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"New move?!"
The dejected look on Kaido's massive dragon face vanished in an instant, replaced by an even more intense excitement.
"A new move, huh?! Show me, brat!"
His huge, fan-like hand swept forward again, the gust it created so strong that it made little Dan's body sway.
The Beast Pirates' officers, who had only just caught their breath after watching their Governor get sent flying by a single kick, froze once again. Dan's childish but firm words made their eyes go wide and their necks crane forward.
A new move?!
That little monster — still in diapers, barely able to walk straight — had another ability up his sleeve?!
The blood-red steam earlier… that earth-shaking kick… that wasn't even his trump card?!
Just how many heart-stopping tricks does this kid have hidden away?!
King, Queen, and Jack each wore a very different expression.
King's back burst into flames again, his hawk-like eyes razor-sharp, locked entirely on Dan's face, not missing a twitch.Queen, on the other hand, had that irritating grin that just screamed, "I knew this brat wasn't normal."And Jack scratched his head, looking both excited and just a little bit scared.
Dan looked up at Kaido's massive face — a face that practically said, "Go on, impress me." His tiny mouth curled into a faint smile.
But he didn't move.
Instead… he slowly closed his eyes.
"Huh?"
Kaido's huge body stilled, a flash of confusion glinting in his bell-sized dragon eyes.
"Oi, brat. What're you playing at?"
Everyone else exchanged puzzled looks.
This was the setup for a new move? It was way too… quiet.
The palace went so silent they could practically hear each other's heartbeats as everyone stared at Dan.
Then, suddenly, Dan's eyes snapped open!
And in that instant—
Those clear, black baby eyes were no longer the same.
The whites of his eyes stayed the same, but within his once-dark pupils appeared three curved tomoe, connected at the ends, forming a strange, spinning, blood-red pattern like a deadly shuriken.
The Mangekyō Sharingan!
That crimson gaze radiated an unearthly, unsettling aura — something that seemed to pierce into the soul and strip it bare.
An icy, sinister pressure spread out from Dan's small body, soundless yet suffocating.
"T-This… what the hell is that?!"
Queen's grin froze solid. His cigar slipped from his mouth and hit the floor with a plop. The massive man even took a step back, horror in his eyes.
"Those eyes are freaky as hell!"
Jack felt it too — that eerie, skin-crawling pressure. Goosebumps prickled up his arms.
Even King's flames faltered for a moment. His sharp hawk eyes stayed locked on Dan's new crimson gaze, his heart pounding faster despite himself.
This power…
It wasn't Conqueror's Haki. And it wasn't the berserk ferocity of the Eight Gates.
This was something deeper. Colder. Darker.
Something… sinister.
Even Kaido's massive dragon face lost some of its excitement, a rare flicker of hesitation showing.
For the first time, he was feeling… uncomfortable.
This wasn't just power — it was pressure that felt like it came from a higher, far more dangerous plane of existence.
"Worororo… brat, those eyes of yours… pretty damn interesting!"
Kaido bared his fangs in a wide grin, trying to cover that tiny ripple of unease with his signature laugh — though even he couldn't stop his voice from sounding lower, heavier than before.
He could feel it — those blood-red eyes held something that could actually threaten him.
Dan didn't answer.
His little face stayed tense, the Mangekyō Sharingan glinting ominously as he slowly locked his gaze on one point of Kaido's massive body.
Specifically — the scales on Kaido's right arm.
Then.
His tiny mouth opened, and in his childish but strangely cold voice, he said two words:
"Amaterasu."
The moment the words left his lips—
Shhhh—!
No warning.No buildup of energy.
Black flames suddenly bloomed right where Dan's gaze was fixed — on Kaido's thick, scale-covered right arm.
Those flames weren't normal.
They were black as ink, devouring every trace of light around them.
They burned without a sound, radiating a suffocating aura of pure destruction.
"What the—?!"
"He—he set him on fire?!"
"He ignited him from a distance?!"
"The Governor's right arm is on fire!"
The palace erupted into chaos.
Every single Beast Pirate officer, even the All-Stars, gawked, eyes bulging.
What did they just see?!
That little monster just… looked at Kaido, and the Governor caught fire?!
What kind of black magic was this?!
"Woro?"
Kaido himself glanced down at the strange black flames on his arm, confusion crossing his giant dragon face.
Where did this fire come from?
He could feel a faint burning pain — but for a body like his, tough enough to be called a monster, it was like being bitten by a mosquito.
"This is your new move?"
Kaido lifted his dragon head and looked at Dan again, his tone clearly disappointed.
"This is it? It's like being tickled—"
But before he could finish, he inhaled deeply, then exhaled a violent gust, aiming to blow out the little flame in one go.
Whooooosh!
The wind was so strong it howled through the hall like a hurricane.
And yet—
That tiny flame barely wavered.
It didn't even shrink.
It just clung stubbornly to Kaido's scales, burning as calmly as before.
"What?!"
Kaido froze mid-breath, eyes going wide in genuine surprise.
It wouldn't go out?!
What kind of cursed fire was this?!
"You gotta be kidding me!"
He raised his massive claw, coating it with Armament Haki, about to slap out the annoying black flame.
But halfway through the motion, he stopped.
Something felt… off.
The burning pain, still faint, was getting sharper.And the black fire — it was spreading. Slowly. Very slowly. But definitely spreading.
Crackle… sizzle…
The faint sound of fat being seared filled the air.
The disappointment and mockery vanished from Kaido's face completely.
Now, there was only grim focus — and a flicker of irritation he didn't even notice.
He, Kaido, the so-called strongest creature alive, was being challenged by a tiny patch of flame?!
"I'm the one who plays with fire here!"
Kaido growled, and power surged through his dragon form. His body heated up, summoning the natural flames of his Azure Dragon form to burn away this cursed fire.
But—
It didn't work.
Not at all.
The black flames clung to him like maggots gnawing at bone, refusing to be shaken off no matter what he did.
Calmly. Patiently. Relentlessly.
They just kept burning.
The pain grew stronger.
It was still nowhere near enough to truly harm him — but that feeling of losing control, of not being able to extinguish it, made Kaido feel something rare:
Troubled.
"What… what the hell kind of fire IS that?!"
Queen glanced nervously between Kaido's arm and his darkening expression, sweat running down his round face.
Even the Governor couldn't put out the fire?!
Jack could only stare, dumbstruck.
King's brow furrowed deeply, his sharp eyes never leaving the black flames, then flicking toward Dan — floating calmly in the air, his face a little pale but his crimson eyes shining with eerie calm.
Just how many more terrifying powers was this boy hiding?
"..."
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