CHAPTER 101: THE EMPEROR'S SHADOW
The stunned silence on the G-8 battlements was broken only by the crash of waves against the fortress walls. Every Marine present had just witnessed a demonstration of absolute power. Any lingering doubt—any thought that Admiral "White Dragon" might have been a political appointment, a creation of propaganda—evaporated in the face of that purplish annihilation. There was no "watering down" his title. This was the real, terrifying deal.
"ROAR~!"
Then, a new sound cut through the air. It was a deep, guttural, earth-shaking dragon's roar that seemed to vibrate in their very bones, coming from the dense cloud cover in the distance. A colossal, serpentine shadow moved within the clouds, its scale-covered body occasionally glinting in the weak sunlight.
The cheering stopped instantly. A familiar, primal fear gripped the hearts of the G-8 Marines. They had felt this pressure before, over a year ago, when the sky itself had fractured.
"Th-that roar…"
"It can't be…"
"Kaido! Is Emperor Kaido here?!"
Panic, cold and sharp, began to edge out their awe. They were strong now, all trained in Haki and Rokushiki, but facing one of the Four Emperors directly was a different kind of terror.
"Tch. Talk about terrible timing," Satoru muttered, clicking his tongue. He was just about to finish dealing with the immobilized Ember.
Upon hearing the roar, the strain on Ember's face lessened slightly, replaced by a grim relief. The twisting pressure on his body suddenly vanished—Satoru's focus had shifted. Ember slumped, gasping, his arms and legs visibly misshapen and bruised from the unnatural torque.
CRACKLE-BOOM!
A massive bolt of blue-white lightning, thick as a tree trunk, lanced down from the clouds directly toward Satoru. He didn't flinch. He didn't even look up. The lightning struck him head-on, exploding in a shower of sparks and ozone… and dissipated harmlessly around him. He had sensed no Conqueror's Haki woven into the attack; it was just a casual, destructive greeting.
Then, the clouds parted. Kaido's immense azure dragon head emerged, his yellow eyes like lanterns fixing on the tiny white figure on the ruined deck below. His voice boomed like a physical force, making the remaining ship timbers creak and the Marines clap hands over their ears.
"Brat! Haven't seen you in over a year. You really haven't changed at all."
Satoru placed his hands on his hips, looking utterly unimpressed by the colossal dragon in the sky. "If you're not drunk right now, then I suggest you find a doctor to check your eyes. Compared to a year ago, I've not only gotten taller, my strength has improved a lot. Saying I haven't changed is just an insult."
On the half-sunk deck, Ember shuddered. He had never, in all his years of service, heard anyone speak to Kaido with such blatant, casual disrespect.
A visible ripple of irritation passed over Kaido's draconic features. For a massive dragon, his annoyed expression looked almost comically put-out. Being chastised like this by a child, Admiral or not, was a blow to the dignity of an Emperor.
"Insolent whelp!" Kaido rumbled. He opened his maw, and a torrent of searing, deep-red flame—far denser and hotter than Ember's—erupted toward Satoru in a devastating stream. The "Bolo Breath" cut through the air, aiming to incinerate the deck and the Admiral upon it.
Satoru didn't dodge. He raised a single palm.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
A sphere of repulsive force bloomed before him. The cataclysmic flame torrent crashed into it and was violently deflected, splashing off to the side where it hit the sea with a monstrous HISSSSS. A vast cloud of steam erupted, obscuring the view as seawater instantly vaporized. Where Ember's flames had been quenched by the ocean, Kaido's superheated breath boiled it away in an instant.
"Hmph. You are stronger than a year ago," Kaido conceded, his voice echoing from within the steam cloud.
"But you're still not qualified to be so arrogant in front of me!"
The steam was shredded by a massive, scaled tail swinging down from above. This wasn't a careless swipe; Ember, watching intently from his prone position, saw the subtle, crackling black-red aura sheathing the tail. Kaido was using Advanced Conqueror's Haki infusion.
