Previously on:
After surviving his brutal encounter with Kaido's underlings, Alex was finally escorted to the heart of Onigashima — the banquet hall where monsters gathered under the shadow of the Beast Emperor himself. His challenge had only begun.
---
The air was trembling. A heavy silence lingered beneath the stone arches of the hall, where broken pillars and pools of spilled liquor glimmered under the torchlight. Every pirate in the room had stopped laughing when Alex stepped through the cracked doors. His footsteps were echoing, slow and deliberate, cutting through the murmurs that rose like waves behind him.
He was drenched in sweat and ash; his shirt was torn open, burned at the edges. The faint scent of ozone surrounded him, a whisper of power still simmering in his veins. His eyes were fixed on the far end of the hall, where an immense shadow was sitting on a throne of bones and chains — not Kaido, but someone almost as terrifying.
Dragan the Tempest Beast was waiting for him.
The lieutenant of Kaido's Flying Beasts unit was towering, his body half-covered in jagged scales that shimmered with a dull blue glow. His long black hair was braided with metal rings, and when he moved, the air itself seemed to grow heavier. A faint storm cloud was swirling above his shoulders — the mark of his Zoan awakening, a dragon form that distorted the very air.
"So, this is the brat who dares to walk into Kaido's den," Dragan said, his deep voice carrying across the room. "You've got guts, boy. Shame you won't live to enjoy them."
Alex didn't answer. His heartbeat was steady, even though his body was screaming for rest. He had already faced three of Kaido's sub-commanders and barely survived. Yet something inside him was burning — not just anger, but hunger.
He took a breath and straightened his back. "If I have to fight my way to Kaido," he said calmly, "I'll start with you."
Laughter erupted around the hall, sharp and cruel. Pirates were pounding their mugs on the tables, shouting for blood. The ground itself was trembling with excitement. Dragan rose from his seat, stretching his massive shoulders until the air cracked like thunder.
"You'll regret those words, little firefly," he said. "Let's see if your spark can outshine a storm."
He vanished.
Alex barely had time to react before a shockwave slammed into him. The lieutenant's speed was monstrous — a blur of motion, a flash of claws and lightning scales. Alex was thrown across the hall, crashing through a table and rolling to his feet in a shower of splinters. His instincts flared; his right arm ignited in flame, his left crackled with electricity.
He exhaled slowly, grounding himself. Don't think — move.
Dragan appeared again, this time descending from above, his claws glowing with Armament Haki. The first blow split the floor open. Alex dodged sideways, countered with a burst of flame, but the beast simply walked through it, roaring.
"You'll need more than fireworks!" Dragan bellowed.
Alex raised both hands, focusing. Sparks danced between his fingers, forming a thin chain of energy that whipped forward. It struck Dragan in the chest, exploding in a flash of fire and thunder. For a brief moment, the entire hall was filled with smoke and the scent of burnt metal.
When it cleared, Dragan was still standing. His scales were glowing now, absorbing the heat, his smile widening.
"Interesting," he growled. "A dual-element Devil Fruit… I've never seen one like that."
Alex's eyes narrowed. He didn't know how to respond — not to the words, but to the way Dragan was analyzing him, like a predator learning its prey.
"I wonder what happens," the lieutenant continued, "when I break your balance."
He slammed his fists together, and the hall erupted. A storm of wind and lightning burst from his body, tearing apart the walls and lifting debris into the air. The pirates screamed and scattered, but Alex stood his ground, sliding one foot back, hands raised.
If he controls the storm… then I'll become the fire that burns through it.
He moved. Fire and lightning intertwined around him, wrapping his arms in living energy. He dashed forward, his steps leaving small craters in the floor. Every motion was instinct, raw and unrefined, but fast — faster than he had ever been.
Their fists met. The impact sent a shockwave that shattered the chandeliers and blew the doors from their hinges. Alex skidded backward, coughing blood, but smiling.
He was learning.
Dragan lunged again, his body half-shifting into his dragon form — claws elongating, eyes glowing. The ground beneath him melted from the heat of his aura. Alex jumped, twisting mid-air, sending a spiral of flame downward. Dragan countered with a roar that split the stormclouds forming inside the hall.
Lightning crashed between them, illuminating the battle like a divine judgment.
Alex landed on one knee, his breath ragged. "You're not bad," he muttered, wiping blood from his lip.
Dragan grinned, teeth sharp as blades. "And you're not dead yet. Impressive."
The pirates watching from a distance were silent now. The fight had turned into something else — not a test, but a declaration.
Alex raised his right hand again. The fire around it was flickering weakly, but his eyes burned brighter than ever. He was no longer thinking about survival. He wanted to win.
I won't stop until I'm strong enough to face them all — Kaido, Big Mom, every Emperor of this cursed sea.
The thunder roared in answer, and for a moment, the two warriors stood motionless amid the debris, their powers clashing invisibly in the air.
---
(To be continued in Part II…)