The light faded.
That blinding white brilliance, intense enough to burn retinas blind, finally dimmed after more than ten seconds.
Along Dressrosa's coastline, the once-solid rocky ground had been completely vitrified by the heat, forming a gigantic glass-like meteor crater that steamed with rolling heat waves.
And at the very center of that crater,
Two figures still maintained the posture of their final clash.
Like a frozen oil painting filled with violent aesthetics.
Bzzzt… bzzzt…
Rehn's right arm, transformed into a black-gold arm, was pressed firmly against the spiked body of Hassaikai.
Terrifying electrical currents surged wildly along the kanabo toward Kaido, violently colliding and annihilating against the thick layer of purple Haki covering his body, producing ear-piercing crackling explosions.
Time itself seemed frozen.
Every spectator, whether it was the battered Donquixote Doflamingo sprawled in the ruins, or Trafalgar D. Water Law and the Straw Hats hiding aboard distant ships,
Waited.
Waited for the fat man to be smashed into meat paste.
Or blown beyond the horizon.
After all… that was Kaido.
The world's strongest creature in one-on-one combat.
The true nightmare of the seas.
And yet… One second passed.
Two seconds passed.
Ten seconds passed.
That fat man… hadn't moved.
His somewhat stubby legs were rooted to the ground like pillars.
Though his ridiculous tuxedo had already been torn apart, his obese body had actually…
Not retreated a single step.
"This…"
Rehn blinked his squinty eyes while staring at the ferocious Kaido only inches away.
An absurd thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"Huh?"
"I… didn't get blown away?"
Rehn subconsciously moved his arm.
It felt numb.
Sore.
His muscles trembled slightly.
But…
No broken bones.
No torn muscles.
Not even the agonizing sensation of his organs shifting around like he had imagined.
"What's going on?"
Rehn muttered internally.
"Did this old monster drink too much and skip dinner?"
"Or… was that swing just a feint?"
Deep in his subconscious, Rehn had always seen himself as merely Lord Renzo's butler.
A guy who managed finances, handled logistics, and occasionally bullied weaker people.
Even though he had awakened the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Even though he had mastered top-tier Haki.
When facing legendary monsters like the Yonko, he instinctively placed himself in the weaker position.
He had already imagined the cool pose he would strike while being blasted away.
But now… Rehn felt the power returning through his fist.
It was as heavy as a mountain.
As violent as the sea.
But... it wasn't unstoppable.
In fact, he could feel the seemingly endless thunder power inside him cheering, roaring, yearning for clashes at this level!
"I… blocked it?"
Rehn's pupils widened slightly.
He recalled the hellish life of the past year.
Being blasted away daily by his Lord's casual "morning temper."
Vomiting blood under dozens of times normal gravity in the gravity chamber.
Sparring every day against that monster called Dracule Mihawk.
Through all those torments disguised as daily routine… Rehn had unknowingly evolved into a complete monster himself.
It was only because everyone around him was too absurdly strong that he developed the illusion that he was still weak!
"So…"
The corners of Rehn's mouth slowly lifted.
Bit by bit.
The smile was no longer the fake, flattering grin he usually wore.
It was arrogant.
Wild and utterly domineering.
"So… you're only this much after all!"
"You drunken old bastard!!!"
BOOM!!!
As the mental shackles within Rehn shattered, an even more violent and pure burst of Conqueror's Haki exploded from his round body!
This Haki no longer imitated Renzo.
It belonged entirely to Rehn, his greed.
His desire to control everything.
His ambition screaming: "Even if I'm fat, I'll become the brightest star in the heavens!"
"GET THE HELL BACK!!!"
Rehn roared.
The muscles and fat on his right arm doubled in size instantly as black-gold lightning transformed into a roaring thunder dragon that slammed toward Kaido!
"Hm?!"
For the first time, genuine surprise flashed through Kaido's vertical pupils.
He felt it.
This damned fat man's strength had suddenly skyrocketed?!
"Interesting…"
Instead of anger, Kaido grinned viciously and increased the force behind his kanabo.
