The decision to head for Zou was made, but one task remained before they could leave. A large island sat relatively close to Fullalead, and Kanata decided it would be their final stop before the long journey to the moving phantom island.
Since they had left Mistoria and Fullalead before their Log Poses could fully reset, the needles still pointed toward the three initial New World starting islands. By following the direct line between Mistoria and Fullalead, they eventually sighted their destination.
"I'm itching to restock the pantry," George said, checking the warehouse inventory with Scotch. "We should load up as much as we can at the next stop."
"Agreed," Scotch replied. "I want to be ready for whatever the hell this sea throws at us next."
It took less than half a day for the three ships to reach the massive island. As they docked, Kanata extended her Observation Haki, but even her range couldn't cover the entire landmass. Of all the islands she had visited, Alabasta's Sandy Island had been the largest, but this place seemed to dwarf even that. Unlike the arid deserts of Alabasta, this island was lush, warm, and humid—a powerhouse of natural resources.
Kanata gathered the entire crew from all three ships on the deck of the flagship and made an announcement.
"From here on, our journey only gets more dangerous. To those of you who joined me at Sabaody simply because you had nowhere else to go: you are free to leave now."
A heavy silence fell over the deck.
"You'll have to find your own work, but you'll no longer be caught in the crossfire of my battles. Our enemies aren't just common pirates; they are the Big Mom Pirates and the Golden Lion Grand Fleet. Living in the New World is a risk no matter where you go, but staying on this ship is the greatest risk of all."
The island was vast and prosperous. Anyone willing to work would find a place here.
"Are you sure about this, Captain?" George asked. "We just finished building up our numbers."
"I value logistics as much as the next leader, but a ship full of non-combatants is a liability in a warzone. If you choose to stay, I admire your spirit—but I cannot guarantee your life."
"Fair enough," Scotch muttered. "If we're going to war, it's better to have people who actually want to be there."
The ratio of fighters to support staff was currently lopsided. Kanata gave them a three-day deadline to decide while the rest of the crew handled the resupply.
"I'm heading into town," Kanata said. "Restock the food, water, and medical supplies as usual."
"Got it," Dragon said. "Scotch, George, and Skura, you're on heavy lifting duty."
While Dragon and the others coordinated the logistics, Kanata took Kaye and Gloriosa into the city. Though they had left Fullalead at dawn, the journey had taken nearly half a day, and evening was fast approaching.
They learned the island was called Laken, home to the Romnis Empire.
"This place is massive," Kanata observed. "They have a powerful military stationed near the port. They must be a World Government member nation—and a wealthy one at that."
"I've never seen so many people in one place," Gloriosa added, holding Kaye's hand tightly. "Even Sabaody wasn't this crowded."
Kaye looked overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the crowds. Gloriosa eventually picked the girl up to ensure they wouldn't be separated. The main thoroughfare was packed with laborers finishing their shifts and heading for the bars.
The air was thick with energy and the occasional rowdy brawl. Drunken men were frequently carted off by the local constabulary. Kanata scanned the stalls for interesting local delicacies to bring back to the ship when she suddenly froze.
A looming shadow fell over them. A man of monstrous proportions, easily mistakable for a giant, stood in the center of the street. He had horns protruding from his head and a massive dragon tattoo winding across his torso.
The man turned, and the moment his eyes met Kanata's, he let out a roar that shook the surrounding buildings.
"OCTAVIAAAAA!!"
"What?!"
A massive iron club—a kanabo—came whistling down toward Kanata's head. She reacted instantly, manifesting a spear of ice to parry the blow. The collision of their Armament Haki sent a shockwave through the street, shattering windows and cracking the pavement.
Gloriosa and Kaye stared in shock.
"Who the hell are you?" Kanata demanded, her voice cold.
"What?! You're gonna pretend you forgot me?!" the giant roared. "After all the times you beat the hell out of me?! If you're still alive, I'm gonna be the one to kill you!"
