"Roar————!!!!"
The Azure Dragon circling in the sky let out a roar that shook the ruins below. The sound rolled across the ground and sent loose stones flying again.
"Arrogant brat!!"
Kaido opened his massive mouth. Red light gathered deep in his throat.
The heat grew so intense that the air around his mouth began to ripple.
"Bolo Breath!!!"
A massive pillar of fire poured down from the sky. It carried enough heat to burn through the ruins and crashed straight toward Aiden on the ground!
Facing the falling blast, Aiden slowly spread his arms. Behind him, the giant made of thunder and lightning began to take shape.
Bzzzt—
Pale lightning poured out of Aiden's body and gathered into a clear shape.
In that blinding light.
A giant hundreds of meters tall rose from the ground, wrapped in armor made of lightning.
The giant had three heads and six arms. Lightning cracked around its body, and every movement lit the ruins in blue-white flashes.
"Get down!"
At his shout, the lightning giant swung one massive hand up and caught the falling fire pillar head-on.
"Bang!!!"
The flames exploded against the giant's palm, scattering sparks across the sky, but the hand held firm.
"You have some skill! But that's not enough!!"
Kaido roared. His huge dragon body twisted sharply in the air. He gave up long-range attacks and charged straight at the lightning giant, wrapped in Armament Haki and violent winds.
As the Azure Dragon spun, giant wind blades capable of cutting steel flew toward the lightning giant from every side.
"Flashy nonsense."
Aiden scoffed. The six arms swung at the same time.
Countless lightning spears formed in the giant's hands and shot toward the incoming wind blades and the Azure Dragon.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Lightning and wind blades clashed in midair. The shockwaves tore through the clouds above the Flower Capital.
Immediately after, the two massive figures slammed into each other in the sky!
"Roar!!"
Kaido's Haki-covered dragon claws tore through the lightning armor and dug into the giant's shoulder, trying to rip it open.
But Aiden did not back down. The lightning giant's six fists rained down, each punch carrying a heavy burst of electricity as it smashed against Kaido's dragon scales.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
The heavy sounds of impact echoed through the sky.
Kaido opened his mouth and bit down on the lightning giant's neck. Burning dragon breath leaked between his teeth.
"Want to see who has better teeth?"
Lightning cracked around Aiden.
"Let's see whose are harder!"
Bzzzt—
The lightning giant burst with blue light, pushing a stronger current through its whole body.
"Arghhh!!"
Kaido was still biting down when the current shot through his teeth and into his skull. The shock forced him to let go, and his huge dragon body twitched in the air.
In that split second of paralysis.
Aiden seized the chance.
"Got you, loach."
Two of the lightning giant's arms shot out and grabbed the Azure Dragon's long tail as it rolled through the clouds.
Aiden smiled.
"Up!"
With that shout, the lightning giant pulled hard, swung the Azure Dragon like a whip, and smashed him into the ground!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"
The entire Flower Capital shook.
Aiden controlled the lightning giant and swung Kaido again and again, smashing him into the ground, the mountainside, and the ruins around the plaza.
Every impact shattered the ground and forced a roar from Kaido.
"Damn it... let go of me!!"
Kaido was dizzy from the smashing. He roared and twisted his body, trying to bite back.
But the lightning giant reacted faster.
The remaining lightning arms shot out at the same time, locked around the Azure Dragon's neck, and dragged him across the ground. Wild current poured through his scales and into his body, making his muscles seize.
"Is this the so-called 'Strongest Creature'?"
Aiden looked down at the giant dragon beneath him and said:
"More like a useful punching bag."
"Urgh..."
Kaido forced out a low growl from his throat.
He realized that in a clash of raw power and giant forms, he did not have the advantage against Aiden and his awakened Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
"Don't get too cocky!!!"
Blue light flashed, and the massive Azure Dragon quickly shrank.
Kaido willingly left his full beast form and returned to his human-beast form, the state best suited for close combat. Although he was covered in blood, Hassaikai in his hand was wrapped in even thicker dark-red Haki.
"Drunken Dragon Bagua: Roaring Thunder Bagua!!"
