"Hey! What is that?!"
When the flame dragon appeared in the sky, Doflamingo, straining his neck to look up, was almost dumbfounded. It was the first time he had seen Kaido use that technique! It was truly breathtaking! Such a colossal monster crashing down would probably shatter a small island.
Then, Roa also created an equally impressive Flame God.
"What are those two doing?!" Doflamingo's legs were trembling. Roa can also use techniques like that? Just by looking at their size, you can tell they're ridiculously powerful! This is bad! I feel like I'm going to be directly melted by the aftermath of their battle!
"Wa-yah!!" Compared to him, little Yamato, barely six months old and held by her nanny, displayed extraordinary courage. The infant was smiling and gurgling towards the sky, seemingly eager to join the two monsters' wild revelry.
"Come on! Roa!" Without any hesitation, the flame dragon charged directly at Roa. "Blazing Bagua!"
Roa slowly exhaled, gripping his twin blades tightly, continuously channeling Haki and blood energy into the massive Flame God. Both powerful energies condensed into the giant's right fist, turning the already vibrant red flames into a deep crimson.
"Shichiten Taisei Ken (Stone Shattering Heavenly Shock Fist)!!"
The giant, formed from flames, swung its enormous right fist.
Boom!!
The moment the pitch-black dragon head collided with the crimson giant's right fist, scorching flames engulfed the entire sky! Both sides were monsters formed from flames, so neither's temperature could inflict damage on the other. At this point, it was purely a contest of strength and Haki.
Kaido's Haki was, of course, stronger than Roa's.
But boom!!
Accompanied by a muffled roar that shook the heavens, the colossal flame dragon was sent flying to one side.
"Didn't I already tell you a year ago, Brother Kaido!" Roa laughed loudly. "Don't use your subordinate abilities to challenge me, a true natural disaster!"
What Kaido created was merely fire, while what Roa controlled was the calamity of fire! Forget about Kaido's subordinate elemental abilities, even Logia users couldn't compare to Roa in their most specialized elemental domains!
The Flame Giant flapped its wings in pursuit.
"Roa!" Kaido, of course, wouldn't flee. The flame dragon charged again.
Boom!
The two behemoths began to brawl in the sky, resembling a Ultraman fighting a monster.
"Boss is completely dominating," King looked up at the sky, watching the Flame God deliver punch after punch, pushing the flame dragon back. He couldn't help but sigh.
"Boss hasn't even gone all out yet," Bullet said, crossing his arms, a smirk on his face. He's only used fire so far!
"So," Roa controlled the Flame Giant, speaking softly, "I felt there was no need to continue cutting." When Kaido could no longer suppress him in the field of physical combat, there was nothing left to say.
"It's not over yet!" The flame dragon, almost twisted out of shape by the Flame Giant's punches, quickly reformed amidst Kaido's roar. With a relentless momentum, it charged at Roa again.
"It's pointless to drag this out. Let's put an end to it." Roa finally took a deep breath. Endless black energy rapidly converged on him, quickly replenishing the stamina heavily consumed by the Flame Giant.
Then.
Whoosh!!
On the Flame Giant's right arm, a towering tornado merged into it, transforming the colossal fiery hand into a furiously spinning vortex of flames.
Crack!
Brilliant lightning struck the Flame Giant's right hand, making the giant's right hand glow.
"Shining Finger!" Roa shouted a technique name that few young people would likely recognize. The Flame Giant threw another punch at the flame dragon's head.
Unlike the previous several clashes, this time, accompanied by surging winds and leaping lightning, the overwhelming power finally allowed the Flame Giant's fist to slowly penetrate the black dragon's head. Then, the clenched fist opened, reaching out to grab Kaido.
It grabbed empty air.
Kaido, in his Hybrid form, had already instantly launched himself into the sky, flying to an even higher altitude. His reaction was quite fast. There was no helping it; Roger had already taught him that the biggest weakness of such large-scale techniques was their slowness.
The Flame Giant slowly dispersed, and Roa flapped his wings, flying in front of Kaido. "That's it for now, alright, Brother Kaido?"
"You brat!!" Kaido's chest heaved violently, the muscles on his face twitching, and his eyes overflowing with disbelief. Being evenly matched with Roa in hand-to-hand combat earlier was already infuriating enough. And now, he was completely suppressed by Roa after he used his abilities!
