Outside the prisoner's prison at Udon.
Staring at the imposing and domineering man before him, Ryokugyu brows furrowed deeply.
"Who is this? He looks a lot like Kaido... Caesar? Why haven't I heard of this name before? Could he be a hidden executive of the Beasts Pirates? His build is massive—seems like his vitality is incredibly strong. I could absorb him for a long time."
Ryokugyu fingers, fully restored, stretched out once more, transforming into hollow vines that snaked toward the towering figure.
Behind him, the withered forms of Queen and King struggled to open their eyes, finally catching sight of that terrifying silhouette.
Tears welled up in Queen eyes as he sobbed excitedly.
"Kaido-sama! I knew you wouldn't be defeated! I knew it!!"
Beside him, King, drained of all strength, frowned in deep thought.
After a long moment of recollection, his face suddenly paled further, devoid of color, as he stared fixedly at the man emerging from the smoke and trembled.
"No! That's not Kaido! That's... Kaido elder brother! The demon god known as the Oni during the Rocks era!"
"Emperor... Caesar!"
Queen gaped in disbelief. "Kaido's brother? King, don't lie to me. How come I've never heard of Kaido having an older brother?"
King gasped for breath, barely managing to prop himself up.
"It's no surprise you haven't. Caesar name is a taboo on Onigashima. Very few know of him—only me, Kaido, and the Numbers. The Numbers were originally Caesar subordinates, which is why they've never fully obeyed Kaido orders."
Ryokugyu didn't pay close attention to their conversation—otherwise, he might have been more cautious.
Confident in his own strength, he strode straight toward Caesar, his right hand splayed open as five vine-like serpents shot forth, aiming directly for Caesar face!
"Hm?" Caesar eyes snapped open and the Conqueror's Haki he had suppressed for thirty years erupted violently!
BOOM!!
A shockwave of black and red energy instantly shook the entire Udon Quarry, spreading even further. Wherever it passed, fine cracks split the earth—such was the sheer, tangible force of his Haki alone.
"WHAT?!" The five vines Ryokugyu had extended withered rapidly.
His head spun as Caesar Conqueror's Haki rattled his mind, leaving him momentarily dazed!
"You dare attack me? Did Kaido not tell you... that his Raimei-Hakke was taught to him by me?"
Caesar voice boomed like thunder in Ryokugyu ears, making his eardrums ring.
"RAIJIN—HAKKE!"
Caesar right arm swept across the sky like an ancient pillar, tearing through the air as it closed in on Ryokugyu in an instant.
His massive fist was not only sheathed in invisible Armament Haki but also crackled with dazzling lightning!
"Not good!!"
Ryokugyu instincts screamed as every hair on his body stood on end.
BOOM!!
A fist the size of Ryokugyu entire body slammed into him with overwhelming force, blasting him straight back for over a kilometer.
He crashed through the quarry dozens-of-meters-thick rock walls like a meteor, smashing the prison into twisted wreckage!
"What?!"
Queen jaw dropped, his sunken eyes bulging in shock.
King was also shocked.
Although he had heard Kaido mention in a drunken stupor that his elder brother, Caesar, was an unrivaled and peerless Oni.
This self-proclaimed Emperor of the Oni Tribe was born with formidable Conqueror's Haki.
By the age of five, he had defeated every warrior in his tribe.
At ten, he set sail and was given a bounty of 180 million Berries, earning the epithet "Demon Caesar!"
At twelve, he was invited by Rocks to join the Rocks Pirates, becoming the most fearsome enforcer under Rocks' command.
Even the legendary Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, held deep wariness toward Caesar at the time.
Demon Caesar fought alongside Rocks for eight years, his bounty soaring to 1.09 billion Berries—a figure only a handful of the most notorious pirates of that era could claim, a testament to the World Government's fear of him.
At twenty, Caesar encountered his younger brother Kaido, who had become a pirate and brought him to Hachinosu.
Due to Kaido innate talent and Caesar influence, Rocks quickly invited Kaido to join the crew.
Six years later—38 years ago—the Battle of God Valley erupted.
