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With a sharp crack, the last unbroken horn on Kaido's head split in two under the unbearable pressure!
But here's the question: without his iconic horns, can Kaido still be considered one of the Four Emperors?
The answer is simple: of course!
At worst, he could take a page from Jack the Drought's book—buy a pair of dragon-horn-shaped scimitars and stick them on.
In his Azure Dragon form, though, it does look a bit strange without the horns. Kaido's fearsome image has taken a serious hit.
Even so, battered and bruised with a broken horn and blood dripping from his mouth, Kaido refused to give up.
Not that he was giving up on capturing Fish-Man Island—he refused to abandon the fight entirely!
What a joke! Sure, Kaido may have a twisted love for challenging death and impossible odds, but there's no way he'd let himself die here, under such humiliating circumstances, like some gopher being pounded into the ground.
Such a pathetic end was unthinkable for someone like him.
Kaido aimed to go down in history, to become an even greater legend than Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King. Though, at this rate, he'd end up as nothing more than a historical joke.
Even with the powers of his Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, Kaido couldn't unleash his full strength in the deep sea.
As for taking control of Fish-Man Island?
It's impossible, not with Nami around. Her ability to manipulate massive amounts of seawater with seemingly limitless stamina made the idea laughable.
Who would dare challenge Fish-Man Island with her protecting it? Unless they wanted a colossal beating from the sea itself—or to face a devastating tsunami capable of wiping out fleets.
Nami, the so-called Queen of the Deep Sea, wielded unmatched power underwater, capable of creating tsunamis even more terrifying than the ones summoned by Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
The smarter choice was clear: run. Run far away.
Kaido, however, found himself trapped. The seawater, hardened to the strength of steel, held him fast.
Sure, steel alone couldn't keep someone like Kaido contained.
But with Nami's Deep Sea Scepter—a towering weapon thousands of meters high—Kaido's efforts to escape were futile. He could barely make it a few hundred meters before the scepter came crashing down, knocking him right back to where he started.
It was a never-ending cycle.
In the face of such a monstrous weapon and the sheer power of the ocean, even Kaido seemed to feel the pressure.
But that didn't mean he was out of options.
Kaido's massive Azure Dragon form quickly shrank, transforming into his hybrid beast-man form. Now, only a few meters tall, he was much smaller and more agile.
Big forms had their strength, but smaller forms had their advantages too.
Kaido wasn't done fighting just yet.
Nami's colossal scepter, once so terrifying, could no longer strike Kaido as easily.
In his hybrid beast-man form, Kaido's smaller size allowed him to dodge the scepter's blows with greater agility. He tore through the steel-like water and kept moving, even as the flexible weapon descended again and again.
Each time he escaped, massive shadows loomed over him, leaving Kaido in an embarrassing state. Still, his smaller size reduced the impact of the attacks, allowing him to gradually slip out of Nami's range.
All that remained in the deep sea were trails of blood and a broken dragon horn.
"I'll be back!" Kaido shouted, vowing revenge before disappearing into the distance.
This battle had humiliated Kaido.
Had it not taken place in the deep sea—where his abilities were greatly restricted, preventing him from unleashing his full power with moves like Blast Breath or the devastating Flaming Drum Dragon—he believed the outcome might have been different.
Even so, Kaido refused to think of it as a defeat. He reassured himself:
"I can fly! No matter how strong Nami is in the sea, she can't summon enough water to flood the sky."
It was the ocean's fault, not his weakness. He was Kaido of the Beasts, one of the Four Emperors, the strongest creature on land, in the air, and at sea—or so he thought, even as blood dripped from his mouth.
Yet on this day, Kaido lost more than his last dragon horn. He also lost the title of the strongest creature in the sea.
This was only the beginning.
News of Nami's overwhelming victory spread across the world like wildfire.
"Big News! Four Emperors Kaido defeated! The title of 'Strongest Creature in the Sea, Land, and Air' is no longer his!"
"Big News! The Queen of the Deep Sea has risen! Nami defeats Kaido and claims the reputation of a Four Emperors-level figure!"