In just one year, has this brat evolved to such an extent? Have I been surpassed by him?
Watching the shifting emotions on Kaido's face, Roa couldn't help but sigh.
Surpassing Brother Kaido is a piece of cake, isn't it?
A year ago, the gap was already basically negligible. Now, even in close-quarters combat using only physical techniques, he could fight him to a draw. And once he started using his full power, Brother Kaido could only be suppressed.
Hmm, looked at this way, not counting physical combat, but purely in terms of ability, then without a doubt, I'm already very close to the level of Rayleigh and Gaban. Especially if he had enough black energy, it might not even be wrong to say he could directly contend with them.
However, compared to such strong individuals, his close-quarters combat ability was still somewhat weaker; it was a minor weakness.
But, the more crucial matter now was,
Roa looked at Kaido. Unwillingness, anger, bewilderment—various negative emotions made Roa feel as if he could turn him into a demon in the next instant. He knew it would come to this.
Kaido was, of course, not a fragile person, nor was he incapable of accepting defeat; the title of "All-Defeated Kaido" wasn't for show. It was just that it happened too fast, too easily. Roa had effortlessly left him behind.
It's like they say, you don't want your brother to suffer, but you also don't want him driving a luxury car.
"Roa!" Kaido also looked at Roa.
Is this brat very proud right now? Proud of easily suppressing him, proud of him bringing this upon himself?
However, on Roa's face, he only saw a hint of a sigh, followed by a placid expression. This infuriated Kaido even more. Possessing strength superior to his own, and this brat wasn't even excited?
"Don't be like that, Brother Kaido, what's there to be proud of?" Seeing Kaido's emotional change, Roa spoke helplessly. "There's no point in being proud of something that's only natural and expected, is there?"
Natural? Roa's arrogance stunned Kaido. But then he thought, wasn't it already known that Roa possessed unparalleled talent? Even Rocks looked at Roa differently, calling him his successor before his defeat.
Was it because it happened too fast that it was hard to accept? And was the difficulty in accepting it due to the subconscious belief that there was no longer any possibility of catching up?
What a joke!
A greater fury, like a surging volcanic eruption, burst forth at this moment. This time, it was directed at himself.
Because Roa has unparalleled talent, am I just weakly enraged?
Kaido could not accept it, absolutely could not accept this version of himself! If he himself gave up first, he might as well die!
"Don't get too proud, Roa!" So, Kaido glared intently at Roa. "This isn't over yet!"
Brother Kaido's mental fortitude was indeed exceptional; he had already adjusted his imbalanced mindset in a short time. After all, he was a future top-tier powerhouse; if his mental fortitude were weak, he could never have reached the position of a Yonko.
However, Roa's primary reason for refusing to fight Kaido was actually another.
"Want to catch up to me? You can. I'll give you time, until you can no longer see me in the distance!" Roa slightly raised his chin, speaking with a smile.
"You brat!" Kaido gritted his teeth inwardly. He just said he wasn't proud! This arrogance was practically ingrained in his bones! But he had to admit, Roa indeed had the right to be arrogant.
Roa continued, "But before that, Brother Kaido, it seems it's time to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?" Kaido was stunned, then once again furious. "What do you mean, you brat? Are you looking down on me? I'm not that narrow-minded!"
Just because he's surpassed me, he can't tolerate me staying in Wano anymore? Is this brat looking down on him?
"No, it's not because of that," Roa shook his head. "I told you, Brother Kaido, we were equals, but now, it's no longer equal." He looked deeply at Kaido. "Neither of us are people who are content to be subservient to others."
Their alliance was originally built on the basis that neither could do anything to the other, but they still wanted to band together for warmth. And now, that equality was broken. Not only in terms of power, but Roa's personal strength had also surpassed Kaido's. And the tradition of this world was that the strong held power. When power became unbalanced, it would tilt towards Roa. This was unavoidable, no matter how harmonious Roa and Kaido's relationship was.
After all, Mr. Uchiha Madara, the dance master next door, had a famous quote: Power is not will, but a phenomenon caused by matter. The gap truly existed and did not shift according to their wills. And the stronger party would naturally have more say. And this was something Kaido would absolutely not accept.
One had to admit, sometimes the best way to maintain a harmonious relationship was to keep a little distance. Allowing the Beast Pirates and the Calamity Company, who were like family, to maintain a distance and work together for common interests without interfering with each other was the long-term solution.
