Kaboom!
In agony, Kaido repeatedly crashed his massive frame into the ground, trying desperately to dislodge Raleigh from his head.
Raleigh wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth but refused to release his grip on the dragon's horn.
Instead, he raised his other fist, coated in high-density Armament Haki, and pounded Kaido's skull with even greater force.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The ground, ravaged by Kaido's thrashing, formed one massive crater after another.
Countless giant rocks were pulverized into dust by the impacts.
Yet, he still couldn't throw Raleigh off.
Seeing that his physical struggles were completely useless against the man riding his back, Kaido had no choice but to revert from his massive Azure Dragon form to shrink his target.
He shifted into his Hybrid Form.
Raleigh, losing his footing on the shrinking target, released his hold on the dragon horn and leaped backward to create distance.
In his hybrid form, Kaido's head was already drenched in blood, and his labored breathing wheezed through his teeth.
He wasn't faring well.
Raleigh concentrated top-tier Armament Haki around his fists, black lightning crackling around his knuckles, ready to advance at any moment and deliver a fatal blow.
Kaido took a deep breath, his eyes wild, and charged toward Raleigh once more.
Seeing this, Raleigh naturally showed no fear.
Kaido seemed to have exhausted his bag of tricks.
Raleigh clenched his fists and advanced to meet him head-on.
Kaido was secretly gathering energy in his maw—a move that Raleigh saw through at a glance via Observation Haki.
However, Raleigh paid it no mind. Given Kaido's current exhaustion, he calculated that the threat level was manageable.
That said, Raleigh was somewhat surprised—the present Kaido was far weaker than the future "Strongest Creature," the most significant difference being that his Devil Fruit had not yet Awakened.
It was worth noting that an Awakened Zoan and a non-Awakened one were almost like two entirely different fruits.
Once a Zoan-type awakened, their recovery abilities, stamina, and physical attributes would skyrocket.
It was precisely for this reason that Kaido would eventually become the man who simply couldn't die.
But the current Kaido, though naturally endowed with a powerful physique, was not yet at a level where Raleigh felt helpless.
No wonder Kaido doesn't dare provoke the true titans of the sea yet. He is still developing.
In truth, Kaido was quite cautious in his early days.
Shiki, Whitebeard, Roger, or Charlotte Linlin—any one of them could currently overpower him.
"Blast Breath!"
Seeing that Raleigh made no move to defend himself, Kaido focused his gaze and unleashed a devastating blast of scorching thermal energy directly at Raleigh's face.
The beam, several meters wide, completely enveloped Raleigh's upper body.
Whoosh!
With the release of the heat blast, Raleigh's upper body seemed to disintegrate.
Whether it was his clothes, skin, flesh, or bones, all appeared to be utterly annihilated, turning into fine, scattering dust in the wind.
Seeing that he had eliminated his opponent with a single surprise attack, Kaido was naturally exhilarated.
After the heat blast ended, his exhausted body forced him out of his Hybrid form.
He dropped to one knee, gasping for breath heavily, steam rising from his scales.
"Hah... Hah... The final victor is still me, after all."
A look of excitement flashed in Kaido's eyes.
Clap, clap, clap.
A slow, mocking series of applause interrupted Kaido's joy, coming from the dissipating dust directly in front of him.
Kaido looked up in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief as he stared at Raleigh, who should have been reduced to ashes.
At this moment, Raleigh showed no signs of damage.
The dust and particles in the air swirled and condensed, reforming his torso and clothing perfectly.
Seeing this, a sudden realization struck Kaido, and he uttered in disbelief:
"You... You're also a Logia-type ability user?"
Kaido could hardly believe it.
Devil Fruits were not uncommon, but Logia-types were the rarest of the three standard classes.
Enel, who had just been fighting in the sky, was a user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, a top-tier Logia.
Kaido had assumed Raleigh was a non-user since he relied purely on swordsmanship and physical Haki.
"Unfortunately for you, I am indeed a Devil Fruit user."
Raleigh's tone carried a mock apology, but his expression showed no remorse.
"Damn it—"
Before Kaido could finish, a figure materialized before him in a blur of speed.
Raleigh's right hand, coated in heavy Armament Haki, seized Kaido's face.
"Deep Plow!"
Boom!
Raleigh slammed Kaido's head into the ground with immense force, instantly creating a massive crater.
But Raleigh had no intention of releasing him.
His right hand maintained a vise-like grip on Kaido's skull.
His leg muscles tensed, and his torso bent forward as he launched himself running, dragging Kaido's face relentlessly across the rocky terrain.
Rumble—!
After traversing an unknown distance—at least a thousand meters—plowing a trench through the island's bedrock with Kaido's face, Raleigh finally halted.
Surveying the kilometer-long trench carved behind him, Raleigh smiled with satisfaction.
The Kaido in his grasp had long since lost consciousness from the continuous, brutal impacts against the unyielding rock.
Observing the comatose pirate, Raleigh's smile deepened.
This guy truly lives up to his future reputation. Even such a ferocious assault failed to crack his skull open.
Though unconscious, Kaido's resilient physique meant he'd likely recover within half a day.
As Raleigh's battle concluded, the aerial combatants noticed the shift in pressure.
Witnessing Kaido lying limp at Raleigh's feet, King's heart swelled with anguish.
Yet, he found himself in a precarious position.
"KAIDO-SAN!"
King's mournful cry echoed across the island, though rescue wasn't his immediate intention.
He knew he couldn't take Raleigh and Enel alone.
He aimed to flee the island at maximum speed.
Given Kaido's durability, death at the hands of the Marines was improbable.
