"One Piece" is a story that places immense emphasis on lineage.
Or rather, most Japanese anime value lineage.
During the Onigashima incident, Kaido declared that only Haki transcended everything—only to be defeated by Luffy wielding the awakened Nika Devil Fruit.
Of course, that's not the main point.
The real question is: if Kaido valued Haki above all else, why did he consume the Azure Dragon Devil Fruit?
The answer lies in his past. On Rocks' ship, seeing Whitebeard unleash tsunamis with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Kaido conceived the idea of acquiring a powerful Devil Fruit.
Haki alone, after all, does not transcend everything.
To clarify, only Haoshoku Haki truly transcends.
The frustrating part: Haoshoku Haki cannot be strengthened through training.
Looking at the known Haoshoku masters: Garp, Dragon, and Luffy, spanning three generations, it's clearly a trait of the Monkey family lineage.
Garin, Shanks, and Shamrock hail from the Figarland family, combat specialists among Celestial Dragons.
Kozuki Oden belongs to the Daimyo family, whose bloodline has ruled Wano for generations.
Loki is the prince of the Giant Race.
Rocks, Teach, Roger… all bear the D. initial.
Given Kaido's origins, without a Devil Fruit, he would only reach the level of top silver-tier fighters like Rayleigh, Jabra, and Benn Beckman in his lifetime.
So the question arises:
Which technology or skillset is truly supreme?
Bad meme! Cross it out!
Why is Black preparing to snatch chestnuts from the fire and profit from the Sun God's confrontation with Imu?
The answer is simple: he has a cheat.
As Black's voice faded, his consciousness entered a cerulean void.
Before him hovered a sci-fi screen. Ten grids were displayed, each containing a card with a character portrait and name: Borsalino (youth), Monkey D. Garp (youth), Shiki (adult), Charlotte Linlin (childhood)… Below was a golden, glowing box.
"The usual—let's draw a card first!"
Black pressed the box.
It trembled, ejecting a card.
The portrait revealed a woman.
She wore a rose-colored professional suit, a Marine justice cloak, and dark purple gloves. Light pink shoulder-length hair suggested athleticism, and purple sunglasses rested atop her head.
Tina (adult stage).
"Hmm… Tina? This could be a good fight."
Black stroked his chin.
"Choose to enter!"
Instantly, Black vanished, appearing on a deserted island.
"An island terrain this time? Advantageous for the opponent. I need caution."
He advanced toward the center, maximizing Observation Haki to detect hidden threats.
From the dense forest, a heroic figure emerged—Tina.
But her eyes were lifeless, filled with indifference.
Black's eyes narrowed. He charged at Tina with astonishing speed.
His right fist drew back, covered in pitch-black Armament Haki.
Yet Tina reacted instantly, crossing her own Haki-infused arms.
Black's punch slammed into her forearm, sending her flying.
"Soru!"
He pressed the attack. Tina spun mid-air, spreading her hands.
"Black Spear Formation!"
Iron bars materialized from thin air, stabbing toward Black.
Thanks to Observation Haki, he dodged, though his speed slowed.
Tina landed a spinning kick aimed at Black's head, her legs gleaming in sunlight.
Black could not admire the sight. He had shifted his center of gravity to avoid her Devil Fruit, limiting his evasion. He could only punch to block.
Their attacks collided with a bang. Normally, a kick exceeds a punch in power, but Black's physical strength matched the strike, creating a stalemate.
He raised his right leg, aiming for Tina's waist. She dodged, and Black advanced, closing the distance for close-quarters combat.
This was intentional.
From Tina's few anime appearances, her Devil Fruit leaned toward long-range, area-of-effect attacks. When Haki levels are similar, the Devil Fruit user holds the advantage.
Black's edge lay in physical strength and superior Observation Haki detection.
After several exchanges, he analyzed Tina's strength.
"Her Armament Haki is slightly stronger than mine, but not by much. I can win through endurance and physical conditioning!"
Confidence surged; his attack speed seemed to increase.
A night passed, and Black returned to the cerulean void, holding a new card.
Armament Haki (Tina, adult stage).
"Use!"
The card vanished, and a surge of power doubled his Armament Haki's quality and output.
This was Black's system—a rigid, silent cheat.
Once a month, he could draw a card. Characters could be famous canon figures or minor extras. Original characters had higher probabilities of appearing.
Each character appeared at a specific stage of strength. Black could challenge them to acquire an ability card: Haki type, Devil Fruit, or special physique.
If he failed, or delayed the challenge, the card stored in a ten-slot pool, awaiting another opportunity.
Over sixteen years, Black had filled all ten slots with carefully selected cards: strong abilities with low acquisition difficulty.
Except Golden Lion Shiki and Red Earl Patrick Redfield, drawn only once, the others were easier periods.
For example, young Garp was simpler to face than adult or elderly Garp.
Among the ten, the most prized was childhood Charlotte Linlin.
The weakest of all, she lacked Haki or Devil Fruit—only a special talent: Iron Balloon.
Success would grant Black the Iron Balloon ability card.
Tragically, sixteen-year-old Black still could not defeat childhood Charlotte Linlin…