Kaido's eyes widened abruptly as he listened to Michael's words.
His expression was filled with disbelief.
Michael's words were actually full of acknowledgment for him.
Though... it was for the person he used to be.
Right... what was he like back then?
Drifting endlessly across the seas, deliberately getting captured by the Marines when starving, feasting before breaking out of prison again.
Amidst such a life, he welcomed his 70 million bounty and his fifteenth birthday.
At fifteen, he arrived at a turning point in his life—the island known as "Pirate Paradise," Hachinosu.
After defeating a few reckless fools...
A man carrying Murakumogiri and holding a wine cup approached him.
This man was called Whitebeard.
At the time, he was merely delivering a message for someone else...
"Hey, brat, ever thought about becoming a pirate?"
And from that day onward...
The pirate known as "Hundred Beasts" Kaido was born.
Within the Rocks Pirates, Kaido witnessed for the first time the terrifying strength of other monsters.
What had originally been a pursuit—to drag the Celestial Dragons from their divine thrones into the mortal battlefield, testing whether they deserved to rule this world—slowly twisted into something else...
He wanted to grow stronger!
Strong enough to seize the entire world under his control!
He would become the strongest, ruling over all!
The original intent had quietly changed, but...
"Who do you think you're fooling, Michael?"
"Don't think for a second that your words will make me question myself."
"I've never once regretted the decisions I've made!"
"Maybe I've already changed! But this was my own choice!"
"Slaying 'dragons' isn't enough."
"Becoming the greatest dragon of all—that's my rightful destiny!"
Michael watched the roaring Kaido without a trace of surprise on his face.
Just like Zephyr's principle of non-lethality, just like Shiki's obsession with the ultimate battle...
In his eyes, true powerhouses never waver in their convictions or alter their principles because of someone else's empty words.
And Kaido was no exception.
If one chooses evil, they must embrace it fully.
Half-hearted kindness, incomplete wickedness—that is the greatest tragedy.
Kaido had simply made his own choice in this dichotomy, carving out...
a path that belonged solely to "King of Beasts" Kaido.
In truth, the younger Kaido's ideology, though radical and violent, was fundamentally positive in its guiding principles...
justice and freedom.
Despite his fearsome visage and the pitch-black spiked club he wielded, he had once been an idealistic dragon-slayer.
Had Kaido not boarded Rocks' pirate ship, had he instead been guided by Michael or Dragon, perhaps his story would have been different.
The "Demon King" who once ruled Wano through terror might have become the architect of a new order.
But...
Back then, there was no Revolutionary Army, and Michael was still young and unfocused...
Kaido's budding spirit of rebellion gradually twisted into what it is today.
After disappearing from the God Valley War, when he reappeared, he was already the Kaido we know now.
Having consumed the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon—a Mythical Zoan—Kaido, a true dragon of evil, was born.
Whether it was Whitebeard, who had brought him into the Rocks Pirates, or Charlotte Linlin, who genuinely saw him as a younger brother, whenever they mentioned Kaido in Michael's presence, there was always a tinge of regret...
"Michael, you're not hesitating, are you?"
"Damn it! You bastard!"
"We're in the middle of a battlefield! And you're hesitating now!?"
Kaido snorted coldly, his eyes betraying a hint of disappointment.
Amidst this dissatisfied snort, his aura surged to its peak.
Grabbing the gourd of sake lying nearby, he downed the remaining liquor in one gulp.
The next instant, both Conqueror's Haki and the lightning controlled by his Azure Dragon form coiled around his spiked club.
"Drunken Dragon's Thunder: Hell's Descent!"
This was an enhanced version of Hell's Descent.
Its power, speed, and area of effect were all overwhelmingly superior.
As Kaido descended from the sky, swinging his club downward, he suddenly saw a faint smile appear on Michael's face.
Then, Michael spread his arms wide, completely defenseless, welcoming the strike.
Kaido was absolutely certain.
He... was doing this on purpose!
But before he could ponder further, the attack landed squarely on Michael.
Instantly, Michael was sent flying by the devastating blow, crashing into the bare mountain rocks.
Yet Kaido didn't press the attack.
Instead, he looked at Michael with confusion.Michael was now embedded into the mountain rock, his angelic body bearing visible wounds for the first time.
"Hahaha, Kaido, why make such an expression?"
"I'm merely offering an apology."
With a slight exertion, Michael freed himself from the stone.
His Wings trembled faintly before he raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.
The crimson staining his lips seemed the color of an oath.
"I apologize to the Kaido who once wandered the seas, lost as a child."
"I'm sorry I was born too late."
"I'm sorry I couldn't guide you toward another path when you made your choice against fate."
"I'm sorry that even now, I haven't truly made this world completely better..."
"So..."
"For you..."
Michael lifted his face, devoid of any killing intent, radiating pure sanctity.
Yet the blood on his lips added a trace of wickedness to that holiness.
"Divine Ascent: Midnight Sun!"
As the words fell, all power surrounding Michael seemed to vanish into thin air.
Whether it was the three types of Haki or the three flames of the Seraphim Fruit...
Only gentle Holy light remained, drifting through the world.
And Michael's body began to change.
The three pairs of Wings—two large, one small—all folded behind him before disappearing entirely.
In that instant, Holy light madly converged behind Michael.
A pair of Wings formed from Holy light emerged.
Then grew larger.
So large they seemed capable of enveloping all of Onigashima.
The surging power finally erupted in full force once the Wings reached their limit.
And Michael slowly opened his eyes.
Those sapphire-blue pupils were as clear as inverted skies.
He raised "Morning Star," pointing it directly at the dragon-man.
"I will send all the wicked dragons of this world straight to hell."
"And of course, this so-called 'wicked dragon' includes present-day you!"