The Rocks Pirates clashed with the Marines, Celestial dragon and Roger Pirates at the God Valley.
However, the crew was filled with unruly scoundrels who refused to follow orders.
At a critical moment, Whitebeard, Shiki and others betrayed Rocks and Caesar, ambushing them from behind, leading to Rocks' death.
But Caesar, with his extraordinary physique, managed to escape the encirclement with Kaido and fled to the New World.
Nine years later, Caesar and Kaido clashed over their conflicting ideals.
Though Caesar emerged victorious, he spared his brother life.
In the end, he was persuaded by Kaido and chose to slumber at the heart of Onigashima.
The brothers made a pact: If Kaido was ever defeated and failed to realize his dream of an all-out war, his elder brother Caesar would awaken from his slumber and take his place to fulfill that ambition!
Caesar ideal, however, was far more extreme—to annihilate the Celestial Dragons, crush all pirates and marines, and trample the entire world beneath his feet!
Caesar scanned his surroundings, his heavy footsteps bringing him before King and Queen as he looked down at them.
"You... are King?"
King nodded. "Yes, Lord Caesar. Welcome back."
"Bororororo! And where is my useless little brother? I sense his presence has faded—was he defeated?" Caesar grinned wildly.
A bitter smile crossed King face as he coughed, clutching his bleeding wounds.
"I don't know where Kaido-san is. I was defeated first."
Caesar grin vanished, his expression darkening.
A suffocating, murderous aura poured forth, causing the weakened King and Queen to tremble uncontrollably.
He turned to Queen, his voice icy. "What about you? Do you know Kaido whereabouts?"
His eyes gradually filled with blood, turning crimson as his pupils contracted, transforming into golden avian irises.
Within those elongated, vertical pupils lay an overwhelming majesty that none dared meet.
Queen shivered violently, barely suppressing his terror.
"Ca...Caesar-sama, I... I also..."
"Worthless trash!"
Caesar gritted his teeth and punched the ground beside him, smashing a massive crater into the earth.
A fissure several meters wide cracked open, extending for hundreds of meters as if to split the land in two.
Rising to his feet, Caesar scanned his surroundings.
"Seems I'll have to rely on myself" he muttered.
His towering, mountain-like frame shuddered as he unleashed his formidable Observation Haki, enveloping the entire Udon region and even stretching dozens of miles out to sea.
Under his overwhelming perception, every detail within a hundred-mile radius was laid bare in his mind.
"Hmm? Found you. So you're hiding in the volcanic rock, huh? No wonder I couldn't detect your presence earlier" Caesar growled.
His gaze locked onto a dark mass in the ocean—not an island, but a colossal black volcanic rock formed from cooled lava after an eruption.
"Very well then!"
Striding to the water edge under the astonished gazes of Queen and King, Caesar planted his hands on the ground.
His massive frame began to transform rapidly—his back arched high, limbs shrinking into black fins, his head flattening as his body morphed into an inky-black leviathan resembling a whale.
Diving into the water, Caesar ten-meter-long fish form began expanding at a terrifying rate upon contact with the sea.
A hundred meters!
A thousand meters!
Ten thousand meters!
A monstrous fish ten kilometers long churned up towering waves, its gaping maw stretching several kilometers wide as it lunged toward the volcanic rock.
Among all known Devil Fruits, this was the only one not cursed by the sea—instead, it thrived in it!
"Zoan-type, Mythical Beast: Fish-Fish Fruit, Model : Kunpeng!"
[In Chinese mythology, Kunpeng refers to a mythical creature that can transform between a giant fish (Kun) and a giant bird (Peng). The "Peng" is described as a bird so massive that it can travel about 1,000 miles with a single flap of its wings and fly for six months without resting. The "Kun" is a giant fish.]
[Zoan-type Mythical Beast Model Zhu long : also known in English as the Torch Dragon, was a giant red solar dragon and god in Chinese mythology. It supposedly had a human's face and snake's body, created day and night by opening and closing its eyes, and created seasonal winds by breathing. Its abilities on this fic mostly revolve around corrosive poison, Caesar feed this fruit into his weapon]