The colossal dragon sprawled across the sky was a terrifying monster from above—an existence far beyond what the weak could ever hope to contend with.
But to Maude, it was nothing more than an oversized target.
He let loose a blast of Hakoku, and didn't stop there. As Kaido reeled from the first impact, rolling back through the sky, Maude followed up with a second Hakoku, cleaving the air.
With a piercing howl, the shockwave erupted in a blinding white light, cutting through the night sky.
Against a target that massive, there was no need to adjust his aim—Hakoku would land its mark regardless.
Kaido barely managed to steady himself before that searing light struck again, smashing squarely into his dragon face.
The immense power of the blow contorted Kaido's draconic features.
"…Hakoku?" he muttered.
In that dazed instant, the image of Charlotte Linlin flickered across Kaido's mind.
But there was no time to reflect—yet another Hakoku came screaming toward him, crashing into the bend of his long neck.
The relentless barrage of Hakoku shockwaves hurled Kaido's enormous body far into the distance.
Only after the seventh streak of white light faded into the night did Maude lower his blade.
His eyes, glowing a steady red, tracked Kaido's figure far off in the distance. Above Kaido's head, two ability star-ranks shimmered.
Physique: ★★★★★★★★★☆
Devil Fruit: ★★★★★★★★★☆
Unlike anyone else Maude had encountered, Kaido displayed two ability rankings simultaneously.
Both at nine and a half stars.
But that wasn't all—at the edges of the fiery orange stars, faint traces of golden light swirled.
This was the first time since unlocking his probing ability that Maude had seen someone bearing dual star attributes.
Was it because Kaido's sheer power defied categorization? Or was it the perfect balance between his monstrous physique and Devil Fruit abilities? Maude couldn't say for sure.
What he could believe, though, was this: that golden luster hinted at the threshold of a tenth star.
No matter how you looked at it, this so-called "Emperor of the Sea" was one of the rare few standing closest to the summit of the world.
Naturally, someone like that wouldn't be brought down by a mere handful of Hakoku blasts.
Maude retracted his pitch-black wings and landed smoothly on the ground.
"Kaido, huh…"
Kuzan arrived beside Maude at just the right moment, eyes lifted toward Kaido's distant form in the sky.
"Was that a venting session, Captain?"
He turned from Kaido to glance at Maude's face.
All he saw was serenity. Calm and unmoved.
But Kuzan could sense it—underneath Maude's composed strikes was a seething restlessness.
He didn't know the reason why…
"…Yeah. Something like that," Maude replied with a nod.
His heart was already preoccupied with worry for his elders—Kaido showing up at a time like this only fueled his agitation.
So the barrage of Hakoku he'd unleashed on Kaido… was more about release than tactics.
Maude lifted his gaze to the dark clouds now swirling wildly in the distance.
The sudden change in the weather seemed to reflect Kaido's own rising fury.
After being pummeled in the face by Hakoku again and again, even a masochist like Kaido was bound to get pissed off.
"Kuzan, I used Observation Haki just now to sweep the surrounding seas. No enemy presence near the island for now—but just in case, I need you to keep watch."
As he kept an eye on Kaido's position, Maude extended his left hand and gripped the handle of the sniper rifle Bailey had transformed into.
This new rifle form was modeled directly after Van Augur's—both in appearance and internal structure.
Its firepower and range needed no explanation.
And with Bailey's biological weapon properties, it was, in truth, no weaker than Van Augur's.
Come to think of it, Maude had meant to consult Franky about the Pluton's weapon system—knowledge that could be applied not only to the unfinished modifications of the Thriller Bark, but also to expand Bailey's arsenal of transformation types.
"Got it," Kuzan nodded slightly.
The reason Maude wanted him watching the sea was clear: with the power of the Ice-Ice Fruit, Kuzan could freeze any approaching reinforcements from Kaido's crew the instant they showed up.
Of course, if Kaido had truly come alone—then that made things easier.
With the strength the Maude Pirates had now, they might not be able to kill Kaido outright, but they could absolutely drive him back.
In other words—
A lone Kaido might bring ruin to most pirate crews in the New World.
But against the Maude Pirates?
He couldn't even stir a ripple.
"Kuzan… If the conditions allow it—even at a cost—I don't mind killing Kaido right here."
Maude sheathed Shusui, gripping his rifle in his right hand and resting it across his left forearm, forming a cross-shaped stance.
Shhhk—
Black Armament Haki surged from his hand, spiraling like a dragon, then sinking into the sniper rifle.