Kaido's speed exploded in an instant. He turned into a blur, crossed the distance, and appeared in front of Aiden before most people could react. Then he smashed his kanabo down hard on Aiden's head.
The strike came fast and heavy, carrying all the force of Kaido's wounded body.
"Finally willing to use some real skill?"
Aiden dispersed the lightning giant as well. Holding Shusui, wrapped in black-red lightning, he met the attack head-on.
"Clang——!!"
The Black Blade and the kanabo clashed fiercely in the air.
Sparks flew, and Haki surged. Each clash sent shockwaves through the ruins, crushing the nearby buildings piece by piece.
"Just... die!!"
Kaido roared and swung Hassaikai again and again, each strike aimed straight at Aiden.
But Kaido soon realized that the young Marine was not only blocking every strike. In raw strength, Aiden was starting to push him back.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Aiden held his sword with one hand. Every swing met Kaido's heavy strikes at the right angle, and his movements were so fast that only dark blurs remained around him.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit gave him reaction speed far beyond normal, and the system-enhanced body let him keep up in strength. Together, they gave him control in close combat.
"Too slow."
Aiden's voice reached Kaido's ear.
"What?!"
Kaido had just swung his kanabo, only to find the figure in front of him had disappeared.
The next second, a sharp pain shot from his chest.
"Slash!"
Shusui flashed. The cross-shaped scar on Kaido's chest, the wound Oden had left behind, was cut open again. Blood burst from the wound.
"Argh!!"
Kaido cried out in pain. His movements froze for a split second.
"Can't take it already?"
Aiden did not stop. His figure turned into streaks of lightning, darting around Kaido from every side.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Each slash slipped past Kaido's defense and cut into his body.
His stamina, which had not fully recovered from his battle with Oden, now drained rapidly.
Kaido's defense and recovery could not keep up with Shusui's sharp edge and Aiden's speed.
"Get lost!!"
Kaido tried to fight back, but his kanabo kept hitting empty air, while Aiden's blade always left new wounds on him.
A hundred rounds.
In less than a hundred rounds.
"Clang!!"
With the final clash, Aiden gripped Shusui with both hands and slashed upward. The force of the strike knocked Hassaikai out of Kaido's hands.
"Hassaikai" flew from his grip and crashed heavily into the distant ruins.
Kaido stumbled backward. Blood dyed the ground red, leaving a bloody footprint with every step he took back.
He panted heavily. For the first time, fear showed on his face.
He lost.
He completely lost.
Even without his injuries, he probably would have struggled to beat Aiden. And right now, he had no way to defend himself.
"It's over."
Aiden did not want to waste any more time.
Aiden moved in front of Kaido and kicked him hard in the back of the knee.
"Crack!"
With the sound of bone breaking, Kaido could no longer support his massive body and dropped heavily onto one knee.
Then the cold edge of Shusui rested against the carotid artery on Kaido's thick neck.
One more swing was all it would take for Kaido's head to hit the ground.
...
At the same time.
New World, near Hachinosu.
A worn-out small boat swayed helplessly in the wind and waves.
A beautiful woman wearing a pink kimono with crescent moon patterns stood on the deck, letting the sea breeze blow her light green hair.
Her pale golden eyes were tired, and her clothes looked worn from the journey.
But hope still kept her standing.
Because at the edge of her vision, the outline of an island finally appeared. That was...
"Hachinosu..."
Amatsuki Toki's voice trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I'm finally here..."
Her voice shook with relief, exhaustion, and the hope of seeing him again.
In that long journey through time and space, she and that man had crossed countless years together.
Until one month ago.
Facing the pillar of light in the sky, she did not hesitate. She used all her strength to activate the Time-Time Fruit, sending that man into the time passage before barely leaving herself enough time to follow.
"You go first!! Wait for me in the future!!"
That was the last thing she said to him.
As a result, the Time-Time Fruit sent the two of them to different points in the future.
For the past month, she had drifted alone on this dangerous sea, her heart full of anxiety and fear.
But she always remembered what that man had told her in a past conversation.
