The hall was a chaos of fire, lightning, and shattered stone. Smoke curled in serpentine trails from the scorched floorboards, and the air vibrated with the residual power of two colliding forces. Alex wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling the dual surge of energy thrum violently within him. Dragan, the Tempest Beast, stood several meters away, his form fully draconic now, scales shimmering like storm clouds and eyes glowing with electric intensity.
"You've got spirit," Dragan said, his voice a deep rumble that made the very floor tremble. "But instincts alone won't make you an emperor."
Alex gritted his teeth. Then I'll combine instincts with will.
He raised both hands. Fire leapt from his right arm, coiling like serpents, while lightning crackled along his left, arcing unpredictably. For the first time, he allowed the energies to merge in midair — fire dancing around lightning, lightning striking within fire — creating a radiant, unstable storm of energy that wrapped his body. His eyes gleamed with fierce determination. Stormfire… he whispered, the name feeling natural on his tongue as the surge of combined power coursed through him.
Dragan charged. The dragon form's massive claws tore at the stone floor, leaving deep gouges. The air hissed and spat sparks as lightning met his elemental storm mid-flight. The collision sent a deafening boom through the hall, and debris rained from the ceiling. Alex's vision blurred from the force of the energy, but his instincts were razor-sharp. He sidestepped a claw swipe, countering with a sweeping arc of fire-laced lightning. The blast hit Dragan squarely, sending the lieutenant skidding back across the shattered hall, leaving scorched stone in his wake.
But Dragan was not finished. Rising from the debris, his Haki flared, coating his scales in a shimmering armor of dark energy. He moved faster than Alex could track, striking with a combination of claws, tail, and explosive bursts of elemental force. Each blow tested the limits of Alex's reflexes. He ducked, leapt, and rolled, flames and lightning dancing around him like extensions of his own body. Every instinct, every muscle screamed for survival, yet Alex refused to yield.
This is more than a fight, he thought. It's a lesson.
He felt the raw power of his Devil Fruit responding, almost sentient, amplifying his reflexes and intuition. Flames spiraled around his legs, lightning raced across his arms, and with a single motion, he launched a forward surge that blurred his outline. The hall lit up in a dazzling display as fire and electricity struck Dragan simultaneously from multiple angles. The lieutenant roared, staggered, and finally skidded back against a wall, crashing through a broken pillar. Dust and sparks filled the air, the ground beneath him splitting from the energy of their clash.
Alex landed gracefully, chest heaving, sweat dripping into his eyes. His Stormfire Mode was unstable — the raw energy threatened to consume him — yet he had survived. He had pushed past the limits of instinct and embraced the fusion of fire and lightning, and it had worked.
Dragan struggled to rise, breathing heavily, his glowing eyes narrowing. "Impressive," he said through gritted teeth. "You… have potential… but this isn't over."
Alex stepped closer, flames licking the edges of his hands, lightning arcing between his fingers. "It is over for you," he replied. "And Kaido will see what happens to those who underestimate me."
With a final roar, Dragan lunged, but Alex anticipated the strike this time, guided by instinct and observation Haki. He sidestepped, delivering a concentrated blast of Stormfire directly at the lieutenant's chest. The explosion engulfed Dragan in a blinding storm of heat and energy. When the smoke cleared, Dragan was on one knee, battered, his body smoking from the elemental onslaught.
Alex's chest heaved, his body trembling from the exertion, but he stood victorious. The hall was silent except for the distant groans of pirates recovering from the destruction. Even from outside the hall, Kaido's massive presence seemed to stir, a ripple of recognition and interest passing through the air. The Beast Emperor had felt the shockwave, and for the first time, someone from the New World had truly drawn his attention.
Alex allowed himself a moment to breathe, surveying the wreckage around him. Broken tables, shattered chandeliers, scorched pillars, and a few unconscious pirates marked the path of their battle. He had won, but barely. Every instinct screamed that the real challenges were yet to come. He had survived the lieutenant of Kaido, yet the path to Emperor was only beginning.
I am learning, Alex thought, and soon, the storms of the New World will kneel to me. He flexed his hands, feeling the residual hum of fire and lightning pulse through his veins, alive and responsive. Stormfire is mine, but mastery… mastery will come with more battles, more death, more fire.
He looked toward the shattered doors where Kaido's voice might yet reach him. The true test is coming. And somewhere deep in the shadows, the eyes of the New World's most terrifying pirate watched, calculating, measuring, waiting.