"A challenge from the new generation!"
"Hehehehe…"
"Then let this old bones be the one to judge it."
"Let's see whether the future belongs to you young upstarts…"
"Or whether this world still belongs to us old lions!"
Admiral Lion Vixen stood with his arms folded, yet this time there was no hint of arrogance. He understood clearly that the two before him—Arthur Pendragon and Kaido—were not ordinary brats.
In only a single year, they had grown at a terrifying rate.
If he took them lightly, he might truly die here.
—
"Hey, Arthur!" Kaido's grin split wide, fanged and feral.
"If you slow me down, I'll crush you first!"
Arthur chuckled. "You'd better worry about yourself."
Crack!
Before the words had even faded, Arthur stepped forward—and vanished.
A violent gale exploded outward.
"Wind King's Hammer!"
"Thunder Bagua!"
Both men struck simultaneously.
...
No one could quite understand Arthur's ability.
By all rights, the Mythical Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Fire Dragon was his power.
Yet he could command wind.
The most reasonable guess among witnesses was that it came from his weapon—some mysterious sword that allowed him to manipulate the air.
Of course, Arthur himself never confirmed anything. What kind of idiot would go around revealing their true powers?
"Lion Heart!"
With a roar, Vixen met their assault head-on.
His fist crashed down like a meteor.
BOOM!
The three collided—strength against strength.
For a brief instant, they were evenly matched.
The onlookers were dumbstruck.
Two "kids" holding their own against a Marine Admiral?
It defied belief.
Had these two already grown strong enough to fight an Admiral head-on?
The thought alone chilled everyone present.
The Marines—symbols of absolute justice—were supposed to be untouchable.
"Hahahaha!"
Blocking their attack, Vixen laughed heartily.
"You've both grown so much! I can't wait to see how far you'll go!"
"Lion Roar!"
A brilliant shockwave burst from his jaws.
Arthur and Kaido dodged rather than block it—there was no point in taking it head-on—and instantly closed in again from both flanks, moving faster than the eye could follow.
"Wind King's Hammer!"
"Thunder Bagua!"
Their combined strikes were lethal. A single misstep meant death.
Their power after a single year of growth was monstrous—no one could tell how far their strength had risen, only that it was terrifying.
BOOM!
A mushroom-shaped cloud blossomed on the battlefield.
Through the smoke, a gigantic figure emerged, both arms crossed, claws gleaming as they blocked both attacks at once.
"Hmph."
—
Lion Vixen — Mythical Zoan: Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Machus
Half-beast, half-man, his leonine form radiated raw power.
"Don't underestimate me, brats," he growled. "You think that would kill an Admiral?"
Arthur smiled faintly. "Of course not. I never thought that alone could kill you."
Kaido bared his teeth. "The more you struggle, the more fun it gets. Killing a monster like you—now that's exciting!"
"Lion Claws!"
Lightning crackled around Vixen's talons as he slashed, tearing through the after-images of both opponents.
The real Arthur and Kaido had already leapt back, narrowly evading the strike.
Crack!
Vixen stomped the ground, launching himself toward them at blinding speed.
He went straight for Arthur—the more dangerous of the two.
"Lion Heart!"
"Lion Claws!"
Fist and claw came down in a single, seamless assault.
A hurricane followed the blow.
"Thunder Bagua!"
"Lion Roar!"
Vixen's roar met Kaido's counterattack head-on.
The shockwave hurled Kaido backward while the Admiral pressed harder against Arthur.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Arthur's sharpened instincts and Observation Haki barely kept pace, parrying each deadly strike.
But the difference in power was immense.
Panting, arms trembling, Arthur muttered under his breath:
"No… in this state, I still can't match the Lion Admiral. Looks like I'll have to use that form."
He sighed inwardly. Troublesome. I hate that form—but against him, there's no choice.
"ROAAAR!"
Kaido's loud roar split the sky.
"Don't you dare underestimate me! I'm Kaido!!!"
His body surged upward—scales twisting, spine elongating—until a colossal azure dragon coiled above the battlefield.
—
"Wh-what is that?!"
"A Mythical Zoan?!"