In this era, Hachinosu was his main base in the New World.
As long as she got there, she could find him, or get in touch with him.
Toki looked at the approaching lighthouse on Hachinosu, close to tears.
"As long as I find him... everything will be fine..."
However.
Just as hope was right in front of her.
"Boom!!"
A dark figure fell from the sky, smashed through the boat's mast, and landed heavily on the deck.
It was a tall, strange female figure.
She wore a newsboy cap with goggles, draped in a black cloak. Her face was wrapped in thick bandages, revealing only a pair of creepy mismatched eyes.
Holy Knight, Junko.
"Found. You."
Junko's voice came through the bandages, sounding muffled and distorted.
"Who... who are you?!" Toki backed away in terror, trying to draw the short sword at her waist.
But against someone at Junko's level, her resistance had no weight.
"Bang!"
With just one kick, Junko sent Toki's short sword flying, then tightly grabbed her neck with one hand, lifting her into the air.
"Cough... let... let go..."
Toki struggled desperately, but Junko's grip did not loosen at all.
Right then.
Junko's body suddenly stiffened, and a strange red glow appeared in her mismatched eyes.
Another will descended into Junko's body.
"Toki..."
The voice coming from Junko's mouth changed. It became an androgynous voice.
That was... the voice of the master of the Empty Throne, Imu.
"You have hidden in time for too long."
Imu's voice held no emotion, as if simply stating an objective fact.
"History is already set in stone. It does not need a ghost from the past like you casually rewriting it."
"Disappear. The 'Dawn' in your eyes will never come."
Hearing that voice, Toki froze. The fear she had carried for eight hundred years returned at once.
She instinctively tried to activate her power.
"Time... Leap!!"
She wanted to jump into the future. Even if it was just a few months later, even if the sea was beneath her and she would fall in, it was better than facing this monster.
However.
Nothing happened.
The flow of time around her stopped responding. For the first time, the Time-Time Fruit gave her no answer.
It felt as if something had sealed her power shut.
"My power... how..."
Toki's face turned instantly pale.
"It's locked?"
Junko, possessed by Imu, tilted her head. The voice was flat.
Against that power, Toki's struggle meant nothing.
But the next second, Toki turned toward Hachinosu. Her fear faded, and relief slowly appeared on her face.
"You... won't be able to hide the truth..."
Toki forced a small smile.
"I do not care."
Imu's voice remained flat, as if the decision had already been made.
The next second.
"Slash!"
Junko's other hand turned into a blade and pierced Toki's heart without hesitation.
Blood dyed the pink kimono red.
Toki's body went limp, her life slipping away rapidly.
Junko tossed her body into the cold sea without looking back.
"Glub..."
Watching the body slowly sink into the ocean, the red glow in Junko's mismatched eyes flickered, and she spoke in her own voice:
"Lord Imu... if she is dead, shouldn't the Time-Time Fruit return somewhere in the sea?"
"If an ability that breaks taboos falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives..."
"It does not matter."
That empty voice rang out again.
"The Time-Time Fruit is special."
"It does not belong to this era, nor is it bound by the sea's rules of reincarnation."
"When this host dies, it will not remain in the present. It will rewind."
"Rewind?" Junko didn't understand.
"Yes. It will return to the point in time 'before it was eaten', to follow its original destiny."
Imu's voice gradually faded, as if it had never been there.
"Let it go. In this closed loop of time, no one escapes the path already written."
...
The Flower Capital ruins.
Kaido knelt on the ground, covered in blood. The kanabo that had helped him defeat countless enemies was thrown aside.
Shusui's cold blade was pressing against his carotid artery.
Facing death, Kaido, the so-called "Strongest Creature", finally broke.
He didn't want to die.
His grand ambition was not yet complete. He had not yet become Joy Boy, and he had not yet started the world's biggest war!
"Wait... wait! Aiden!!"
Kaido raised both hands. His voice trembled. The arrogance from before was gone, replaced by desperation.
"There's no need to kill me!! Really!!"
"I can give you Wano! I can be your subordinate! Just like Moria!!"
