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Chapter 17 - "The Black Scar: Kaido's Full Might"

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"Little bastard!"

Kaido finally lost his temper.

BOOM!

A surge of invisible, yet overwhelming energy suddenly exploded from within him—Conqueror's Haki!

It tore through the air like a tidal wave, radiating out in all directions. The pressure was suffocating. The very air inside the palace felt like it had frozen solid.

Weaker members of the Beasts Pirates staggered under the crushing force, pale and drenched in cold sweat. Some could barely stay on their feet.

Kaido focused the Haki to its sharpest edge, molding it like an invisible blade—and slammed it straight into the stubborn, black flame still clinging to him.

Ssssss—!

Under the relentless force of that nearly physical Haki, the black fire finally… started to flicker.

The flames danced erratically. Their color dimmed.

It was working.

With a roar, Kaido let loose the full might of his Conqueror's Haki. No restraint. No holding back.

And at last—

Fsssh!

That eerie black fire—so persistent it had left Kaido himself helpless—finally shuddered... and went out. Reluctantly. Almost resentfully.

All that remained was a small, charred mark etched into the hardened blue scales of Kaido's arm. It was tiny, almost nothing. But the scorched patch reeked, and more importantly—it lingered.

A visible scar.

A silent insult.

On the skin of the so-called "Strongest Creature Alive."

Kaido was panting, hard. Sweat beaded across his broad forehead.

He looked down at the burn on his arm, then lifted his eyes to the small figure floating in midair.

And for the first time, the great dragon's face showed a flicker of real surprise. Maybe even... disbelief.

That black fire just now—

It hadn't done much damage, no. But it couldn't be put out. Not by normal means. And the fact he'd been forced to unleash that level of Haki to barely snuff it out—

What the hell?!

What kind of cursed move was that?!

The palace was silent. Not a breath. Not a whisper.

Everyone in the Beasts Pirates—including the top three Calamities, King, Queen, and Jack—stood frozen in place.

They had all seen it.

Kaido, their almighty Governor-General, was forced to go all out just to extinguish a scrap of black flame?

And judging by his expression… that hadn't been easy.

This... this was even harder to believe than when Young Master Dan straight-up kicked him across the palace earlier!

What was that fire?

"Brat!"

Kaido suddenly reached out a massive claw and snatched Dan out of the air. The motion was rough—unusually so—but his tone carried something new: gravity. And maybe a hint of... concern.

"Your eyes. That black fire. What kind of power is that?"

"Don't tell me... you've eaten a Devil Fruit?!"

Flying? Okay, that wasn't too strange. That could just be a skill.

The Eight Inner Gates? Weird, but still not a Devil Fruit ability—there was no known Fruit that worked like that.

But this black fire? This had all the hallmarks of a devil's power.

"Yaaah!"Dan shook his head.

Kaido exhaled, visibly relieved.

But not entirely reassured.

"Then where the hell did that ghost fire come from?"

The Calamities, the Tobi Roppo, the Brutes—all of them stared, eyes wide, curiosity etched across their faces.

Dan blinked his big black eyes, little brain working double-time.

Then—

He wriggled out from Kaido's grip just enough to reach a hand toward the massive dragon scales. His tiny fingers scratched across them, struggling to write.

Everyone understood instantly.

He wanted to explain.

Kaido's scales were hard as hell. Dan's nails were worn nearly to the quick before he managed to scratch out two barely legible characters.

But it was enough.

Those with sharp eyes—Kaido, King, and a few others—managed to make them out.

[I figured it out.]

The moment they saw those words—

Silence. Again.

The palace felt like a vacuum. No one dared to breathe.

The top officers of the Beasts Pirates, even the Calamities themselves, turned to each other in pure disbelief.

He... figured it out?!

He learned how to fly?

He figured out that whole Eight Gates thing? The green steam, the blue steam, the blood-red steam—all of it?

That terrifying red-eyed transformation earlier, the black fire that even Kaido couldn't put out without full power—He just figured that out on his own?!

What kind of ungodly talent did this kid have?!

Calling him a "genius" didn't even begin to cover it.

"Uwohh..."

"UWORORORO...!"

"UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH—!!!"

A deafening roar of laughter erupted from Kaido's massive form—louder, wilder, more unhinged than ever before.

The entire island of Onigashima trembled with the force of it. The palace beams shook, threatening to come crashing down at any moment.

"You figured it out?! HAHAHAHA!! Damn right you did!"

Kaido threw his head back and roared with laughter, his giant dragon face twisted with pride and manic joy.

"You really are the one I chose!"

"A little brat like you—pulling off moves that crazy at your age—and you just figured them out?!"

"Uwooooooh! My son's the chosen one! He's destined to surpass everything!"

His voice brimmed with power, with madness—and with something else: a deep, dangerous kind of hope.

Kaido raised Dan to eye level. His massive eyes burned with wild intensity.

"From today on, kid—every top resource on Onigashima goes to you first!"

"I'm gonna make sure you grow stronger, faster than anyone!"

"I'll show the whole damn world—Kaido's son is gonna be a legend!"

But—

The only response was a soft, steady sound of breathing.

Dan, head tilted slightly, was already fast asleep.

In the middle of Kaido's thunderous excitement, the boy had dozed off—completely out cold.

After unlocking the Eight Gates... after forcing out Amaterasu... he'd burned through every last ounce of energy and willpower. Staying conscious this long had been a miracle.

"Huh?"

Kaido blinked, looking at the sleeping face in his claw. The excitement on his massive dragon face faltered for a second.

Then—very gently, and with surprising care for someone his size—he placed Dan down on the beast-skin bed King had prepared earlier. It was covered in the softest cloud-fox fur on the island.

The way he moved, delicate and slow, was a stark contrast to his usual brute force.

"Send out the order," Kaido said, turning away. His voice was loud as ever, but now carried a tone that allowed for no argument.

"From this moment on, Dan's security level is top priority."

"Anyone—anyone—who dares lay a finger on him…"

His eyes flared with bloodlust, killing intent radiating off him like a storm.

"Kill without mercy."

"YES, GOVERNOR-GENERAL KAIDO!"

King, Queen, Jack—every officer in the Beasts Pirates dropped to one knee. Their voices rang out with fervor and awe.

Their eyes turned toward the little boy now sleeping peacefully on the bed of fur.

And in that moment—

He was no longer just their Young Master.

He was the future of the Beasts Pirates.

"..."

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