His face was flushed, and a massive gourd of sake was clutched in his free hand. He was blind drunk.
"Kaidou?!" Gloriosa gasped. "Why is he here... No, he's a pirate; I shouldn't be surprised."
"You know him?" Kanata asked.
"From the old days," Gloriosa said, her face twisting in disgust. "A memory I'd rather forget."
Kanata understood immediately. This drunkard must have been part of the same crew as Linlin and her mother, Octavia. He was likely another remnant of the Rocks Pirates.
"Do you need help?" Gloriosa asked.
"No! Get Kaye back to the ship!" Kanata ordered. "This is going to get ugly."
She didn't want the child anywhere near a fight of this scale. As Gloriosa retreated toward the docks with Kaye, Kanata turned her full attention to the beast before her.
"Kaidou... So, you're the captain of the Beast Pirates."
His bounty was over 800 million berries. He was a monster that even Junxi or Zen would struggle against. Kanata didn't have her preferred spear with her, but she could create whatever weapons she needed. Her only concern was the collateral damage.
"Raaaaagh!"
Kaidou swung his club again. Kanata caught the blow, redirected it, and delivered a snapping kick to his jaw. He was incredibly sturdy—his Haki was dense and oppressive.
"Hey!" Kanata shouted to a terrified bystander nearby. "Is there an open area around here? Somewhere uninhabited?"
"E-East! The military proving grounds! They're empty this time of day!"
"Thanks."
Kanata grabbed Kaidou by one of his horns and physically hurled the massive man toward the northeast. He crashed into the earth of the proving grounds, creating a crater, but stood up immediately as if he hadn't felt a thing.
The two faced off in the center of the empty field.
"You keep screaming Octavia's name," Kanata said, manifesting a jagged ice blade. "I think it's time I shut you up for good."
"Pah! You're the one who's gonna die!"
Their weapons clashed again, this time infused with Conqueror's Haki. The sky split above them, and the island groaned under the weight of the pressure. Dark lightning crackled as their wills collided.
Kaidou rained down a barrage of strikes, trying to crush her through sheer force. Kanata danced through the assault, parrying his club and landing precision strikes on his torso.
(He's incredibly tough,) Kanata thought. (Normal Haki won't cut it. I need to go deeper.)
She dodged a horizontal swing and drove an uppercut into his chin. Simultaneously, she froze his feet to the ground and unleashed a burst of Internal Destruction Haki directly into his gut.
Kaidou gasped as blood sprayed from his mouth.
"So, that actually hurts you," she noted.
External attacks were useless against his hide. Whether it was a Devil Fruit or just natural resilience, she had to destroy him from the inside out.
"Don't look down on me!" Kaidou roared.
The air grew hot as Kaidou's body shifted, expanding and twisting until a gargantuan blue dragon loomed over the field. He was even larger than Feiyun in her full form. The dragon opened its maw, light beginning to cohere in its throat.
"Blast Breath!"
A beam of concentrated heat incinerated the air. Kanata knew she couldn't dodge—the beam would hit the city behind her. She stood her ground, manifesting a massive shield of Haki-infused ice.
The heat was intense, but it paled in comparison to the fire of Big Mom's Prometheus.
"Lukewarm," Kanata muttered.
The proving grounds were now a hellscape of fire and ice. Kanata grinned, her arms glowing with a terrifying amount of Haki.
***
Meanwhile, Scotch and Zen had just finished placing their orders for supplies when the commotion reached the main street.
"What's that? A riot?" Scotch asked.
"It seems a bit large for a riot," Zen replied. "The local army is mobilizing."
As they watched the chaos, they saw Gloriosa running toward them with Kaye.
"Gloriosa! What happened?"
"Scotch! Zen! Kanata is being attacked by a drunken madman! They've moved the fight to the proving grounds!"
"A drunk?" Scotch raised an eyebrow.
"Kaidou is fighting?!" a loud voice bellowed from across the street.
