The frozen ocean stretched endlessly beneath a pale sky.
"Kaido, it seems your drunken haze has finally cleared."
Shirogai stood calmly above the frost-covered waves, hands resting on his hips, his sharp gaze rising toward the towering figure in the air. A faint smirk curved his lips.
"Are you prepared, Kaido? This time, there won't be another chance."
Kaido let out a booming laugh that echoed across the battlefield. "Brat, who do you think you're talking to?! You think freezing the sea will scare me?!"
In an instant, his colossal form erupted into the sky—an Azure Dragon, scales gleaming like tempered steel beneath the light.
"Dragon Breath!!!"
Kaido's roar split the heavens as a torrent of searing energy poured from his jaws. The fiery blast slammed into the frozen sea below with a thunderous impact.
Boom!!!
The explosion shattered the icy expanse. Boiling seawater surged beneath the fractured ice, melting it away in waves of steam and fury until the ocean once again churned around Onigashima's cliffs.
The Beasts Pirates erupted into cheers.
"Lord Kaido melted the ocean in one attack!"
"He's unstoppable!"
Their voices rose with renewed faith. Kaido's power, raw and indomitable, erased their doubts.
"So that's your plan," Shirogai murmured as he floated higher, his black dragon eyes narrowing. "You don't want their morale shaken."
"They are my subordinates!" Kaido bellowed proudly. "Fear doesn't make warriors stronger—it only fuels the fire of those already born to fight!"
"Then let's test which flame burns brighter."
Pitch-black fire flickered within Shirogai's left eye—an ominous light that twisted and flared.
"Be careful, Kaido."
With a sudden whoosh, Shirogai was gone. Black flames ignited around him, trailing behind like ribbons of burning ink as he rushed forward.
"The flames… they're floating—burning in midair!" one of the Headliners gasped.
Kaido snorted, shifting back into his hybrid form. Muscles rippled beneath his scaled skin as he raised his weapon, coated in crimson Haki Infusion.
"Your tricks haven't changed! Roaring Thunder Bagua!!!"
"Black Flame Wall!"
A barrier of obsidian fire flared before Shirogai, blocking Kaido's swing with a violent burst of heat. The impact shook the sky.
"It's useless!!!" Kaido snarled. His blow bent the wall inward but didn't break through.
Shirogai's smile deepened. "You've underestimated the resilience of the Mera Mera no Mi, Kaido."
He vanished again, reappearing close—both arms transforming into razor-sharp Dragon Claws, coated in metallic sheen and burning Haki.
"Steel Dragon Claw!!!"
Kaido roared, twisting his club to intercept—but one claw still ripped through his guard, carving a deep wound across his abdomen. Crimson dragon blood sprayed through the air, sizzling as it touched the black flames.
"Parasitic Fungus."
A toxic green light flickered from Shirogai's claws. He thrust his hand forward, injecting spores into Kaido's wound.
"Pathetic tricks!" Kaido snarled. His Conqueror's Haki erupted in a violent storm, tearing through the infection and obliterating the spores in seconds.
"Is that your trump card, brat?" His grin widened. "Only Haki reigns supreme above all power!"
He slammed a Haki-infused fist straight through Shirogai's chest—
—and the body shattered like wax.
Kaido blinked. "A wax clone?"
A flicker of movement behind him. Kaido turned, swinging his weapon—but the second Shirogai was also a clone.
"You think Observation Haki can't see through this?!" Kaido roared, whipping around again and bringing the Hassaikai down on another copy. It broke apart instantly.
"This must be your real body!!!"
Crack—another clone dissolved.
Kaido scowled. "Impossible… my Haki sensed you—!"
Shirogai's voice echoed eerily through the mist.
"You're not wrong. Every clone could be my real body… if I choose it to be."
Kaido gritted his teeth. "Enough of your games! Gundari: Dragon's Grand Army!!!"
His Haki erupted outward like a storm, crushing the air itself. One by one, the wax constructs shattered, melting away in waves of pressure and flame until only empty sky remained.
"Brat, there's nowhere left to hide!"
Outside his attack range, Shirogai appeared once more—smiling.
"Hahaha… guess what I just did?"
Kaido frowned. "What are you laughing at?"
Then came a small, muffled voice.
"He's laughing at you, Lord Kaido!"
The voice… came from the club itself. Two tiny eyes blinked open on the club's surface.
"Oh my, he gave me life while you weren't looking! But don't worry—I'll never betray you, my lord!"
Kaido's expression darkened. "You filthy brat…"
The living weapon tilted its eyes upward timidly. "My lord, if I could just—"
"Shut up!"
The club fell silent, its expression pitifully wounded—as if saying 'baby's heart hurts, but baby won't cry'.
Kaido's gaze snapped toward Shirogai again. "This is the Soul-Soul Fruit's power. Don't tell me you've been dealing with that woman, Linlin?"
Shirogai's smirk widened. "You catch on quick, Kaido."
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