If King remained free, he could organize a rescue.
If both were captured, the Beasts Pirates were finished.
"El Thor!"
Seeing King's attempted escape, Enel launched a massive pillar of electricity to intercept him.
However, King's superior aerial maneuverability and Lunarian durability allowed him to withstand the shockwave and vanish into the distant clouds.
Enel scowled at King's successful getaway but acknowledged his limitations.
At this stage, his Ark Maxim simply couldn't match that raw flight speed.
Guiding the Ark Maxim to descend, Enel joined Raleigh's side.
Observing the unconscious Kaido, Enel melted gold from his ship's railing into thick chains to bind Kaido's limbs.
"This brute's constitution is extraordinary," Raleigh noted, kicking the unconscious pirate.
"Gold won't hold him long. We'll need Seastone chains to properly restrain him once we're aboard."
Raleigh hoisted the massive Kaido onto his shoulder and strode toward the warship, his footsteps echoing heavily.
...
Three days later.
Aboard the Marine Warship.
Bang! Crash!
A series of violent collisions erupted from the ship's brig, causing the entire vessel to shudder. Everyone on deck wore expressions of irritation and unease.
Raleigh, disturbed from his pleasant nap on the sun deck by the commotion, sat up angrily.
Enel approached, looking exasperated.
"Raleigh-sama, Kaido has woken up again."
"His recovery ability is too strong. It's downright monstrous."
Over the past few days, everyone on the ship had witnessed just how terrifying the "Undying" constitution was.
An anesthetic dose capable of knocking out ten elephants for a full day could only put Kaido to sleep for an hour.
Wounds that would be fatal to ordinary people healed on Kaido's body in just a day.
If it weren't for the orders to deliver Kaido alive to Vegapunk, Raleigh would have long since started dismantling him piece by piece.
Irritated beyond measure, Raleigh rose from his sunbed and marched toward the cabin with a murderous expression.
The Marine's prison hold was clean and sterile, unlike the damp dungeons of the World Government.
But now, it was a mess of dented steel.
There lay the beast, bound in chains, coiled up like a silkworm.
Layers upon layers of Seastone chains restrained him, locking every joint in his body and connecting him firmly to the ship's keel.
This was to prevent Kaido from breaking free, but his sheer muscle spasms were enough to shake the whole ship.
As the sound of military boots tapping against the floor echoed, Kaido ceased his struggles.
With the creak of the heavy steel door opening, Raleigh stepped in.
Upon seeing the Marine, Kaido grew even more agitated.
His Conqueror's Haki burst forth, fueled by pure hatred, surging violently within the confined space.
Raleigh paid it no mind.
He wasn't afraid of Kaido at full strength, let alone bound in Seastone.
Thud!
Raleigh stomped his boot directly onto Kaido's face, pressing him into the floor.
The extreme humiliation drove Kaido into a frenzy!
"Kaido. Born in the Vodka Kingdom on the Grand Line."
Raleigh began to speak, his voice cold and echoing in the cell.
"By the age of ten, you were already the strongest warrior in the entire kingdom, undefeated by anyone."
"But unfortunately, your country did not value you."
"In order to secure a seat at the Levely, the King of the Vodka Kingdom unconditionally sold you to the World Government and the Navy in exchange for political favor."
"Hah."
These few sentences turned Kaido's eyes bloodshot with rage.
These events were the most painful memories buried deep in Kaido's heart—the betrayal by his own people.
"Ahhhhhhh! Bastard! SHUT UP!"
"Let me go! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
Kaido's furious roars reverberated throughout the prison cell as he struggled wildly, the Seastone chains clanking noisily.
Raleigh ignored the outburst and coated his right hand with Armament Haki.
Wham! Wham! Wham!
Like striking a wooden drum, he hammered Kaido's skull repeatedly.
Only after twenty heavy blows did Kaido finally stop screaming, his vision blurring.
Shaking his sore right hand, Raleigh continued:
"Before joining Rocks, you owed nothing to your country. Rather, it was your country that failed you."
"But after gaining power, you didn't choose revenge. Instead, you wreaked havoc on Hachinosu and joined Rocks D. Xebec."
"Regardless, you are a criminal. And I am your warden."
Dazed from the beating, Kaido panted heavily. He couldn't refute the words.
"Marine... don't let me find a way out," Kaido hissed, his voice low and dripping with venom. "If I escape, I will make you pay—without fail!"
Raleigh paused, then smiled mockingly.
"Since you put it that way, I'll make sure you never get the chance to move, let alone escape."
"Raleigh-sama, we've brought what you asked for."
Enel knocked on the door and entered with several specialized Navy soldiers.
Each soldier carried a tray containing several thick, razor-sharp Seastone Nails.
Raleigh nodded. "Set them down."
He turned back to Kaido. "These are specially crafted to keep you from disturbing my naps."
Kaido felt a chill as he looked at the black, metallic spikes.
Just as Kaido tried to resist, an unusually thick syringe plunged into his neck, injecting a massive dose of concentrated tranquilizer.
"Marine—!"
Before he could finish, Kaido's eyes rolled back.
Raleigh marked key joint areas on Kaido's body—wrists, ankles, shoulders, and knees.
"Drive them in," Raleigh ordered cold-heartedly.
He had refined this method based on torture devices from his past life.
The Seastone Nails were to be hammered directly into the bone joints.
For a Zoan-type with absurd recovery, external chains weren't enough.
But Seastone driven inside the body, blocking the movement of the joints and constantly draining energy from the marrow?
Even the "Strongest Creature" wouldn't be able to move a muscle.