"Yes! He attacked some beautiful woman!" a lackey shouted.
"A beautiful woman? I'd like to see that... but if Kaidou's attacking her, she's probably a grease spot by now."
"Actually, she blocked his club with her bare hands!"
Scotch turned to see a man who looked remarkably like him. Same build, same hair, same face—smoking a cigar and reacting wildly to his subordinates' reports.
Zen looked at the man, then back at Scotch. "Is that... a long-lost brother?"
"Like hell he is! It's a coincidence!" Scotch snapped.
The man across the street noticed them. His eyes met Scotch's, and the subordinate standing next to him blinked in confusion.
"Is that... Lord Queen's brother?"
"LIKE HELL HE IS! IT'S A COINCIDENCE!" the man screamed.
They had said the exact same thing at the exact same time.
Before Zen could comment, another man appeared. He was tall, with black wings and a mask, and a constant flame burning on his back.
"Lord King!" the subordinates cheered.
"Stop playing around, you idiots," King said coldly. "I've identified the woman Kaidou is fighting. It's the Witch."
"Huh?! I wasn't playing around, you gimp!" the man named Queen barked. He looked at a bounty poster his men handed him. "She is a beauty. But look at that bounty... it's double Kaidou's!"
"She's a monster," King said. "Get ready. Her crew is bound to be nearby."
Queen turned his gaze back to Scotch and Zen, comparing them to the posters in his hand. "That's them!"
King didn't wait. He drew his blade and lunged at Zen. The Mink reacted instantly, parrying the strike with his Haki-clad spear. The two clashed in a blur of speed.
"I have no personal grudge," King said through his mask, "but Kaidou's orders are absolute. Die here."
"I think I'll pass!" Zen replied, his spear spinning. "You're a strange race of man, aren't you?"
"Look who's talking!"
While King and Zen traded blows, Queen stepped toward Scotch. He raised a Haki-infused fist, intending to crush the man who shared his face. Scotch, who couldn't use Haki yet, braced for impact—but Gloriosa stepped in, handing Kaye to Scotch and intercepting the blow.
"I won't let you!"
The clash of Haki sent Scotch stumbling back. He quickly turned his back to the shockwave to protect Kaye.
(He's strong,) Gloriosa thought, her arms tingling. (One of Kaidou's top officers, no doubt.) It was the perfect chance to shake off the last of her "retirement" rust.
"Take Kaye to the ship! I'll handle this one!"
"Thanks! Good luck!" Scotch shouted, making a break for it.
"Don't run, you coward!" Queen roared, but Gloriosa blocked his path.
"Focus on me, boy! I'm not as fragile as I look!"
***
The battle lasted for five days.
The port town was nearly leveled as the Beast Pirates' superior numbers clashed with the elite members of Kanata's crew. Despite being outnumbered, the "Witch's" crew held the line with tactical superiority and devastating Devil Fruit powers.
But the centerpiece of the conflict was the duel between Kanata and Kaidou.
Kaidou was a force of nature, attempting to pulverize everything in his path with raw, overwhelming violence. Kanata, however, was a surgeon—breaking him down with cold, calculating precision and a level of technique he couldn't match.
The scales finally tipped.
" 'The Beast' Kaidou... A fitting name," Kanata said, standing over the wreckage of the proving grounds. "You're strong. I'll give you that."
But strength alone wasn't enough to bridge the gap. Compared to the seasoned monsters like Shiki or Big Mom, this younger Kaidou was still unrefined.
The proving grounds were a scarred landscape of charred earth and jagged glaciers. Yet, despite the five-day ordeal, Kanata stood without a single mark on her.
To be precise, any wound Kaidou had managed to inflict had already healed. Her natural recovery and the brief pauses in the fighting had been more than enough for her to fully regenerate.
"But," Kanata added, looking down at the fallen giant, "you're not ready for me yet."
Kaidou lay unconscious in a pool of his own blood. One of his magnificent horns had been snapped clean off.
***
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