Rosinante was no longer a lone wanderer who could freely avoid powerful opponents. He now had a foundation—his own people, his own nation. He was no longer a man fighting alone.
Power brought him resources, allies, and influence. But it also brought something else—weakness.
When a man gained a kingdom, he also gained something that could be taken from him. If anyone attacked his foundation, his territory, or his people, he could no longer simply walk away. And it was for that reason that Rosinante had to establish authority—to make his name a deterrent.
Only overwhelming prestige could inspire fear strong enough to keep others from daring to challenge his reign.
The Grey Dominion's four divisions now roamed the seas, conquering territories and establishing vassal states. But all of that was secondary. Rosinante's true base of power still lay in the Sky Island.
If it had been any other opponent, Rosinante might have chosen to avoid direct conflict. But Kaido—the lunatic who climbed ten thousand meters into the sky just to jump off for fun—was all too familiar with Sky Island.
If Rosinante avoided the fight here, the next battlefield would likely be in the heavens—his very home.
Which meant Kaido was an enemy he could not escape from.
"Are you sure about this, kid?" Rayleigh asked with a wry smile. "That guy's not your average monster."
"Yeah, we've fought once before," Rosinante said calmly. "He wasn't even using his full strength back then, but I got a clear taste of how terrifying he is. Still… I've gotten a lot stronger since that fight. I'd like to see just how far I've come."
Rayleigh, Shakky, and the Dark Thorn agents all froze.
"You fought Kaido before?" Shakky gasped.
Even Rayleigh's eyes widened in disbelief.
No wonder Kaido had shown interest in him so quickly!
Dark Thorn recalled the moment Kaido had first heard Rosinante's name—his interest had been instant, like a predator recognizing a worthy prey. He'd thought it was because of Rosinante's reputation for standing toe-to-toe with Marine Admirals. But now, it all made sense. Kaido's fascination came from experience—they had already fought once.
…
"Ugh," Kaido groaned as he climbed out of the crater, shaking his head. He burped loudly, then exhaled a long breath of air. As he did, the blackened marks covering his body crumbled and fell away like ash.
"I think I hit something on the way down… zap-zap… lightning, huh?" he muttered, scratching his neck. "Feels familiar. So, Rosinante's here after all. Right, lightning brat? Those thunderbolts were your handiwork, weren't they? You're his subordinate, huh? Go call your boss—I want to finish what we started last time."
His gaze turned upward toward the clouds, where Enel floated, eyes narrowing in irritation.
For Kaido, Rosinante wasn't just another fighter. Sure, the man's overall strength wasn't close to his own, but fighting him had been fun. Rosinante was one of the few who had dared to go blow-for-blow against him.
Few people ever stood their ground against Kaido. Fewer still could take his hits and stay standing.
And yet, Rosinante had done both—without so much as flinching.
Even more shocking, Rosinante had actually hurt him.
Kaido's body was a fortress, hardened by countless failed executions. The Navy had captured him more than once, sentencing him to death multiple times. Hanging, beheading, crushing—none of it worked. Chains shattered, blades broke, and Kaido always walked away.
No one could kill him.
But Rosinante's fists… those had left marks. Tiny, insignificant to most, but to a man obsessed with death, they meant everything.
That was why Kaido remembered him. Why he was so eager to find him again.
The crowd listening nearby was utterly stunned.
Wait—what did Kaido just say?
"Continue our last battle"? Did that mean Kaido and Rosinante had already fought once—and it ended unresolved?
Even Doflamingo froze, disbelief flashing across his face.
"Rosinante… fought Kaido before?" Garp muttered in shock.
"There was never any report of that," Tsuru said quietly. "But considering how often Kaido climbs to Sky Island… meeting Rosinante there wouldn't be strange at all."
Above, Enel let out a low chuckle, lightning crawling over his body. "Heh… to think you could just stroll in and demand to see our king. Looks like we, the BloodSworn Guard, have been a bit too lenient."
Thunder rumbled as the storm clouds gathered once more.
"So be it," Kaido said evenly, raising his massive hand. "Then we fight."
With a single motion, his colossal palm shot upward toward Enel.
Enel's body instantly dispersed into lightning, vanishing in a flash to dodge the strike.
A moment later, bolts of thunder crashed down from the sky, hammering into Kaido.
The ground exploded under each blast—yet when the lightning cleared, Kaido stood there unharmed.
…
Then, without warning, a bullet appeared silently beside Kaido's temple and struck with deadly precision.
"Hm?" Kaido blinked. "What was that? Felt like a mosquito bite."
The bullet clattered to the ground, flattened beyond recognition. Kaido reached out and plucked it up, studying it between his fingers.
"A bullet? You gnats again?" he growled.
Rage surged through him. He tore at the air with both hands—and the lightning surrounding him was literally ripped apart, scattering like mist.
"How's that possible?!" Bins gasped in disbelief from afar.
Last time they'd tried sniping Kaido with the Seastone-powered rifle, the bullet had pierced through his temple. He'd recovered instantly, of course—but at least they'd drawn blood.
Yet this time, with the same weapon, the same sniper, and the same shot—it hadn't even broken his skin.
Was this really the same Kaido they'd fought before?!
"You damned flies," Kaido roared. "That trick won't work on me again! Rosinante! Come out and fight me! Or are you too scared?!"
The bullet wound from before—the humiliation of being struck in the head—still burned in his memory. To Kaido, that had been an unforgivable disgrace.
Now, hearing the familiar sound of gunfire, he instantly recognized the culprits. But he couldn't touch them—they were hidden, just out of reach, in another space.
The annoyance was infuriating. He didn't care about the bullets—he wanted Rosinante himself.
And he would not rest until they fought again.
"Thunder Welcome Cannon!" Enel's voice roared from above as countless orbs of lightning formed within the clouds.
The sky rumbled as the thunderballs shot downward like a torrential storm, pelting Kaido with relentless blasts.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A chain of explosions erupted across the island, deafening and blinding.
When the smoke cleared, Kaido stood there—untouched, unfazed, grinning.
"Not bad, you bastard," he said with a wild grin, the corners of his mouth twitching with excitement. "That lightning's way stronger than the last time!"
For the first time, his eyes gleamed with genuine interest as he stared up at Enel.
"Monster…" Enel whispered in shock, his face pale as thunder flickered around him.