The Azure Dragon and the Marine warship drew closer. The recruits were frozen in place, crushed by the sheer pressure of the dragon's presence.
Victor didn't move either. He suppressed his own aura, clinging to a sliver of hope—maybe Kaido wasn't here for him. Maybe he was looking for Queen. Maybe this was just a coincidence. There was no way he could be 'this' unlucky, right?
Meanwhile, Gion had already contacted Sengoku. Now back on the deck, she stared at the colossal dragon in the sky. This was her first time seeing such a creature—her first time learning that this beast was Kaido's transformation. She was mesmerized.
"Did you get through?" Victor asked Gion beside him.
"Yeah. Fleet Admiral Sengoku said he's sending Vice Admiral Garp to retrieve us," she murmured, still dazed as she gazed upward.
High above, Kaido flew forward, glancing briefly at the Marine ship below before checking the vivre card in his claw. He ignored the vessel.
"Near Marineford, huh? Well, seeing a warship here isn't unusual. Keep flying. Queen's too damn weak—getting himself near death in Paradise? I'll have to teach him a lesson when I get back."
Finally, the dragon passed directly over the ship. The recruits could clearly see the scars and scales on its underbelly before it moved past them.
Victor let out a sigh of relief. 'That was way too close.' His back was drenched in cold sweat. He'd just arrived in the Grand Line, and on his very first voyage, he'd run into one of the biggest monsters in the world. 'Talk about a thrill.'
But his relief didn't last long.
The dragon stopped mid-flight.
Then it turned its head.
'Back toward the warship.'
That's right—after passing the ship, Kaido noticed the vivre card shifting direction again. That could only mean one thing: Queen had been captured by the Marines. He was on that very ship below.
"Oi. Did you bastards capture Queen?" Kaido's voice boomed like thunder, shaking the air as he hovered fifty meters above the vessel. The sheer force of his draconic roar made their eardrums throb.
Victor's expression darkened. 'Of course. The one thing I was afraid of happens.'
"You were already flying past! Why the hell did you turn around?! WHY?!" he screamed internally.
Outwardly, he forced a response. "Queen? Never heard of him."
The others were paralyzed with terror. Being stared down by a massive dragon at such close range was overwhelming—their hearts pounded so hard it felt like their ribs might crack.
By now, the ship was close enough to Sabaody Archipelago that the people on the island could clearly see what was happening—a Marine vessel being targeted by a dragon. Reporters immediately began snapping photos. This was 'huge' news.
Kaido didn't buy Victor's denial. He swept his Observation Haki over the ship and indeed found no trace of Queen's presence.
But the vivre card had stopped moving.
In an instant, Kaido's sharp mind pieced it together.
'Queen lost to this Marine—the one with the strong aura. He must've planted the vivre card on this ship as a way to get revenge.'
Despite Victor's efforts to suppress his energy, Kaido was no ordinary opponent. Hiding from him was nearly pointless.
Having figured it out, Kaido made his decision.
He reared his head back, jaws parting wide—a crimson glow gathering in his throat.
'He wasn't here to talk.'
A single warship? One blast of Bolo Breath would erase it from existence. Consider it payback for Queen.
Victor recognized the stance immediately. 'Oh shit—that's the infamous fire breath move! If that hits, the ship and everyone on it are' gone.'
"Gion, take the helm! I'll handle Kaido!"
Before she could even shout in protest, Victor shot into the sky with Geppo.
"Bolo Breath!"
A massive pillar of flames roared toward the ship.
In a flash, Victor drew Shikkoku from his waist, gripping it with both hands. A dark-red slash of sword energy tore through the center of the inferno.
"One Blade Style: Sevenfold Heartslash!"
The slash, infused with Victor's willpower, split the spiraling flames clean in half.
The two separated fire streams veered off to the sides while the slash continued—streaking straight toward Kaido's open maw.
As it neared, Kaido's instincts flared.
'Danger.'
The sensation grew stronger until, just two meters away, the slash was still cutting through the flames.
"This attack can hurt me."