The entire weapon turned jet-black, its sheen catching the moonlight in a chilling glint.
Kuzan tilted his head, watching Maude prepare in earnest.
"Ara ara… You're the captain. So no matter what you decide—I'll back you to the end."
"That's exactly why…"
Maude's finger settled on the trigger. Calmly, he said, "With you here—I can fight without hesitation."
Bang!
The shot rang out.
A lead bullet burst through the smoke and tore through the night sky, reaching Kaido in an instant.
Its trajectory was straight for Kaido's eye.
Compared to the rest of his scale-armored body, the eye was clearly more vulnerable.
So even Kaido dared not be careless. He snapped his eye shut just in time.
CLANG—!
The lead bullet struck his closed eyelid, sparking a brief flare of light.
Faced with that absurd defense, the helplessness of even a New World-class sniper was made clear.
It was like watching Saul go up against Garp or Bullet—monsters who specialized in raw physicality.
Without allies to create an opening, hurting someone like that was near impossible.
And if you lacked mobility? You were liable to be the first to fall.
But Maude was no ordinary sniper.
From the shattered remains of the bullet that hit Kaido's eyelid, a wisp of shadow unfurled.
Shadow Flow – Phase Shift!
Shff—!
In the blink of an eye, Maude crossed over a thousand meters—appearing above Kaido's draconic head.
Shusui was already drawn, gripped in his hand.
Life Return – Enhancement!
His sword arm swelled with explosive muscle.
Shadow Flow – Twin Fish Circulation (Localized Enhancement)!
Shadow energy rippled over his enhanced arm, tracing it with patterns like dancing flames.
Armament Haki – Reinforce!
With a hiss, hardened Haki burst from his skin, coiling tightly around his arm and along the blade of Shusui.
A triple-layered boost in a flash.
Midair, Maude raised the blade. Black-and-red lightning from Conqueror's Haki danced wildly across Shusui's heavy blade.
HAKOKU – DRAGON SLAYING SLASH!!
A streak of black-red lightning split the sky.
Shusui cut through the night and struck Kaido's dragon skull.
A blinding white light burst from the blade's edge, detonating into a ferocious shockwave that scattered the swirling black clouds for miles.
In an instant, the sky lit up like day.
A violent aura, like claws, tore the night asunder.
"This brat…"
Kaido's eyes widened as the devastating force surged endlessly from above.
In the next second—his body plummeted like a meteor.
BOOM!
The mighty dragon slammed into the ground, a deafening crash exploding outward, carving an enormous crater into the earth.
The impact kicked up a colossal wave of dust and debris.
Outside the battle zone—
Sanji stood speechless, mouth agape in shock at the sheer power of Maude's slash.
Nearby, Zoro—whose wounds had just been stitched up by Arthur—strained to keep his eyes open, staring blankly at the fading white light.
And at the overwhelming figure floating in the moonlight—radiating absolute dominance.
He'd sworn he would never lose again—
But ever since stepping into the world of true strength…
What awaited him… was defeat after crushing defeat.
"…Damn it…"
Like a reel spinning at death's door, images of one humiliating loss after another flashed through Zoro's mind.
Hawkeye. Maude. Kaido—
The light in Zoro's eyes flickered, like a candle in the wind—dim and near extinguished.
Exhaustion. Powerlessness.
The pain from his injuries was gnawing away at his consciousness.
Zoro struggled to keep his eyes open, locking his gaze on Maude, who hovered imposingly in midair.
It was as if, before the darkness consumed him, he wanted to etch that overwhelming presence deep into his soul.
He wanted to—
Get stronger. Stronger.
To become a warrior of that level.
But how…?
How do you reach such heights?
He had never let up for a moment…
Zoro's eyes slowly drifted shut, as the last corner of his awareness was claimed by darkness.
"Is he dead?"
Arthur looked at the unconscious Zoro.
Sanji, still frozen in shock, snapped out of it at the sound of Arthur's voice.
He spun around and rushed to Zoro's side, sensing the barely-there breath in his body.
"Hey, hey, don't joke like that, you bastard…! You can't die here, not in a place like this! Even if your arms and legs are shattered—you damn well better hold on!"
"I used to work in the mortuary business," Arthur said casually, glancing at Sanji with a professional detachment. "Since you've got some ties with your captain, I'll do you a solid—fix up the body, no charge. Even with broken limbs, I'll make sure the corpse looks spotless. Not a scar in sight."
