Dark clouds loomed over the volcano like thick, indelible ink, blotting out the sky.
A raging storm tore through the heavens, thunder and lightning crashing down with terrifying force.
Wild bolts of lightning bombarded the volcano below, while molten lava churned and exploded. Dense ash filled the air, blanketing the entire island.
Despite the chaos, King remained locked in combat. The two giants fighting him were now covered in wounds, staggering and on the verge of collapse.
Golden lightning rained down violently, collapsing parts of the mountain. Lava sprayed in all directions, igniting the surrounding prehistoric forest.
Frightened by the upheaval, the island's ancient beasts fled in panic.
Scorching heatwaves scorched everything in sight. At the volcano's rim, Ghidorah, wings crackling with electricity, intensified the storm.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, the island began to tremble violently.
Deep within the volcano, lava churned as if boiling over—rising upward, forming a massive bulge in the caldera.
It was as though something enormous was pushing up from below.
BANG!
A thunderous detonation rang out.
The lava bubble burst. A massive splash of molten rock erupted, revealing a dark red shadow deep beneath the surface.
As the shadow thickened, it burst free from the lava—rising into the air.
"Who dares disturb this king's slumb—"
The voice was deep, menacing, and furious as the shadow surged upward.
But the moment it laid eyes on Ghidorah at the volcano's rim… the voice abruptly cut off.
SCHLK!
The sickening sound of flesh being pierced rang out—one of Ghidorah's three massive golden heads had clamped down on the creature's wing, teeth sinking deep.
CRASH!
With a savage twist of his neck, Ghidorah flung the dark red beast through the air, sending it crashing into the forest below, instantly igniting the trees.
"You bastard!"
Ghidorah finally spoke, eyes blazing with fury as he stared at the monster now rolling in the smoke and flame.
"Do you know how damn long I've been looking for you?!"
The crimson beast struggled to its feet, stunned—but when it recognized Ghidorah's figure, it stopped in its tracks.
A moment passed. Then—
"Boss!!!"
The shout echoed with raw emotion—joy, pain, longing…
Like a lost child reunited with family after centuries, that single word carried centuries of yearning.
CRASH!
Seeing the reaction, Ghidorah's fierce golden eyes softened. He spread his wings and soared toward the beast, landed before it, and—without hesitation—bit down again and hurled him into another section of the burning forest.
"You idiot. You had me thinking you were dead!"
Ghidorah growled, watching "Rodan" crash into the forest again.
Despite the repeated thrashings, Rodan wasn't angry—in fact, he looked overjoyed.
"Haha! I honestly thought I was gonna die too," Rodan laughed. "Who would've guessed… that fruit had this kind of effect!"
"Tch. If it didn't, do you think I would've risked my damn life to swap fruits for you?"
Ghidorah rolled his eyes.
Back then, to hide Rodan's identity and give him that Devil Fruit, Ghidorah had sacrificed one of his own heads.
That sacrifice was no less than laying down his life.
"Ahahaha… only you could've created a fruit like that, Boss. As long as there's fire—I can't die!"
"Hm?"
Ghidorah narrowed his eyes at Rodan's smug grin.
Knowing his boss's temper, Rodan quickly straightened up and asked:
"Where the hell have you been, Boss? After you vanished, I turned the world upside down looking for you!"
"Got tricked… by a bunch of scheming bastards," Ghidorah replied flatly.
He briefly explained his capture and imprisonment in Impel Down.
Rodan's face twisted in disbelief, then anger.
"Those Twenty Kings… we need to settle the score. Our kingdom—"
"Gone. It's been eight hundred years."
Ghidorah cut in coldly.
"What?!?!"
Rodan froze, his eyes wide like lanterns.
He had merely fallen asleep—yet centuries had passed.
"Yes. Just as you're thinking, the 'Kingdom of Joy' no longer exists."
Ghidorah confirmed it grimly.
"So… everything we worked for… all gone?" Rodan asked, unwilling to accept the truth.
"Not completely. The Will of D still lives on—but only a few understand it now. It survives only as a surname…"
With a thunderous sigh, Ghidorah dropped down, explaining the current state of the world.
"Arghhh!!"
"How could this happen?!"
Rodan stomped and roared, devastated.
Centuries of effort, erased in the blink of an eye. Anyone would be crushed by such a revelation.
"You're falling apart already?" Ghidorah scoffed. "Shouldn't wiping them out now feel even more meaningful?"
"Wipe them out…?"
Rodan suddenly stopped, then broke into laughter.
"Haha! That's why you're the boss—I didn't even think of that!"
He dropped his transformation, revealing his human form.
Rodan now appeared as a tall man—around two meters—wearing long, wavy black hair. The right side of his face was etched with an ancient, totem-like pattern.
He opened his tattooed arms wide and let out a booming laugh.
"Hahahaha… now this body feels good again!"
"Idiot! Don't drop your fruit form so casually!" Ghidorah barked.
"C'mon, it's fine! No one recognized me back then—and it's been centuries! Who would even remember me now?"
Rodan waved dismissively, not concerned in the slightest.
"Don't get cocky. If someone does recognize you, it'll be a huge mess." Ghidorah snapped.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it. But seriously—can I at least enjoy stretching a little first?"
Rodan looked annoyed, but he understood the danger. Then, as if something occurred to him, he asked:
"So… when do we start settling those old debts?"
"Soon. But first, we need to gather strength. The Twenty Kings aren't just ceremonial."
Ghidorah's tone turned grave.
"The Monkey family is already making preparations. And the current fruit inheritor… he's a Monkey too."
"…Wait."
"You mean that fruit Little Joy ate back then?!"
Rodan's eyes widened in shock.
"Yeah. That one."
"He's evolving the wrong way, though… but it doesn't really matter. That fruit behaves differently with every user."
BOOM!!!
Just as they were speaking, a massive explosion echoed from afar.
Looking toward the source, they saw the two giants King had been fighting—collapsed in the forest, unconscious.
Moments later, King, trailed in black flames, soared down and landed beside Ghidorah, silently reverting to human form like a loyal sentinel.
"Huh?"
Rodan blinked in surprise at the sight of King, then peered at him curiously.
"This little guy's kinda strange… why does he feel so familiar?"
"He's a Lunarian." Ghidorah explained calmly.
"Ahhh, that explains it."
Hearing that, Rodan understood immediately—King's aura was the same as Ghidorah's old human form from centuries ago.
After his initial surprise, he added:
"But… this kid's power level? Kinda underwhelming, isn't it?"
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