ninety-eight percent of Kaido's skin was scorched black.
The smell of burned flesh hung thick in the air.
By Ross's estimate, Kaido was at least halfway cooked.
Sitting cross-legged nearby, Ross waited patiently for the Navy to come collect this troublesome opponent.
Originally, he had planned to head to the New World today, to the War Without End—
—to adopt a certain child known in the original story as Douglas Bullet, the Demon Heir.
He'd already pinpointed Bullet's exact location:
Gartzburg, an archipelago in the early part of the New World formed by warring nations locked in endless conflict.
At this very moment, the eight-year-old Bullet had just graduated from the cadet corps and entered the battlefield.
He was beginning to glimpse the true brutality of the world—about to taste the betrayal of his comrades—
—and from there, set foot on his legendary path.
And this—
—was the perfect moment for Ross to appear.
To carve an imposing figure into the memory of a child on the verge of despair and desperate struggle.
As for why he wanted to adopt the boy?
Simple.
He'd taken a liking to his talent—that alone was reason enough.
The sea was never a place that required too many whys.
Feelings could always be cultivated later.
There was no rush.
Before long, a navy battleship glided into the harbor.
From the ship, Sengoku stepped onto the ruined island.
He stood in silence, taking in the devastation of the G-7 Branch.
Everywhere he looked, broken corpses of marines and pirates lay scattered, blood soaking the earth until no inch remained untouched by suffering.
The marines accompanying him were equally wordless, rage burning in their eyes.
Only after a long time did Sengoku finally spot Ross and the barely breathing Kaido in the distance.
"Mr. Ross…thank you for your assistance."
With a single glance, he understood exactly what had transpired.
He stepped forward and offered Ross a solemn, heartfelt thanks.
He didn't say any foolish things like "Why didn't you save the branch marines?"
He simply knew that, at this moment, those fallen marines could finally rest in peace.
"It's nothing. I was just passing by and thought I'd deal with it on the way. By the way—this guy's nickname is Azure Dragon Kaido, right?"
"That's correct," Sengoku replied gravely. "The World Government has been searching for him a long time. He's a Mythical Zoan user—a threat too dangerous to be left loose on the seas. His bounty—"
Sengoku paused, then added with a respectful nod:
"—I'll have it delivered to Sky Island. Please rest assured."
"Mm." Ross looked down at Kaido's scorched body. "Also—give him a new epithet. The Azure Dragon Soars Above, and All Beasts Bow Below. I think Hundred Beasts suits him rather well."
With that, Ross rose, brushing the dust from his clothes.
Sengoku didn't quite understand why Ross insisted on renaming Kaido—but after glancing at the near-dead body sprawled on the ground like a beaten dog, he had to admit—Hundred Beasts was indeed a fitting title.
In any case, Kaido's fate was clear: eternal imprisonment in Impel Down.
For enemies of this caliber—especially Devil Fruit users—the Navy and World Government had long adopted a policy of never executing them.
It was too dangerous to risk their fruits reappearing in the world and spawning new disasters.
After exchanging a final nod, Ross tore a wisp of cloud from the air and set off, leaving Sengoku standing alone among the ruins.
Of course, Sengoku knew exactly what had transpired.
A thundercloud that size could be seen from miles away without a telescope.
He was simply grateful—grateful that someone so powerful, so resourceful, and so wealthy chose to side—at least for now—with the Navy's interests.
Not long ago, Captain Lowell had been officially promoted to Rear Admiral.
Capturing a pirate of this magnitude was merit worthy of the rank.
Although that rascal Morgans had been stirring up rumors in the papers to sow discord, only clueless civilians believed any of it.
Within the Navy itself, everyone was more than happy with the arrangement.
As long as Sakazuki remained in the Navy, the Marines would always welcome Nasdaq.
Besides—Ross was astonishingly generous.
An Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit—he'd given it away without hesitation.
That Ator kid was no less extravagant—he'd gifted ten billion worth of military weapons as casually as if they were trinkets.
Even the Navy's senior officers had recently had their salaries restored—cause for celebration indeed.
But as Sengoku's gaze swept over the shattered G-7 base, his briefly good mood evaporated.
How much was this going to cost to rebuild…?
He sighed, realizing that for the next two months, everyone's wages would surely be cut again.
Time to tighten their belts all over again.
"Sigh…"
Letting out a long breath, Sengoku hefted Kaido's ruined body over his shoulder and led the marines away—headed back to headquarters to make his report and place this sea monster under guard.
...
On the other side—
Ross drifted leisurely through the sky atop a little cloud.
Only when he passed an ancient island did he occasionally pause to search for traces of Devil Fruits.
Such islands were rare across the sea.
They were home to countless ancient creatures—species that had been nearly extinct for hundreds of years.
Places like this had a much higher chance of producing Zoan-type Devil Fruits.
Ross was never one to let such opportunities slip by.
"I'll need to stop by the Navy archives soon and have them make me a fresh copy of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia…"
Standing atop a remote ancient island, three freshly picked, unidentified Devil Fruits in his arms, Ross muttered to himself:
"For Bullet, ideally, I'd like to find a Mythical Zoan. If that proves impossible…an Ancient Zoan will have to do. Can't be too picky. I'll ask his opinion when the time comes."
Douglas Bullet was the one he had the highest hopes for—
—the only child Ross absolutely had to adopt and personally train.
If he was being honest, in his heart, he might end up cherishing Bullet even more than his own future children.
No sentimentality—
Just the simple truth:
Strength and power.
Out here on the seas—
Those were the only things that never changed, the only things that mattered.