"The legendary Dragon-Dragon Fruit?!"
"Impossible!"
Both Marines and pirates stared wide-eyed.
That fruit—long thought lost to myth—was now in the hands of a rookie.
—
"Ohahahahaha!"
From his throne overlooking the war, Rocks D. Xebec laughed, utterly unfazed by the chaos.
"So the brat finally revealed that power? Interesting…"
His eyes narrowed toward Arthur. "Now then, Arthur—what about you?"
All across the battlefield, legends turned to look: Edward, Sengoku, Zephyr, Shiki, Ochoku, Garp, John, Kong, Big Mom, Gray, Silver Axe, Tsuru…
The Azure Dragon Fruit had appeared again.
The last known user hailed from Wano Country, a warrior so powerful that Shimotsuki Ryuma earned his title "Dragon Slayer" by defeating him.
And now—Kaido had inherited that same myth.
—
"ROAR!!!"
Kaido exhaled a blazing torrent.
"Blast Breath!"
The inferno streaked toward Vixen, intent on consuming him whole.
"Hmph. Interesting fruit."
Vixen didn't flinch. He opened his jaws and unleashed his own counterblast.
"Lion Roar!"
The two shockwaves collided mid-air.
For an instant they were equal—then Vixen's roar tore through Kaido's flames, slamming into the dragon's chest and hurling him from the sky.
Crack—Crack—
Arthur seized the opening, darting in with blinding speed, striking before the Admiral could press the attack.
Even so, he couldn't help but wonder: How did Kaido get that Devil Fruit?
In history, Big Mom had given it to him after the God Valley War—so why did he have it now?
Thinking it through, Arthur guessed the answer: Rocks must have obtained it first, then traded it to Kaido personally—perhaps as a reward or pact between captain and protégé.
ROAR!
Kaido burst from the smoke, no longer a full dragon but in his hybrid form—the most balanced and powerful state of any Zoan user.
"Thunder Bagua!"
His kanabo swept forward with a thunderclap, far stronger than before.
The power of a Mythical Zoan was undeniable—massive boosts to strength, speed, and endurance.
Even Vixen was forced to take him seriously now.
"Lion Heart!"
Their fists met.
Crack—BOOM!
Dark-purple lightning of Conqueror's Haki exploded outward.
At that moment, another figure struck from above.
"Wind King's Hammer!"
A mighty gale smashed down on Vixen, blasting him backward through stone and debris.
BOOM!
The Marines stared, stunned.
"Impossible!"
"Admiral Vixen—defeated?!"
But from the rubble, the Lion Admiral rose unharmed, brushing dust from his shoulders.
His eyes burned brighter than ever.
A Mythical Zoan user himself, his durability far surpassed Kaido's.
Such attacks alone could never bring him down.
"Hahahaha!" he roared. "Brats! Is that all you've got? That won't be enough to beat me!"
Arms crossed, he radiated pure confidence.
Kaido snorted but didn't lower his guard.
Arthur exhaled softly. "Honestly… I really hate this next form. But if I want to defeat a Marine Admiral—there's no avoiding it."
A roar built deep in his chest as his body began to change.
Crimson scales rippled across his skin; horns curved from his temples; claws extended from his hands.
In seconds, he stood transformed—half-man, half-dragon—a blazing, red-scaled colossus.
"It appeared!"
"The Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Mythical Model: Fire Dragon!"
"Red Dragon!"
—
Galahad, still calmly parrying Gion's attacks, murmured under his breath:
"Lord Arthur's power… the Red Dragon. I never thought I'd see him use it again."
His gaze grew complicated.
He knew—Arthur despised that form.
He would never use it unless he had no choice.
Unable yet to fully master the Red Dragon Bloodline, Arthur relied on this form only as a last resort.
---
And now—three monsters stood across from one another.
Lion Vixen, the Machus.
Kaido, the Azure Dragon.
Arthur Pendragon, the Red Dragon.
Even the raging battlefield fell silent.
Marines and pirates alike watched in awe.
Three Mythical Zoan users—a scene so rare it might never be witnessed again.
---------------------------///
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