As if feeling that was not enough, Kaido added:
"I am a Mythical Zoan! I am the Strongest Creature! Don't kill me yet, listen to me, I have a lot of value!!"
Watching Kaido beg like this, Aiden felt only disgust.
"Is this a future Emperor of the Sea?"
Aiden shook his head. The blade in his hand did not drop immediately.
It wasn't that he went soft, but he felt... it was too boring.
At this moment, another memory came to mind.
It was a few years ago, in the center of the ruins of Merveille.
That man was also a legend of the old era, a pirate who had once fought Roger for dominance: Golden Lion Shiki. When his life was about to end, he had still been heroic.
Shiki chose to die loudly, refusing to close his eyes until the end. His death showed what kind of pirate he had been.
But this guy in front of him...
Aiden looked at Kaido kneeling on the ground and trembling. The last bit of respect he had for the "Strongest Creature" disappeared.
"Compared to Shiki, you're just a huge coward."
Aiden sighed. After finishing this fight, not only did he not feel any excitement, but he found it completely dull.
"In the face of death, you're just a terrified old thug."
Aiden sighed again. He casually pulled a red, plump apple from his system's storage space and wiped it on his Justice coat.
"Fine, keep it brief."
Aiden did not eat the fruit right away. He tossed it in the air, watching Kaido kneel on the ground and beg for his life.
"I want to hear what kind of funny joke you can come up with."
After saying that.
Aiden caught the falling apple, opened his mouth, and got ready to take a bite while listening to whatever reason Kaido had to keep living.
However.
The moment the apple reached his mouth.
Without any warning.
Complex circular patterns and spiral vines suddenly appeared on the surface of the red apple, and its color instantly turned pale gold.
It all happened too fast, too quietly, and without any energy fluctuation.
Aiden's attention was entirely on Kaido. He didn't notice the change in the fruit in his hand at all.
Immediately after.
A strange phenomenon followed.
Bzzzt— Bzzzt—
It looked like an old television losing signal.
The fruit in Aiden's hand began to "glitch". Its edges blurred, as if jumping back and forth between reality and illusion, even showing double images and static.
"Huh?"
Aiden finally noticed the weirdness in his hand.
He paused and looked down.
The next second, his body went tense.
He saw the virus-like glitch crawl along his fingers and spread up his arm.
His right hand became semi-transparent, stretching and twisting like a data stream. He could even see the ruins behind it through his skin.
"What the hell is this?! A Devil Fruit? But what's with this bad signal static?"
Aiden didn't have time to think. Seeing the virus-like thing spread to his chest, he instinctively tried to throw the fruit away.
But.
The fruit seemed to have grown onto his hand. He couldn't shake it off at all!
Bzzzt—!!!
The glitching sensation quickly spread across his whole body.
Aiden's torso, legs, and even Shusui in his hand were glitching and twisting wildly. The surrounding space began to reflect countless overlapping, distorted images like broken glass.
Aiden tried to turn into his element, changing his body into lightning to escape this state, but the strange power eroded the laws of lightning along with him.
He flared his Armament Haki, trying to force the foreign energy out of his body, but the moment the Haki touched that power, it vanished without leaving a trace.
Everything seemed useless.
Aiden watched his body break down into a stream of data, unable to understand what was happening.
Bzz—
Along with a harsh static sound, it was like a television being unplugged by force.
In that instant, Aiden, along with the fruit, suddenly "disconnected" from thin air.
He disappeared without a trace.
Above the ruins.
Only Kaido, still kneeling on the ground, and Moria, watching from a distance, remained.
The two stared at each other, completely unable to process what had just happened.
A wind passed through the ruins, lifting a few dead leaves.
A full minute passed.
Kaido tentatively stood up and touched his perfectly intact neck.
He looked at the empty space in front of him and even reached out a hand to feel where Aiden had just been standing.
"Gone...?"
Kaido looked around. Aiden's presence was gone, with no trace left behind.
"This..."
Kaido stood there for a moment, doubting what had just happened, then muttered to himself:
"Did I... talk him... out of existence?"
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