Kaido opened with devastating force—his massive jaws parting to release a torrent of superheated breath that could have melted through solid rock. The attack roared toward them with enough power to incinerate an entire town.
But Gustave simply raised his hand, and an Barrière Électromagnétique materialized in the air. The dragon's breath struck the shimmering shield and dispersed harmlessly around them, the deadly heat dissipating into steam.
While Kaido's dragon form was undeniably terrifying and possessed incredible defensive capabilities, it suffered from a critical weakness against top-tier opponents—insufficient attack power relative to its massive size. The form was better suited for area destruction than precision combat against skilled fighters.
Though Gustave had only begun to enter the ranks of elite fighters, he was more than capable of handling Kaido's draconic assault.
"Po, let's show this dragon why he shouldn't have messed with us!" Gustave called out, his voice crackling with electricity.
Defense had never been his style. If Kaido wanted a fight, he'd get one he'd never forget.
"Ready when you are!" Po replied, his usual gentle demeanor shifting into the focused intensity of the Dragon Fighter. His awakened Haki hummed with anticipation—he hadn't reached this level to back down from any challenge.
Gustave transformed into pure lightning and surged skyward, his electrical energy coalescing into a towering blue giant that stood hundreds of meters tall above the churning ocean.
Kaido's dragon form was truly massive—somewhere between seven hundred and one thousand meters of sinuous power and rage. The thunder giant Gustave had become was smaller, perhaps three to four hundred meters, but no less impressive as the two titans faced each other across the storm-darkened sky.
Po launched himself into the air with Geppo, the technique propelling him so forcefully that Chu Zihang, Ace, and Luffy were knocked off balance by the shockwave. By the time they recovered, Po had positioned himself alongside Gustave, ready for battle.
Despite his comparatively tiny size next to the two giants, Po's presence was undeniable. His Haki blazed like a beacon, creating a triumphant aura that actually pushed back Kaido's oppressive dark clouds.
Together with Gustave, the two had completely suppressed Kaido's momentum. The storm clouds that had followed the Yonko were forced back significantly by their combined presence.
"Worororo! So you do have some backbone!" Kaido roared with genuine appreciation. "It's been far too long since anyone showed me real spirit!"
The massive dragon coiled and struck, his serpentine body becoming a living weapon of incredible mass and momentum. In dragon form, Kaido's physical attacks relied on pure overwhelming force rather than technique—his rampage was terrifying simply due to the strength of his draconic body.
Unfortunately for the Yonko, he had chosen the wrong opponents today.
Gustave's thunder giant met the charge head-on, electrical energy crackling as he absorbed the impact and slowed Kaido's assault. The dragon's raw strength was extraordinary—even braced for the collision, Gustave found himself driven backward by the sheer force.
Kaido's brute strength was incredible. Seeing Gustave blocking his path, he exerted even more power, forcing the thunder giant to retreat continuously.
But this was a team fight, and while Gustave held the line, Po was already moving!
"WOOOO!" The sound of breaking air filled the battlefield as Po instantly broke the sound barrier, his fist connecting with devastating precision somewhere around Kaido's waist.
The impact—whether it was the kidney or another vital area—drew an earth-shaking roar of pain from the massive dragon. The sound was so powerful that Luffy, Ace, and Chu Zihang immediately covered their ears, the dragon's cry threatening to overwhelm their senses.
Tom quickly appeared with his signature cartoon earmuffs and handed it to everyone. Chu Zihang recognized them immediately; these had excellent soundproofing that could block even Tom's own screams. Suddenly, the world became blissfully quiet.
With their hearing protected, they could observe the battle clearly. Kaido was already at a severe disadvantage.
Po's devastating punch had seriously injured what was likely Kaido's kidney, and Gustave immediately followed up with a lightning-enhanced strike to the dragon's head. The Yonko, who had intended to overwhelm them with his massive body, discovered that his enormous size had become a critical weakness against such precise and powerful opponents.
Despite his reputation as the strongest creature on land, sea, and air, and his legendary toughness, the combined assault from Po and Gustave was relentless. Being tough didn't mean being immune to pain, and every blow was taking its toll.
Recognizing his disadvantage, Kaido quickly transformed from his dragon form back to his human shape.
Seeing the change, Gustave also returned to normal size.
"What's wrong, Kaido?" Gustave taunted the moment he resumed human form. "Getting scared already?"
"Damn brat!" Kaido cursed, then reached beneath himself and drew his massive kanabo—Hassaikai. The spiked club gleamed with menace as he raised it overhead.
"Thunder Bagua!"
Conqueror's Haki wrapped around the weapon like black lightning as Kaido launched his signature attack toward both Gustave and Po.
While Gustave hadn't yet mastered Conqueror's Haki, Po certainly had. Facing Kaido's fierce assault, the panda fighter met the charge with both fists blazing with his own Conqueror's Haki.
The collision between Kaido and Po created massive shockwaves that sent huge waves racing across the ocean. The sky, which had been covered with dark clouds, suddenly became crystal clear as the atmospheric pressure from their clash dispersed the storm.
