"Big Sis Ra, I'm done washing up—let's head to the ruins!"
Aussie returned to the tent carrying a clean stone pot and spoon, but she didn't see anyone inside.
On the sand outside was a single line of neat handwriting:
Oubei and I went to the ruins first. Take the morning to rest at camp—and think about what we'll have for lunch. – Ra
The strokes were even and elegant, just what you'd expect from a magnanimous beauty.
Clang! The stone pot slipped from her hands, the spoon bouncing out beside it.
"Gwaaah! Big Sis Ra! Don't leave me behind, please! QAQ"
After reading the message, realizing she'd been abandoned, Aussie simply could not accept it.
We threw an amazing party—guess who didn't get invited.jpg
"It must've been Oubei's idea! That naturally evil blue-haired gremlin! Damn it! Big Sis Ra~ My beautiful Ra~ Uwaaaaa~"
Unwilling to face reality, Aussie began pacing, running, and rolling dramatically all over the sandy shore.
A few moments later…
Having thoroughly destroyed her dignity with that public display, she finally accepted the cruel truth. Eyes lifeless like a salted fish, she flopped onto the beach and stared blankly at the sky.
"Staaaaare~~~~ Huh? What's that? A bird?"
Even with her dead-fish eyes, she suddenly spotted a vague figure moving above the clouds. It was hard to make out through the mist, but it was definitely alive—swaying as it flew.
Seeing that, Aussie at once revived, springing up with the agility of a carp.
"Hehe~ looks like lunch just fell from the heavens. Let's see… maybe 'Wild Bird and Mushroom Stew' today. That'll show that blue-haired midget who the better chef is!"
"Dare to make Big Sis leave me behind, huh? Enjoy gnawing on the leftovers of my bird stew later!"
She wiped her mouth, locked her eyes on the shadow, and when it came directly overhead, she fired a full-powered Thunder Cannon blast straight up.
She wasn't worried about blowing it to pieces—judging by the silhouette, it was big, and her power wasn't even close to Ra's level yet.
"At most I'll poke a hole in you. No way I'm letting you get away~" she muttered, watching the figure wobble in the clouds.
Up in the sky, Kaido had just located an island to descend upon when he sensed something below—a bolt of golden lightning ripped through the clouds straight at him.
"Worororo~ interesting!"
Instead of dodging, Kaido took the hit head-on, let the flames of his cloud body disperse, and plunged downward.
BOOOOM!!
The impact shook the island. Trees were flattened, the ground caved in, and dust shot dozens of meters into the air.
Kaido's massive dragon body struck like a meteor, making the small island tremble as though in an earthquake. The shockwave alone knocked out half the island's wildlife.
"Guuuh~ I think I just shot down something really bad. I'm so dead…"
Crouching and holding her head, Aussie trembled. The creature's sheer size was far beyond what she had expected.
Realizing she might've caused a disaster, she didn't dare move. Minutes passed. Still, nothing stirred.
My attack shouldn't have done much to something that big… Did I hit the head? Don't tell me it fell to death…?
Summoning her courage to approach and see what exactly she'd shot down, she suddenly heard a familiar voice.
That usually calm, ethereal voice now carried a soothing, almost divine reassurance.
"Aussie, are you all right?" Ra had returned at top speed.
"I'm fine, Big Sis Ra! But, uh… I think I accidentally shot down something weird."
Seeing Ra appear felt like being rescued by the goddess of safety herself.
"Hmph↓ You troublemaker, always causing problems for Big Sis!" Oubei, arriving right after, scolded mercilessly.
"I was just trying to make lunch for everyone! And you two ditched me without a word! I was bored, okay~?" Aussie protested weakly.
"All right, enough. Let's go take a look. I can sense the dragon's still alive," Ra said, leading the way.
"Eh? So it was a dragon? I thought I was seeing things. Wait—this world actually has dragons? And it looks like an Eastern one, too! Is this some kind of xianxia cultivation world?" Aussie's curiosity flared up again.
"If it is a cultivation world, then that dragon wouldn't have gone down that easily," Oubei replied flatly, dousing her excitement.
"You're right… and it looks weird, too. I dunno—kinda… humanoid? And those horns look off. Weren't there supposed to be a pair curving forward?"
Aussie started critiquing the dragon's appearance from afar.
"You'd better hope it's not a person who turned into a dragon, or we're in serious trouble," Oubei muttered.
"All right, we're here. Be careful," Ra warned.
They approached until they were just ten or so paces from the dragon's massive head.
"Up close, it's huge…"
Aussie stepped closer and measured herself against it. Her whole body was about the size of one of its teeth.
"Big Sis Ra, didn't you say it's still alive? Then why's it lying there like a dead fish?"
"Aussie, careful! Don't get too close!" Ra yanked her back just as she reached out to poke it.
That instinct saved them—because the next moment, the dragon's body began to glow. A violent surge of power exploded outward, kicking up a wave of dust.
Ra at once shielded the two younger girls, conjuring a divine barrier in front of them as she fixed her gaze on the source of the light.
A massive hand slammed down through the haze, shaking the earth.
Then, from within the crater, a gigantic humanoid rose. Its shadow loomed over them like a living mountain, blotting out the sky.
"Ugh… my head… didn't die, huh~"
The figure rubbed his head, then peered down at them.
"Oi! You three brats—the ones who just attacked me, right? You did pretty damn good! Worororororo!"
The booming laugh made Aussie and Oubei's heads ring.
As the dust cleared, his form came into focus—a young man, with two curved horns atop his head, wearing a sleeveless jacket, a massive black kanabō slung across his shoulder, and a crimson sake gourd hanging at his waist. His expression was fierce enough to make babies cry.
The two little girls gawked, mouths agape.
"So it was a person! And he's huge!
And that language just now—was that Dragon Tongue? It's so loud it hurts!" Aussie rubbed her ears.
"Doesn't sound like Dragon Tongue. More like… Japanese," Oubei said, shaking her head.
"Japanese? Then this might actually be an anime world."
Seeing the not-quite-human man speaking fluent Japanese, Ra began to piece things together.
"Big Sis Ra, you understand Japanese?" Aussie asked in surprise.
"Not really. I'm just matching it with lines I remember from old Japanese shows I watched—and this body can roughly sense emotions."
Indeed, Ra was using her enhanced memory as a living dictionary, mentally cross-referencing phrases from every Japanese anime and drama she'd ever seen to produce a rough translation in real time.
"But this could get tricky… he's asking if we're the ones who attacked him."
Understanding the intent behind Kaido's words, Ra awkwardly replied in broken Japanese:
"Yes… we… attack you. Very… sorry… for that."
Kaido frowned at her choppy apology, clearly irritated.
"So you admit it was you, huh? Then I'll give you three options—join me, defeat me, or… die right here!"
He swung his kanabō down beside them, the ground cracking open in an instant.
Against three tiny girls barely able to speak his language, the terror of the seas had chosen the classic approach—threats, coercion, and intimidation.
Truly, what a gentle world this was.
Author's Note:
In 1491, Kaido was only 27 years old—a real handsome guy back then, full of swagger. A few years later, right before invading Wano, Kaido was at his peak in looks and charisma—pure, ruggedly attractive uncle energy.