For instance, in Luke's case, his original Beast Form would normally give him bat wings instead of arms, a body covered in dark purple fur, and a menacing appearance.
But now, instead of turning his arms into bat wings, he had grown a pair of wings from his back, resembling a true demon. His ten fingers could also shift between normal and clawed forms at will.
After numerous experiments, he had memorized various transformation frequencies and could shift between forms without relying on the drug.
In a way, this was proof of having fully mastered his own Zoan Fruit ability.
Key members of the Netherworld Pirates, like Kuro, Lafitte, and Burgess, had also been given these special drugs, granting them additional transformation states and enhancing their combat strength.
But for Luke, at his current level, the drug no longer serves much purpose beyond modifying his transformation frequencies.
So, he rarely used it anymore.
"Cough... Cough..."
No one knew how much time had passed.
Lying in a pool of blood, with countless broken bones, Kaido slowly regained consciousness.
His whole body ached terribly, as though it was no longer his own.
Feeling himself teetering on the brink of death once again, the so-called strongest creature on land, sea, and air grimaced.
"Hiss... That really hurts... Why didn't you just kill me?"
Unable to move, he glared at Luke with bloodshot eyes.
"Killing you would be too easy."
Luke smirked, arms crossed. "I was planning to finish you off, but I changed my mind."
In the past, wounds of this magnitude would have left Kaido either dead or barely clinging to life.
At the very least, he would have been unconscious for three days and three nights before regaining consciousness.
But now, despite being unable to move, his terrifying injuries were visibly healing, and his strength was slowly returning.
His awakened Azure Dragon ability had granted him an absurd level of regeneration.
For most people, even if they managed to defeat Kaido, actually killing him would be virtually impossible.
At this point, he had truly earned his title as the strongest creature.
"Hah... You want me to surrender?"
Kaido, still lying there, let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"Keep dreaming!"
Not even Rocks D. Xebec, the former ruler of the seas, had ever made him submit.
Big Mom once tried to recruit him, only for him to trick her into giving him the Azure Dragon Fruit before running off to form the Beast Pirates.
Even though he fully acknowledged Luke's monstrous strength, submission was out of the question.
"No, I'm not stupid enough to think I can make someone like you surrender."
Luke said casually, shrugging his shoulders.
"But... Cooperation is another story."
Using threats of life or death on a guy like Kaido was pointless.
However, considering his battle-hungry nature, there was another way to make use of him.
It would be a waste to leave such a powerful force idle.
Of course, if Kaido refused, Luke wouldn't hesitate to knock him unconscious and drop him from ten thousand meters directly onto Marineford.
"Oh?"
Kaido, still sprawled out on the ground, twitched slightly, showing a hint of curiosity.
Was Luke suggesting an alliance with the Beasts Pirates?
But Kaido wasn't stupid; he didn't trust this scheming bastard one bit.
If he boarded this ship, there was a real possibility that his entire crew would be swallowed whole, leaving nothing behind.
"I'll cut to the chase."
Luke said.
"I'm planning to attack Mary Geoise and drag those so-called gods off their high thrones."
"Are you in or not?"
He didn't care if Kaido secretly plotted against him or planned to backstab him in favor of the World Government.
Because Kaido no longer had a choice.
Luke had already drained a massive chunk of his lifespan using his Vampire Fruit. Right now, Kaido was effectively an 80-to-90-year-old man.
Whether he fully recovered or not depended entirely on Luke's mercy.
The real reason Luke had even bothered extending the offer…
It was because Kaido's awakened Azure Dragon powers had earned his respect.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have even asked.
"What?"
Kaido's pupils contracted sharply.
He looked at Luke in disbelief. "You're planning to attack Mary Geoise?"
He never expected such madness that Luke was already preparing to storm the Holy Land and overthrow the World Government.
This was something Kaido himself had always dreamed of.
He had long wanted to launch the greatest war in history, dragging those so-called World Nobles into the most brutal battlefield imaginable.
But he never had the power to make it happen.
"According to my investigations, the Five Elders, the ones who hold the highest authority in the World Government, are all Mythical Zoan users, and they've all awakened their devil fruit ability."
"What!?"
Kaido was stunned.
Were all the Five Elders Mythical Zoan users? And they were awakened?
"Wo ro ro ro ro... Now, that's interesting."
His eyes lit up instantly.
Excitement flooded through him, so intense it bordered on madness.
He burst into laughter. "Such an incredible war... How could I possibly miss out? ... I'm in!!!"