Kaido looked at Michael, at those eyes, at the colossal wings behind him that blotted out the sky.
He actually…
Started trembling.
Yes—his hands gripping the kanabo were trembling slightly!
But Kaido understood—this wasn't fear. On the contrary…
It was excitement!
Unparalleled excitement!
What Celestial Dragons? What Wano? What alliances? What ambitions?
None of it mattered compared to the grandness of the battle before him—one magnificent enough to destroy the world!
"So this is your full power, huh? Michael?"
"So this is your true form?"
"It's… truly terrifying."
"To stand on the same battlefield as you is my damn luck!"
His strike came faster than lightning.
Wrapped in Conqueror's Haki Infusion and thunder, Kaido gripped the kanabo with both hands and swung toward Michael with the fastest blow of his life.
His Conqueror's Haki and lightning condensed to the absolute limit in that instant!
Michael watched Kaido charge. His eyes were neither sad nor joyful.
He simply swung Myojo.
No Armament Haki.
No Conqueror's Haki.
Only pure, tangible Holy Light, always following him.
As the blade swung, Kaido heard a voice—
A song in a language he could not understand, but one that conveyed holiness deep into the soul.
But such hymns meant nothing to a monster fully consumed by battle.
Kanabo and Myojo collided.
Conqueror's Haki detonated, and the lightning compressed to the extreme erupted!
In an instant, an explosion like a nuclear blast occurred!
A massive mushroom cloud rose over Onigashima.
But the moment Michael's wings swept, the entire cloud dispersed into nothing.
And Michael…
Was completely unharmed.
Kaido was blasted back, barely stabilizing himself in midair before landing.
But the next moment—
A sharp crack.
One of Kaido's horns was severed clean off.
Kaido looked at the fallen horn and exhaled…
The next instant, the azure dragon reappeared.
Though now missing a horn, making it look a bit awkward.
But that didn't matter…
Michael gazed calmly at the dragon rising again, and then his own body began to rise.
He wasn't flying—it was as if the massive wings of Holy Light were lifting him.
"Kaido, you're doomed." Michael said, eyes indifferent. "If it were the me from five years ago, perhaps I would've suffered quite a bit…"
"What nonsense are you spouting, Michael?" Kaido's voice burned with excitement. "If it were the 'you' from five years ago—there's no way I'd be satisfied!"
"Is that so?" Michael tilted his head. "Don't you still have ambitions of ruling the world?"
"That crap! Compared to this greatest battle under heaven, it's meaningless!"
The dragon Kaido roared with laughter—laughing until tears formed.
"To drag everyone—rulers and commoners alike—onto the battlefield! THAT is freedom! THAT is equality! Only war…"
"Can determine the value of mankind!"
His roar tore through the sky.
Michael's eyes slowly widened, then—
He smiled gently, warmly, like a merciful angel descending.
"So that's how it is."
"Kaido… the you of the past was never gone…"
"Good…"
"Compared to the 'Beast' Kaido of today, I much prefer fighting the boy who hadn't yet become the Beast!"
The dragon's face twisted into a human-like grin.
Lightning crackled across his body.
Flames enveloped the massive dragon form.
Kaido's dragon body was already enormous.
But now wrapped in boundless flames, it grew to a size comparable to Michael's world-shrouding wings of light.
"Watch closely, Michael!"
"This is my ultimate strike!"
Michael looked at the hornless dragon.
This flame wasn't mere fire—it was a combination of fruit power, Armament Haki, and Conqueror's Haki burning together.
Michael felt a genuine smile rise within.
If Luffy in the original story had encountered this Kaido…
He'd still win—plot armor isn't a joke.
But Wano itself would've been doomed.
"To burn away all your strength just to drag me down from the heavens…"
"Kaido, you've regained your respect in my eyes."
"So I will give you… my greatest honor!"
Myojo in Michael's hand awakened, devouring all his energy.
Haki… devil fruit power…
Even the world-shrouding wings of Holy Light faded away.
Michael now appeared powerless.
But Kaido didn't believe that for a second.
He stared fixedly at Myojo.
"Michael! Tell me! What kind of world are you trying to create!?"
"Of course—a world where everyone has food, drink, and happiness!"
Michael said softly, still smiling warmly.
"And of course, 'everyone' includes you."
"I can't live in a peaceful world!"
"That's fine. I love all of you. And the world needs people like you—people who, when others try to ruin the world, stand up and fight… Just please, next time, don't walk down the wrong path again."
Michael raised his sword.
"Lost Paradise!"
"Flame Bagua!"
Michael's supreme strike and Kaido's all-consuming attack collided.
After only a brief moment of resistance—
An unimaginable force detonated through the sky!
Outside Onigashima, whether Wano's civilians or those fighting on the shores…
Whether Hancock and the Donquixote Family locked in battle, or Bullet and the others approaching Wano…
They all lifted their heads toward Onigashima.
What they saw—
Was the sight of world-ending destruction.
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Fanfic is finished. 583 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg