The vast open-air plaza fell into sudden silence.
BIGMOM raised an eyebrow, tilting her head as her gaze lingered for a few seconds each on Xiano and Kaido.
Kaido, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes.
After a brief silence, he grinned and erupted into earth-shaking laughter: "Wororororo!! You've got quite the mouth on you, brat!"
"But good! That's how a young man should be! Only with that kind of spirit are you worthy of my expectations!"
Kaido slammed his Spiked Club into the ground and untied the Gourd flask from his waist. The casual motion sent tremors through the entire Whole Cake Castle, adding several more cracks to the already fractured floor.
"However, I can't just ignore insults. Since you dared to say that to my face, you must've already steeled yourself for the consequences, right?!"
"Hey! Kaido!" BIGMOM shouted in irritation. "Watch your strength! The castle really will collapse at this rate! Get the hell out of here if you're going to fight—pick somewhere else! You're not doing this on my turf!"
"Shut your trap, old hag!" Kaido took a deep swig from his Gourd flask before snarling, "Can't you see? The Vice-Admiral I've taken a liking to refuses to come with me! This matter needs to be settled immediately—nothing's more important than this!"
"Somewhere else? Every damn island within dozens of miles is your territory! Am I supposed to fly for hours with this brat again?!"
Last year in Paradise, he'd already humored Xiano once by moving their fight from Water Seven to Enies Lobby. That was the only courtesy he'd give.
A second time?
Not a chance.
"No need for such trouble!" BIGMOM turned her head and bellowed:
"Hey! Brulee! Where's Brulee?!"
No one answered.
The Charlotte siblings, unlike the fleeing guests, had remained atop the castle to maintain order.
Now, they glanced around frantically but found no trace of her.
"Mother, Brulee is bedridden with a severe illness and couldn't attend the Tea Party. I specifically mentioned it to you the day before yesterday and even delivered her apology gift on her behalf. Have you forgotten?" Katakuri spoke up, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Who remembers that kind of thing?!" BIGMOM snapped impatiently before turning her attention elsewhere. "What about Mondor? That guy should at least be here!"
"I'm here, Mother!"
Mondor, his face pale and nose red, hastily squeezed his way out from the crowd.
"Mamamamamama! Since Brulee's Mirror-Mirror Fruit is out of the question, at least we've got your Book-Book Fruit as backup!" BIGMOM grinned widely. "Go on, use your ability to create a Story World! If these two want to fight, let them go in there and go all out!"
"Eh?"
Mondor pointed at himself in shock. "Me?"
He turned and saw both Xiano and Kaido's gazes fixed on his face. Cold sweat dripped down his back. "Mother… aren't you overestimating me a little?"
"Lord Xiano and Kaido-sama… Even the slightest shockwave from their battle would knock me unconscious. If that happens…"
"Overflowing shockwaves? Don't worry about that! I'm still here, aren't I? I'll block them for you!"
BIGMOM smacked the back of his head with her palm. "Stop wasting time and get to work immediately!"
"Yes, Mama!"
Mondor saw stars from the blow, nearly meeting the nun in the afterlife. Not daring to voice any more objections, he clapped his hands together and activated his ability.
Hum!
In the next instant, an enormous tome nearly ten meters tall materialized in the open space. It flipped open to a specific page—one side covered in dense text, the other transforming into a dark, abyssal void.
Like an entrance.
"Hey, brat!"
Kaido glared at Xiano. "If I win, you're coming with me without a fuss—to be the Vice Admiral of the Beast Pirate Crew! A man's word is his bond. No objections, right?"
"You think you can manage that?"
Xiano sneered.
"Wororororo! You'll find out once you step inside!"
Kaido grinned, not bothering with further words. Hefting his Spiked Club, he strode boldly into the black void first.
Xiano gestured to his crew, signaling them not to worry and to wait here. Then he glanced at the book's cover.
—Four Seas Fantasy Fairy Tales Collection.
Fairy tales?
Interesting.
His eyes flickered briefly before he, too, stepped into the Story World constructed by the Book-Book Fruit, following Kaido.
...
The moment the two made contact with the page, it felt like plunging into endless darkness.
After a second or two, their senses gradually returned. The darkness receded like a tide, and their surroundings came into focus.
