The scorching wind carried a burnt smell as it whistled across the shattered, scorched earth of Onigashima; the choking scent of charcoal filled their nasal cavities, and every breath brought a burning pain.
Kaido stood atop the broken walls and ruined structures, his tall figure like a towering mountain. His gaze pierced through the smoke and dust, falling far into the distance—the direction his daughter, Yamato, had been taken.
After a long while, a rare curve suddenly appeared at the corner of his ferocious mouth. His deep voice drifted away in the wind: "Yamato... perhaps you really should go see the world."
Immediately, his gaze turned to King, who stood motionless beside him.
In a trance, Kaido seemed to see the boy who had been trapped in the laboratory years ago, his eyes filled only with despair... A trace of imperceptible tenderness flashed across those brutal and ferocious beast eyes.
He raised his large, calloused, blood-stained hand and gently patted King's head, his tone so calm it didn't sound like he had just suffered a defeat:
"The battle is over, Abel."
"I don't believe it!"
King suddenly looked up, his eyes instantly filled with ferocious blood vessels, his sockets red, his teeth grinding loudly. He stared intently at Kaido, his voice trembling with disbelief,
"I don't believe it! You are so powerful... How could you possibly lose?!"
"A loss is a loss."
Kaido looked at him calmly, his eyes devoid of resentment or dejection. For a powerhouse like him, failure was never an unacceptable outcome,
"There is nothing to argue about regarding this point."
This statement struck King like a bolt of lightning. His body stiffened, and his face instantly turned paper-white, completely drained of color.
He couldn't believe it.
— The hero who pulled him out of the abyss of despair, the man who was invincible like a god in his eyes, had actually lost!
This shattering realization plunged him into immense confusion and breakdown.
"What's wrong, Abel? Are you disappointed in me?"
"— No!!" King's answer was resolute. His eyes were still red, yet they showed extreme determination.
"In my eyes, you are eternally the strongest, my only... Joy Boy!!"
"Joy Boy?!"
Kaido scoffed, his tone filled with mockery.
Legend has it that he is the "Sun God" who brings freedom and liberation to the world, the great, almost mythical "Warrior of Liberation" who makes everyone smile.
"Worororo—!!"
His laughter became uncontrollable. Kaido roared with laughter, shaking the surrounding rubble loose, and even shedding physiological tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Abel, I am a lunatic who only wants to create a world-sweeping conflict and drag all the nobles and Celestial Dragons off their pedestals. I can hardly be called Joy Boy!!"
He gradually stopped laughing, turned around, and, dragging his heavy Mace, walked toward the distant smoke of battle.
King stared at his broad yet somewhat lonely back, stunned again, the recent words churning in his mind.
Before he could recover, Kaido suddenly stopped, looked back at him, and displayed an unrestrained, arrogant smile.
The brilliant sunlight pierced the sky like a golden sword, shining on his rough, blood-stained face, revealing a sense of arrogance that looked down upon the world.
"But Abel,"
he spoke, his voice deep yet extremely penetrating, "If you recognize me as your Joy Boy, I promise you—"
Before he finished speaking, a stream of black flame-cloud, like an ink ribbon, rose from his neck and slowly encircled his entire body.
His battered body healed at a visible speed; even the deep, bone-cutting sword scar left by Oden gradually faded and vanished without a trace.
BOOM!!!
An indescribably terrifying aura suddenly erupted, soaring high into the clouds!
In an instant, the entire island of Onigashima was completely enveloped in black-red light. The overwhelming Conqueror's Haki caused space itself to stagnate, cracking sounds deafened the ears, and countless black-red lightning bolts flickered in the void.
Kaido stared intently at the stunned King, his voice like thunder:
"— I will not lose again!!"
... In the vast, boundless sky, a white cloud drifted lazily, soft and fluffy like a ball of cotton candy.
Luffy sat atop it, resting his chin on one hand, his brow slightly furrowed, seemingly deep in thought.
"Luffy!!"
Yamato stood with her hands on her hips, her silver-white hair fluttering in the wind, glaring at him angrily, her cheeks flushed with indignation.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Luffy snapped back to attention and looked up at her, thinking to himself: Yamato, when she's angry with her hands on her hips like that, is actually quite cute.
"Why did you push me away?!"
Her star-like eyes, flashing with red light, locked onto him as if he had committed some heinous crime, her tone full of grievance and accusation.
"Huh?!"
