Blood sprayed across the floor.
This wasn't a neat meeting of equals. Sharn, locked in Moon-Lion frenzy, teetered on the edge of losing himself — pain no longer pierced him. Kaido, born with monstrous physique and honed martial arts, paired his blows with Haki. Every strike made the gamblers' hearts sink; they all hoped Sharn would drop at once.
"Moon-God Electro!"
"Thunderous Eight Trigrams!"
The first clash, the first crackling of lightning — this was not yet the world-shaking, Haki-braided apex of later legends. There was no single, kingly finger of domination, no invincible strike to split continents, no storm of lightning entwined with Conqueror's Haki. It was their first meeting — fate knocking at the door.
Kaido's Haki enveloped him, and still he smiled. He hadn't grown the dragon scales of later years.
"So that's it, Sharn," he grunted between blows. "You're not strong enough yet. Without Haki you can't stand at the top. Squeeze out your last ounce of potential — in desperation chase the absolute! Let your strength fly free. When you pull on that infinitely stretching line from your heart — don't doubt it. That is Haki!"
Kaido slammed his kanabo again and again; shock and Haki braided into each impact. Sharn forgot himself — all he knew was that invisible line was there to be tugged.
"Kaido!" he rasped, each twitch of a fingertip an attempt to carve Haki into reality.
"Sharn! Follow me!" Kaido bellowed.
They collided with a thunderous crash. Sharn's awareness thinned to nothing; the Moon-Lion devoured his reason. Blood kept spilling from his mouth; his insides felt like they were being wrung. Yet the exhilaration of combat and the joy of pursuit wouldn't stop him.
The Paradise Cabin erupted. Even famed flagships' crew drifted nearer. The Den Den Mushi chirped and squawked across the decks.
"That kid's called Sharn? We must remember that name," muttered Kokutan Mushi, eyes burning with interest. She'd been living overseas for years and coveted a return to Wano; as a Devil Fruit mimic, life among Rocks had let her assume many legendary guises. Kaido was reliable because he was young.
"Never thought we'd run into a Mink here," she continued. "He isn't unhurt — Moon-Lion just deadens his pain."
Beside her, Kokutan Chimomaru — wielder of the barrier arts, famed for absolute defense — watched with calm eyes. The two often appeared together. Kokutan judged the pair of rookies fit for future plans: maybe one day they could help the Kokutan clan rise again. (Aside: the two had long been refugees overseas; Chimomaru once shared a great serpent Fruit with Kokutan in their flight. Chimomaru could mimic several Rocks crew members and was an old associate of Kaido, pushing for a Wano foothold.)
Still — raw power shatters plots.
Boom! Boom! Kaido and Sharn struck and struck again — one a battle maniac, the other a berserker on the edge. The melee nearly spun out of control; some onlookers feared being swept into the carnage.
"Who's that? He actually held off Kaido!" someone roared. Charlotte Linlin — in the prime of her youth, already bearing many offspring's bloodlines — had come seeking Kaido and instead watched the duel. "Kaido — Rocks is recruiting crew!" she snapped, catching sight of the Kokutan pair. "You two, stop gawking!"
Kokutan Mushi and Chimomaru hurried away thinking, There goes Linlin — she's got Kaido in her sights too.
Little Zeus sat watching, cheeks rosy like cotton. "Mama, that one's crackling with electricity!" he squeaked.
Boom — one final collision. "SHARN!!!" Kaido roared, rubbing blood from his lip, exhilarated.
He loved the fight like a sickness. "KAIDO!!!" Sharn answered, devoid of reason and sustained only by the battle.
"I'll remember your name, Sharn!" Linlin cried, and sprang onto Zeus's thundercloud. "Sharn — see you in God Valley. Don't die before the fun!"
Kaido turned and glanced at Sharn. If he didn't utterly crush his foe he couldn't rest easy. "Linlin! Don't meddle in other people's scraps!" he protested, helpless before his big sister.
"War's nearly here! Save your strength, kid!" Linlin shouted, itching to reach God Valley and snatch fruits.
A hush fell. These were names none of the small fry dared mock.
Sharn stood in the wreckage, mouth bleeding, eyes glazed. Instinct drove him toward Zeus. "Thunder!" Linlin readied a bolt when Chimomaru's barrier calmly unfurled.
"He'll just burn out and die," Chimomaru said, fingers weaving a peculiar seal. The barrier rose at the entrance and stopped Sharn in his last desperate lunge.
"Kaido!" Sharn still screamed his opponent's name as he struck the shield. With his strength spent, the Moon-Lion collapsed with a hollow thud.
Silence — then the soft chorus of snores as exhausted men collapsed.
The crowd was stunned. No one had expected the newcomer to be so ferocious.
"So who lost, who won?" someone asked.
"Neither fell before the fight ended — call it a draw."
"He spat a lot of blood — Kaido's Haki did that."
"Kaido got hit too, but he's a monster; it barely shows."
Many left angry: no one had bet on Sharn, and nobody had wagered on a draw. Grumblings rippled through the cabin.
"What do we do with this guy?" old Jeff muttered, listening to the snores. "I thought he'd vaporize from exhaustion."
Rocks stroked his revolver, glanced at Sharn, and moved on. He didn't want needless revenge.
As more people edged in, two young men approached — and the crowd hesitated. "Katakuri, look! He's badly hurt and still alive!" Perospero exclaimed. Sharn's recovery amazed them.
"He might be a special kind from the New World," Katakuri murmured, arms folded in the corner. People complained their bets had been lost because of Sharn.
"Shut up, you trash!" Katakuri snapped at the whiners. "Even like this he's not one of you to beat — idiots!"
At his words, the old sea dogs retreated in disdain. A faint sizzle cut the air — electricity skittered over Sharn's chest, over his heart. Even asleep, currents leaked forth; it wasn't exhaustion so much as his subconscious running an electric therapy. Anyone who dared come near would get a shock.
"Damn it! Should've let Kaido finish him!" someone spat. "Blame Linlin for interfering — he'd be dead by now!" Others joked about shooting him, but against such monstrous flesh, bullets felt meaningless. Kaido's kanabo changed the terms.
They'd reach God Valley by dawn; the old dogs wanted back every Berry the house had taken. Angered, some left the cabin; others kept fighting for the thrill.
Katakuri lingered, watching Sharn still fizzing with electric arcs. "Let's go," he said at last.
"Katakuri! I thought you'd save him!" Perospero blurted.
Katakuri only glanced once. "Monsters don't die easily," he said. "One day we'll leave Hachinosu and Rocks Port. We'll build a kingdom where all our brothers and sisters are safe. Until then I must grow stronger."
The sails filled and Rocks stared at God Valley. Many faces had met here, only to become strangers later.
Dawn arrived. In the Paradise Cabin Sharn's finger trembled. Morning's first light painted orange over his eyes. Pirates ran across the decks; cheers rose like a tide.
"God Valley is near!"
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