The clouds had cleared, but Luffy and his friends were now in serious danger. Enormous tsunami waves were racing toward the uninhabited island, threatening to swallow the entire landmass.
Gustave reacted instantly, extending his Barrière Électromagnétique to half-cover the island. The massive waves struck the energy field and exploded into superheated steam the moment they made contact, creating a spectacular but harmless display of white vapor.
Gustave had originally thought their battlefield was far enough away to avoid affecting the people on the island, but he'd clearly underestimated the destructive power of their confrontation.
The miscalculation stemmed from basing his estimates on Po's previous sparring match with Aokiji. That encounter had been primarily for training purposes, while this battle with Kaido was essentially a fight to the death. Additionally, Aokiji had frozen much of the sea during their spar, which had actually reduced the collateral damage significantly.
Fearing that continued fighting would endanger Luffy and the others, Gustave launched a perfectly aimed lightning strike at Kaido's kidney while the Yonko was engaged with Po, successfully drawing all of Kaido's hatred toward himself.
"Damn kid! Launching sneak attacks!" The furious Kaido abandoned his fight with Po to chase after Gustave, who immediately began a strategic retreat. Po quickly followed to support his partner.
Watching the three combatants disappear into the distance, Luffy, Ace, and Chu Zihang looked at each other with obvious disappointment. There was no longer any show to watch.
At that moment, Tom tugged at Chu Zihang's clothes and produced what appeared to be a periscope made from water pipes—one of his typical impossible inventions.
"Tom, you're saying this periscope can show us the battle between Gustave and the others?" Chu Zihang asked, familiar enough with Tom's cartoon logic to trust in such miraculous devices.
Hearing Chu Zihang's question, Tom nodded enthusiastically, indicating that his invention was perfectly functional. He then produced two identical periscopes and handed them to Ace and Luffy.
The three spectators took Tom's periscopes and looked in the direction where Gustave and the others had departed. Sure enough, they could clearly see the three-way battle unfolding in the distance.
The furious Kaido was unleashing all his most devastating techniques
"Shuron Hakke: Gundari Ryuseigun" and "Kongo Dyanjin"—directing every attack toward Gustave.
Massive mushroom clouds appeared between heaven and earth as seawater at the center of each impact continuously evaporated. Kaido's attacks were as terrifying as nuclear explosions, each strike capable of reshaping the landscape.
Without Po's assistance, those previous attacks would have seriously injured Gustave. But this was a righteous two-on-one battle—when you could outnumber your opponent, why fight fairly?
After weathering Kaido's devastating assault, Po and Gustave immediately launched their counterattack.
First, Po flowed through a complete set of Panda Style techniques, engaging Kaido in intense hand-to-hand combat. Then Gustave followed up with various lightning strikes from multiple angles. Their coordination was flawless, leaving Kaido battered and increasingly frustrated.
"Damn it! Damn it all!" Kaido cursed as he found himself completely outmaneuvered.
If this were a one-on-one fight, Kaido wouldn't fear anyone. But Gustave and Po had developed perfect teamwork—one held him in frontal combat while the other delivered precisely timed attacks from behind. The constant pressure was driving Kaido to distraction, forcing him into an entirely defensive position.
Finally reaching his breaking point, Kaido abandoned all defense and began gathering energy for his ultimate technique.
"Rising Dragon: Flame Bagua!"
He was preparing to use his strongest attack, determined to make both Gustave and Po pay dearly for their coordination.
"Perfect opportunity!" Gustave recognized the opening immediately. Kaido had been maintaining perfect defense throughout the battle, making it impossible to find a critical opening. But now the Yonko was desperate and vulnerable—the ideal moment for a decisive strike.
"Super Magnetic Field!"
Gustave shouted, not bothering with elaborate technique names as he channeled every ounce of his power into creating a localized electromagnetic distortion around Kaido.
The invisible force field disrupted Kaido's energy gathering at the critical moment, causing his "Rising Dragon: Flame Bagua" to collapse before it could launch properly.
While battles between top-tier fighters in the One Piece world typically lasted several days and nights to determine a winner, that was under normal circumstances without external interference.
Of course, to successfully interfere with a battle between elite fighters, the interfering party couldn't be weak. Gustave barely met this requirement—with one foot halfway into the ranks of top-level fighters, he possessed just enough strength to influence the outcome.
With Kaido's ultimate technique disrupted by Gustave's interference, Po immediately seized the opportunity and launched a devastating Panda Flying Kick, sending the confused Yonko plummeting into the ocean below.
Kaido crashed into the seawater, and his Devil Fruit powers were immediately suppressed, leaving him unable to adapt to the sudden change. Po took full advantage of the situation, delivering a thorough beating to the helpless Yonko.
Eventually, Kaido lost consciousness and began sinking into the depths.
Po chose not to pursue further because Gustave had reached his limit. The super magnetic field technique had completely drained his physical strength, leaving him swaying dangerously in the air, barely able to maintain flight.
After confirming that Kaido was unconscious, Po quickly carried the exhausted Gustave back to safety.
The battle was over, and against all odds, they had emerged victorious against one of the Four Emperors.