"But it's still not enough, brat!!"
BOOM!!!
The collision force blasted both of them backward simultaneously.
Kaido slid back over ten meters, carving deep trenches into the ground before stabilizing himself.
Rehn tumbled backward several times, but unlike before, he didn't crash clumsily.
Instead, he twisted midair and landed steadily above the sky atop crackling lightning.
"Huff… huff…"
Rehn shook his numb right hand.
Looking at the completely unharmed Kaido in the distance, the fighting spirit in his eyes burned hotter than ever.
'I can fight him!'
'I CAN WIN THIS FIGHT!!'
Ecstasy surged through Rehn's heart.
If he could fight, then what the hell was there to fear?!
If he could fight, then today, he was definitely collecting that repair bill!!
"Hey! Horn-head!!"
Floating in the air, Rehn pointed down arrogantly at Kaido.
His smug face was ten times more punchable than before.
"That swing earlier counts as interest payment."
"But you still haven't repaid the principal!"
"Now let this chief steward teach you…"
"…what G-5's rules are!!"
BZZZZZZZT
As Rehn spoke, the lightning around him underwent a qualitative transformation.
The originally golden lightning deepened in color, gradually shifting into dark gold.
The surrounding space began twisting.
Electrons in the air were violently stripped away.
The battlefield instantly became an enormous magnetic field!
Rumble-Rumble Fruit Awakening, [Thunder God Realm: Superconductor]
"Rules?"
Kaido looked at the overwhelmingly imposing fat man floating in the sky and cracked his neck loudly.
The smell of alcohol had completely vanished from him, replaced by the despair-inducing pressure worthy of a Yonko.
"WORORORO…"
"It's been a long time…"
"…since I met such a durable punching bag."
"If you want to play…"
Kaido's muscles writhed.
Dark bluish-black scales rapidly covered his body.
A massive dragon tail smashed the ground apart.
"Then I'll play with you properly!!"
"HYBRID FORM!!"
BOOM!!
Blake smoke erupted.
A horrifying half-man, half-dragon monster appeared.
Larger and more terrifying.
The Conqueror's Haki around Hassaikai burned like black flames!
"COME FATSO!!"
"Gladly!!"
Rehn slammed his palms together.
"200 MILLION VOLTS: THUNDER GOD ARMORY!!"
The abandoned steel and rubble on the battlefield rose into the sky under the magnetic field.
They melted and reassembled rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, thousands of flying blades wrapped in high-voltage lightning floated behind Rehn like a sword storm.
"GO!!!"
Rehn pointed downward.
SHING SHING SHING SHING!!
Thousands of flying swords shot toward Kaido like golden rain!
Each blade coated with Armament Haki strong enough to pierce steel warships!
"Cheap tricks!!"
Kaido didn't dodge at all.
He swung Hassaikai into a black whirlwind.
Massive shockwaves from the club swept outward, colliding with the flying blades!
CLANG CLANG CLANG! BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
Brilliant explosions erupted across the sky.
Countless blades shattered.
But some broke through and slammed into Kaido's scales, producing bursts of sparks.
"That actually hurts a little…"
Kaido glanced at the white marks left on his body, the red glow in his eyes intensifying.
"Then let's keep going!!"
"THUNDER BAGUA, EXTREME!!"
Stepping atop flame clouds, Kaido vanished instantly.
The next second, he appeared above Rehn.
Hassaikai descended with enough force to shatter mountains and rivers!
This strike was even faster than before!
"Too slow!!"
At this moment, Rehn was no longer the fat man who relied purely on elemental evasion.
With his awakened Rumble-Rumble Fruit, his neural response speed had reached biological limits.
He could even predict movements through electromagnetic waves!
"Full Spectrum Foresight!"
Rehn's body transformed into zigzagging lightning, sliding past the edge of the kanabo at an absurd angle.
At the same moment, his right leg turned elemental,
Then solidified instantly.
Coated in top-tier Armament Haki!
"THUNDER ABUSE, BATTLE AXE SPLIT KICK!!"
