At the center of God Valley, the battle had already reached its boiling point.
Rocks, Roger, and Garp three men who stood at the very peak of their era their clash had long since surpassed the realm of reason.
Every collision was like two islands smashing into each other. Every surge of Haki made the sky and earth cry out in agony.
"Divine Departure!"
"Supreme Territory!"
"Iron Fist: Falling Star!"
Three different colors of Conqueror's lightning twisted and tore at one another in the sky, their backlash forming storms so real they leveled everything within kilometers.
Huddled behind half a shattered cliff, Kael felt like an ant sitting at the edge of a hurricane while three Godzillas duked it out. Sure, it was thrilling, but one wrong move and he'd be blown halfway across the island.
"These three monsters…" Kael's eyelids twitched as he watched.
Their fighting style looked simple just pure swordsmanship, fists, and the absolute mastery of Haki at its pinnacle.
This was true overwhelming strength.
His Wave-Wave Fruit might have all kinds of tricks, but compared to this kind of raw, unreasonable force, it felt almost powerless.
Just as Kael was losing himself in the spectacle, a stray bolt of black-and-red Conqueror's lightning veered off course. It scraped past the rock he was hiding behind and BOOM!!!
A hill a hundred meters behind him vanished as if someone had taken an eraser to it.
"…"
A bead of sweat slid down Kael's temple.
Yeah, staying here was a fast track to suicide.
He made the quick decision to leave, stomping the ground and propelling himself away from the kill zone.
But before he could escape, a roar and the sounds of chaotic fighting echoed from nearby.
Huh? Someone else survived the crossfire?
Kael turned his head. In the distance, a massive youth with twin horns was swinging a giant kanabo, tearing through pirates at the battlefield's edge.
His body was half-covered in blue-green scales, and every so often flames leaked out from the corners of his mouth. His gaze was savage, feral, and brimming with beast-like madness.
"Uororororo! Out of my way!"
One swing of the club crushed a pirate and his blade into pulp, the raw brutality undeniable.
Kael stopped, his golden eyes narrowing as he studied the young man.
Those horns, that kanabo, those half-formed dragon scales…
"So, you really did eat the Fish-Fish Fruit…" Kael rubbed his chin, a grin tugging at his lips.
The future "Strongest Creature in the World," Kaido of the Beasts.
Right now, though, Kaido looked like he had just eaten the fruit not long ago. His strength had skyrocketed, but he clearly had no control.
That half-dragon form of his was less "majestic beast" and more "burly guy with a bad skin condition." His swings were wide and reckless, powered by brute force alone.
Big Mom gave Kaido shelter, even handed him the Fish-Fish Fruit. And after God Valley? Kaido vanished without so much as a goodbye.
Lesson one of piracy: Loyalty!
Lesson two of piracy: Forget loyalty!
Kael chuckled.
Still… knocking around a future Yonko sounded like fun.
He had lost out on the Devil Fruits haul. At least he could get some entertainment out of this trip.
"Hey, horn-head! You a minotaur or something?" Kael swaggered over with his naginata slung across his back, his tone dripping with mockery. "Your swings are so soft, what, you skip lunch?"
Kaido froze mid-swing and whipped his head around, eyes blazing.
"What did you just say, brat?"
"I said," Kael casually dug at his ear, not even looking at him, "I'm a pure-hearted warrior who specializes in slaying minotaurs."
"Uororororo! You're dead!"
Roaring, Kaido charged, his kanabo tearing the air as it came crashing down toward Kael.
Kael didn't dodge. He simply raised his right hand, shaping his fingers into a gun.
With a soft pop, an invisible shockwave fired forward, detonating the ground beneath Kaido's charge.
Boom!
The earth erupted, sending Kaido stumbling. His strike missed completely, smashing into empty ground with an explosion of dust.
"What?" Shock flickered in Kaido's eyes.
Before he could recover, Kael's form split into three.
"Light Mirage."
Three Kaels surrounded him, each wearing the same smirk.
"So, which one's the real me?"
"Quit playing tricks!" Kaido bellowed, swinging his kanabo in a wild horizontal sweep at the center Kael.
The weapon passed harmlessly through the illusion. The real Kael was already at his side, his naginata's hilt cracking against Kaido's wrist with lightning speed.
Bzzzt!
A high-frequency vibration shot through Kaido's weapon. Pain flared in his wrist, and the kanabo tore free from his grip, clattering away.
The moment his weapon left his hands, Kaido's instincts screamed danger. He opened his mouth, fire gathering in his throat.
"Heat "
He never finished.
Kael was already at his neck, his hand coated in Armament Haki. With a crisp chop, his palm struck Kaido's nape.
"Pipe down."
Whump!
The fearsome "Heat Breath" of future legend collapsed into nothing more than a muffled burp.
Kaido's eyes rolled back, his huge frame toppling with a ground-shaking crash. Out cold.
From challenge to victory, it took Kael barely ten seconds.
He blew at his palm like dusting off ashes, then looked down at the unconscious Kaido with disdain.
"That's it? The so-called strongest creature? You need a lot more practice, little brother."
He gave Kaido a few kicks no response.
Then Kael's eyes glimmered with mischief.
Kneeling down, he focused, the tip of his finger glowing faintly red.
"Heat Ray."
He condensed the infrared beam into a razor-thin line, wielding it like an invisible pen. Slowly, carefully, he etched on Kaido's broad back.
The lines flowed smoothly, the design brimming with life.
"Magnificent. Truly, I am an artistic genius."
A few moments later, Kael sat back and admired his masterpiece.
On Kaido's muscular back was the perfect branding of a tiny turtle, neck withdrawn into its shell.
"Perfect. Don't thank me this is art."
Satisfied, Kael hoisted his naginata over his shoulder and glanced back at the distant battlefield where Rocks, Roger, and Garp still fought like gods.
And then down at the unconscious future Yonko.
He might not have walked away with Devil Fruits, but somehow… this felt like an even greater prize.
Whistling cheerfully, Kael's figure blurred and vanished into the chaos.
"Time to go hunt some Celestial Dragons."