Silver Axe couldn't quite determine what kind of Devil Fruit Kaito had consumed, but he knew one thing for certain: such overwhelming power demanded immense stamina. No matter how formidable Kaito's current state seemed, it would drain his energy rapidly. If Silver Axe could outlast him, he might stand a chance.
"I'll wear him down!" Silver Axe muttered under his breath. "Let's go again!" he roared, covering his body once more with Armament Haki. He gripped his enormous axe tightly and leapt high into the air.
"Thunder Silver Axe!!!"
This was a technique Silver Axe had spent years perfecting—a strike so powerful that it seemed to call forth faint lightning arcs, a mere visual effect caused by the raw force behind his swing. Silver Axe poured every ounce of strength into this one move, determined to break through Kaito's defenses.
Kaito, watching him ascend, furrowed his brow. He recognized the stubborn nature of his opponent. Some people simply refused to yield until they were utterly defeated.
"Tailed Beast Bomb!" Kaito announced coolly. A sphere of swirling energy began forming in front of his mouth. The sheer power radiating from it sent shockwaves through the air.
This was no ordinary attack. Even when Kaito had only unlocked the One-Tail state months earlier, his Tailed Beast Bomb had been potent enough to injure the mighty Golden Lion Shiki. Now, in his Four-Tail state, the destructive power was orders of magnitude greater. Kaito didn't fully know the limits of this attack, but it hardly mattered—he had decided to end things quickly.
As the energy coalesced, the surrounding space visibly distorted under the pressure. Pirates watching from afar were awestruck, some nearly paralyzed by the oppressive force.
"Isn't that the same technique he used when he first joined the crew?" one pirate whispered.
"But it's so much stronger now! Back then it injured Captain Shiki. This... this is on a whole other level!" another replied.
"I can't believe he's grown this much. He was already terrifying before. Now it's like he's in a different league entirely," said a third.
Silver Axe's own crew shouted frantically, urging him to retreat. "Captain Silver Axe! Get out of there!"
"Captain! You'll be killed if you don't move!"
"Please! You can't match that monster's power!"
Despite their cries, Silver Axe gritted his teeth and refused to back down. He roared, slamming his axe downward as Kaito released the fully charged Tailed Beast Bomb. The massive energy sphere hurtled toward Silver Axe, its immense force consuming and neutralizing the energy of his axe strike before smashing into him head-on.
"Boom!!!"
The resulting explosion was deafening. The sea erupted in towering waves, hundreds of meters high, cascading outward and crashing down with enough force to obliterate smaller vessels. Even the distant island trembled as the shockwave reached its shores. At the epicenter of the blast, a bottomless whirlpool formed, swirling violently and refusing to dissipate.
Pirates were flung into the sea, and those still conscious were stunned into silence. The once-crowded battlefield had become eerily quiet, save for the roar of the ocean and the faint crackle of dissipating energy.
When the smoke cleared, only Kaito remained standing. Silver Axe was nowhere to be seen, having been thrown hundreds of meters away into the depths of the sea. The other pirates, tossed around like ragdolls, also struggled to stay afloat.
Kaito exhaled slowly, observing the devastation. "That was... more than I expected," he muttered. The sheer force of the Tailed Beast Bomb had drained nearly all of his stamina. While he was victorious, he knew the cost of using such a move in his Four-Tail form.
The sound of footsteps broke through the quiet. Kaito turned to see Rocks walking toward him, flanked by the rest of the crew.
"What is that?" one pirate gasped, staring at Kurama's enormous form.
"Is it an enemy? Another Sea King?" another wondered aloud.
Before anyone could panic further, Kaito shifted back into his human form. The towering beast disappeared, leaving behind only Kaito's familiar figure.
"Wait, that was Kaito?"
"What kind of Devil Fruit did he eat to transform into something like that?"
"An Eudemons-type fruit, maybe?"
The questions flew as the crew took in the destruction around them. The ship Silver Axe had been on was gone. The swirling vortex in the distance was all that remained of the battlefield. The crew struggled to piece together what had happened.
"What about Captain Silver Axe? The Getley Pirates' ship?" one crewmember asked.
"And the rest of the crew? Where's the enemy? What happened to the battle on the island?" another chimed in.