Xiano found himself standing in a dense forest.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows. Birds chirped in his ears, and the air carried the scent of earth and flowers.
Everything was here, yet nothing felt real—hazy, as if veiled in mist, like a scene from a dream.
Not far away stood a few woodland cottages.
On the windowsill rested a half-eaten apple. A raven-haired girl with snow-white skin and a red bow stood at the door, singing cheerfully.
Around her, seven dwarves—shorter even than Chopper—held hands in a circle, laughing and dancing to the melody.
Boom!
The Spiked Club, crackling with violet-black lightning, slammed into the ground. All the cottages, along with the girl and the dwarves, twisted and shrieked before dissolving into ash, scattering in the wind.
"Oh? This place is pretty spacious!"
Kaido retrieved his club, surveying the area.
"I thought Linlin's useless underlings only had powers related to eating or drinking. Turns out there's something interesting after all!"
But that was all.
In the end, strength was everything. The Beast Army he was assembling far surpassed these flashy tricks!
"Hey!"
Kaido shook his gourd flask—still plenty left—and glanced down at Xiano. "Before we start, want a drink?"
"I never refuse alcohol."
Xiano gave it a sidelong look. "But a flask rim still wet with another man's spit? Not exactly appealing."
He was from the East Blue, not someplace where—
"Disgusted by me? Fine, forget it!"
Kaido threw his head back and downed the liquor in one gulp, then tightened his grip on the Spiked Club once more. Twin plumes of white smoke snorted from his nostrils as an overwhelming aura surged forth:
"Alright then, come at me, brat! Let me see just how much you've improved since last year, daring to act so arrogantly before me!!!"
Drawing even with Akainu and repelling Kizaru?
He'd already heard about both incidents!
But so what?
He was Kaido of the Beasts!
What did admirals matter?!
Having held Wano for so many years with his stronghold openly displayed, did those Navy admirals dare to set foot in his territory?!
That old man Newgate hadn't gone all out in years, making him the undisputed strongest in single combat across the seas!
With a bounty of 4,611,000,000 Berries, he truly stood at the pinnacle of this world!
No one had ever been able to kill him—not even himself!!!
Want to defeat him?
This brat wasn't even qualified!
BOOM!
The ground shattered beneath his feet as Kaido's massive form suddenly launched skyward. His right hand clenched tightly around the Spiked Club named "Eight Precepts," now wreathed in black-red lightning, came crashing down!
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
How nostalgic...
Xiano looked up at the rapidly approaching Spiked Club filling his vision. His right leg slid half a step back, waist sinking as every muscle in his body coiled like springs compressed to their limit, poised for action.
Then he exhaled softly.
It was this very strike that had first made him comprehend Conqueror's Haki Infusion.
And this same strike had once left him dazed, barely able to stand.
But now.
Nearly a year had passed in the blink of an eye.
An attack of this level...
"Useless useless useless useless useless! Completely useless now!!!"
Xiano's mad laughter echoed through the forest as his right fist clenched, driving upward with full force to meet the descending Spiked Club!
BOOM!!!
Fist met club in a violent collision, black-red lightning exploding like fireworks across the sky.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The mere shockwaves sent out supersonic air blasts that uprooted countless ancient trees and caused massive sections of ground to fracture and collapse.
"Urorororo! Caught that easily, eh? Now we're talking!"
Kaido laughed wildly as he flipped backward from the impact, crashing down over a hundred meters away. Shaking out his numb right hand, he straightened up.
Only to see Xiano opposite him stripping off his shirt and tossing it aside before cracking his neck and rotating his joints, producing a series of popping sounds like bursting beans...
"What the hell are you doing?"
Kaido blinked in confusion.
"Ah, don't mind me."
Xiano glanced at him while continuing to twist his neck. "Haven't used that form in too long. Gotta let the joints adjust first... there, that should do it!"
His lips curled into a savage grin.
CRACK!
In the next instant, accompanied by the unsettling sound of bones dislocating and reforming, Xiano's muscles writhed like living creatures as his body began expanding violently.
BOOM!
The ground beneath him cratered from the sudden pressure increase.
Within a single breath...
The once handsome black-haired youth seemed consumed by muscle, transforming into a terrifying giant standing 5.2 meters tall and weighing over 1.5 tons!
