'The strongest in a one-on-one fight? That'd be Kaido.'
People say that.
In the pirate world, he's called the 'Strongest Creature'.
His oni Bloodline granted him innate might, letting even a green youth claim a seat among the Monster-filled Rocks Pirates.
Later, the top-tier Devil Fruit he ate pushed his ceiling even higher.
Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Azure Dragon model!
A supreme Mythical Zoan, unimaginable defense and vitality, plus Haoshoku tempered to the Peak!
Say nothing else—
When it comes to sheer pressure—
The Five Elders, those ageless stars, radiate plenty when they all appear, right?
Now picture five Kaidos, each shouldering a Kanabo, standing across from you!
And Kaido's strength hasn't even hit its limit!
The Azure Dragon Fruit hasn't been developed to Awakening.
The 'Oni-Dragon' form was scrapped, never shown in the original.
If those two were unleashed, it's hard to imagine a victory for Nika Luffy.
Admiral. Four Emperors.
Two titles that symbolise the pirate world's top might.
Their templates merged inside Aokiji's body.
Naturally, the Kaido template is fully unlocked as well!
Hiss—this feeling is way fiercer than Cultivating.
Aokiji clenched his fist; the air wailed.
The fused power of Admiral and Emperor seemed ready to burst out of his body!
'Any prep—use it now. Let me feel the current strength.'
'Hah… hah—'
The Tsukuyomi Leader panted uncontrollably.
His body reacted instinctively to the extreme threat.
The indescribable, solid pressure no longer spilled out wildly.
Yet, once gathered, the sense of crisis it gave him spiked!
'…May I ask one thing?'
The Tsukuyomi Leader stared hard at Aokiji.
Facing the fear his body produced on its own.
'Are you… human?'
This wasn't a curse.
Nor shocked babble.
He simply wanted the plain meaning of the words.
He had to know.
Was this dragon-like, despair-radiating thing before him
a power meant to protect humanity,
or a threat to destroy it?
'…Am I seeing things?' Snake slapped his own head in disbelief.
Why else would he see Aokiji turned into a hulking dragon-man with horns and tail?
'You saw it too?' Smiling Superman looked back, stunned.
'I was about to check into hospital for hallucinations!'
A hero in a full-coverage helmet gasped beside them:
'Don't tell me Aokiji is a Monster?!'
'I'm one-hundred-percent human,' Aokiji boomed.
'Even forty thousand years from now, I'm pure-blooded Homo sapiens.'
The Tsukuyomi Leader studied him in silence.
Eyes full of scrutiny.
'Judging by your tone, you wouldn't lie about something so obvious. For now, I'll believe you're human in that form.'
He stood with difficulty.
A normal body looked tiny before Aokiji, who had swollen to non-human size.
'I meant to release things step by step and grind you down slowly…'
'Now—everything at once!'
A synthetic Monster big enough to blanket the whole street dropped from the sky!
Its bloated, hideous frame smashed into the city.
Drool poured from a mouth full of crooked fangs.
Six whitened eyes held only primal instinct.
It looked like a super-sized version of the chimera that once nearly killed young Tatsumaki.
The body the Tsukuyomi Leader possessed pushed its Esper power to the limit.
Nearby, unconscious Artificial Espers seemed taken over by some will.
Vast psychic energies spilled out and merged into the body he controlled.
A black star on his forehead flashed non-stop; cracks split his skin.
Oh, absorption boost—looks like the body will collapse soon.
Aokiji glanced up at the machines in the sky—
amplifiers, limiters, damage-dealers, all running in sync.
Pretty thorough prep… Just then, a voice came from a distant rooftop.
'Hey! Genus said the target was a human—what is that thing?!'
A dark-brown beetle with a human face asked warily.
Beside him, Beast King was equally lost.
'I met him before; back then he really was just an ordinary human…'
'This is insane! The aura he's giving off is unreal!' Carnage Kabuto seethed.
He had only just been successfully created.
Genus had excitedly declared the perfect chance had come and ordered him out at once.
Carnage Kabuto wasn't the type to obey loyally.
After slaughtering a few dozen of their clones
did he finally set off to meet the 'strong one' Genus spoke of.
But that thing was a pure Monster!
Even across several streets
Carnage Kabuto could sense, amid the giant chimera and the power-spiked Tsukuyomi Leader,
that the strongest presence was still Aokiji!
The Tsukuyomi Leader finished storing psychic power.
Cracks all over his body, he spoke:
'Come, Aokiji…'
'Hold on.' Aokiji tilted his head slightly.
'I need to discipline an unruly partner first.'
Without waiting for consent,
the ground exploded into dust!!
Air burst apart with a boom!!
The dumbstruck colossal chimera looked down.
Six vacant eyes stared at its motionless master.
'Roar—' We done? I'm hungry.
'…Wait.' the Tsukuyomi Leader said weakly.
On the rooftop in the distance,
Carnage Kabuto surged power through his body.
He would go straight to his strongest form and, the instant battle started over there, barge in with a sneak attack!
His dark-brown shell swelled, turning an eerie purple.
'Once fully unleashed, even a Monster can't stand against my power!!'
'Hey Asura! What are you—?!'
Beast King stared in horror at the colleague he'd only just met.
The guy had already felt terrifying enough before.
Now, after the change, every hair on Beast King stood on end!
'Shut it! I'm dying to kill something—keep yapping and I'll start with you!'
Carnage Kabuto warned with contempt.
Beast King could only back away.
'Hah~ this power!' Carnage Kabuto savoured the sensation. 'Let's call this form Asura Mode!'
He looked over confidently: 'Might as well attack right now…'
BOOM—!!!
Black-crimson lightning cracked as Aokiji slammed down!
Even taller than Carnage Kabuto, he strode from the rolling smoke.
In his hand, ice condensed into the shape of a Kanabo.
Armament Haki and Haoshoku both entwined!
A terrifying black-red storm brewed upon it!!
'Genus, you're watching, right.'
Aokiji raised the ice Kanabo high,
like the sky itself about to fall.
'Didn't you say—when the bugs are raised, let me know… Guess I'll just have to squash this pest.'
'Thunder Bellow Bagua—!!!'
...
(Throw some stones)