Satoru didn't rely on Infinity. He blurred, using Soru to vanish from the spot just as the tail smashed the remains of the pirate ship into splinters. He reappeared in the air, lashing out with a kick wrapped in his own black-red lightning. "Tyrant Black Flash!"
The shockwave of the collision against Kaido's scaled hide was thunderous, but the dragon only grunted, twisting his body to slam a claw toward Satoru.
Ember watched, his mind racing. He saw it now. Every one of Kaido's attacks was laced with that supreme Haki. And Satoru, in turn, never simply stood and took them; he either countered with equal force or evaded completely. He never used that invisible, absolute defense.
That's it! The realization hit Ember like a physical blow. That defense… it can be breached by Conqueror's Haki infusion! That's why Kaido had said Satoru was a formidable opponent. That's why the boy had mocked him for lacking it. Without the power to wield the "Haki of the Supreme King," he wasn't even qualified to be Satoru's opponent. He could never touch him.
A wave of bitter frustration and helpless rage washed over Ember. He clenched his deformed fists, the pain nothing compared to the crushing realization of his own limitation.
"In this world… how can such a broken ability exist?!" he roared silently in his mind, a prisoner of his own genetic lottery.
"Ember! Get out of here!" Kaido's command boomed in his ears, even mid-swing.
The order was a mercy, and a harsh truth. He was useless here now, a liability. Injured and unable to harm the enemy, he was just in the way. With a final, hate-filled glance at Satoru, Ember forced his battered body to move. His wings, though aching, flapped, carrying him up and away from the battlefield, away from the source of his newfound humiliation.
Satoru noted Ember's retreat but couldn't pursue. Kaido's gigantic form filled the sky, a living barrier of scales and muscle. While Kaido in full dragon form was a massive target, his natural defenses were absurdly high. Even Satoru's Advanced Conqueror's-infused strikes, without the concentrated multiplier of Black Flash, seemed to do little more than annoy him. And Kaido was being evasive, weaving through the air, more focused on keeping Satoru occupied than landing a decisive blow.
Then, the moment Ember's figure vanished into the horizon, Kaido's tactics shifted. He abruptly twisted his long neck, inhaling deeply, his massive chest expanding. His maw opened, not toward Satoru, but directly at the fortified walls of Marine Base G-8.
"BOLO BREATH!"
The concentrated blast of flame roared toward the base. The Marines on the walls froze, faces painted with terror.
Satoru's expression hardened. "Not on my watch."
He flashed through the air in an instant, placing himself directly in the breath's path. He crossed his arms.
"Domain Amplification: Infinity."
The infinite space before him expanded, not as a personal shield, but as a vast, intangible wall. Kaido's devastating flame breath slammed into it and spread out, engulfing Satoru in a sphere of fire but unable to pass him. It was like a river hitting an immovable boulder, parting and flowing harmlessly into the sea on either side.
The inferno lasted for several seconds. When the flames finally died down and the steam cleared, Satoru stood unharmed on the air, but the sky where Kaido had been was empty. The clouds were already closing, the immense shadow gone.
Kaido's purpose had been clear from the start: not a duel, but a retrieval mission. He had come to collect his wayward All-Star.
A deep, fading rumble seemed to linger on the wind, words meant for Satoru alone. "We'll finish this… next time."
On the battlements of G-8, the silence held for one more beat. Then, a delayed, explosive cheer erupted, louder and more fervent than before. They weren't just cheering for survival; they were celebrating a victory. In their eyes, their Admiral hadn't just defended them; he had stood his ground against an Emperor and forced him to withdraw.
"ADMIRAL WHITE DRAGON! ADMIRAL WHITE DRAGON!"
The chant thundered across the base, a wave of pure, unadulterated loyalty and awe. Satoru looked down at his cheering men, then back at the empty sky where Kaido had vanished. A small, knowing smirk touched his lips. The message had been sent, to both his men and the world. G-8, under the White Dragon, was not a place for Emperors to trespass lightly.
(End of Chapter)
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
Where you can read Extra Advance Chaters
Bonus Chapter For Every 100 Power Stones
Lets hit the goal of 300 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