Luffy tilted his head, looking utterly confused—what had he done this time to make the girl unhappy?
"So... what do you want?"
He asked cautiously, adhering to the principle that "whether you're right or wrong, apologizing first is always the safest bet."
He couldn't help it; the person he recruited onto the ship had to be appeased, even if it meant crying while doing so.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the indignation on Yamato's face instantly disappeared, replaced by a knowing smile. She nodded lightly: "Then hug me!!"
Luffy:???
... Left with no choice, Luffy opened his arms.
Yamato immediately rushed into his embrace, burying her head in his chest. The familiar, reassuring scent lingered at her nose, her eyes curved into crescents, and her heart was filled with a solid sense of security.
Luffy gently wrapped his arms around her delicate, slender, firm, and resilient waist, his movements carrying a hint of clumsy tenderness.
Law, witnessing this from the side, twitched his mouth and silently turned his head away.
Rayleigh's gaze was complex: containing helplessness, understanding, and a touch of the sentiment, "The world of the youth is truly hard to grasp!"
"Ahem!!"
Rayleigh cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention away from the embracing pair, and fixed his gaze on Luffy with a hint of inquiry:
"Luffy, how did you feel about that deadly battle with Kaido?"
"Well..."
Luffy unconsciously stroked Yamato's cool, silky silver hair with his right hand, pondered for a moment, and grinned,
"It was awesome!"
"Of course it was!" Yamato suddenly raised her beautiful head, her stunning face filled with proud satisfaction, her tone cheerful,
"Luffy beat that bastard Kaido really badly!"
"Uh?!"
Both Law and Rayleigh were speechless; even the air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
— That's your biological father!
To so openly roast her own father for an outsider, what kind of "Thoughtful Little Darling" did Kaido even raise?
Just then, the smile on Luffy's face suddenly vanished. He sighed softly and said in a deep voice:
"But if we fight again, the probability of me winning is very low."
As soon as he said this, Law and Rayleigh were instantly astonished, and even Yamato widened her eyes.
"Kaido... he Awakened!"
Luffy added, his tone carrying a hint of gravity.
"What?!"
Rayleigh's expression instantly became uglier than if he had eaten a terrible Devil Fruit, and the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
— Zoan Mythical Type Awakening?!
"This is trouble..."
He muttered softly, the terrifying image of Kaido after his Awakening already forming in his mind.
An Indestructible body + top-tier Three-Color Haki + Azure Dragon Fruit Awakening... An unawakened Kaido was already a monster firmly seated on the throne of the Four Emperors. Now that his Devil Fruit has Awakened, his combat power is practically breaking through the heavens!
His "Indestructible" physique was already difficult to rival, and combined with the terrifying vitality and recovery power of a Zoan Awakening ("falling down repeatedly, only to rise again repeatedly"), along with an extraordinary increase in strength... Kaido like this could truly be called an "Immortal Monster"! His comprehensive strength made him easily comparable to Roger and Whitebeard.
Luffy slumped dazedly on the cloud, staring blankly at the sky, with only one thought in his mind:
He's cheating, Kaido is definitely cheating!
"Alright, Kaido's ability to Awaken isn't just because of you."
Rayleigh noticed his disappointment and quickly offered comfort, afraid that his perfect Apprentice would become depressed from the setback.
"Devil Fruit Awakening is never something that happens overnight. To an outsider, it might look like the final push, but in reality, it requires the user's accumulation and foundation built through extensive practice and refinement."
Luffy looked at Rayleigh in astonishment, his eyes full of confusion.
"All these years he's been trying to commit suicide all over the world, desperately fighting the Marines and other powerhouses—it wasn't just aimless trouble; he was actively challenging his limits and seeking the opportunity for Awakening."
Rayleigh explained, "In fact, he had already touched the critical point of Awakening. You merely happened to be the catalyst."
Upon hearing this, Luffy nodded slightly.
— I see! No wonder Kaido hadn't Awakened even two years later in the Original Work. The difficulty of Awakening a top-tier Mythical Type is indeed ridiculously high.
Moreover, the difference between the "Awakening" of different Devil Fruits is already vast.
The difficulty of Awakening the Azure Dragon Fruit should only be second to nika!!
Even if I can enter the nika form, an Awakened Kaido possesses stamina and recovery power akin to infinite endurance. If I can't completely incapacitate him within half an hour... this battle is impossible to fight!
"So, do I count as the 'Strongest Creature' now? Kawaiido Sensei!!"