"Dragon Twister!"
With a deafening roar, Kaido's dragon form spun in the sky, whipping up a storm. Countless bolts of lightning struck downward as tornadoes ripped across Kuraigana Island. The sheer force of the gale sent the warships near the coast rocking violently. Urouge scrambled to tie them securely to the shore before they capsized.
"Such terrifying strength… but against the Captain, Kaido is bound to suffer a heavy loss," Urouge muttered with confidence.
Ever since he had witnessed Ashveil battle Mihawk, the World's Greatest Swordsman, Urouge had become certain of one thing—no one in this world could stand against Thorne Ashveil. To him, the man was nothing short of a god reborn.
The howling wind gave birth to monstrous tornadoes, each swallowing everything in its path, carrying with them blades of air sharp enough to cleave the ground apart. The landscape itself warped under the onslaught, torn open by jagged cracks.
Yet, amidst the chaos, Ashveil stood calmly, unmoving.
"Kaido, you underestimate me too much. This level of attack can't even scratch me," he said in a steady voice.
Kaido's colossal dragon body coiled in the sky, his eyes glinting coldly.
"Don't think I don't know the limits of your Barrier Fruit," Kaido bellowed. "You can only hold that stance as long as you maintain your ability. Break it, and you're finished!"
His maw opened wide, releasing a torrent of Dragon's Breath straight toward Ashveil.
"Hahaha! Your barrier may block physical strikes, but against my elemental flames? You won't last long!"
Kaido's plan was clear. The continuous storm of wind blades would force Ashveil to keep his barrier up, unable to move without injury. Then, the relentless fire of his Dragon's Breath would scorch him alive, heating the barrier until it turned into his coffin.
Whether Ashveil held on and roasted inside his own defense, or dropped it and faced Kaido's overwhelming force, either path was death.
The searing heat crashed against the invisible barrier, flames swirling like dragons around him. Even the sea itself hissed and steamed, blanketing the island in suffocating vapor. Kuraigana Island had become a furnace.
Ashveil felt the rising heat pressing in but only smiled faintly.
For all his brute strength, Kaido wasn't a fool—his strategy was sharp. The temperature inside the barrier was climbing fast. Another might have been cornered.
But not him.
He could have matched Kaido in a drawn-out contest, wielding his Conqueror's Haki as a shield to outlast even ten Kaidos if necessary. But wasting an entire day here was not his intention. There was a far simpler solution.
Dropping the defensive barrier, Ashveil let the flames rush at him head-on. Kaido's lips curled into a cruel grin.
"So, you've given up already? What a disappointment," the dragon sneered. "This is the price for crossing the Beasts Pirates! I would have welcomed you into my crew, but you killed Jack… and for that, I'll tear you apart!"
Ashveil covered his ears lazily. "Does everyone in this world talk so much during battle?"
The next moment, the flames around him vanished. Gone—erased as though they had never existed.
Kaido froze, eyes bulging.
"What? My Dragon's Breath—disappeared? Impossible!"
Snarling, Kaido unleashed another barrage, three blazing streams of Dragon's Breath in rapid succession. The air warped under the heat, rushing toward Ashveil like a fiery tidal wave.
Panting from the effort, Kaido smirked. "Let's see you handle this!"
But Ashveil's expression didn't change. A faint trace of disdain flickered across his face.
The flames dissolved again, swallowed whole by the magma energy coursing through his body. His Magma Fruit, far superior to the Flame-Flame Fruit, granted him complete dominion over fire itself. Kaido's flames were nothing but fuel.
Kaido's jaw tightened. "You… you can control my Dragon's Breath? That's impossible. You'd need two Devil Fruits to—no… you should be dead if that were true!"
Ashveil said nothing. Explaining was a waste of breath. Instead, he lifted his hand, his gaze sharp and mocking.
"Now, Kaido, it's my turn."
The aura of his Conqueror's Haki surged outward, condensing into countless invisible blades. Each one shimmered with willpower sharp enough to slice the heavens.
The air trembled. Space itself seemed to twist as the invisible daggers streaked toward the dragon looming above.
Kaido's instincts screamed in alarm. His eyes went wide.
What kind of attack is this?!
Too fast!
There was no time to dodge.
The sky split apart under Ashveil's will.
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