As expected, after hearing Roa's words, Kaido immediately fell into deep thought. His annoyed expression instantly vanished from his face, replaced by a somewhat complex look when he regarded Roa. He certainly wasn't willing to be subservient to others, even if that person was Roa. With the strength and growth rate Roa displayed, would his words still hold meaning in a few years? Who would Wano Country belong to? How would his pirates view Roa?
So, this brat, was he always considering him? His previous unwillingness to fight him was to delay this day's arrival. Roa, he truly was his best brother! Even for a social Darwinist like Kaido, he couldn't help but feel a little moved at this moment.
"Don't worry too much, Brother Kaido, the alliance still stands," Roa said with a smile. "We're still good brothers."
Just kidding, how could I just give up the factories, mines, and Seastone of Wano Country?
"Hmph, you brat, you just have too many tricks up your sleeve." Although moved, Kaido still maintained a cold sneer on his face.
Roa couldn't help but sigh. A tsundere man was just too disgusting, Brother Kaido.
"What are you planning to do, brat?"
"After leaving Wano Country, I'll just travel around and see things," Roa said casually. "Anyway, with the Germa Kingdom, it doesn't matter where I go. I haven't really seen this world properly yet."
Kaido slowly nodded. With Roa's current strength, he truly had nothing to fear wherever he went.
"I'll host a farewell banquet for you tonight."
"Wow, Brother Kaido, did you want to get rid of me all along? So eager? It'll take me some time to pack up too."
The tension from earlier had completely vanished, and they were already like brothers again. This was called emotional intelligence; learn it.
Two days later, Kaido hosted a grand farewell banquet for Roa and his group at Onigashima Castle. Roa also rarely had a drink. It was still a bit hard to part. Hachinosu Island was his first home, the Land of Endless War was his second home, and Wano Country, where he had stayed for over a year, was definitely his third home. It was hard to leave familiar grounds.
It seemed that little Yamato sensed Roa was leaving. She babbled and clung to him throughout the banquet, refusing to be separated for a moment. Her mother had disappeared after giving birth to her, and Roa was indeed the person who had spent the most time with her.
Looking at the whimpering infant, Roa couldn't help but say, "If you miss me so much, how about it, Brother Kaido, let Yamato come with me?"
"Get lost!"
So stingy, huh. Well, that was fine too. It would be too strange to raise her from infancy.
In any case, the next day, the snails, who had stayed in Wano Country for over a year, set off again for the first time in a long while, descending the steep cliffs of Wano Country and returning to the high seas once more. Kaido didn't come to see them off, and Roa didn't say goodbye either. The parting of true men needed no excessive words. They remained allies who would watch out for each other.
"So, where should we go next?" Roa leaned back on the palace throne, lost in thought.
Perhaps to solve his dilemma, the Den Den Mushi placed nearby suddenly rang with a puru puru sound. Roa raised an eyebrow, casually picked up the Den Den Mushi, and answered, "It's me."
"Boss! Sorry, I've run into a bit of trouble here and need your help!" The voice from the other end was one of Roa's subordinates. But it wasn't Morgans, who usually called him to report on the situation around the world. Instead, it was...
"Umit?" Roa became a bit interested. "What's wrong?"
"Someone's investigating the origin of the weapons! I think I've been targeted!" Umit, the Transport Minister of the Calamity Company, said from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
"Oh? Such a thing?" Roa frowned. "Who is it?"
The World Government? The World Summit a year ago ended without any results. The epidemic was still an epidemic, the genocide of the Flevanese people was still a genocide, and the kings who attended the meeting said nothing. So, the riots in the North Blue were still ongoing, and the World Government was naturally investigating where the Flevanese people's weapons came from.
Or, Uncle Shiki? He had profited quite a bit when Wang Zhi and Silver Axe fought him. He hoped Shiki wouldn't be angry when he found out.
Whitebeard wasn't out of the question either. His home, Sphinx, had recently seen an uprising, and he immediately went back to quell the unrest. He was probably still scrambling to resolve internal conflicts. If it were these guys, it would be troublesome.
"It's Chin Jao."
"Huh?" Roa paused. "Who?"
A familiar name, but are there any monsters in this world called that?
"It's Chin Jao, the leader of the Happo Navy!"
"Huh?"
What stray dog is that?!