Under the furious battle that shook the mountains and skies of the Island of Gods, the confrontation reached its peak.
Garp, Roger, and Rocks stood in a triangular standoff, their bloodied faces twisted with fury as they glared at one another.
Puff!
Suddenly, like a faucet bursting open, blood gushed uncontrollably from a one-meter-long wound on Rocks D. Xebec's body.
He staggered, teeth clenched, and fell to his knees.
He had reached his limit.
"Yes!!"
"Vice Admiral Garp won!"
"Captain Roger! Nice work!"
"Rocks is going down! The Roger Pirates are the strongest on the seas!"
Both the Marines and Roger Pirates erupted in cheers.
From across the battlefield, warriors like Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, and Ochoku—locked in fierce battles with the Navy and Roger Pirates—momentarily turned their gazes toward the scene.
Yet none of them showed sorrow or concern over their captain's fall.
"Deputy Captain Rayleigh!!!"
A cry of alarm rang out from a Roger Pirate.
Eyes turned toward the sky, only to witness Kaido's massive mace slashing across Rayleigh's face, breaking the glasses on his nose and leaving a long, bloody gash.
"Rayleigh!!"
Scopper Gaban, one of Roger's top officers, leapt forward and caught Rayleigh mid-air. The crew quickly gathered, worry etched on their faces.
Scopper Gaban reassured them:"Don't worry. I've checked. The wound is deep, but it's not fatal."
"Damn that kid! Hurting the Vice-Captain like this?! Let's gut him!"Sikar, another Roger Pirate, roared and charged at Kaido with his weapon drawn.
Despite having just fought Roger and Rayleigh, Kaido—who had already touched the peak power of his future self—still stood strong.
"Today, we'll execute the two monsters of the Rocks Pirates!"Vice Admiral Sengoku shouted, raising his hand.
Though Kaido was officially just a "trainee" of the Rocks Pirates, everyone present knew the truth: in raw strength, he was their true No. 2.
Sengoku was determined not to let him escape alive.
But in that moment, a surge of dark, abyssal energy erupted from Kaido's core, flooding every inch of his body. The wounds from battle—and even from body modifications—healed at an unnatural pace.
Pain no longer meant anything to him.
Kaido's face twisted, his features growing more beastly as the transformation began again. Dragon horns and whiskers sprouted anew.
In a flash, Kaido transformed into his full blue dragon form, soaring into the stormy skies above.
"How is this possible?! He just fought Roger and Rayleigh—how can he still have enough strength left to transform?!"
Scopper Gaban stared in disbelief.
And in that moment—before the eyes of countless warriors, Marines, and pirates alike—Kaido defied reality once more.
Even his dragon body strained to contain the immense power now rising from the depths of the abyss...