Finally, someone whispered the unthinkable: "You don't think... Kaito fought Captain Silver Axe, do you? And won?"
The crew was stunned into silence. For a long time, no one could comprehend the sight before them. Kaito, the once-new recruit, had just demonstrated power so overwhelming that it shook even the seasoned veterans of the Rocks Pirates.
Charlotte Linlin blinked, momentarily stunned at the sight before her. "Kaito, you were fighting Silver Axe just now?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kaito glanced her way and sighed. "Yeah, he kept pestering me to spar. Didn't think he'd actually go through with it."
Whitebeard surveyed the scene, his sharp eyes scanning the area. "And where is Silver Axe now?"
"Probably lying somewhere out in the sea," Kaito replied. His Tailed Beast Bomb had been a direct hit, one powerful enough that even a veteran like Silver Axe would have trouble walking away unscathed.
The Rocks crew collectively inhaled sharply. Silver Axe wasn't just any pirate; he was one of their elite cadres. Though not a main officer, he was still among the strongest. For Kaito, a relative newcomer, to best him was almost unthinkable.
"That's... that's insane!" one pirate muttered, breaking the silence.
Golden Lion let out a hearty laugh. "Jihahaha! You're insane, you know that? Who gets this strong in just a few months?"
"I don't understand," Ochoku said, crossing his arms. "What's your secret, Kaito? How did you become so powerful so fast?"
The question lingered in the air. Many on the Rocks ship had seen their share of prodigies, but none whose growth defied logic like Kaito's. In only a short time, he had gone from a promising rookie to someone who could take down veteran officers.
Kaito simply smirked, offering no explanation.
"But you didn't kill him, right?" John interjected, pointing toward the distant whirlpool left in the wake of Kaito's attack.
"Hard to say. He took the full brunt of it, but I couldn't tell you if he's dead or just out cold," Kaito admitted.
The Rocks crew murmured in disbelief. Not only had Kaito beaten Silver Axe, but he was nonchalant about whether the man had survived.
Rocks himself finally stepped forward, motioning to Ochoku. "Go fish him out. He's no use to us if he drowns."
Ochoku nodded and leapt into the water, swimming toward the swirling vortex to retrieve Silver Axe.
Turning his attention back to Kaito, Rocks grinned. "Kaito, I think it's time you joined the ranks of my officers. Your strength has more than proven itself."
This declaration sent a ripple through the gathered crew. Promoting someone to cadre rank was no small thing. Rocks had been considering it ever since Kaito's skirmish with Garp, but he'd waited to see what else Kaito could do. And now that Kaito had defeated a top officer like Silver Axe, there was no more need to wait.
Kaito bowed slightly, a knowing smile on his lips. "I'll follow the captain's orders."
Becoming an officer wasn't just about prestige. It came with greater shares of the plunder, more influence, and more opportunities to grow stronger. For Kaito, it was a no-brainer.
The crew erupted into chatter.
"This is insane! He just got here a few months ago!"
"I've been here for years, and I'm still just a regular crew member. How does he rise so fast?"
"It makes sense. He just beat Silver Axe. That's more than enough reason to promote him!"
"Yeah, Kaito's a monster. It's not surprising at all!"
Among the Rocks pirates, only a few had ever ascended so quickly, and most of those had been present since the early days of the crew. Kaito's rapid climb from rookie to officer was nothing short of extraordinary.
Charlotte Linlin's eyes darted around, taking stock of the situation. "What about the Gertley Pirates' ship? Did anyone recover their treasure?"
Kaito scratched his head awkwardly. "I, uh... might have sunk it. The Four-Tails form kind of wrecked everything, and then the Tailed Beast Bomb... yeah, it's probably all at the bottom of the sea now."
Rocks dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "The treasure doesn't matter. What we've gained today is worth far more."
He was talking about Kaito. Rocks saw something in the young fighter—a potential that could one day rival even his own. The prospect of having someone as powerful as Kaito within his ranks was far more valuable than any pile of gold.
As the crew worked to recover the battered Silver Axe and the dust settled on the skirmish, it became clear: this was a turning point. Kaito's rapid rise had changed the dynamic of the crew. His potential was no longer a secret. Even within a crew of monsters, Kaito had made them all take notice.
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