In just a second, Kaido's body transformed. Towering over the battlefield, he assumed a form a hundred times larger than his regular dragon size—a mechanical, armored colossus.
"Ah-ro-ro-ro-ro!" Kaido laughed.
"Well, Whitebeard? How do you like my new form?"
The mechanical dragon loomed over Sphinx Island, its enormous frame blotting out the sun. What had been a bright day turned into sudden twilight, as if night had fallen.
Far from the battlefield, the island's fleeing residents paused to catch their breath.
"Finally... we're safe..." one muttered.
But as they glanced back, they noticed the darkened sky and froze in fear.
"What's happening? Is this some kind of extreme weather?"
"Or... could it be caused by Whitebeard and Kaido's fight?"
"Wait... look at that! Is that... a dragon? A massive mechanical dragon!"
Through the tiny gaps in Kaido's armor, they caught glimpses of his glowing body, and their fear deepened.
Even a single dragon scale was larger than a Sea King.
Realizing the scale of destruction this battle could unleash, the civilians panicked anew.
"Keep running! Get as far away as possible!"
"This battle is way beyond anything we imagined!"
Back on the battlefield, Whitebeard's eyes widened slightly as he stared at Kaido's new form.
"Kaido... have you awakened?" Whitebeard asked, his voice tinged with rare surprise.
Even the world's strongest man could feel the immense danger radiating from Kaido.
The Whitebeard Pirates stood frozen, their breaths held as they beheld the monstrous mechanical dragon towering above them.
"Is this... Kaido's true power?" someone muttered.
Ace, standing among them, was utterly speechless. His wide eyes reflected the massive dragon in the sky, its shadow stretching across the battlefield.
Kaido, now in his full Susanoo-enhanced dragon form, roared with unbridled confidence, his voice shaking the very air.
High above the battlefield, Marco, mid-flight, widened his eyes in shock.
"Damn it! I've never seen Kaido in this form before..."
"This is really bad!"
Marco's usually calm demeanor turned grim.
Jozu and Vista also took up their combat stances, their faces heavy with tension.
"Damn it! Let's attack together. So what if he's awakened? With Dad here, we won't lose!"
Meanwhile, the Beasts Pirates had taken heavy damage. Aside from King, who remained focused on protecting Yoruha, many of Kaido's subordinates were already injured. This gave the Whitebeard Pirates a rare chance to turn their focus entirely on Kaido.
"Phoenix Talon!"
"Rose Dance!"
"Fire Fist!"
One after another, the Whitebeard Pirates launched their signature attacks, all aimed at the massive Kaido in the sky.
In response, the gigantic Susanoo-enhanced Kaido laughed heartily, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
"Hahaha! So this is what it feels like to be truly strong!"
"This is amazing! Attack me all you want—it only proves my strength! Ah-ro-ro-ro-ro!"
Under Kaido's immense aura, the sky darkened. Thunder roared as rain began pouring down, while bolts of lightning struck the earth.
The flashes of lightning illuminated Kaido's enormous dragon head, its sheer size and menacing presence sending chills down the spines of everyone watching.
This was a feeling Kaido's usual dragon form had never evoked before.
Even Whitebeard could sense the difference in Kaido's aura. His expression hardened as he prepared his attack, summoning the full power of his Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
The air and earth around them cracked and shattered, creating an apocalyptic scene as Kaido's storms and Whitebeard's quakes clashed.
Kaido, however, wasn't fazed. He smirked confidently, his eyes glowing with a blue, hellish flame.
"Watch closely, Whitebeard!" Kaido growled.
"This is my new power—Cyclone Destruction!"
Kaido unleashed a massive torrent of spiraling wind from his mouth.
The spiraling blasts resembled spinning shuriken, each one crackling with explosive energy. The piercing sound of the wind alone was enough to send shivers down the spines of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Whitebeard's tremors, which had obliterated countless foes in the past, were torn apart by Kaido's cyclonic blasts.
The devastating winds, unaffected, hurtled toward the Whitebeard Pirates at terrifying speed.
Buzz! Buzz!
The deafening sound of the wind filled the air.
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes, his expression uncharacteristically serious.
"Be careful!" he warned his crew.
"Kaido isn't the same as before!"
Despite fighting Kaido dozens of times over the years, Whitebeard had always held the upper hand. His attacks were stronger, his experience unmatched.
But now, Kaido's attacks seemed more powerful than anything Whitebeard had encountered before.
Something was different.
Vista, the Flower Swordsman, frowned deeply as he assessed the situation.
Kaido's attacks... stronger than Dad's tremors? That's insane!
"These winds... they're like bladed slashes."
"Fine. Let's see if I can block them!"
With a flourish, Vista unleashed a flurry of sword slashes at one of the spiraling winds.
But his attack was futile. The spinning wind easily deflected his strikes and continued its relentless trajectory toward him.
"Damn it!" Vista muttered, his face paling.
Realizing he couldn't dodge in time, Vista crossed his twin swords in front of his chest, fortifying them with Armament Haki to block the attack.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as the spiraling wind collided with his swords.
Vista's arms trembled under the immense force, his muscles screaming in protest.
"Vista!" Whitebeard roared from a distance.
But it was too late. The spiraling wind tore through Vista's defenses, leaving dozens of deep wounds across his body.
Blood poured from the injuries, staining the ground beneath him.
Although his quick reaction and Haki saved his life, the damage was severe.
Before Whitebeard could intervene, the remaining cyclonic blasts tore through the battlefield, striking the other commanders.
Aside from Whitebeard and Marco, who managed to evade, the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders were gravely injured.
Whitebeard's face darkened with anger and disbelief.
Even if Kaido had awakened his powers, how could he unleash such overwhelming force?
This level of destruction rivaled, or even surpassed, Whitebeard and Roger at their peaks.
How had Kaido grown so powerful?
Though Whitebeard's instincts told him there must be a reason for Kaido's newfound strength, the chaos of the battle left him no time to dwell on it.
Kaido's booming laughter echoed from above.
"Ah-ro-ro-ro-ro! Is that all you've got, Whitebeard?"
"Our grudge ends today!"
"When I'm done here, this territory will be mine!"
"The new era will belong to me, Pirate King Kaido!"
The colossal mechanical dragon roared once more, its mouth opening wide to unleash an even more devastating wave of spiraling destruction.
The sound of the wind intensified, accompanied by thunderous explosions as the blasts surged toward Whitebeard and his crew.