Onigashima.
"Straw Hat Pirates Vice-Captain, Shirogai…"
King narrowed his eyes, muttering Shirogai's name under his breath as a cold gleam of killing intent flashed across his face.
Such a powerful man—capable of clashing evenly with Captain Kaido—was merely a Vice-Captain on a pirate crew? Then what kind of terrifying being was the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates himself?
The thought made King's chest tighten. The Straw Hat Pirates were still considered newcomers, but after witnessing this battle, he began to wonder whether it was wiser to eliminate them early before they grew into a true threat.
"Straw Hat Pirates?"
A curious voice suddenly broke his train of thought.
King and Queen turned in unison to find a tall woman with long white hair and demon-like horns standing behind them. She wore a sleeveless kimono and was bound in heavy seastone cuffs—Kaido's only child, Yamato.
"Yamato, what are you doing here?" King asked, frowning. He couldn't stand the girl who constantly declared herself to be Kozuki Oden and went against her father in every way.
Normally, she wouldn't dare to come near where Kaido rested.
"Ah! I came to see the battle between my friend's brother's crew's Vice-Captain and Kaido!" Yamato said brightly, eyes gleaming as she looked up at the battlefield. The man who was actually beating up Kaido was her friend's brother's crewmate, and that filled her with wild excitement.
"This guy who can fight Kaido to a standstill is his brother's Vice-Captain? Amazing! He really lives up to being his brother!"
King's face twitched as he watched Yamato cheer for her father's opponent. If it weren't for Kaido's tolerance, King would have ended this "filial daughter" long ago.
"Hahahaha! Yamato, you'd better run along before King here loses his temper!" Queen laughed, clutching his massive belly while glancing teasingly at King's darkening expression.
Yamato blinked, tilting her head slightly as she felt King's faint killing intent. "It doesn't matter. You two can keep watching. I'm going to pay my respects to the swordsmen who died for me!"
With a few swift steps, she leaped onto the rooftop and vanished into the mist.
King exhaled sharply. "The Captain actually has such an unfilial child. She worships a man Kaido himself killed. It's intolerable."
"Kaido's used to it," Queen said, cigar dangling from his lips as he clapped King's shoulder. King coldly dodged the touch.
Queen shrugged, then glanced upward. "Still, looks like Kaido's having a hard time. That brat's stronger than we thought."
"The Captain hasn't gone all out yet," King said calmly. "He hasn't met such a worthy opponent in years. He's enjoying himself."
Queen snorted. Emperor-level combat power, huh? The world's going to go crazy when news of this fight spreads. The Government's spies hiding in Wano must be having the time of their lives watching this!"
"That's fine," King replied coolly. "Kaido knows they're here. It's better to let rats scurry about where we can see them, and then crush them all when the time is right."
"Heh, your hands must be itching again," Queen sneered. "You're a real freak, King. Watching you torture those spies almost made me lose my appetite—and that's saying something."
"Enemies deserve nothing less," King said simply.
Before Queen could reply, his eyes widened in shock. His cigar slipped from his mouth and fell to the floor.
"Wha—Kaido's frozen solid!"
High above, Kaido's massive Azure Dragon form was encased in shimmering blue ice crystals, frozen midair like a sculpture.
The air itself had turned frigid, the icy mist condensing around the frozen dragon.
"Kaido, stop pretending," Shirogai's voice rang out beneath the sculpture.
His right arm, now a Dragon Claw covered in dark green scales, radiated chilling energy. He smirked up at the immobilized Emperor. "This kind of cold isn't enough to kill you."
Crack! Crack!
As soon as the words left his mouth, fractures snaked across the frozen dragon's body.
"Hmph!"
Kaido's golden eyes snapped open, burning with fury.
"ROOOAAAR!!"
The thunderous dragon's roar shattered the sky as the icy prison exploded into countless shards.
Kaido's serpentine body writhed violently, scattering the last of the frost with sheer power.
"Brat!" Kaido growled, his voice echoing across the island. "You sure have a lot of tricks! But how many Devil Fruit powers in this world can truly harm me? You rely too much on your abilities!"
His enormous form began spinning, the air around him twisting into colossal funnels. "Tornadoes!"
Dozens of violent whirlwinds stretched from sky to sea, their force splitting the clouds and churning the waves.
Shirogai chuckled, his Dragon Claw glowing as grains of sand spiraled into existence within his palm.
"Heh, so that's how you want to play?"
"Sea Dust Storm!"
A deafening howl filled the air as the entire region around Wano was suddenly engulfed in a golden sandstorm. Massive sand-tornadoes surged upward, crashing headlong into Kaido's raging cyclones.
The sky became chaos itself—winds clashing, roaring, tearing at each other until both forces canceled out, leaving only a storm-tossed sea below.
When the winds finally subsided, both combatants stood unharmed, facing each other amid the settling haze.
"Don't bother with attacks like that," Shirogai said with a cold grin. "They're too weak."
Kaido's lips curled into a menacing smile as he lowered his head, laughter bubbling from his throat.
"Ohohohoho…"
His crimson eyes gleamed with killing intent. "You're dead, brat!"
Drunken Carnage — Vajra Gun!
Kaido swung his kanabo with godlike fury, the air erupting as a massive shockwave of energy tore through the sky, crashing straight toward Shirogai.
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