"Big News! The Dragon Palace Kingdom under the sea, led by a terrifyingly powerful Mermaid Queen, shocks the world. Will the growing might of the Fish-Men threaten humanity?"
Morgans wasted no time in sensationalizing the event, broadcasting Nami's strength while mocking Kaido's defeat.
Within the World Government, propaganda spread fear about the Fish-Men, subtly hinting at the dangers they posed to humanity.
The Five Elders, once indifferent to the Dragon Palace Kingdom, now saw it as a significant threat. With Poseidon and Nami—a queen who was virtually invincible in the deep sea—the kingdom's power rivaled even the mightiest forces in the world.
The elders feared that the Dragon Palace Kingdom could become an even greater danger than the Four Emperors or the Revolutionary Army, which had recently toppled the Kingdom of Saint Rosward in the South Blue.
While neither the Four Emperors nor the Revolutionary Army could yet threaten the world's stability, the Dragon Palace Kingdom had already proven its capability to challenge the World Government.
Even the legendary Uranus weapon wouldn't be able to erase Fish-Man Island or its queen instantly in the deep sea.
In secret, the World Government began plotting to eliminate Poseidon and, if possible, Nami herself.
The deep sea might be Nami's domain, but the Red Line remained the domain of the so-called "gods."
Fish-Men on land were far weaker than in the sea, and the government intended to use that weakness to their advantage.
As Nami's victory reverberated across the globe, it left even the infamous Doflamingo in shock.
Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, had been defeated. The world had changed.
Doflamingo couldn't believe it. The terrifying Four Emperors Kaido, a monster in his mind, had been defeated like a small rodent by a mermaid.
"Hey, is the world going crazy?" he wondered.
"How could a mermaid be this powerful?"
"Could it be that the legendary Ancient Weapon Poseidon doesn't summon Sea Kings at all, but controls the sea itself?"
"Is the Queen of the Deep Sea really Poseidon?"
As a former Celestial Dragon, Doflamingo had access to far more intelligence than most. Still, he was confused. Quickly, he decided to cut ties with the slave auction houses on Sabaody Archipelago.
After all, they were small-time businesses—why risk angering the terrifying Queen of the Deep Sea for the sake of them?
From his dealings with the Figarland Chamber of Commerce in West Blue and the sales of Kaido's artificial Devil Fruits, Doflamingo was making just as much money as he had from the slave auctions.
The other Seven Warlords of the Sea began to eye Fish-Man Island with more respect after hearing about Kaido's defeat.
Meanwhile, Whitebeard breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing about the island's newfound strength.
To celebrate, he threw a three-day banquet on the Moby Dick.
Of course, it was his sons who paid for it—Whitebeard didn't have money of his own.
No matter what, the Whitebeard Pirates had protected Fish-Man Island for decades, and that bond was not forgotten. Even if Whitebeard grew old or couldn't protect his crew anymore, Fish-Man Island would always be a safe haven for his pirates.
After Kaido was humiliated by Nami, Whitebeard was certain no one would dare to cause trouble on Fish-Man Island again.
Kaido, licking his wounds and recovering from his defeat, found himself attacking low-level pirates who tried to challenge him.
While he may not be able to defeat Whitebeard, Nami, or their crews, Kaido was still the strongest creature on land and in the air.
Even without his horns and injured, he was still Kaido, one of the Four Emperors.
By taking out those weak pirates, Kaido began to regain his confidence.
Meanwhile, in East Blue, Arlong and his crew were ecstatic when they heard the news about Nami defeating Kaido.
"See? Fish-Men are superior to humans!" Arlong grinned.
"Queen Nami is unbeatable!"
But then, the small-time thief Nami, who also saw the news, quietly wiped away her tears.
"Are fishmen really invincible?" she wondered.
"Why is there such a huge gap between us, even though we both have the same name?"
Sometimes, the difference between people could feel bigger than the gap between humans and animals.
"It doesn't matter," she decided.
"Even if I can't defeat those fishmen, I can still save 100 million Berries."
With newfound resolve, Nami wiped her tears away, her eyes narrowing as she spotted a new target—a man with a sword who looked tough, but whose katana seemed worth a fortune.