Using his downward momentum, Rehn smashed his leg violently into Kaido's shoulder!
BOOM!!!
The kick landed solidly!
Kaido's gigantic body actually sank downward.
Several scales shattered apart from his shoulder, blood seeping out!
"What?!"
Below them, Law and Zoro stared in utter disbelief.
"That fat guy… actually injured Kaido?!"
"Not just injured him…"
Zoro's lone eye gleamed brightly.
"He's exchanging attacks with Kaido…"
"Equally matched exchanges!!"
"ROAR!!"
Kaido roared in pain and grabbed Rehn's ankle with one hand.
"Got you!!"
"Got me?"
Rehn grinned wickedly.
"Then hold on tight…"
"Careful not to burn yourself!!"
"200 MILLION VOLTS: HIGH-FREQUENCY OSCILLATION, INTERNAL DESTRUCTION!!"
BZZZZZT!!
A terrifyingly high-frequency electric vibration erupted from the ankle Kaido held!
The vibration bypassed the surface entirely.
It drilled directly into Kaido's muscles, bones, even blood vessels!
"GRAAAAHHH!!"
Kaido felt as though countless ants were devouring his arm while magma burned through it simultaneously.
The intense pain forced him to release his grip instinctively.
"Now's my chance!!"
Rehn instantly broke free and retreated through the air.
But he didn't flee.
Floating high above, he raised both arms toward the heavens.
"Kaido! Did you think that was all?!"
Rehn's voice echoed like divine judgment.
"Don't you love thunder?"
"Don't you love jumping from the sky?"
"Then let me show you…"
"…a REAL natural disaster!!"
"MYRIAD THUNDER: QILIN DESCENSION!!"
The already gloomy sky became complete darkness.
Within the thick storm clouds, a gigantic qilin over a thousand meters long emerged entirely from golden lightning!
Its roar made the entire sea tremble!
"DEVOUR HIM!!!"
Rehn slammed both hands downward.
The thunder qilin descended toward Kaido with world-destroying momentum!
"Worororo!!"
Facing this apocalyptic scene, Kaido showed no fear.
Instead, his entire body trembled with excitement.
"GOOD! GOOD! GOOD!!"
"THIS IS A FIGHT!!"
"THIS IS THE KIND OF FIGHT I WANT!!"
Kaido did not dodge.
He opened his mouth wide.
A blinding red glow ignited deep in his throat.
Boro Breath!
But not merely Boro Breath!
This attack was coated with supreme Conqueror's Haki as well!
"SUPREME SEA, BORO BREATH!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!
A gigantic pillar of flame wrapped in black-red lightning erupted from Kaido's mouth and collided head-on with the descending thunder qilin!
Two island-destroying forces exploded against each other midair!
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!!!!!!
At that instant, heaven and earth lost all color.
The entire island of Dressrosa experienced something like an eighteen-magnitude earthquake.
Blinding white light swallowed everything.
Then came deafening explosions and violent shockwaves.
King's Plateau.
The surrounding seas.
Everything trembled beneath the devastation.
.....
Much later.
The light gradually faded.
At the center of the battlefield now lay an enormous smoking crater.
Kaido stood at the bottom.
His body was covered in scorched black burns.
Half his hair had been burned away.
Yet he still stood tall.
His chest heaved violently.
His eyes burned with manic excitement.
Meanwhile, high in the sky,
Rehn's tuxedo had completely turned to ashes, revealing a body still fat but now covered in powerful muscles reinforced with Haki.
He panted heavily.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Yet his eyes shone terrifyingly bright.
"Heh…"
Rehn wiped away the blood.
"You old monster…"
"You're only this much after all."
He looked at his trembling hand.
But the trembling came from excitement.
"So…"
"I really have become this strong?"
Now he was a true Thunder God.
A Thunder God capable of fighting a Yonko head-on without falling behind, Thunder God Rehn!
"COME AGAIN!!"
Rehn roared as he transformed into lightning and charged downward once more.
"COME ON!!"
Kaido roared back and rushed forward too.