_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Navy's eyes had never left Kaido.
But no one had ever heard of Kaido having a son.
What the hell was going on here?!
And more importantly—
Aside from that absurdly powerful Conqueror's Haki… why the hell could this kid fly?!
Did Kaido feed him a Devil Fruit already?
No—none of that mattered right now.
A brat this young, yet this terrifyingly strong…
If he was allowed to grow up, what then?
Another Kaido?
No—something even worse?!
Absolutely not.
He had to be dealt with right now, while he was still just a baby!
"So, you're Kaido's little spawn." Onigumo's eyes went icy and sharp. "I've been looking for you everywhere, and here you just drop into my lap!"
"Take him down!" Doberman didn't waste time—he swung his blade up toward the boy floating in the air.
"All hands!" Momonga's voice boomed, commanding the nearby officers who were still conscious. "New priority target—take out that brat in the sky!"
Baby or not.Monster or not.
If he was Kaido's blood, if he was a future threat, there could be no mercy.
Shing! Shing! Shing!
The surviving officers, still shaken from the wave of Conqueror's Haki earlier, nevertheless obeyed. Orders from a Vice Admiral were law.
Guns and swords rose as one, all aimed at that tiny figure in the air.
"Bastards! You dare?!" Sasaki roared, dragging his battered body forward, desperate to shield Dan.
But before he could move, Doberman's cold blade intercepted him, locking him down again.
"Your opponent is me," Doberman said flatly.
"Master Dan! Run!!" Sasaki shouted, voice strained with panic. "Forget about me—just go!"
Run?
Dan hovered in the air, tiny brows knitting together.
And then—
[Ding! System detected host's use of Conqueror's Haki! Large-scale enemy forces instantly neutralized!
Quest [Make Your Debut] over-fulfilled!]
[Quest Rating: Stunning!]
[Reward Granted: [Eight Gates] from the Naruto World—Optimized Version, No Side Effects!]
[Ding! New Quests Unlocked:]
[Quest 1: Grow Stronger]. Objective: Survive until age three.
[Quest 2: Leapfrog Challenge]. Objective: Defeat a Marine Vice Admiral (or equal) in direct combat before age three.
Quest 3: Limit Breaker. Objective: Open and unleash the Eighth Gate—Gate of Death.
The system's notifications echoed in his mind.
An overwhelming flood of knowledge about the Eight Gates, about how to unleash the body's hidden potential, poured into Dan's head.
Eight Gates?!
And a version with zero side effects?!
Dan's eyes practically lit up.
Holy crap.
This was insane.
It was like a cheat code designed just for his tiny little body!
But then…
He caught sight of the newly unlocked quests, and his face instantly fell.
Survive until age three? Doable.
Beat a Vice Admiral before age three? …Barely possible.
But open the Gate of Death?!
Side effects or not, this body of his was still a toddler's! How the hell was he supposed to handle that?!
Complaints aside, there wasn't much time to think.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets and small cannon shells were already filling the air around him.
Momonga and Onigumo weren't charging in yet—they were holding back, barking orders, letting their men keep up the suppressing fire while they circled like predators, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"Kid," Onigumo called out, a fresh cigar clenched between his teeth. "I don't know what kind of freak you are, but attacking a child isn't normally my style…" His tone went icy. "…Too bad you're Kaido's brat."
"I suggest you surrender," Momonga added, his hawk-like eyes narrowing.
"Eeyah!" ("Shut up!")
Dan's babyish voice barked back, and his tiny frame weaved through the storm of bullets with inhuman grace.
He pushed his Sky Dance technique to the limit, leaving afterimages flickering through the air like a ghost.
Not a single bullet even brushed his clothes.
His speed was insane, his frame so small they could barely keep up with him.
"Damn it! How is this brat so slippery?!" a Rear Admiral cursed, smoke practically pouring from his gun barrel.
"Don't panic!" Onigumo barked, eyes sharp and calculating. "He's just dodging! No kid that age can spam Conqueror's Haki like that! Keep firing—wear him down!"
And he was right.
Dan could already feel it.
That one burst of Haki had nearly drained him dry—his meager reserves of "chi" or whatever this energy was felt almost completely tapped.
Forget another wave of Conqueror's Haki—just keeping up this evasive flight was starting to push him to the limit.
This wasn't sustainable.
If he kept just dodging, sooner or later, they'd wear him down and finish him off.
And those two Vice Admirals still hadn't actually attacked. They were just watching, waiting for that one clean kill shot.
He had to strike back.
But how?
With these tiny arms and legs? What, was he going to slap a Vice Admiral to death?
And he couldn't use Haki again…
Wait.
Eight Gates.
No side effects.
A dangerous spark lit up in Dan's dark eyes.
Screw it.
He shot straight up, climbing higher into the sky, just far enough to get out of most of their firing arcs.
Then he closed his eyes and focused, following the mystical technique now engraved in his mind.
Slowly, he began drawing on something deep inside—
Not Haki.
Not just physical strength.
But something deeper.
The raw energy of life itself.
"What is he doing?" Momonga frowned, unease prickling at him.
"Whatever trick he's trying—be ready!" Onigumo's spider-like limbs rose slowly, gleaming with lethal intent.
And then—
Dan's eyes snapped open.
The baby-blue clarity of his gaze was gone, replaced by a faint, burning green glow.
An overwhelming surge of power erupted from his tiny body, violent and blazing—utterly different from Conqueror's Haki.
"First Gate—Gate of Opening… OPEN!"
"..."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________