Kaido jerked his head to the side.
The slash shot past, vanishing into the sky.
The dragon narrowed his eyes, tilting his head slightly. A thin wound ran along the edge of his upper jaw—blood trickling down. He hadn't dodged completely.
Kaido hadn't taken Victor seriously at all. He hadn't even 'tried' to defend properly.
"Not Ryou… but the wound won't close? Some kind of strange power? Interesting. No wonder Queen lost."
All of this—the slash splitting the flames, wounding Kaido—happened in an instant. The separated fire pillars crashed into the sea, sending up massive plumes of steam.
The spectacle left both the Marines and the onlookers on Sabaody in stunned silence.
This wasn't human power anymore.
It was 'natural disaster' levels of destruction.
Victor panted slightly, feeling the backlash from pushing his sword energy and willpower to the limit.
Using Geppo, he ascended to Kaido's eye level.
The dragon shifted his gaze from his wound to Victor, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"Kaido," Victor said, glancing back at the ship before locking eyes with the beast. "Queen isn't here. How about a wager?"
"Oh? A wager?" Kaido rumbled, amused. "What kind?"
"I bet your strongest attack won't kill me. If I survive, you leave. If I die… spare the people on that ship. I'm the one who hurt Queen—I'll take responsibility alone."
"Wororororo! You're an interesting brat." Kaido's laughter shook the air. "You beat Queen, so you've got some skill. Too bad you're a Marine—if you were a pirate, losing would mean getting captured, huh? But I'm a pirate. I do what I want."
"Fine. I accept your bet."
Kaido laughed. Though he'd taken a minor wound, his mood wasn't ruined.
"Before we start—why did you even ask about Queen earlier? I don't get it. Did he beg you to avenge him?"
Now that Kaido had agreed to the wager, Victor knew the Emperor wouldn't go back on his word and attack him outright. So he voiced his confusion.
'How the hell did Kaido pinpoint them so accurately? Does he just hate the Marines that much? Randomly torching ships for fun?'
"Worororo! Because Queen's vivre card was pointing straight at this ship!"
Kaido chuckled again, then pulled out the vivre card and placed it on his claw. Sure enough, the paper began drifting toward Victor.
"Ah… So it's on 'you'." Kaido observed the movement with interest.
Victor's expression darkened as realization struck.
'That fight with Queen…'
Queen had been too slow to land a clean hit on him. But there was one moment—when Queen had taken a slash just to grab Victor and punch him.
At the time, Victor had assumed it was just spite—'"I'll hurt you even if it costs me!"—and that smirk was just gloating.
'But no.'
That bastard had planted the vivre card on him. That smile? Pure scheming triumph.
Victor frantically checked the spot where Queen had grabbed him—and sure enough, tucked inside his clothes was a small white piece of paper.
'He'd been played.'
His face twisted in fury.
"Queen… You bastard. I'll settle this with you later."
"Let's go. Find a place where I can witness the full might of Kaido, King of Beasts."
Without waiting for a response, Victor kicked off with Geppo, shooting toward the Red Line. Kaido followed indifferently.
"Kizaru! We have to go after them!" Gion shouted, urging the admiral to move.
---
Meanwhile, at Sabaody Archipelago…
The shoreline was packed with onlookers, all having witnessed the spectacle unfold.
"Did that Marine just… injure the monster?!"
"He can 'fly'?!"
"That's the Marines' Six Powers—'Moon Walk'! Only their elites can use it!"
"No kidding he's an elite!"
"If 'he's' not elite, then the Marines might as well wipe out every pirate in the world!"
"That fire blast was insane—I could feel the heat from here!"
"You got all that on camera, right? This is tomorrow's front page!"
"Yes, chief. Every second."
---
Victor led Kaido to the base of the Red Line, where a protruding landmass—about the size of a football field—jutted out. Compared to the sheer scale of the continent, it was insignificant.
Landing on the crimson earth, Victor turned his back to the towering Red Line and narrowed his eyes at the approaching Azure Dragon.
"Here we are. Let's see what you've got."