Gao Tianyuan was gone. He was Kaido now.
As someone who had read countless web novels, his first reaction to realizing he had transmigrated into Kaido's body was pure excitement. After all, he had been at the bottom of society in his previous life. The chance to live a new life in a world he already knew, and to start as a powerful figure like Kaido of the Beasts, was something to celebrate.
But his excitement didn't last long.
He searched through Kaido's memories and used his own knowledge of the world to confirm his situation. The current timeline was likely right at the beginning of the main story. He couldn't find Monkey D. Luffy's name on any bounty posters from the East Blue, and the Warlord Crocodile was still active. This meant Luffy had probably just set sail and was still making his way through the weakest of the four seas.
This gave him, at most, three years. Three years until the prophesied Joy Boy arrived, and he would be defeated and removed from the world stage.
That was completely unacceptable.
Could he prevent it? Kaido thought about it for a long time but couldn't find a solution.
First, his conflict with Luffy was almost guaranteed. Even though they had never met, they were destined to become enemies. This was not just because Kaido was occupying Wano Country, but also because he possessed one of the red Road Poneglyphs—a crucial piece of the map Luffy needed to become the Pirate King.
So, did he have the confidence to defeat Luffy in a direct fight?
Sadly, the answer was no. Even though he had completely merged with Kaido and inherited all his power and memories, he couldn't stop thinking about the Nika Fruit. The ridiculous abilities and the main character's endless resilience gave him no confidence that he could win. Who knew if the world would suddenly introduce a new power-up for the hero just as he was about to lose? If that happened, all he could do was accept his fate.
What about getting rid of Luffy before he became a threat? It sounded like a good idea, but Kaido quickly gave up on it. If he tried that, he would only die faster. His enemies wouldn't just be the Straw Hat crew. He would have to face the Red Hair Pirates, the Revolutionary Army, the Whitebeard Pirates, the Marine Hero Garp, and the Dark King Rayleigh.
Besides, his pride as a transmigrator and as one of the Four Emperors wouldn't allow him to do something so cowardly.
The most despairing part was that he was already at the peak. As the World's Strongest Creature and a Yonko of the New World, Kaido's strength—his body, his Haki, his Devil Fruit—had already reached the limits of what was possible in this world. It would be incredibly difficult for him to get any stronger through normal training.
It seemed hopeless. Was he really just a stepping stone for Luffy's rise to power?
Just as Kaido felt his future was bleak, a spark of inspiration hit him. If the powers of the One Piece world couldn't defeat the chosen one, Luffy, then what about power from a different world?
This idea came from his life before he transmigrated. He had been an ordinary office worker on Earth who once believed that money was the most important thing in life. But after a difficult year that changed everyone's lives, his priorities shifted. Health became more important than wealth.
As an office worker, he didn't have the time, money, or energy for intense exercise. So, he looked for gentler methods he could practice at home, which led him to some mystical Taoist Qi cultivation techniques he found online. He never expected them to actually work, and back on Earth, they didn't.
But things were different now. Transmigration itself was impossible, yet here he was. With no other way to face his destiny, he decided it wouldn't hurt to try those old cultivation methods again. It was a desperate move, but it was that desperation that brought him a new sense of hope.
It worked. He had actually succeeded.
The cultivation method was called the "Greater and Lesser Heavenly Cycle Self-Rotation Method." It was a common and basic Taoist technique he had found online, so the instructions were very detailed. This method was completely different from the cultivation in fantasy novels, which involved stages like Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, because the real world had no spiritual energy. Perhaps that was exactly why it could work in the world of One Piece, which also seemed to lack spiritual energy.
The method was divided into three advancements: Refining Essence to Transform Qi, Refining Qi to Transform Spirit, and Refining Spirit to Return to Void.
The 'essence' wasn't a magical substance. It was the energy an ordinary person's body already possessed—energy from food, water, air, and sunlight. 'Refining Essence to Transform Qi' involved circulating this energy through the body's 'Lesser Heavenly Cycle' to refine it into an innate life force, or 'Qi.' This 'Qi' could strengthen the body, heal illnesses, and build a solid foundation.
'Refining Qi to Transform Spirit' involved a more advanced circulation, the 'Greater Heavenly Cycle.' This stage combined the 'Qi' he had cultivated with his 'spirit'—his mind, will, and soul. The goal was to strengthen his mental and spiritual power.
Finally, 'Refining Spirit to Return to Void' was the ultimate goal, where essence, qi, and spirit were cultivated together. When the cycles ran automatically, the cultivator would reach a state of perfect harmony, becoming what people in his old world called an Immortal.
Of course, Kaido wasn't trying to become an immortal. He just wanted to find a way to defeat this world's chosen one, the user of the Nika Fruit.
So, for the past three months, while he familiarized himself with his new body's power, he also practiced this cultivation method. The results were astounding.
Maybe it was because his soul had merged with Kaido's, or because Kaido's body was already incredibly powerful. Or perhaps Haki and Devil Fruit abilities were a type of energy that could be cultivated. Whatever the reason, when he tried for the first time, he easily entered the 'Refining Essence to Transform Qi' stage. He felt the legendary 'Qi sense' and could feel the flow of life force within his body.
The effects were obvious. First, while his human form hadn't changed much, his azure dragon form had transformed dramatically. It seemed to grow larger and stronger every day.
Second, he felt his body getting younger. The original Kaido was 57 years old, and the problems of aging were beginning to affect him. But now, nourished by 'Qi,' his old battle injuries were slowly healing. The most noticeable change was the scar on his abdomen, left by Kozuki Oden's Paradise Totsuka attack. The deep, aching pain from that wound was finally starting to fade.
Finally, he felt a change in his Haki. It was no longer just a sharp, fierce force. After being refined by his cultivation, it felt more natural, more profound. He could use his Haki more easily, and it seemed to have a much stronger suppressing effect on Devil Fruit users.
These changes gave him the confidence he needed to face the future.
"Hmph, I don't care if you're the chosen one, the protagonist, or the reincarnation of Joy Boy," Kaido thought to himself. "Now that I am Kaido, I have a power that doesn't belong to this world. There can only be one main character here, and that's me!"
"Worororo..."
With a hearty laugh, Kaido transformed into his massive dragon form. He stepped onto clouds of flame and flew towards Wano Country.