Kaido's battle instincts, honed to perfection, prompted him to draw his kanabo from his waist, unleashing a burst of Conqueror's Haki.
"Thunder Bagua!"
The classic technique, now imbued with Conqueror's Haki, surged forward to meet Paradise Lost plummeting from the sky.
Kaido, who had once been crippled by "Paradise Lost - Lucifer," spending seven years recovering from near-death to regain his peak, reacted.
Two maces, distinct, clashed through the air, their Armed Haki colliding with such force that they tore through the sky.
The shockwave from their clash hurled nearby staff members into the sea.
Kaido raised his head, a ferocious grin splitting his face. "Wororororo! Isn't that my dear daughter, Yamato?"
"You bastard, muscle-bound gorilla! Who's your daughter?!" Yamato transformed into her Hybrid Form, radiating a frigid, icy aura. "You dare show up at the G-1 Branch? Looks like you've come prepared to die!"
"Grrrr! My bastard daughter dares to try and kill her father! Then let's see how much you've learned from Michael!" Kaido swung his mace, sending Yamato soaring into the air again.
"That Paradise Lost earlier... wasn't nearly enough!"
As he spoke, Kaido didn't hold back.
Dragon Scales and Dragon Horns erupted from his body as he transformed into his optimal Hybrid Form for battle.
"Take this! Great Thunder Bagua!"
Conqueror's Haki coiled around Kaido's massive mace, compressing lightning into a miniature nuclear explosion. If it hit, it would create a mushroom cloud.
But...
The attack, aimed at someone suspended in mid-air, missed its mark.
Kaido noticed that Yamato was floating in the air, not through Moonwalk... but floating, just like Shiki the Golden Lion!
"Ah, how could I forget that you have a crewmate who rivals the Golden Lion himself?"
"Hmph! Kaido! You're a relic of the past..." Bonney crossed her arms and floated from her ship to Yamato's side.
"In this new era... there's no vessel big enough for you!"
"Uh, although... Kaido seems to be only 59, right?" Jack leaped down. "To be honest, Bonney... the 'old era' and all that... it might not be over yet."
"Yohohohoho! It's Kaido of the Beasts! That scared me to death... Oh, wait, I'm already dead. Never mind then." Brook tilted his top hat, delivering his usual skeleton joke.
"Waaah, Kaido of the Beasts..." Chopper observed the legendary figure, so anxious he hid backwards, leaving his entire body exposed.
Next, the Supernovas of the sea—the rising stars of recent years—now stood opposite Kaido as members of the Angel Alliance Special Task Force.
Kaido surveyed the infamous pirate Supernovas who had risen to prominence across the oceans.
His gaze settled on Yamato with unspoken admiration.
"Ahh, it seems you've assembled a pirate crew even more formidable than the Beast Pirates. But... do you really think overwhelming me with numbers will be enough to defeat me?! You're far too naive!"
Kaido prepared to transform into the Azure Dragon, determined to teach these youngsters a lesson they would never forget!
"Are you people out of your minds?!"
Just as the two sides were about to clash, a man swept through the air with a whoosh of wings, leaving a red, swollen lump on the head of every person present.
It was Michael, who had been preparing for a meeting inside.
As Garp's closest friend, he was adept at the Fist of Love.
He landed in front of Kaido.
"Hey, Kaido, looks like you've recovered..." Michael, now eye level with Kaido thanks to his wings, smirked.
"Why not come inside for the meeting?"
"I only owe Big Mom a favor, not you and your Angel Alliance!" Kaido snarled, his face twisted into a ferocious expression.
"What kind of meeting? Don't think you can order me around just because you beat me once!"
"ε=( ́ο`*))) Sigh." Michael sighed, then turned to Yamato. "Yamato, didn't I tell you that tsunderes are so so last season?"
"Father!" Yamato exclaimed, seeing Michael appear before her for the first time in seven years.
She was about to throw herself into his arms, but remembered her subordinates were watching her.
She cleared her throat and saluted. "Reporting in! Captain of the Angel Alliance Special Task Force, codename 'Throne Angel,' reporting back!"
"Welcome back!" Michael replied, returning the salute. "Alright, don't just stand here. Let's go to the meeting..."
His gaze shifted to Bonney, who was pretending to look up at the sky, trying to slip under the radar.
"Bonney... you little brat, just wait."
"Uncle Michael! Have mercy on me! Please!"
"Heh, even if I let you off this time, your mom and dad won't." Michael's smile turned cruel. "This time... your bottom will bloom."
With that, he handed the ashen-faced Bonney to Jack, then waved for Yamato to hurry up and lead her team inside.
Watching Yamato walk toward the forward command post, glancing back every few steps, Michael turned to meet Kaido's gaze once more.
"What are you looking at?" Kaido grumbled, seeing Michael's calm expression. He slung his mace at his waist. "I just toughed it out, didn't I?"
"I'm just marveling at how you've learned to show mercy, Kaido," Michael said, gesturing to the staff members swimming back to shore.
"Seven years ago, they would have been killed by the collateral damage from your battle with Yamato."
"Tch." Kaido clicked his tongue. "I was caught off guard and couldn't give it my all."
"Enough. You might be able to fool Yamato with that excuse, but don't try to convince yourself." Michael's gaze settled on the massive, moon-like scar on Kaido's chest.
"I used to wonder if letting you go back then was like releasing a tiger back into the mountains or a dragon back into the abyss. But now it seems I truly did kill the original Kaido of the Beasts on Onigashima. And as he claimed, that Kaido truly couldn't live in peace."
Hearing this, Kaido's evasive gaze returned to Michael's.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"I just..."
"Want to see what the 'right path' you spoke of back then actually looks like."