"That guy, why did he show up here? Is he just trying to show off?"
Watching the blue dragon swirling in the clouds, Kaelen narrowed his eyes slightly, visibly annoyed.
On the entire island of Dressrosa, aside from Aokiji and Doflamingo, only Kaelen recognized that this was Kaido in his beast form.
But making such a flashy entrance? Drawing all attention to himself? That was stealing Kaelen's moment.
And that was unacceptable.
"Slayer Spear!"
Kaelen let out a quiet breath as a pitch-black spear materialized in his right hand. The spiral-shaped tip glowed faintly, inscribed with strange rune-like patterns.
With his left foot forward and back arched, Kaelen hurled the spear in a textbook javelin stance.
Swish!
The black lightning bolt tore through the air, moving so fast it blurred from view. In a flash, it pierced Kaido's scaly abdomen.
Sting!
The spear sank into his flesh, driving through tough dragon scales and burying itself about half a meter deep. Thick dragon blood dripped down the spear.
The moment it touched the ground, the blood hissed and boiled, melting stone into smoking craters.
"ROAR! Who dares?!"
Kaido snarled as pain registered, his massive form shuddering. Though only a minor wound to him, the fact that someone had landed a hit was infuriating.
Where there's a tiger, there's wind. Where there's a dragon, there's thunder.
Kaido's roar shook the skies. In an instant, the weather changed—black clouds swirled from every direction, covering Dressrosa in shadow.
The winds screamed. Lightning cracked. And Kaido, now a dragon of legend, coiled through the heavens.
The sight was apocalyptic.
Countless eyes widened in terror. People trembled, too stunned to speak.
...
"He actually injured Kaido with one strike?"
Events moved too quickly. Doflamingo had thought he was about to die by Kaelen's hand. Then Kaido appeared.
Before he could even feel relief, Kaelen had launched a spear at Kaido.
Relief, shock, disbelief, dread—they twisted across Doflamingo's face like a storm.
Strength. This was all because he was too weak.
"Is he stronger again, or has he always been like this...?"
Aokiji's calm eyes shifted from Kaido to Kaelen. The former admiral couldn't hide his curiosity.
Kaelen's power always felt hazy to him, like trying to see through fog.
But Kaido's durability? That was legendary. Swords barely scratched him. Fire, water, even explosions couldn't faze him.
And yet Kaelen, from over a thousand meters away, had hurt him.
Robin stood beside Aokiji, stunned into silence.
"Do dragons like that... really exist?" she whispered.
As a historian and archaeologist, Robin had seen ancient texts mention dragons. But this was her first time witnessing one.
The sheer size and overwhelming pressure of Kaido's form was unlike anything she had imagined.
But Kaelen's attack snapped her out of awe.
Even legendary beasts could bleed.
...
Kaido's dragon form weaved through the dark clouds. His massive head turned, eyes locking onto two figures: Kaelen and Doflamingo.
Aokiji? He didn't even notice.
"So, it's you, Kaelen! Let's fight one-on-one!"
Kaido's voice rumbled like thunder, booming across the land and sky. His excitement was palpable.
He had been looking for Kaelen since leaving Wano. To meet him here by chance? It felt like destiny.
Kaelen sighed.
Great. A lunatic.
Why was Kaido this hyped about a duel?
Still, seeing Kaido's massive dragon form up close, Kaelen couldn't help but feel a spark of interest. It wasn't quite the divine dragon he had once imagined, but it was still something extraordinary.
"Hahaha, hang tight, Kaido! Let me clean up some trash first."
With a wide grin, Kaelen turned his gaze to Doflamingo.
It was time to end it.
Feeling Kaelen's gaze pierce him, Doflamingo's heart dropped. His blood froze.
He knew.
"Kaido-sama! Save me!"
Panicked, Doflamingo activated his Devil Fruit power and took to the sky, speeding toward Kaido.
But Kaelen wasn't about to let him escape.
In a blur—just like when Whitebeard had appeared behind Akainu—Kaelen vanished.
He reappeared right above Doflamingo.
Terror filled Doflamingo's eyes. The air cracked.
Kaelen's right fist, charged with the power of the Gura Gura no Mi, came down.
Boom!
The air itself shattered. Doflamingo couldn't dodge. The fist hit him square in the chest, and he shot toward the ground like a meteor.
A crater exploded beneath him.
Before he could recover, Kaelen was already there, his face filling Doflamingo's blurred vision.
And with it, another devastating punch.
Crack!
"All the way."
Those were the last words Doflamingo heard.
His head burst like a melon, and everything went black.
Just before the end, he thought he saw three familiar faces—
A middle-aged man, a beautiful young woman, and a smiling boy.
They stood in the light, waiting for him with warmth in their eyes.
It turned out... they were always the ones in his heart.
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