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Time flew by, and before anyone knew it, three months had passed.
Inside Kaido's private palace on Onigashima, there was a room that had been remodeled into something that looked suspiciously like a children's playground.
There, a chubby-cheeked baby was lying on the floor, kicking his short little legs at a ridiculous speed — moving almost as fast as a grown man jogging.
That baby was Dan.
In just three short months, Dan's body had been growing at a pace that defied all common sense.
He could already run and jump, and with a wobbly grip on a piece of charcoal, he could even scribble a few recognizable words onto a wooden board.
The only issue? His vocal cords hadn't fully developed yet, so all he could do was babble — "ya-ya, ee-ee" sounds — no real speech.
Even so, the Beasts Pirates had long since had their jaws on the floor at how fast their "Young Master Dan" was growing.
Running and writing at three months old?
Was this really a human baby?
This was a little monster!
Black Maria, who was responsible for looking after Dan, pressed her fingers against her temple as she watched him crawl around at hyper speed.
This little ancestor of hers was a walking disaster!
And then—
[Ding! Quest "Survive the Impossible" completed!]
[Quest Rating: Perfect (Survived 100 days under the protection of Kaido of the Beasts)]
[Reward: Dragon Ball World Technique – Flight!]
The system's voice rang clearly in Dan's mind.
Suddenly, a flood of insights about controlling his body and channeling his energy flowed into his consciousness.
"Flight?!"
Dan's eyes went wide.
Holy crap!
This was huge!
He could actually fly — like, really fly!
The thought sent a jolt of excitement through him.
With this, even if he couldn't win a fight, he could at least escape. His chances of survival just skyrocketed!
But before he could fully celebrate—
[Ding! New Quests Unlocked!]
[Quest 1: Grow Up Healthy. Objective: Survive until your first birthday.]
[Quest 2: Make a Name for Yourself. Objective: Defeat 100 Marines (any rank) with your own hands.]
Dan's happy grin froze on his face.
Survive until age one? Okay, manageable.
But… defeat a hundred Marines?!
"System, are you kidding me?!"
He was only three months old!
Less than half a meter tall!
Barely weighed ten pounds!
And they wanted him to take down a hundred Marines?
This wasn't a quest — this was suicide!
He felt like clutching something in pain… though, well, he didn't really have that equipment yet.
Forget it. First, test the new ability.
Taking a deep breath, Dan focused, just like the knowledge in his head instructed, guiding the "ki" inside his body.
And then—
Whoosh!
His tiny body floated off the floor, swaying unsteadily like a feather in the breeze.
Half a meter…
One meter…
Two meters off the ground!
"Yaaah!" Dan waved his little arms and legs excitedly.
It worked!
He was really flying!
This weightless, gravity-free feeling was unreal!
"Huh?!"
Black Maria, who had been dozing off, snapped all six of her eyes wide open, staring in shock at the floating baby.
"D-Dan?! Y-you're flying?!"
Her shriek startled everyone nearby.
Thud thud thud!
Several figures rushed in.
The rest of the Tobi Roppo — Ulti, Page One, Sasaki, and Who's-Who — all appeared at once.
"What's wrong, Maria?" Ulti shouted.
"Look! Look at Dan!" Maria pointed with a trembling finger.
"What?!"
"He's… flying?!"
"What the hell?!"
The Tobi Roppo all tilted their heads back, jaws dropping at the sight of the baby wobbling in midair.
"Dan! It's dangerous! Get down!" Page One shouted nervously.
But Dan only got more excited, zipping around the room even faster.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Like a tiny ghost, he darted effortlessly around the wide room, dodging left and right.
"Catch him!" Who's-Who barked, lunging forward with his huge hand.
But Dan twisted in midair, dodging easily.
"Over here!" Ulti pounced — and grabbed nothing but air.
"Damn it! He's too fast!" Sasaki drew his sword but didn't dare swing it.
It was pure chaos.
Several of the New World's strongest fighters were running in circles, trying to grab a three-month-old baby… and couldn't even touch him.
Dan, meanwhile, was having the time of his life, pulling off little spins and rolls as he zipped past them.
Flight was the ultimate trolling move!
"Step aside!"
A sharp voice cut through the commotion.
Yamato charged into the room, her perfect figure framed by her Hannya mask.
Seeing Dan flying made her pause — and then she grinned.
"Oh? My little brother can fly? Come here and let your sister catch you!"
She leapt into the air, joining the chase.
But the result was the same — Dan was just too quick and too agile!
And then—
"Enough. What's all this noise?"
A low, commanding voice filled the room.
King, Queen, and Jack — the three All-Stars — strode inside.
The sight before them made even their eyes widen.
"Dan… is flying?" Jack rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating.
Queen's fat rolls quivered as he chuckled nervously. "Mwahaha… is this some kind of new power?"
King didn't waste words. His black wings spread wide with a sharp snap —
Whoosh!
He appeared behind Dan in an instant, lightning-fast, and snatched the baby by the back of his little shirt.
Dan dangled there, pouting in annoyance.
He had been having so much fun!
"Let go of my brother!" Yamato charged at King.
"Calm yourself, Yamato." King sidestepped easily, voice flat.
And then—
Rumble!
A terrifying aura crashed down over the room.
Kaido's massive frame filled the doorway, his face dark as thunder, murderous eyes sweeping across everyone present.
"Who?! Who gave Dan a Devil Fruit?!"
The roar was like a thunderclap, making the entire room shake.
The Tobi Roppo and Yamato all flinched, holding their breath.
Kaido valued Dan's potential more than anything. He'd already ordered that no one was allowed to give him any Devil Fruit without permission.
He was waiting to find the perfect one for him.
And now the boy was flying — Kaido's first thought was that someone had disobeyed his order.
"Not me!" Queen waved his hands frantically, sweating bullets.
"We didn't do anything," Jack quickly said.
The Tobi Roppo shook their heads so hard they looked like rattles.
Black Maria jumped in, panicked: "Kaido-sama! We don't know what happened either! Dan just suddenly started flying on his own!"
Kaido's gaze turned to King.
King shook his head. "He was already flying when I arrived."
Kaido's frown deepened as he looked down at the little boy kicking his legs in King's grip.
He softened his tone, trying to sound less intimidating.
"Dan. Tell me. Did you eat some weird fruit?"
Dan blinked, then shook his head hard.
Nope!
Kaido froze.
…No?
He asked again, just to be sure. "Really didn't eat one?"
Dan nodded firmly.
At that moment, every single person in the room was left speechless.
King, Queen, Jack, Yamato, the Tobi Roppo…
Everyone had the same expression — pure disbelief.
Flying without eating a Devil Fruit?
What the hell kind of situation was this?!
"..."
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