Sanji's face darkened instantly.
"Enough."
From beneath her mask, Philo barked the word with rare authority.
"If he's unconscious, good. Saves me the trouble of knocking him out myself…"
She pulled out a vial of medicine and poured it into Zoro's mouth.
"I don't know why you insisted on staying conscious… but that was just dumb. Still—"
Philo's tone softened slightly as she applied salve to his wounds.
"I don't dislike people who grit their teeth and push through."
Sanji hovered nearby, tense.
"Zoro, he…"
"He's not going to die," Philo replied quietly, her back to Sanji.
She almost added that losing a limb or two wasn't the end of the world—as long as he lived.
But realizing she wasn't the one holding the reins of fate, she swallowed the rest of her words.
Even so, for Sanji, hearing that Zoro would survive was more than enough.
In the distance—
Lafitte, Gaya, Shiryu, Brook, Jim, Hawkins, and Urouge had all stepped into the battlefield.
"Yohoho~ The captain's really something else," Brook said, gazing up at Maude, who descended slowly from the sky. His eyes sparkled with admiration.
Jim grunted.
"Brook, we all know that. No need to spell it out."
"Such a joyless man, as always, Jim."
"…Oh."
Jim's face remained stone-cold.
Lafitte twirled his cane with a flourish, casting a sidelong glance at Hawkins and Urouge, the newest members in the crew.
"Hoho, Hawkins, Urouge—you two can sit this one out."
"No can do."
Urouge's ever-present smile remained, but his tone was sincere:
"Lafitte, veteran or not, you can't deny me the chance to fight beside the captain. Especially when the opponent is Kaido—the so-called strongest creature on land, sea, and air. Even if I die here, I wouldn't miss this for the world."
"Relax. Death doesn't appear in your fortune tonight."
As he walked, Hawkins drew a card and said in his usual flat tone,
"Also, I agree with Urouge."
"Hoho…" Lafitte gave a small chuckle and said no more.
Nearby, Rain Shiryu rested his right hand on the hilt of Raiu his cursed blade. His eyes gleamed as he looked up at Maude.
That cut was captivating.
Maybe—just maybe—
His connection with the Blackbeard Pirates existed for this very moment…
So that he could stand here.
Shiryu slowly drew Raiu, its aura oozing malevolence. Smoke curled from the end of his cigar, wrapping around his eyes like heat waves.
He was getting excited.
Just as Urouge said—
He wanted to know what it felt like to fight alongside Maude.
He also wanted to experience firsthand the crushing pressure of facing a Yonko.
Within the battlefield—
A frigid aura emanated from Aokiji's body.
That blade strike which lit the night like day was certainly intimidating.
But a blow of that level… would never be fatal to a Yonko.
As a former Marine Admiral, Aokiji knew that better than anyone.
"Think it's possible… to take Kaido down here and now?"
He pulled his hands from his pockets and glanced at the crew members entering the fray—each of them looking more than reliable.
At that moment, the fading smoke cleared, revealing a towering figure.
Kaido, back in human form.
After being hacked at like a training dummy in his Azure Dragon form, he had chosen to revert—human form gave him more flexibility in close combat.
That bloated dragon body just couldn't give him the satisfaction of a good fight.
Blood streaked across Kaido's forehead, and in his hand he gripped his iconic kanabo, coiled with arcs of purple lightning.
Countless cocky Supernovas had fallen with just a single swing of that weapon.
But Kaido knew—
Maude was not one of them.
"Can't even remember the last time I bled… Wororororo… Looks like tonight's gonna be anything but boring."
Kaido didn't care about the wound on his head.
With a wild grin, he raised the crackling kanabo horizontally—assuming the stance of Raimei Hakke (Thunder Bagua).
A crimson gleam flared in his eyes, feral and beast-like.
His savage aura burst outward unchecked, sweeping the surrounding ground with a surge of dust and gravel.
Maude narrowed his eyes.
Release.
The shadow behind him twisted violently.
In an instant, his body grew in size—undoing the forced form constraint of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
Shadow's Asgard.
Then—he opened the Shadow Casket, releasing the shadows of Ulti and others, and absorbed them into his body…
At the same time, Twin Fish Circulation activated, and shadow waves flowed across his body.
His eyes turned pitch black, with a ring of obsidian irises emerging around the pupils.
Kaido watched the transformation with growing excitement.
On his rugged face, a storm of fighting spirit surged to life.
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