Compared to Kaido's towering seven-meter frame, the difference in size was no longer like that of an eagle and a chick. Though a gap still existed, it wasn't far off now!
"Fighting a hulking brute like you in my 'Paper Drawing Martial Body' form just doesn't feel satisfying."
Xiano clenched and then relaxed his fists. In that brief moment, he had already adapted to this body. Lifting his gaze slightly, his pitch-black hair writhed wildly like a demon's as he spoke indifferently:
"In a way, you're lucky, Kaido. You get to be the first opponent I face in my true form since entering the New World."
...
Outside, atop Whole Cake Castle.
Kuina and the other Curtain Closers, along with Katakuri and the rest of the Charlotte siblings, had all crowded around the massive open book.
Yet the black hole remained, now sealed off by a large iron gate that slammed shut with a clang—a precaution conjured by Mondor for safety. There was no way to see inside.
"What do we do now?!"
Morgans paced frantically, grumbling in frustration. "Linlin! Your son's ability is utterly unreliable! How am I supposed to write a report if we can't even see the battle?!"
"Mondor!"
BIGMOM was equally displeased. Kaido, whom she hadn't seen in years, and Xiano, the rising star whose fame was at its peak—she was itching to witness the clash unfold.
"I'm doing my best, Mama!"
Mondor wiped sweat from his brow, trembling as he explained:
"My ability has two modes. If it's a small 'Library,' I can show everyone what's happening inside. But for a vast 'Story world' like this, it's impossible. However, there's a written description on the side—you can read that instead!"
Written description?
Bonney was the first to dart over, standing on tiptoe as she peered curiously at the left page.
On the pristine white surface, black text continuously appeared and shifted like living creatures, as though an invisible pen were swiftly transcribing the battle's events in real time.
As for what it was saying right now...
Well... she couldn't read.
"Robin," Bonney whined, tilting her head up and tugging at Robin's sleeve.
Robin chuckled softly, crouching down to whisper the words into her ear.
Meanwhile, Morgans brightened, pulling a monocle from his pocket and adjusting it as he began reading aloud:
"Xiano threw a punch, and Kaido punched back. 'Take this!' Xiano cheered excitedly, putting all his strength into the blow. Kaido's massive body soared into the sky like a dandelion caught in the wind—whoosh!"
"'That's not fair!' Kaido was furious! Stomping on the clouds in a huff, he even made the sun wobble in the sky..."
The more Morgans read, the more his expression darkened. A vein throbbed on his forehead as he whipped around, fuming:
"Hey! Is this what you call a battle description? You expect us to take this seriously? A clash between Sea Emperors, reduced to... children playing house?!"
"It's a fairy tale book! That's how fairy tales are written! How is that my fault?!"
Mondor glared back defiantly.
If Mama scolded him, he'd just have to take it—but who did this guy think he was, acting all high and mighty? If he was so desperate to know, why didn't he just go inside and watch for himself?!
Do you think your old bones can withstand the aftermath of a battle at this level?
"..."
Morgans gritted his teeth, knowing he was in the wrong and couldn't argue back.
He paced anxiously, occasionally glancing at the constantly updating text before turning his gaze toward the abyss sealed behind the iron door. Suddenly, he took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision.
The next moment.
Mondor watched in stunned disbelief.
Morgans clutched his camera tightly, then took a few steps back before charging forward—smashing through the iron door and plunging into the endless darkness beyond...
——————
"Wororororo! So this is your true form after all!"
Kaido stared at Xiano, whose size had suddenly surged, momentarily stunned before regaining his composure.
This was more like it! A savage grin split his face as he slammed his Spiked Club into the ground, sending a shockwave of dust into the air:
"With this, you brat have become even more to my liking!"
Before the words fully faded—
Whoosh!
He was already gripping his Spiked Club, launching forward like a Cannonball!
Once again, the Eight Precepts became entwined with Conqueror's Haki, violet-black lightning and crimson-black sparks dancing along its length as the entire club spun rapidly.
"Then let's test this move..."
Amid the shrieking sound of tearing air, Kaido's roar echoed throughout the forest:
"Subjugation of the Three Worlds · Pulling into Hell!!!"
(End of Chapter)