"Rumble…"
Thunder cracked across a perpetually dim sea, and colossal waves crashed against an unseen shore. A dense, unnatural fog shrouded the waters, making it impossible to distinguish sky from sea, or to find any sense of direction. Above it all, on the floating island held aloft by Kaido's Flame Clouds, Eneru stared out at the gloomy landscape with a sour expression.
It wasn't that he disliked the environment. As a user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he quite enjoyed the thundering, electric atmosphere. His foul mood stemmed from five straight days of Haki training under Kaido with absolutely nothing to show for it. There was still no sign of the power awakening within him.
Through Kaido's gruff lessons, he now understood what Haki truly was and knew of its classifications: Observation, Armament, and the rarest of all, Conqueror's. As for whether he possessed the aptitude for Conqueror's Haki, Eneru had no doubts. He may have suffered a humiliating defeat at Kaido's hands, but before that, he was a god. How could a god not possess the disposition of a king?
"Hey, Big Brother Kaido," he whined, having grown accustomed to the informal title over the past few days. "Why haven't I awakened Haki yet?"
Kaido shot him a withering, speechless glare. "What do you think Haki is, a cheap trinket? You've been at it for less than five days and you're already complaining? Some people train their entire lives and never awaken it."
Eneru knew it was unreasonable to expect results so soon; he was just venting his frustration. He was a god, and patience was not one of his virtues.
"Alright, don't be so anxious," Kaido grumbled, sensing the man's impatience. "Your Devil Fruit ability already makes you one of the strongest people in this world, and your natural Observation Haki is exceptional. You just need to learn Armament to protect yourself and awaken your Conqueror's Haki to impose your will. Once you do that, you'll be one of the true top-tier fighters on this sea."
That praise soothed Eneru's ego slightly. "Is there any way to speed up the process? A faster way to awaken Armament and Conqueror's Haki?"
Kaido thought for a moment, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "Your biggest weakness is your body. You've relied on your lightning powers for so long you've neglected to train your physical form. If you really want to get stronger, fast, there are two ways."
"What are they?" Eneru asked, his eyes lighting up.
"Simple. The first is to temporarily suppress your Devil Fruit ability. You've heard of Sea Prism Stone, right?"
Eneru's expression sharpened as he understood. "You mean I should train while wearing Sea Prism Stone cuffs? I can try that. What's the other method?"
Kaido's grin widened. "The other method? Even simpler. There's nothing that awakens Haki faster than a life-or-death battle… or a good beating."
Seeing the predatory glint in Kaido's eyes, Eneru's face stiffened. He instantly knew what that meant.
Kaido let out a deep laugh. "Don't worry, I'll control my strength. Besides, it won't just be you. When we get back to Onigashima, I'm putting you and the other All-Stars through the same training regimen. I treat everyone equally. Worororo…"
Eneru's face turned several shades paler.
Fortunately for him, a new sight interrupted the conversation. Emerging from the thick fog on the vast sea below was a ship so massive it looked like a floating island. Kaido's senses had already picked it up.
"We're here," he announced.
Eneru looked down and saw the miraculous, ghostly vessel. "What is this place?"
"Thriller Bark," Kaido answered with a sneer. "The master here, like Doflamingo, is one of the Seven Warlords. But he's the weakest of the bunch. Why don't you go down and say hello for me?"
Eneru's eyes lit up at the chance to unleash his power. He closed his eyes, sensing for the strongest presence on the ship below. "A Warlord, huh? No problem. Leave it to me!"
In a flash of lightning, Eneru vanished. He reappeared an instant later, perched on the highest spire of the gothic castle that dominated Thriller Bark. He spun his golden staff, feeling the aura of the ship's master in the chambers below. Lightning began to crackle across his body as he pointed the staff to the stormy sky, drawing the raw, chaotic power of the Florian Triangle to him.
"Divine Judgment!"
"BOOM!!!"
A pillar of pure lightning, so bright it momentarily burned away the fog and illuminated the entire sea, descended from the heavens. It struck the castle with a deafening roar, turning stone to dust in a brilliant, violent explosion.
All across Thriller Bark, every living person, every reanimated zombie, and every poor soul whose shadow had been stolen was blinded by the flash. The blinding light was followed by a wave of terrified screams. The thunderous roar continued for more than ten seconds before finally fading, plunging the world back into darkness.
What followed was a bellow of pure rage.
"WHO IS IT?!"
A bloated, charred giant resembling a bat, still clad in pajamas, burst from the smoking ruins of his castle. His face was a mask of fury. This was one of the Seven Warlords, captain of the Thriller Bark Pirates and user of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit: Gekko Moriah.
The moment he was free of the rubble, he saw Eneru standing calmly atop the wreckage.
"You must be Moriah," Eneru said with a dismissive smirk. "You look so weak."
"You bastard, you're…"
The enraged Moriah didn't even finish his sentence. His body went rigid, his eyes lost focus, and he began to shake uncontrollably. His gaze had drifted past Eneru, to the sky above. There, floating above the island wreathed in golden Flame Clouds, was the living nightmare he could never escape.
"Kai… Kaido!!!"
Moriah's scream—a sound of pure fury, agony, and terror—echoed across the entire ship.
Kaido's other subordinates and the zombies who had escaped the blast had barely had time to process the attack when they heard their master's cry. They looked up and saw the colossal dragon hovering in the air.
"Kai… Kaido…" Dr. Hogback, the genius surgeon, trembled so violently his teeth chattered.
Absalom, the invisible man, found himself unable to speak properly. "Is… is that the Yonko from the New World… Kaido of the Beasts? The one Master Moriah always… wanted to get revenge on?"
The Ghost Princess, Perona, was too terrified to even scream. Her face was deathly pale, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the deck in a dead faint.
At that moment, Kaido, in his full dragon form, looked down at the trembling Warlord who was staring up at him with eyes full of hatred. His voice boomed across the sea, laced with utter disappointment.
"It's been over twenty years, Moriah. I never expected you to have fallen so low. You truly are a disappointment."
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