Within the Reality Marble.
A terrifying green dragon lay sprawled across the ground, its blood seeping into the yellow sand and staining it crimson.
Even Kaido, the Azure Dragon, had been gravely wounded and on the brink of death since he relied solely on his body to block the combined ultimate attacks of Bullet, Redfield, and the others.
After all, when Bullet and Redfield were at their peak, they were far stronger than Kozuki Oden.
Though their endurance had declined after years of imprisonment, the strength behind their ultimate attacks had barely diminished.
Kaido, unable to use his Haki, was naturally beaten half to death.
"Then, get up again and fight for me."
Caelan looked at the massive dragon before him and murmured softly.
He planned to transform Kaido into a Heroic Spirit and take him along to wreak havoc at the top.
He hadn't done so earlier because the Command Spells were limited in power and their orders rather inflexible.
While using his Riding skill, he could issue commands freely, allowing Kaido to act at a mere thought.
But given Kaido's current state, it would be better to transform him into a Heroic Spirit.
With a single thought, Caelan released his Riding control over Kaido.
The moment control was lifted, Kaido reverted from his dragon form to his human form due to his severe injuries, lying unconscious on the ground.
Caelan then infused his body with magical energy, beginning the Heroic Spirit transformation.
Two minutes later, the process was complete.
Kaido, whose body had been battered and bruised, was now fully healed, his wounds completely gone.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, dazed and muttering, "What… happened to me?"
It felt like he had just awoken from a nightmare.
In that dream, after being defeated by Caelan, he inexplicably became Caelan's mount and followed his every command.
He had even shielded Caelan from a deadly attack.
Then he was gravely injured, fell unconscious, and was later saved by Caelan.
Kaido trembled. That dream had been horrifying.
The man in that dream was nothing like him. He had willingly become someone's mount, even risking his life for his so-called master.
Horrible. Truly horrifying.
When Kaido saw Caelan standing before him, surrounded by the splattered blood on the sand, he froze.
That wasn't a dream at all—it had all been real.
He had truly been Caelan's mount for two weeks, and he had truly taken a fatal blow for him.
If it wasn't a dream, then what had caused him to act that way, obeying Caelan's every command?
It felt as though another personality had emerged within him, one that had completely taken over, forcing him to surrender while his true self could only watch helplessly.
An endless chill crept up Kaido's spine.
Losing his own will and becoming a spectator to his own humiliation was more terrifying than death.
What kind of method had Caelan used?
It was utterly monstrous.
Kaido's rage flared as he thought of how he had been made into a mount for over a week.
Yet despite his fury, he didn't dare attack the man responsible.
That power, capable of twisting consciousness itself, was too horrifying.
And besides, he couldn't defeat Caelan in the first place.
Kaido stared at him with a grim expression and asked in a low voice, "What method did you use to turn me into that?"
"Just a small trick, nothing worth mentioning."
Caelan had no intention of explaining.
Kaido's expression darkened.
The method used to control him was too terrifying, but if Caelan didn't want to speak, there was nothing he could do about it.
The only thing left was to fight.
"Hahahahaha!" Kaido suddenly burst into wild laughter, then roared coldly, "Do you realize what you've done? You've humiliated a king!"
"Then I've humiliated you. What are you going to do about it?"
A faint smile appeared on Caelan's face as he watched, curious about what Kaido would do next.
"Of course, I'll make you feel the wrath of a king!"
Kaido roared, his body expanding as he transformed into his dragon-man form.
His 6.6-meter frame grew another thirty percent taller, a dragon-scale-covered tail extending behind him.
His already fearsome face became even more intimidating, radiating absolute dominance.
He gripped his weapon tightly, coating it in black and purple Armament Haki.
Blue lightning crackled around his arms, hissing as it split the air.
Kaido's aura became monstrous as he bellowed, "Great Mighty Thunder Bagua!"
It looked as though he was about to unleash his full strength in a battle to the death with Caelan.
But then, he suddenly turned around and bolted in the opposite direction.
Kaido ran away.
His legs kicked up a storm of dust as he sprinted across the desert-like sand, his hair whipping in the wind.
His thunderous roar had only been a feint. He was escaping.
"Of course I have to run! I'll think about revenge after finding a way to counter that terrifying power."
Kaido's hatred for Caelan was boundless, but he knew better than to fight recklessly.
He couldn't win. The gap between them was far too vast.
He didn't fear death, but being controlled again, being turned into a mount, was something he could never accept.
Last time, even when he used both Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, he still fell into Caelan's trap.
That mysterious technique was so terrifying that he couldn't even imagine how to resist it.
So he had to run. Run as fast as he could.
If he didn't, he would end up suffering a fate worse than death.
He would wait until he found a way to break free before taking revenge.
"Oh, Kaido, what am I going to do with you?"
Watching Kaido running toward the edge of the Reality Marble, Caelan couldn't help but chuckle.
He had thought Kaido would stand and fight, but instead, he fled.
Still, did Kaido really think he could escape?
This was an independent world of its own. Only someone with power greater than Caelan's could shatter it.
With Kaido's strength, it was impossible.
"In the name of the Command Seal, Kaido, come to me."
Caelan sighed softly and activated the Command Spell.
Kaido, still mid-run, froze instantly and turned back, running toward Caelan against his will.
"Damn it! I didn't even make contact this time, and I'm already trapped again!"
Kaido's face darkened as he stopped before Caelan.
"I didn't expect the mighty Yonko Kaido to turn tail and run. I thought you'd fight me to the death," Caelan said with a faint smile.
"Kill me."
Kaido turned his head away and spoke coldly.
If he could die, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.
"You're far too useful to throw away," Caelan replied, shaking his head.
The troublesome thing about Heroic Spirits was that they still retained their own minds.
The Command Spells could control their actions, but not their thoughts.
If things continued like this, there was always a chance they might exploit loopholes in the commands.
To prevent that, Caelan's orders were always extremely precise. For example, his command to Bullet and co had been, "Escort the Devil Fruits safely back to Dressrosa, wait for my return, and perform no other actions."
Although the Riding ability could make Kaido obey while in his dragon form, his combat power would be slightly reduced.
It was clear he needed to develop a form of ideological imprinting soon.
"Do you still intend to humiliate me? I will never bow to you!" Kaido shouted angrily.
"Haha, it's not up to you whether you submit or not." Caelan looked at him calmly. "In the name of the Command Seal, transform into the Azure Dragon and carry me to Marine Headquarters."
As he spoke, Caelan released the Reality Marble.
"Roar!"
With a furious and unwilling roar, Kaido transformed into a massive blue dragon once more, allowing Caelan to step onto his head.
Rage burned in his heart like wildfire. He wanted to reduce the world to ashes.
Marine Headquarters?
Caelan wasn't going there for diplomacy, that was certain.
Kaido gritted his teeth, seething with resentment.
Fine. Then he would vent all his pent-up fury on the three Admirals.
Let those little brats of the Logia class experience the true power of my Haki!
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)