When word spread that Kaido was being dragged into Impel Down, several criminals pressed their faces against the iron bars, straining to see.
"Crocodile, what nonsense are you spouting? How could that monster Kaido be injured?" Shiryu of the Rain sneered with a grin.
He remembered clearly the time he had escorted Kaido on a Marine warship. Back then, Kaido had broken free simply because Shiryu underestimated his recovery ability. He knew better than anyone the monstrous resilience of the Beast. To even scratch Kaido was a feat reserved for the strongest men alive.
And to severely wound him? Ha! That sounded like the work of a god—or perhaps someone like Garp. Yet Garp was old now, half-retired. The odds of it being him seemed slim.
The other prisoners exchanged glances, each one unsettled. Every soul locked within the Sixth Floor knew just how terrifying a veteran Yonko truly was.
Catrina Devon scoffed, mocking Crocodile. "What a joke. You're shaken just from seeing Kaido with a scratch? You really are weak."
But Crocodile didn't rise to the insult this time. His eyes stayed fixed, stunned, on the hulking figure being dragged through the gloom.
"Hah! It takes more than courage to lay Kaido low," Douglas Bullet finally spoke, his voice heavy with both shock and fascination. Strong men always drew his attention—and Kaido was one of the strongest.
As Kaido shuffled past the rows of cells, chains rattling with every heavy step, silence swept the Sixth Floor.
Scars crisscrossed his body like a map of destruction. Fresh wounds layered atop old ones, deep gashes carved into his flesh as though by relentless storms of blades and fire. On anyone else, such injuries would have meant certain death. But Kaido still breathed, even if his body swayed and his face sagged with exhaustion.
For a long moment, not even a whisper passed through the cells. Then voices broke the silence.
"This… this isn't possible," Shiryu muttered, disbelief cracking his usual grin.
Big Barrel, Catrina Devon, Wolf, stared wide-eyed. Even among the monsters of the Sixth Floor, none of them could imagine Kaido like this. Only perhaps Red Count could rival the Yonko in his prime—yet even that comparison felt far-fetched.
Ace's eyes widened. He had once stepped into Wano and faced Kaido himself. Back then, he couldn't even pierce Kaido's skin, let alone win. He had lost miserably to Kaido's mastery of Conqueror's Haki. Even his father, Whitebeard—the strongest man in the world—might not have left Kaido with such wounds.
Bullet clenched his fists, struggling to comprehend. After all his years of training, he knew Kaido had only grown stronger with time. How could such a man be dragged here, broken and bound?
"Kaido," Bullet muttered, "you were the fiercest rookie of the Rocks Pirates. Even if I fought you now, it'd be uncertain who stood last. Who in this world could possibly break you like this?"
Even Red Count, who had been silent since Ashveil's arrival, lifted his head. His eyes narrowed sharply as he studied Kaido's broken body.
"Who was it? Did Garp strike you down?" Red Count asked, his voice unusually heavy.
There were only a handful of people alive who might leave such scars on Kaido.
Kaido's chains clanged as he forced himself forward, each step scraping against the stone floor. His voice, hoarse yet furious, broke the silence.
"It wasn't Garp. It wasn't any Marine at all. A new monster has appeared on the seas!"
His fists clenched, his face twisted in rage as his words thundered through the Sixth Floor.
"It was the Whitebeard Pirates' Zero Division Captain—Thorne Ashveil!"
Gasps echoed through the darkness.
The mere memory of Ashveil's strikes made Kaido's wounds throb and burn anew. That man's attacks had torn his body apart, forced him into unconsciousness, and left him shackled like a beast in chains. Without that one defeat, no group of Vice Admirals could have dragged him here.
The prisoners froze in stunned disbelief.
Ashveil? The same young man who had been thrown into Impel Down not long ago? The same reckless newcomer who had claimed he would rescue Ace?
Kaido's furious glare swept across their shocked faces.
"What? You know of him? He only emerged days ago… yet he already carries such power?" His voice shook with anger and confusion.
Then, as Kaido passed a shadowed cell, a familiar voice drifted out, quiet but sharp as a blade.
"It seems your defense isn't bad, Kaido. You survived my blows."
The words rolled lazily through the silence, but Kaido's blood ran cold. That voice—he would never forget it.
Ashveil.
His entire body stiffened, a chill racing down his spine. His eyes snapped open wide as fury and dread twisted across his face.
"It's you… It's you, Ashveil! You bastard!" Kaido roared, chains rattling as he thrashed against them.
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