"Mythical Zoan... Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon?"
Now that he was seeing Kaido with his own eyes, Elior could truly feel how overwhelming the Yonko's presence was.
Back when he first learned of Kaido, Elior thought he was a dragon. But once the truth came out in the original records, he realized that Kaido was, in fact, a Devil Fruit user—a man with the powers of a beast.
High above the sky, Kaido hovered in his dragon form, casting a massive shadow over the island below. His sharp eyes locked onto a lone figure standing atop the highest tower of the so-called Paradise.
And Elior… was waiting for him.
"That's Kaido!"
"Holy hell, what's that monster doing here?!"
"It's got to be Elior! That bastard must've provoked him! Now Kaido's here to wipe out the entire island!"
"Run! If you wanna live, get out now!"
From the moment people spotted the massive dragon coiled in the skies, panic spread like wildfire across the island.
Kaido — one of the Yonko. A monster among monsters, feared across the seas, skies, and lands of the New World. A creature unmatched in strength and brutality, hailed as the strongest in single combat.
What could someone like Elior possibly do against that?
To the common folk, the Yonko were untouchable. If even the World Government and Marine Headquarters couldn't take them down, what hope did anyone else have?
And if Kaido was here… did that mean the Beasts Pirates had arrived too?
The citizens of Paradise Island trembled.
Not far off, Bullet and the others stood watching from another part of the island, their gazes fixed on the sky.
"Tch... still the same damn Kaido."
Bullet chuckled, cracking his knuckles with a spark of anticipation in his eyes.
"Captain" he said to Elior, "you planning to take him on solo? Or do you need backup?"
"No need."
Elior shook his head.
BOOM!
With a single step, Elior launched himself skyward, the sheer force of his body propelling him tens of meters into the air. As he rose higher, he used Geppo to continue ascending.
"You... You dared to interfere with my plans" Kaido growled, his deep voice shaking the skies like rolling thunder.
"This island's mine now" Elior called back with a smirk. "Any outsider who tries to muscle in will be dealt with. Obey… or be crushed."
Kaido narrowed his eyes.
"Then I'll have to discipline you. But… if you kneel and swear loyalty, I'll let the past slide." He grinned, sharp teeth glinting.
"Hell, if you agree to serve as my mount, I might even forgive this little offense."
Elior's smile widened.
"Interesting."
Kaido's jaws opened, and a wave of intense heat began to build. The surrounding air warped, space itself seemed to ripple from the energy he gathered.
He was preparing to unleash Blast Breath, his signature attack—powerful enough to melt a mountain or turn an island into molten rubble.
ROAR!
The blast erupted like a volcanic explosion, a torrent of molten fire tearing through the sky toward Elior. The heavens glowed crimson as the heat distorted everything in its path.
But Elior didn't flinch.
In his hand, he summoned the blade he'd once crossed with Gion—an ice-forged sword imbued with Haki.
His eyes sharpened.
With calm precision, Elior raised his weapon, and with a single swing, released a crescent-shaped slash that howled through the air like a storm. The air split open, a powerful windstorm forming in its wake as the slash collided head-on with Kaido's inferno.
BOOM!
The sky seemed to crack. Lava-like energy burst in all directions as the two forces clashed. For five full seconds, the heavens held their breath—until Elior's slash finally carved through Kaido's Blast Breath, ripping it apart.
Back on the island, Law looked up in shock.
"Wait… is Captain Elior a swordsman now?"
"Not just a swordsman" said Shiryu, even more shocked. "A damn good one. Feels like he's on my level — or higher."
In truth, Elior's sword skills had reached the edge of the realm known only to the world's greatest swordsmen.
Above, Kaido's eyes widened. The attack had been no fluke.
With a snarl, he twisted in the air and lashed out with his massive tail. The strike ripped through the sky, dragging a cyclone in its wake.
Elior didn't retreat.
With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a massive orb of ice—over thirty meters wide—that appeared in midair like a frozen meteor and crashed directly onto Kaido's skull.
CRACK!
The sound echoed like a lightning bolt tearing open the heavens. Kaido grunted, visibly shaken, his tail strike faltering mid-swing.
Before he could recover, Elior appeared atop the ice sphere and raised his left fist.
BOOM!
He slammed it down with monstrous force.
Kaido's head jerked downward, his eyes nearly bulging from the impact. The ice orb exploded into shards, and the entire blast's shockwave was absorbed by Kaido himself.
KA-BOOOOOOOM!
The explosion thundered like the sky collapsing.
Below, the people of Paradise Island looked up in terror and awe, watching Kaido's massive dragon form spiral downward, crashing from the clouds like a meteor, flaming and furious.
Elior hovered high above, calm… and untouched.